QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Seek here the answer to some frequent questions we receive from those who do not know us yet
… if you do not find yours, contact us !
Q. Which activities are included in your trips ? it looks as you are rather focused on ski-mountaineering…
A.: We promote all mountain sports, with a focus on: ski-mountaineering, freeride, mountain climbing, trekking, canyoning, mountain bike, paragliding, kayak and rafting.
Q. Thus no ski on piste ?
A. We do not offer ski on piste. But we are not against ski lifts and in fact, we offer freeride among the activities. Skiing on piste is the start point in the development of any good freerider and then ski-mountaineer. The practice of the freeride (getting up with the lifts and skiing down off piste) is a necessary step to acquire a technical skill good enough to master (and enjoy) the descents in ski-mountaineering tours, with a reasonanble degree of safety.
Q. Which are your destinations ?
A. We visit the mountains all around the world. We carefully propose the best destinations in a given time of the year, according to the activity chosen and the requirements of the participants. We oten say that we are not specialist of a destination, but of a way of travelling.
Q. I am not quite sure if the trip you propose is suitable to my skills and if I had better choose a guided or unguided trip. What do you suggest ?
A. We recommend to discuss this issue with us. Already at a first contact, we are generally able to understand whether the programme of your interest is suitable to your skills and needs, and whether the assistance of a guide is the best solution.
Q. If I choose a guided trip, the costs are so much higher ?
A. With an adequate number of participants costs stay within limits. Then it depends on many other parameters, such as the destination, the activity, the choice of a local guide.
Q. A local guide is convenient because of lower costs ?
A. With a local guide we save the cost of his/her flights, however the cost of his/her services on site broadly vary upon each specific country. There may be pros and cons in choosing a local guide. Generally, one may prefer a non-local guide if he/she offers a higher level of competence and realiability, or perhaps just because of a better “feeling”.
In any case, our guides, local or not, are professionals known by us since many years and they guarantee the best assistance and safety levels.
Q. We are a party of friends technically independent: we do not require the services of a guide, but only some support in logistics.
A. Avalco Travel offers customized consultancy services and logistics upon customers’ needs. You decide the dates, the destination, and the travel criteria; we take care of the organization in details.
Q. We are a club with a highly complex project, to take place in a remote area where there are no services nor information available. Can you help ?
A. Complex projects, sometimes to be invented from scratch, are our DNA. We like to carry out research work even before starting the planning phase, this is part of what is defined as Travel Engineering; we are probably one of the few agencies capable to provide such kind of support…
Q. I am a mountain guide with my own clients. Which services can you provide ?
A. We are glad to supply consultancy and logistics services to mountain guides: it’s and ideal cooperation. In these cases the guide is our customer; we will not have nor do we intend to establish any commercial relationships with the clients of the guide. See the section of our website dedicated to the pros.
Q. Can you provide the full travel package ?
A. Surely we can; beside the land services on site, upon request we provide all standard travel services such as flights, insurance, visa, etc.
Q. I am alone and seek to join a party to travel with. Do you have an upcoming trip for me ?
A. Yes, you can join any programme listed in our Trip Schedule with fixed departure dates. We apply all efforts as to create teams of participants with similar skill level ans shared objectives.
Q. I have checked your Trip Schedule, and also used the “Search a Trip” tool, but I did not find a trip which fully satisfies my needs and/or suits my period of availability. What can I do ?
A. We suggest you to contact us by phone or email. In fact, the dates shown in the Trip Schedule are often flexible and sometimes, even from a single enquiry, we decide to propose a trip which is not currently listed in the Trip Schedule.
Q. How many participants are booked in your trips ? Which nationality ? Which language is spoken ?
A. The number of participants in a trip depends on many parameters, We generally prefer small groups, say 4-8 people on average. Teams are multinational, and the common language is english. However, the members of our staff or local partner often speak other languages. According to our experience, the language does not represent a problem: communications are mostly at basic level and among adventure enthusiasts there are no formalities !
Q. Your website shows many travel programmes, but no prices.
A. The programmes as described in our website are mostly indicative. Actually every trip, even with the same basic programme, is actually different and each time suited to the team’s requirements and to the local conditions.
Hence, prices are established ad hoc; it would not make sense to issue a price list as in a traditional travel agency.
Q. So what shall I do to know the prices ?
A. We suggest to send us an email or better contact us by phone or whatsapp or skype. Our trips are not standard and it is therefore advisable to talk with our staff in advance; with an open and informal chat many details can be discussed that seldom are clarified by emails alone.
Q. I have spotted on the web a trip similar to yours, but cheaper.
A. Our trips are often unique and custom-designed, not comparable to other trips on the internet.
While most tour operators and travel agencies promote standard programmes, we do the exact opposite: we operate with non-standard trips. If you take the time to carefully check a “competitor’s” offer, you should see the differences; if not, and in any case, the best option is to talk to us.
Q. Do you grant special prices to groups, practitioners, athlets ?
A. We offer special prices to pre-established groups, clubs and associations, guides with their own clients, instructors or athlets of a national federation, physicians, rescue operators, sport shop owners, journalists, and the staff working on a research or umanitarian project related to the trip.