Frequently Asked Questions

Have questions about your upcoming adventure with Wingback Travel? We've got answers! Whether you're curious about our tours, have already booked, or have any other queries, you'll find everything you need right here. If your question is not answered below, please reach out to us via our contact form here.

General Information

  • Anyone who is curious and eager to explore and delve into a particular region. Travelers choose us for our personal experiences that allow them to really get to know a place, rather than just ticking off a list of “must see” places. Our tours go beyond the obvious and famous sites to places lesser known but just as interesting. We prioritize arranging exclusive visits that are not available to the general public. On our tours you will experience a place with the homeowner, the head gardener, or the local craftsperson.

  • Laura founded Wingback Travel because she believed that organized group travel could be so much better. Our groups are small - you are never on a big bus - and our tours attract fun and friendly people. We prioritize taking you to places that you cannot visit on your own, opening doors that are otherwise closed to the general public. We are pretty picky about hotels and meals and we only create trips that we ourselves would go on. We take care of all the planning and research so that you don’t have to.

  • Yes, absolutely. All of our tours to date have had 2-4 solo travelers on them.

  • Our tours are for anyone over age 18 and we attract a wide range of ages.

  • We would love to work with you on a private group tour. If you have a group of 8-12 people contact us to get planning. You can either privatize one of tours or we can create a custom tour to one of our destinations. Private trips should be planned at least a year in advance. Contact us today to get started or learn more about private tours here.

  • Our largest tours are limited to 15 guests, while others have limits of 8, 10, or 12 guests.

  • We are not fans of changing hotels either and we do our best to limit hotel changes. However, sometimes you have to change hotels to avoid spending hours on the road everyday. We recommend our Paris, Venice, and Provence trips for those who prefer to settle in to one hotel.

  • This reflects the actual cost of your accommodations. In a double occupancy room, the cost of the hotel is split between the two occupants. Single occupancy travelers need to pay for the entire room.

  • Only if they are over 18 years of age!

  • We do our best to partner with hotels that have air conditioning and you should assume that your tour hotel(s) have air conditioning unless otherwise stated.

    In many countries, air conditioning may be weaker than you are used to and we cannot guarantee that all restaurants and sites are air conditioned. One reason we travel in the shoulder season is to avoid the heat! In certain countries, and particularly in historic hotels, air conditioning may only be operational seasonally. If you have concerns please speak with us before booking.

  • All tours are guided by Laura Leeker, Wingback Travel’s founder. Most tours include Ross Harper as a her co-guide.

  • Go to the tour’s web page and add your name to the waitlist. We sometimes have cancellations and once a spot opens up those on the waitlist receive first access. We offer most tours every 1-2 years and you can also add your name to the Early Access list for future versions of that tour.

  • Add your email to our mailing list to be the first to know about new tours. Our tours often sell out quickly (sometimes within hours). We also put a preview of future tours on our website so that you can start planning and checking your dates. Once a tour opens for registration, we recommend securing your place as soon as possible.

Signing Up for a Tour

  • The best way to find out about new tours is to add your email address to our mailing list. You can scroll down to the bottom of this page to do so.

    Those on our email list receive first access to our tours.

    We also recommend following us on Instagram and taking a look at our Tours - we often post a small preview of a trip with its date so that can start planning your travel with us.

  • We create a detailed brochure for each tour. If you are on our email list, you will receive tour brochures directly in your inbox. If you are not on our email list or would other like a brochure, please visit the tour’s webpage or email laura@wingbacktravel.com.

    Tours brochures include information on hotels, daily itineraries, fine print, and travel logistics for joining the tour.

  • To sign up for a tour, you can fill out the registration form on the tour’s webpage or email Laura directly at laura@wingbacktravel.com.

    We will be in touch with you as soon as possible (within 24 hours) with the paperwork required to complete your registration and an invoice for you to pay your deposit. Once we have your paperwork and deposit, your place on the tour is reserved!

  • Yes, we strongly recommend that you purchase travel insurance. Because we are a small company with financial obligations to our partners, your payments with Wingback Travel are non-refundable. You should purchase travel insurance within two weeks of making your deposit.

    Our company does not provide you with travel insurance. Therefore we strongly advise you to have sufficient insurance to cover such things as personal accidents, medical treatment, repatriation, cancellation charges, theft, and property loss. Reputable travel insurers include American Express and TravelSafe. Squaremouth also offers affordable plans.

    The type of plan you choose will depend on your specific circumstances. The most expensive plans include “Cancel For Any Reason” coverage, which ensures coverage for any reason you may have to cancel your trip. This type of insurance must be acquired within a limited number of days of the first deposit.

  • After you sign up, we will ask for a copy of the photo page of your passport.

    After you make your final payment, we also ask that you complete an Emergency Contact and Medical and Food Allergy form. We take food allergies seriously and notify the restaurants well in advance if someone has an allergy.

  • Entry requirements to a country depend on the passport you hold.

    Most of our travelers hold US, Canadian, or Australian passports and the following apply to those nationalities:

    • To visit the UK, travelers are required to obtain electronic travel authorization (ETA) prior to their departure. This process is quick and easy and can be done online. Step-by-step instructions are provided in our Pre-Departure materials.

