FAQ: How large are your groups? We cap our walking trips at 14 particpants and our bike trips at 16 participants.

FAQ: How small are your groups? We guarantee all our trips. If you sign up, we will run it, so our minimum group size is 2. Please see our Guaranteed departure policy.

FAQ: What is your usual group size? We usually have groups between 6 and 12.

FAQ: Where do your clients come from? We have a mix of clientele. Our trips are not prohibitively expensive so we get a nice cross section of people, geographically, demographically and socio-economically. Most of our travellers are from the United States with the majority of them coming from the Pacific Northwest. About 25% of our clientele is comprised of Australians, New Zealanders, Canadians, South Africans, and Brits.

FAQ: What is the age range of people on the trips? On average, ages range from early 30’s to mid 60’s with the majority in the 40 to 55 bracket.

FAQ: Do you get many single travellers? There is usually at least two or three single travellers on our regular departures, sometimes more. We get more single females travelling with us.

FAQ: Do you charge a single supplement? Yes, we do, but it is relatively modest in the sense that we charge single travellers the extra costs that we incur related to the fact that the hotels charge more for a single person than they do for a person in double occupancy. We do not penalize single travellers for taking up space on the tour, and as a result our single supplements are lower than most tour companies.

FAQ: What are your clients like? Many of our trip participants have travelled extensively while others may be on their first overseas trip. Generally, we get fun, easy going and interesting people. People who like to hike or bike and travel with a small group are just that way……Of course, when travelling with a group there is always the chance that there might be someone in the group who is a pain in the backside but that is a relatively rare occurrence. Furthermore, we design the trips to allow everybody time on their own, so if you need a break from someone, you can do so. Finally, if there is someone who really is a problem, our guides have our backing to ask anyone on the trip who really is a problem to leave the trip. Happily, in 16 years of doing trips we have only needed to do this on one occasion.

FAQ: What about people who suffer from Vertigo? All the trails that we use are safe. The paths of the Cinque Terre walk and along the Amalfi coast can become narrow on occasion, and then only for a short stretch of not more than 10 metres. On these occasions the path traverses across the top of a stone wall that is part of the system of terraces are carved into the coastal hills. On one side of the narrow path is a stone wall that one can use as support and beneath you is a series of terraced vineyards that descend steeply down the hillside. If you suffer from acute vertigo then there will be some moments during the course of the trip where you will feel uncomfortable. The paths are not overly exposed, however on some occasions those people with vertigo have to look away from the sea to face the inland part of the path in order to negotiate a certain stretch of pathway.

In the Dolomites, there are some exposed wide open stretches of paths that would be difficult to negotiate if you suffer from vertigo.

FAQ: How many people do you need for a private trip? We can do a private trip for one person, if that is what you want to do, but of course it will be more expensive. Usually a good number is between six and twelve people. This means your private group benefits from sharing the cost of the trip, while remaining small and flexible. Of course we can also do trips for large groups too!

FAQ: How does a typical day work? We design each day to have a balanced content of activity, cultural content, cappucino and lunch time, short breaks, and then free time at the end of the day, and then dinner. So a typical day starts with breakfast at about 8 a.m, depart at about 9 a.m, walk for about an hour, have a break, resume, arrive in a village for a snack, another hour of walking, then lunch, then walk a little more, then perhaps a cultural visit/special event, then arrive back at the hotel around 15:30 – 16:00, free time, then get together at about 19:00 for an aperitivo and the guides will brief you on the next day, then dinner, which is sometimes followed by a grappa or a gelato.

FAQ: How far do you walk in a day? We design all our trips, be they walking, biking, or scooter tours to have about 4 hours of activity per day, with a little more in the morning. On our walking tours we usually do between 12 and 16 kms.

FAQ: How far do you bike in a day? On our bike tours we generally cover about 45 – 55 kms a day, with optional extension rides for strong rides, and our support van is there to assist riders when needed.

FAQ: How long have you been doing tours? Brett guided his first bike tour in Alsace in June 1990 for a company called Butterfield and Robinson. Brett established Customwalks in Canada in 1996. Brett moved to New Zealand in 2006 and since then the business has been based in New Zealand.