FAQ

Our group size is very much determined by the type of tour and the destination. Our privately chartered rail cruises in New South Wales and special event trains (e.g. Elvis and ABBA festivals) are well suited to larger groups of up to 60 people, while other tours work better with smaller groups – for example, some, like our private exploration of Tasmania, only offer 10 seats.  Internationally, our group size is usually somewhere between 15 and 25 passengers, but never more than 25.

“Heritage” in the rail world means trains that have been decommissioned and then faithfully restored, most usually by volunteer groups around the world.  They include a variety of heritage trains from steam trains to rail motors.  While Railway Adventures also uses modern trains, we try to incorporate a ‘heritage” experience in all our tours.  On some tours, your entire experience is on heritage trains.

One of the most wonderful things about Railway Adventures is that we don’t discriminate when it comes to trains.  From easy-paced heritage rail motors to privately chartered luxury trains, to ‘Business Class’ seats in bullet trains like the Shinkansen, we travel on them all. What we can guarantee is that you will be in the most comfortable seats available on regular trains and the fully-crewed heritage trains are kept clean and well serviced for the duration of the tour.

Every tour is slightly different so we always include a detailed list of inclusions in our tour brochures so you know exactly what you’re getting. Generally, tours will include all your travel from the starting point of the tour, hotel accommodation, most meals, and sightseeing and excursion fees. 

On some international tours they are, and this is clearly outlined in the individual tour brochure.    Airport transfers are not included in our domestic tours.

Flights to and from the tour start and finish points are not included.  Other exclusions are travel insurance, alcoholic beverages (unless specified), meals in the “free time” in the itinerary, special dietary food and snacks outside those we cater for, items of a personal nature such as laundry and phone calls, and any additional pre or post tour accommodation. 

We guarantee you’ll make friends! We’re well known for the care and inclusion our fabulous Tour Leaders show everyone on tour, which is why the number of single travellers booking our tours has grown to 33% of our passengers.  You’ll only be left alone if you want to be!

Yes, like every travel company, we need to charge a single supplement for those that wish to have their own private room for the duration of the tour.  Hotel providers charge by room, which is why a twin share price is cheaper per person.  If you would be happy to share a room with another solo traveller, you just need to let us know and we’ll see if we can facilitate that.  

It’s all very stress-free!  You can reserve your spot on a tour by either completing a booking form online or calling our office and asking for one to be sent to you, either by email or post. You’ll need to return the completed booking form with a non-refundable deposit ($500 per person for domestic tours and $1000 for international tours). Upon receipt of your booking form and deposit, we can confirm your booking.  Please note that bookings are processed in the order they are received.  

If you decide to cancel your booking, you may qualify for a refund (less the non-refundable deposit) depending on how far out from departure we receive your notice of cancellation. 

CANCELLATION FEES

If you decide to cancel your booking the following charges apply:

More than 60 days International & 45 days domestic before departure your deposit is fully refundable, and we can roll your deposit over to another tour.

60 – 46 days prior 20% of total amount due.

45 – 31 days prior 50% of total amount due.

30 – 0 days prior 100% of the total amount due. No refund available as all tour costs have already been paid in advance.

International Tours to the United States and Canada and Domestic Partner Tours

Deposit is non-refundable.

75 – 61 days prior 20% of total amount due.

60 – 31 days prior 50% of total amount due.

30 – 0 days prior 100% of the total amount due. No refund is available as all tour costs have already been paid in advance.

We take the day on which you cancel as being that on which we receive written confirmation of cancellation.

If you have booked and paid for flights that also need to be cancelled, you should go directly to the provider, as the fees and charges differ.  If you booked flights through Railway Adventures, we would have advised you of what specific penalties and cancellation fees will apply.

As you can appreciate, no company can run a tour at a loss, so every tour needs to reach a minimum number before it can depart.  We can always let you know the departure status of a tour when you book. If you’re one of the first to book, before we’ve reached the minimum number, we’ll let you know via email the moment the departure is guaranteed, so you can plan with confidence and book your flights.  We reserve the right to cancel tour departures that don’t reach the required minimum group size for a tour to run.  Having said that, we rarely have this problem – it’s usually a wait list challenge!

Very rarely things don’t go to plan in the travel business.  Sometimes this is because we haven’t reached the required minimum number but sometimes other things can happen – the train we’ve chartered may have derailed and be inoperable, our accommodation may have been compromised and an alternative is not available at short notice, or remember COVID? We do not cancel a tour unless there is no option but if we have to, we’ll let you know immediately. In the unfortunate (and unusual) circumstance that we have to cancel your tour departure, we’ll offer you the option of transferring your payment(s) to a different tour or provide a full refund on what you’ve paid us.

We’ll keep you updated every step of the way leading up to your departure.  About 2 weeks prior to your tour departing, you’ll receive your travel pack with your name badge, baggage tags, tour notes and any transfer vouchers you’ll need. And you can always call us any time with any questions!