    • The European Union’s long delayed ETIAS program (similar to the UK’s ETA) is scheduled to begin in October of 2026.

    • As of October 2025, certain EU countries have begun collecting biometric data of arriving passengers. This program is planned to be rolled out throughout 2026.

Payment & Cancellation Policies

  • A deposit of $2,500 is required to reserve your place on a tour.

    An invoice for your deposit and final payment will be sent to you via email. You can pay the invoice by ACH bank transfer (preferred) or by credit card. Please note that we no longer accept payment by check.

    We do not hold places on a tour. Your place is only reserved once your deposit has been paid.

    Final payment is due 90 days prior to the tour start date. Your invoice for the final payment will be emailed to you a month before it is due. If your final payment is not received by the due date, your place on the tour is subject to cancellation.

  • Since our tours are small and cancellations have a big impact on our business, we have a very strict refund policy (see below). For this reason we strongly advise our travelers to take out travel insurance to cover any changes in their travel plans.

    If you have to cancel your trip nine months or more prior to the tour starting date, we will allow a one-time transfer of your deposit to another tour within the next year. For example, if you cancel a trip for 2027, you can transfer your deposit to a tour occurring in 2027 or 2028.

  • Yes. For double occupancy rooms (two travelers sharing a room) the price shown is per person. For single occupancy rooms (those not sharing a room) the price shown is also per person.

  • We charge a credit card processing fee on final payment. Unfortunately, credit card processing companies continue to raise their fees at short notice, making it difficult for small businesses like ours to incorporate the cost into the price of our tours over a year in advance (credit card processing fees are several hundred dollars per person per tour). Because we want to put as much of your money as possible directly towards your tour, we now charge the credit card processing fee only to those who prefer to make their final payment by credit card.

    Travelers not paying by credit card can pay by secure ACH bank transfer.

  • All payments to Wingback Travel are non-refundable. If you have someone to take your place at the time of cancellation, we are happy to transfer your payment(s) to that person. Any such reimbursement must be worked out between you and the person taking your place.

  • All payments to Wingback Travel are non-refundable. Deposits are transferable subject to certain conditions (see above).

Health & Safety

  • Each day, we will be on our feet exploring a town, garden, or other historical site. We might walk up to 20 minutes to a restaurant or site. We depart the hotel by 9am most days (and some days earlier), and typically return around 4-5pm. While the level is never overly strenuous (Laura and Ross are not fans of breaking a sweat), you must be able to keep up with the rest of the group and be comfortable being on your feet for 1-2 hours at a time.

    Buildings do not always have elevators and you might have to walk up a flight of stairs to reach your hotel room. While we do our best to secure hotel rooms with walk-in showers, we cannot guarantee that you won’t have to step over a bath tub to bathe.

    Our Paris and Venice tours require the most walking. Travelers on those trips should be comfortable walking up to 30 minutes up and down steps, on uneven and/or narrow sidewalks, to reach a restaurant or site.

  • If you have mobility concerns, we recommend speaking with us prior to reserving your place. Our tours require walking and standing for up to two hours at a time. We often walk on uneven terrain, including steps, cobblestone sidewalks, and dirt paths, and our visits run regardless of weather.

  • Wingback Travel does not offer health insurance. We recommend checking your coverage with your health insurance company and purchasing medical coverage when you purchase travel insurance (see above).

Pre-Trip Planning & Travel Information

  • Each tour’s brochure includes basic logistical information including exactly when and where a tour begins and ends as well as the recommended airport to fly in and out of. Once you are signed up on a tour, Laura and Ross are also happy to discuss your travel logistics and help you plan your arrival and departure.

    About nine months prior to the tour starting date you will receive Pre-Departure information that includes travel recommendations and even more specific instructions.

  • Unfortunately Wingback Travel is not a travel agency and we cannot book your flights. We are happy to recommend a travel agent should you wish to work with one.

  • We always recommend arriving in 1-2 days before a tour begins. This helps you recover from jet lag so you are feeling your best when the tour begins. It also limits your risk of missing the tour - if you fly in the day a tour begins and your flight(s) are cancelled or delayed you will be financially and logistically responsible for joining the tour.

  • If you would like to arrive a night early at the hotel where we will be staying, we will do our best to make that happen. Hotels book up far in advance and we would need to know this as soon as possible.

  • While we are happy to make recommendations and discuss travel planning with you, we are not able to make the actual bookings for your travel before or after the tour. For example, if you want to arrive in Provence or England, or wherever a few days before the tour begins, we are happy to recommend hotels, restaurants, drivers, and things to do. However, the actual bookings are to be made by you. We can also recommend a travel agent if you wish.

  • Once you have paid your final payment, we will send you information about how to book a taxi or car and driver to help you get to the meeting point on arrival day and to the airport on departure day. On certain tours, these transfers are included.

  • Your Pre-Departure materials will include a reading and watching list to help you pass those long days before the tour begins! You will also receive recommendations of things to do in your free time as well as restaurant recommendations for the evenings without group meals.

  • We are happy to put you in touch with other travelers on the trip who might have similar travel plans as you (ie, flying out of the same home airport). We are also happy to walk you through your arrival and answer any logistical information you may have.