Best of Belgium with Wisconsin Belgians

• In order to enter Belgium, U.S. and Canadian citizens need a valid passport with an expiration date extending at least six months beyond the date of reentry.
• We recommend having at least one blank passport page for entry stamps.
• Beginning in 2025, U.S. and Canadian passport holders must register for an ETIAS travel authorization in order to enter many European countries.
• Passport holders from over 60 visa-exempt countries (including the U.S. and Canada) will need to apply for an ETIAS travel authorization in order to visit 30 European countries. That means that even if you’ve previously traveled to any of these European countries without a visa, starting in 2025, you’ll need to get ETIAS authorization to visit them again. If you’re traveling to multiple countries with this requirement, you only need to complete the form once. All Go Ahead travelers are responsible for obtaining their own ETIAS travel authorization before departure. For more details, please visit our Help Center.
• If you are not a U.S. or Canadian citizen, you must contact each country’s consulate for your specific entry requirements.

Physical Activity Level

This is a moderate physical activity-level tour. You can expect casual walks and plenty of time to explore throughout your trip.

Tour Pacing

This is a steadily paced itinerary. Tour pacing considers how often you’ll switch hotels, what you’ll do each day, and how you’ll get from place to place. You can expect:

• Most transportation to be by motor coach.
• Some transportation by boat.

Walking, Terrain & Physical Requirements

• Travelers should be prepared to walk 2 miles per day- this includes city streets, cobblestones, and uneven stone and dirt paths.
• To get in and out of the canal boats in Amsterdam, travelers should be prepared to crouch down and slide through tight quarters.
• Travelers should be healthy enough to participate in all included walks without assistance.
• Please Note: Adding optional excursions may increase the total amount of walking on your tour.

Climate Considerations

• For most of central Europe, temperatures range from 40sF in winter to low-80sF in summer, with occasional heatwaves in the summer months (June-September).

Physical Activity & Tour Pace Questions

• Go Ahead Tours and the Tour Director who accompanies your group are unable to provide special mobility or luggage handling assistance to travelers on tour. The responsibility of the Tour Director is to ensure the group enjoys a smooth and informative journey, and they can’t be relied on to provide individualized assistance to any one traveler.
• This tour moves at a reasonable pace to avoid missing scheduled stops. The rest of the group cannot miss any scheduled activities because of the needs of an individual.
• Due to the pace and physical activity level of this tour, mobility aids such as wheelchairs or walkers will be difficult to use and are not recommended. Please notify Go Ahead Tours before your departure if you plan to bring these on tour with you.
• If you have mobility concerns or tour pacing questions, please visit our Help Center or send a message to our Customer Experience Team.

• Round-trip flights booked through Go Ahead Tours arrive in and depart from Brussels.
• Transfers to and from the airport at the beginning and end of the tour are included for travelers who purchased their flights through Go Ahead Tours. Travelers who booked their own flights are responsible for securing their own airport transfers.
• When you arrive in Brussels, a Go Ahead representative will be waiting for you in the arrivals hall with either a Go Ahead sign or one bearing your name. If you don’t see them immediately, please be patient and stay in the arrivals area. They may be assisting another traveler and will be back shortly.
• This tour includes various modes of transportation boat and private motor coach. To board them, you may have to climb raised platforms or steps. Often, there won’t be access to ramps or lifts.

• Please note that our travelers are limited to one checked bag and one personal item per person due to storage limitations on motor coaches and other transfers, which includes a train.
• Some airlines may impose additional charges if you exceed baggage size and weight restrictions. Be advised that you’re responsible for any baggage fees incurred.
• Contact your airline(s) for the baggage size and weight restrictions on your flights.
• Make sure you label your baggage and keep valuables, medication, and documents in your carry-on bag.
• Travelers must be able to manage their luggage throughout tour; porters aren’t guaranteed at hotels, airports, or train stations.

• We recommend packing lightweight, loose-fitting clothing that can be easily layered to accommodate varying temperatures, as well as a light jacket or rainwear.
• A sturdy pair of walking shoes or sneakers is recommended for sightseeing.
• You may want to pack dressier attire if you plan to visit a high-end restaurant or attend a special performance.
• It is preferable not to visit churches or other religious sites with bare legs and shoulders (and entrance may be denied on this basis).
• We recommend packing a reusable water bottle to cut down on single use plastic waste.
• We recommend packing a universal adapter, as well as a voltage converter if you plan on using your own hairdryer or other device without a built-in converter.
• In case of emergencies, we also recommend packing your medical insurance card in your carry-on.

• At least 60 days prior to departure, check with your doctor or healthcare provider for the latest updates and entry requirements, or visit the Center for Disease Control and Prevention website at cdc.gov.
• If you have medication that you take daily, be sure you have enough for each day of the tour as well as any possible delays encountered.
• If you have dietary restrictions and/or food allergies please notify Go Ahead Tours at least 30 days prior to departure by logging in to your account and updating your traveler info. To update this information closer to your departure date, please call our Customer Experience Team.

• This tour includes four dinners. Included meals may be plated set menus, buffet or family style depending on the location. Dinners include one glass of beer, wine, or soft drink and water, coffee and tea.
• Breakfast each morning is also included at the hotel and is typically buffet style with hot and cold options.
• In Belgium, seafood is of a very high quality, and mussels steamed in white wine are a favorite. Patisseries offer decadent pastries and cakes, and you won’t want to miss indulging in favorites like fries, handmade chocolate, locally brewed Abbey-style beer, and, of course, Belgian waffles. Please note that Belgian beers vary widely in style and flavor and are often much higher in alcohol content than other European beers.

