Who goes on these trips anyway?People of all ages -- even the occasional family, though generally our trip is best suited to adults. People come from around the world though primarily from the USA, Britain and Australia. The main thing that most of our tour members have in common is a love of music and an adventurous spirit. That is probably why there are so many lifelong friendships that come out of our tours (and even 7 marriages!)
But I've never been on a "tour" before!
Good! That's what most people say before they've come with us. We like to call our trips "Untours". They are best suited for those of us that normally would not be caught dead taking a traditional tour. We like to give you plenty of unstructured free time so you can do what you want when you want. As you will notice we don't book group flights so you can plan your trip the way you want to.
The advantage of taking our tour is that we plan things that just wouldn't happen if you went on your own -- especially on our Cajun trip. Our Crawfish Boil is one of the best examples of this. It simply wouldn't take place if we didn't rig it for the Monday that we're there. In fact it wouldnt happen at all. All of our visits come from Nancy's close friendships. Right now it's the Savoy's annual party.
What if I'm traveling alone?
Although we have couples and friends traveling together on our trips there are also plenty of people who come on their own. You are welcome to pay the single supplement and get your own private room. However if you would like to save a bundle and avoid the hotel supplement charges then you can have us set you up with a roommate. There are many advantages to doing this besides just saving money. It is sometimes just nice to have the company, though you will not have to stick together like glue as there is plenty of free time.
Remember your potential roommate is in the same situation as you are. We have been at this for a long time and are surprisingly good at making great combinations. We can generally find a suitable roommate and the earlier you sign up the better chance we will have of making this happen. If we cannot find someone for you then you will be required to pay the single supplement.
How do we travel?
We travel in our own air conditioned bus on the Cajun Tour. I know it sounds "tour" like but it's fun. Really. Besides, there is no other way to get around to the obscure places we go.
What about flights?
We don't book group flights as people fly in from all over the country and even overseas. The days of good deals on group flights is long gone anyway. Besides we have very independent people on our tours and they all like to arrive and depart at different times and we encourage that. If possible, you should book your flight as soon as possible to get the best choice of flights (and price). Try to get a non stop to New Orleans if it is offered from your city even if it costs slightly more. That means less chance you might get "bumped" midway. Closer to Jazz Fest all flights start to sell out. If you are coming on the full tour you should try to arrive by late morning or early afternon if possible. Our first event is dinner on Thursday and you will want to arrive in time to get to the hotel and freshen up before drinks at 7. If you are on the Cajun Tour Only your trip ends in New Orleans on Wednesday, April 28. We get back into town that evening, usually too late to safely catch a flight out that night. You should book a flight for Thursday if not staying on.
If you want help with flights we suggest our personal travel agent Susie Curtois at In House Travel. Her number is (818) 222-0105. We don't take a cut of her commission, we just happen to think she is great!. I"ve booked on the internet only to find that Susie can oftentimes get a similar deal and sometimes better. Even if it does costs a bit more I think of her as my insurance policy since Susie can help in case your flight (or airline) gets canceled or your own plans change. Id rather have a person to help than a machine that doesn't care.
How do I get from the airport to the hotel?
Easy. We'll give you full details closer to the time but basically you can take a taxi or shuttle from the airport to the hotel. Plenty of both are available. It's about a half an hour to our hotel in the French Quarter.
What do I pack?
We will give you full packing tips closer to the time of the trip but basically this is a casual trip in a warm place. As far as weather is concerned April and May is considered to be one of the best times to be in Louisiana. The temperatures are usually warm to hot and generally humid.
Anything goes at the festival. You want to be comfortable so make sure you have some good walking shoes and sandals. In the evening you can remain casual or dress up. It's up to you. Restaurants are always air conditioned so you will want to bring a layer to warm yourself up!
So how do I sign up?
Send us a deposit ($400 minimum) or full payment to hold yourself a space. Mail us a check made out to Festival Tours International, 15332 Antioch Street #17, Pacific Palisades, CA 90272. I'm sorry, but we dont take credit cards. We're too small!
Our trips tend to sell out so sign up as soon as possible.
Who are you anyway?
Festival Tours International was started in 1982 by Nancy Covey. In those days Nancy was the Concert Director at McCabe's, a small music club in Los Angeles. Part of her job was to travel to music festivals to seek out musicians to play the club. Her first tours took on the same style as her own travels -- a style that continues to this day -- visiting musicians and getting to the heart of where the music comes from. Having a severe case of CTD (Compulsive Travel Disorder) Nancy combined her love and knowledge of music and friendships with musicians with her vast experience of travel and thus Festival Tours was born.
Nancy has gone on to produce concerts and festivals of her own. Married with children, she splits her time between Los Angeles and London.
Since these are very personalized trips Nancy always leads them. She will be joined on our Louisiana tour by Carole Raye, longtime Festival Tours road staff and world renowned Acupressurist to the Stars. Carole lives and works in Mendocino when not traveling with Festival Tours or on her own.
Joey Thompson, who also lives in Los Angeles, takes care that the paperwork is done and the checks are not lost. She and her husband, Jeff (who prints our brochures and shirts), alternate with Carole as Festival Tours Road Staff.
But don't take our word for it...
Check out what others have said about Festival Tours. Read the quotes, ask anyone on our "Links". We're happy and proud about the responses we get on the trips.
What other trips do you offer?
We have had trips to England, Scotland and Ireland; Zimbabwe; the USSR (when there was one), Central Europe (Prague, Budapest, Slovenia and Vienna) as well as Southern Europe (Italy, Sardinia and Corsica).
In September/October 2010 we will be offering a trip to Spain which will center on the music of Andalusia in southern Spain (Seville and Granada) and the Celtic region of Galicia in the north.
Looking far ahead we are planning a trip to England and Scotland in August 2012 to celebrate the 45th anniversary of Fairport Convention at their annual festival in Cropredy, England. This trip only happens every 5 years so join us while you can!
Can we talk?
Sure! Just phone us up. We miss the pre-email days when we would talk to everyone on the phone before the trip! (Yes, that's how long we've been doing this- way before emails!) So feel free to give us a call at (310) 454-4080 to speak with Nancy, or (818) 346-5146 to catch Joey in the evening (she moonlights). We're on West Coast time. If we're not here we'll call you back!
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