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Frequently
Asked Questions
Home > FAQs
- Who is Midnight Sun Adventure Travel?
- What is adventure travel?
- What type of adventure travel does
Midnight Sun Adventure Travel emphasize?
- What areas do you travel in?
- What kind of vehicle will I be traveling in?
- What's Included?
- What's Not Included?
- What kind of accommodation can I expect?
- How do you arrange meals on your trips?
- How would I fit in as a first time camper?
- What about cultural considerations?
- What is the best time to visit western Canada
and Alaska?
- When should I start to plan to take my trip?
- Who goes on Midnight Sun tours?
- Are couples welcome?
- What is the average age range and gender balance
of people on your tours?
- When is the best time to go to see bears (wildlife)?
- Are there mosquitoes, what should I bring if
I don't like to use deet?
- What kind of a sleeping bag should I bring?
- Do you offer discounts?
- What kind of vehicle would I be renting?
- What is included when I rent a van and driver?
- How do you organize meals?
- Do I have to stay in a hotel?
- What about cultural considerations?
- What size of group can you accommodate?
- When should I start to plan for my group's
trip?
- What is the reservation process for booking
group tours? And, what if I have to cancel?
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- Who is Midnight Sun Adventure Travel?
We have been delivering small group tours in western Canada and
Alaska since 1996. In the tourism industry Midnight Sun Adventure
Travel is referred to as a "Receptive Tour Operator" meaning that
we provide a full range of ground travel services to people visiting
these areas. These services include arranging tours, accommodation,
and activities (whale watching, cycling, white-water rafting),
for individuals and groups. We own the tour company that provides
our overland tours, which ensures the quality and dependability
of this service.
Being based in Victoria, BC, has enabled us to develop expertise
in organizing kayak tours; we are the booking agent for a dozen
kayak operators on Vancouver Island. More detail on this area
is provided on our main page under Kayak Tours of Vancouver
Island. We also own the Sun Spirit Guesthouse and hostel in
Alert Bay www.alertbayhotel.com.
- What is adventure travel?
Adventure travel is an exploration of the outer world that takes
place in a remote, exotic or wilderness setting. A wide continuum
of adventure activities, from sea kayaking to wilderness survival,
enables travelers to experience varying degrees of risk, excitement
and tranquility. Adventure travelers also seek the inner world
of personal challenge, self-perception and self-mastery.
- What type of adventure travel does
Midnight Sun Adventure Travel emphasize? Our soft adventure
trips are for alternate travelers who don't have the time or experience
to discover remote places by trial and error. Compared to hard
adventure, our tours require less physical risk, little or no
experience and provide more convenience in terms of sleeping arrangements,
and cuisine. Our main objective is to have fun and enjoy the outdoors!
We also ensure people are informed about the land they travel
in -- our tour leaders are knowledgeable in the area's environment,
natural history and culture.
- What areas do you travel in?
We explore wilderness areas, parks and protected areas in Alaska,
Yukon Territory, the Rocky Mountains and Vancouver Island. Our
scheduled tours depart from Vancouver, BC; Victoria, BC; Edmonton,
AB; Calgary, AB; and Whitehorse, YT.
- What kind of vehicle will I be traveling
in? We drive fully optioned, late model 15 passenger vans.
Our vans are commercially inspected and certified every six months
and come equipped with full length roof racks and tarpaulins.
While the vans seat 15 people, we travel with no more than 11
in BC and 13 in the Yukon and Alaska.
- What's Included? All Midnight
Sun tours include accommodation, transportation, an experienced
driver/leader and all park entrance fees. Camping tours include
all camping gear, except sleeping bags. Each tour also includes
some activities while on tour. Read each tour description for
more information.
- What's Not Included? Meals,
accommodation before or after the tour, optional activities, gratuities
for the guide and GST are not included in the price of the tour.
- What kind of accommodation can I
expect? The type of accommodation varies according to the
tour, from hard shell to camping. Hard shell accommodation includes
"simple hotels" (clean, generally smaller character hotels with
basic amenities) and hostels (some with private rooms, all with
communal facilities for cooking, socializing). Camping facilities
also vary according to the tour. As examples, the campgrounds
we stay at in the Rocky Mountains generally come complete with
showers, flush toilets, picnic tables - some even have Laundromats.
Generally, the further north we go on our Alaska and Yukon trips,
the fewer frills we encounter. This often means drop toilets,
hauling water from streams and foraging for our own firewood.
While our tents are sized as three person tents we limit two persons
per tent.
- How do you arrange meals on your
trips? The inclusion of meals depends on the type of accommodation
provided on the tour. While meals are often included on some days
in our tours that involve hotels, passengers generally purchase
their own (more specifics are provided in our pre-departure information).
Our hostel tours do not include meals, but the hostels we stay
in have access to central cooking and dining facilities. On camping
tours we use a "food kitty", where a contribution of $12 per day
buys three meals per day. Contributions are paid to the tour leader/driver
at the beginning of the tour and are not subject to Canadian GST
of 7%. On these tours, everyone participates in meal preparation
and daily chores. Travellers enjoy barbeques and a wide choice
of pastas and salads, meats, vegetables, fruits and deserts.