• Go Ahead handpicks every hotel you’ll stay at, striking a balance between comfort, location, and local charm.
• Specific properties will vary based on your departure date, but are typically three-to-four-star hotels; always include private bathrooms; and usually have in-room safes for valuables. Additionally, your hotels will have Wi-Fi, but access may be limited to common areas. There may also not be elevators.
• Unfortunately, we can’t guarantee that your accommodations will have laundry services or facilities. We recommend checking directly with your hotels once they’ve been confirmed, about 30 days prior to departure.
• Some hotels on this tour are situated on narrow streets; as such, our buses can’t drop you off right out front. In these instances, you’ll have to walk your luggage to the property, no more than a few blocks.
• Please be advised that the strength of the air conditioning in European hotels/buildings is often not as strong or as cool as what you might be used to in the U.S. or Canada.
• Belgium operates on the European standard 220-240 volts and use Types C, E, or F plugs with two small, round pins.

• To help you feel prepared before traveling on tour, we strongly recommend downloading the EF Go Ahead Tours mobile app. It’s free and provides information about important deadlines and entry requirements, as well as your detailed itinerary, packing tips, and more. You can also connect with fellow travelers through the app’s chat feature.
• Wi-Fi is available in most hotels, though some charges may apply.
• There is no Wi-Fi on any of the motor coaches.
• Please contact your mobile service provider for information on roaming charges.

• All destinations on this tour are one hour ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) and six hours ahead of Eastern Time (ET).
• When it’s noon in New York, it’s 6pm on tour.

• You will use the euro on this tour.
• Better rates of exchange are usually available overseas, although it’s worth ordering some currency from your local bank to use when you first arrive.
• We strongly advise that you take debit and credit cards, which can be used to withdraw cash at local banks as needed.
• You can use most cards at ATMs on the international networks Cirrus and Plus, but make sure to check with your home bank about withdrawal fees.
• International banks and businesses primarily accept debit and credit cards that work with the EMV chip system. If you don’t already have at least one card with a chip in it, we strongly recommend requesting one from your bank prior to your tour.
• Plan ahead and bring cash to tip your Tour Director, local guides, and bus drivers. We also recommend keeping coins in the local currency on hand, as some public bathrooms may charge a fee for use.

• At the conclusion of your tour, it is customary to offer your Tour Director and driver a gratuity in local currency. Please keep current exchange rates in mind.
• We recommend tipping the equivalent of $10USD to $12USD per person per day for your Tour Director and the equivalent of $4USD per person per day for your driver.
• If applicable, we also recommend the equivalent of $2USD per local guide.
• Tips can only be paid in cash.
• If you are traveling to multiple countries with different currencies and the same Tour Director, ask them what currency they prefer for their tip.
• The cost of porterage is included in your tour price, and it is not necessary to tip baggage handlers.

• Excursions are available for purchase prior to departure, and most can be bought while on tour. While traveling, you can purchase them directly through your mobile app for an additional $10USD on the excursion’s price.
• We recommend purchasing excursions at least three days prior to your tour departure. Please note: Some excursions have advance booking deadlines, so check your itinerary for more information to ensure you don’t miss out.
• Optional excursions may be canceled on tour due to reasons like low enrollment, weather, or unexpected closures. If an excursion you signed up for is canceled by Go Ahead Tours, you’ll be refunded the full cost of the excursion. (It may take up to 60 days for your refund to be processed.)
• Your Tour Director may offer their own optional excursions, which can only be purchased on tour, in cash, in the local currency.

• Your Tour Director will be leading your group throughout your journey. You will have the same Tour Director throughout your tour.
• The role of the Tour Director is not only to provide information and context on the destinations you visit, but also to confirm services, coordinate inclusions, prepare each days’ activities and support travelers while on tour. As such, they must focus on the success of the group, and cannot provide individualized assistance to any one traveler.

• One of the benefits of traveling with EF Go Ahead Tours is our on tour emergency support team.
• Our extensive network of offices around the world, and our integration of ISO 31000: Risk Management Guidelines, help our dedicated 24/7 Emergency Service teams anticipate and address on-tour challenges in a flexible and iterative way.
• This team supports travelers and Tour Directors using a combination of extensive training, simulations, incident response planning, and decades of experience to help manage emergencies if they arise, ranging from personal health concerns or injuries to major world events.
• As needed, On Tour Support can facilitate additional support for travelers on tour, arrange assistance from outside specialists, and liaise with local and international authorities to help solve on-the-ground issues. In addition, the team is dedicated to supporting and facilitating communication between travelers and families in the event of an emergency while on the road or at home.

• When you travel with Go Ahead Tours, you’ll make a positive impact on the places you visit and the people and animals you meet along the way. That’s because our three core Responsible Travel commitments—protecting the environment, supporting local communities, and promoting animal welfare—are at the heart of every tour we offer.
• Travel, when done responsibly, can have an enormous socioeconomic impact on communities. To maximize your impact, eat at locally owned restaurants and shop at small businesses. Ask your Tour Director to point out restaurants they recommend.
• Prepare for your trip: Be aware of monetary norms such as tipping and negotiating in a market; learn about the destination’s forms of etiquette; and take some time to learn a few words in the local language.
• When interacting with locals, make sure to ask people for permission before you take their picture, and approach cultural differences with empathy and an open mind.
• Go Ahead Tours encourages travelers to limit their waste while on the road, especially single-use plastics. You can cut back on generating plastic waste by packing your own toiletries, using electronic documents, and bringing a reusable water bottle and shopping bag. If you need to use plastics or paper, please recycle.