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www.CostaBlancaHiking.com

The most expensive journey 

is the one you regret

not taking.

dates

start: Thursday, January 9, 2025, in Tortosa, Spain     

end: Sunday, January 19, 2025, near Denia, Spain

upon arrival spain

We recommend you fly into Valencia (VLC) or Barcelona (BCN).

 

Consider not only the lowest airfare and the most convenient connections, but also which city you might want to explore.

 

From Valencia’s Manises Airport (VLC), it's a 2.25-hour drive to where our group will convene in Tortosa. From Denia, where our group will disperse, it's a 1.5-hour drive back to Valencia’s Manises Airport (VLC).

From Barcelona’s El Prat Airport (BCN), it's a 2-hour drive to where our group will convene in Tortosa. From Denia, where our group will disperse, it's a 4.75-hour drive back to Barcelona’s El Prat Airport (BCN).

 

If you fly into Valencia, we suggest you stay there a couple nights. Its historic center is intriguing, and you can marvel at one of the great works of modern architecture: La Ciudad de las Artes y Ciencias (The City of Arts and Sciences). A short walk from there is the NH Hotel Las Ciencias, which we recommend.

 

If, however, you’ve never been to Barcelona, we urge you to make that your point of arrival and departure. The city is rife with wonders, including the phantasmagoric cathedral designed by Antoni Gaudi: La Sagrada de Familia. Other must-see Gaudi masterpieces in Barcelona are Le Pedrera and Parc Guell.

 

Once you commit to joining us, we’ll advise you about further travel opportunities for your time before and after our group trip.

 

per-person cost estimates (usd)

 

scout fee             

$1600 per person    

 

accommodation for 10 nights 

(includes buffet breakfasts every morning, plus 4 dinners at the Tortosa Parador)         

$750 per person, double occupancy

$865 per person, single room

 

dining out                          

$450 per person (6 dinners, and 2 lunches on rest days)

 

car rental for 10 days     

$365 per person, based on 2 people sharing an Avis economy car (with zero-deductible iinsurance) through www.autoeurope.com  Fuel cost will, of course, be additional.

cultural tour     

$60 per person

 

subtotal           

$3340 single  /  $3225 double  

additional costs   

airfare, medical insurance, trip insurance, accommodation & meals before and after our group trip, trail-lunch ingredients purchased for you

 

actual costs

Your airfare will depend on the airline you choose and when you purchase. The accuracy of our USD cost estimates will depend on ever-fluctuating exchange rates. Our scout fee will not change.

 

booking & payment

You are responsible for booking and paying for your flights between North America and Spain. We will book your accommodation for you, and you will pay for it through us, but you’ll pay only what we’re charged. All other costs—rental car, meals, etc.—you’ll pay directly. That’s what makes this trip affordable: There’s no markup on any of your expenses.

 

securing your reservation

The two hotels where our group will stay are holding the rooms for us, without deposit, until August 1, 2024. So, if you want to join us, please commit before then. The sooner we receive your $1600 scout fee, the easier it will be for our entire group. Venmo is easiest for us. Use <UtahSlickrockGuides@gmail.com> as the email address. If you need the last 4 digits of our phone, here you go: 7564. Our Venmo account has Skye’s legal name: Kathy Copeland. If necessary, you can mail a check payable to Utah Slickrock Guides. Our address is Utah Slickrock Guides, P.O. Box 1301, Boulder, Utah 84716. Whether you pay by Venmo or check, we’ll use the funds to cover the hotel deposits. In early October, we’ll tell you what you owe to cover the balance of your accommodation cost.

 

commit before October 15, 2024

Your scout fee, plus the full cost of your accommodation, is due October 15, 2024. But the sooner you commit, the sooner we can establish a full group of hikers, giving everyone ample time to confidently reserve flights. We'll send you a receipt as soon as we receive your deposit. We’ll keep you posted as hikers commit to joining us.  

 

cancellation & refund

Your scout fee is partially refundable. Cancel on or before November 15, 2024, and you’ll receive an $800 refund. Cancel after November 15, 2024, and your scout fee is non-refundable unless we have prospective guests who will quickly commit to taking your place. If you cancel before December 6, 2024, your accommodation deposit at one hotel is refundable, less 25%. At the other hotel, where we're staying 4 nights, your accommodation deposit is refundable up to 3 days before our arrival date.

 

choose one:

(a) whopping price of a tour company

(b) guesswork, mistakes & wasted time on your own

(c) small group of compatible hikers led by a couple who knows the way

insurance

We require you to buy emergency hospital and medical insurance to cover you while you’re hiking with us in the Spain. Should an insurance company ask if you’ll be climbing or mountaineering while you’re there, you can honestly say “no.”

 

We also recommend you buy trip-interruption/cancellation insurance. For a small fee, it covers an emergency return to your home country. Your need to return could be due to a foreign affairs office traveler-safety advisory, for example. Or it could be due to a family emergency—if you're the primary caregiver. Allianz Global Assistance (800-461-1079 / www. allianz-assistance.ca/en), and World Nomads (844-207-1930 / www.worldnomads.com/usa/travel-insurance) are travel-insurance companies we’ve used and recommend.

 

Bear in mind, if fewer than five people commit to our group trip by November 15, 2024, we’ll have to cancel it. No insurance policy covers that. So if you purchase your airfare before we confirm your group has at least four hikers, you must be confident you’ll want to continue with your own vacation in Spain for the same dates. We cannot refund your airfare. That's why we urge you to wait to book your flight until we assure you the trip is "a go."

 

rental car

Book through the consolidator AutoEurope (www.autoeurope.com). They’ll compare prices from all the prospective rental-car companies, then offer you the best deal. A distinct advantage of AutoEurope is that their rates—in addition to having the option of a no-deductible CDW (collision damage waiver)—always include insurance coverage for theft and third-party liability. We’ve rented through AutoEurope numerous times in various countries. Never were we able to find a better option on our own. We’ve also appreciated that AutoEurope agents have consistently provided excellent service. If you prefer to work directly with a Spanish rental-car company, we can—from personal experience—recommend Gold Car (www.Goldcar.es.en).

 

driving in Spain

If you’re comfortable driving throughout North America, you should have no difficulty in Spain. It’s essential, however, that you or your partner be capable and confident motoring through aggressive, urban traffic and on twisting mountain roads. Even if you have experience with

manual transmissions, please rent a car with an automatic transmission. In Europe, having to constantly shift is a hazardous distraction as well as very tiring. Though the cost of petrol

(gasoline or diesel) is high in Europe, most European cars are quite fuel efficient, and the distances you'll be driving are shorter than is common in North America. So your total fuel expense will be lower than you might imagine.

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