- How would I fit in as a first time
camper? Don't worry! Our tours come complete with all the
gear you need, from camp stoves to cutlery. Just bring your sleeping
bag, personal gear and the items listed in your pre-departure
information (eg, suntan lotion, camera, film). Our tents take
less that five minutes for one person to set up. Your Midnight
Sun tour leader will make you look like an expert camper in a
few days!
- What about cultural considerations?
Please don't let language or culture be barriers to enjoying our
splendid country. Our tour leaders are well traveled outside of
Canada and sensitive to the challenges of visiting a new country.
No matter what language you speak, or what diet you have, we will
take the steps to maximize your comfort level. And provide you
with a great time!
- What is the best time to visit western
Canada and Alaska? The season varies according to the area
you want to visit. The season on Vancouver Island begins in April
and ends in mid-October. In the Rocky Mountains, we begin our
tours in early June. The season in the Yukon and Alaska is from
early June to mid-September.
- When should I start to plan to take
my trip? July and August are peak months for travel in
western Canada and Alaska. If you plan to travel with us during
this months, we recommend you book by April to avoid disappointment.
- Who goes on Midnight Sun tours?
Everyone with an interest in the environment who wants to see
wildlife and have fun at an affordable price. Some clients have
limited camping experience and some have lots of camping experience;
all prefer to travel with like minded people.
- Are couples welcome? Of course!
On average, we tend to have one to two couples on every tour.
The majority of our customers tend to be single.
- What is the average age range and
gender balance of people on your tours? On average, our
clients tend to be between the ages of 24-54, and are in average
physical condition.
- When is the best time to go to see
bears (wildlife)? While nature is unpredictable, the best
time to see bears is usually in the early spring or late summer.
Opportunities also depend on when the salmon are running. The
many areas in which we travel have different salmon runs -- different
species of salmon have runs at different times. You will have
to ask the office closer to the time of your travel to get a better
idea about bear viewing opportunities. However, we have been delivering
tours since 1996 - and if anyone can help you spot a bear - we
can!
- Are there mosquitoes, what should
I bring if I don't like to use deet? Depending on the area
you tour in, you may encounter mosquitoes. Our Vancouver Island
tours see very few if any mosquitoes as the ocean breeze tends
to keep them away. While hiking in the Rockies you may encounter
a few while hiking near stagnant lakes in the peak of the hot
season (late July early August). In the Yukon and Alaska you will
see mosquitoes from late June to early August. Near the towns
there are few if any. But more tend to appear when we are camped
near the tundra or muskeg. Deet is the best to keep mosquitoes
away, but should not be applied directly to your skin. If you
do not like to use deet you could use a natural product call "Natural-Repel"
or "ZZZZWAT". This product can be applied directly to your skin
and is 100% natural and environmentally friendly. There are many
other products on the market with various combinations or citronella
in them that are all deet free.
- What kind of a sleeping bag should
I bring? We suggest a four season sleeping bag rated to
-3.
- Do you offer discounts?
We occasionally offer discounts. Please feel free to ask if there
are any seat sales for the tour you are interested in.
- What kind of vehicle would I be
renting? We drive fully optioned late model 15 passenger
vans. Our vans are commercially inspected and certified every
six months and come equipped with full length roof racks and tarpaulins.
Back
- What is included when I rent a van
and driver? All gasoline, road tolls, an average of 500
kilometers per day, vehicle maintenance, vehicle and third party
liability insurance, airport transfers (per group), Tour Leader/driver
meals and accommodation and commercial park permits to the areas
we visit. All Midnight Sun Tour leaders are commercially certified
drivers. Back
- How do you organize meals?
Meal organization can vary. We can use a food kitty system, where
a small daily contribution buys three meals a day and everyone
helps with meal preparation. We can also hire a cook to accompany
the tour, or arrange to eat out. Groups and individuals with special
and ethnic diets are welcome. Back
- Do I have to stay in a hotel? Staying
in hotels is only one option; with sufficient notice we can arrange
any accommodation type or combination thereof you desire: lodge,
hotel, bed and breakfast, hostel or camping. The further north
we travel, accommodation standards and quality start to vary.
Back
- What about cultural considerations?
Please don't let language or culture be barriers to enjoying our
splendid country. Our tour leaders are well traveled outside of
Canada and sensitive to the challenges of visiting a new country.
No matter what language you speak, or what diet you have, we will
take the steps to maximize your comfort level. And provide you
with a great time! Back
- What size of group can you accommodate?
We have successfully planned group tours for parties from 2 to
48 people. Once we exceed 16 people in a group we organize transportation
by coach. Back
- When should I start to plan for
my group's trip? July and August are peak months for travel
in the Rocky Mountains. In order to maximize your itinerary and
ideal departure dates we recommend confirming your trip by March.
This means you should contact us at the beginning of the new year.
However, each year we manage to organize a number of "last minute"
charters. Back
- What is the reservation process
for booking group tours? And, what if I have to cancel?
Once we've agreed on an itinerary, Midnight Sun requires a deposit
of $1000 in order to make the reservations and prepare your detailed
pre-departure information. Full payment is due 30 days prior to
departure. Should you cancel 30 days or more prior to departure
there is no penalty and your deposit will be refunded. Inside
of 29-8 days before tour departure, advanced funds less the deposit
will be refunded. If you cancel your trip less than 7 days before
tour departure, all money is non refundable. Back
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