How our prices work
Our philosophy is to give you amazing adventures at the best possible price. We operate 95% of tours ourselves meaning we reduce the need for ‘middle-men’ that often drives costs up.
If you booked before the 01 March 2018 and your tour didn’t have a Local Payment when you booked, then the Local Payment is not applicable.
Tour Prices & Local Payment
The majority of our tours are divided into two separate payments. The tour price is paid directly to your consultant when you book and before you depart for your tour and the second amount is the Local Payment, which is paid locally when you join the tour.
The Local Payment ensures your Tour Leader has a supply of cash to run some of the tour if access to banking facilities is limited or nonexistent. This helps to save operational and administrative costs, which in turn helps to keep the cost of our tours competitive so we can pass the savings on to you. The Local Payment also helps us get cash directly into local businesses to provide communities with an immediate economic benefit.
The Local Payment is a portion of the total tour cost and must be paid directly to your Tour Leader in US dollars or Euros cash as indicated for your tour. The Local Payment is not optional and failure to pay this money in cash may result in you being excluded from starting the tour.
Please note: It must be paid in high denomination notes only (100s, 50s, 20s). The notes must be crisp with no tears or markings and should be no older than 2015.
What tours don't have a Local Payment?
There is no Local Payment on tours in North America, China, Morocco, Antarctica, or our Tailor-made and Iceland Tours. These tours are operated by trusted partners. Please note: Some of our trekking products that are run by local specialists do not include local payment.
Food Kitty & Tipping
North America Adventures for 20s & 30s that include camping require a Food Kitty to be paid. This is to be given to your Tour Leader on Day 2 of the tour. Similarly, a Tipping Kitty is required for tours in China, Morocco and some of North America which is paid on the first day of the tour. Tipping on all other tours is optional but generally expected and your Tour Leader will give you guidance on this. Equally, your Tour Leader will appreciate a tip if they have done a great job on your tour.
Why choose Tucan Travel?
Cheaper tour prices
The Local Payment helps us keep your tour price as low as possible. In many of the regions in which Tucan Travel operates, transferring foreign currency can be unreliable and expensive, so the Local Payment helps your Tour Leader pay for some of the day-to-day expenses of your trip without encountering problems or transaction fees. This helps reduce the overall price of the trip, meaning we can keep our costs down and pass these savings on to you.
Benefiting local economies
The Local Payment means cash can be injected directly into the local community, by using smaller suppliers or shopping in local markets in remote locations without banking facilities. Having this flexibility means we can stay in out of the way places, benefiting as many small, local communities as possible. A Local Payment helps to keeps money in the country, going to those most in need..
A more genuine experience
Going directly to local communities and suppliers in this way means our travellers interact with local people in an authentic way. We don’t just go to the big attractions that all visitors can book in advance online; we can visit the smaller sites, use independent suppliers and shop in local markets that most tourists won't get to experience. The Local Payment helps us to get off the beaten track.
Better customer service
As the Tour Leader has a supply of cash available for the day-to-day expenses of the tour, they do not need to spend so much time searching for banking facilities and exchange services, so they can spend more time assisting the group with their enquiries about a new destination. The Local Payment also means your tour will continue to run smoothly even in countries where banking facilities are limited or unreliable.
More time to save up
As the Local Payment does not need to be paid until the first day of the tour, it gives you extra time to save up for your trip. Without a Local Payment, the whole trip would need to be paid in full two months prior to departure.
Flight Partner Discounts
We don't sell flights but these are some of our flight partners which have kindly provided us with discount codes to help save you money.
Haven't found what you were looking for?
If you need to learn more about our pricing structure or more about anything on this page, please contact us at our offices. Alternatively, use the free currency converter widget to convert the cost of your local payment fee for tours.
