This page takes a look at the differences between our Fully Supported Guided trips, for those that prefer the informative benefits and personal assistance of a private guide, and our Self-Guided trips for Independent Travelers, for those that relish the complete freedom and spontaneous adventures of traveling on your own, but prefer to leave the planning and logistics up to the professionals at Club Toscana.

Benefit from the nearly 20 years of experience Club Toscana has garnered and the research accumulated from our distinctive guided itineraries. Travel with the security of a Club Toscana trip leader only a phone call away. Choose Premiere Self-Guided for Italy's finest lodging or for a more rustic alternative, Classic Self-Guided, for charming B&Bs and village inns. Benefit from the same exclusive selection of dining establishments used and the unique cultural encounters experienced on all of Club Toscana's guided trips.

Our Self-Guided itineraries are designed for a worry free vacation. As a Self-Guided participant, you prefer to avoid unfamiliar groups, you wish to discover things on your own without schedules and appointments and you would rather duck group dynamics to savor intimate dinners on your own. A Club Toscana Self-Guided active vacation is traveling on your own without a compromise in the world. Our Self-Guided itineraries are perfect for traveling couples, private groups and friends joining friends. No trip is more personalized or romantic than traveling on your own without a care in the world, just you and all the natural and artistic beauty of the European countryside.

At Club Toscana, we organize every aspect of your Self-Guided biking or walking vacation including suggested arrival and departure travel, lodging in luxurious villas or charming countryside B&Bs including buffet breakfasts, top of the line TREK aluminum bicycles (for biking trips), detailed maps and directions with distance and effort options, recommendations for visiting wine estates, craft shops and historical sites, convenient luggage and purchase transfers to your next hotel and emergency assistance should you encounter any insurmountable problems.

Taking a Self-Guided trip is not suitable for everyone. The itineraries described on each of our trip web pages are specific to our Guided trips. Self-Guided trips vary subject to the following "What's Included" list. Take a look at the following Guided and Self-Guided "What's Included" list to help you decide which trip version is right for you.

• Not included: airfare and other travel expenses to and from your Club Toscana trip, alcoholic beverages (Club Toscana provides wine and other alcoholic beverages at selected events), gratuities for Trip Leaders and personal expenses.

Some Special Notes for Self-Guided Trips:

Our regular guided walking trips involve some short shuttles between walking routes. For our Self-Guided trips, some route modifications will be made or transportation arrangements will be provided to complete each day's route where applicable.

Self-Guided participants are required to complete each day's route regardless of weather conditions, distance or effort levels. At least one participant within a group must be confident enough to change a flat tire (tube change) or make slight bike adjustments (biking trips). Self-Guided biking travelers are responsible for any damage or loss to their trip bicycle or its components regardless of reason.

All breakfasts are included and provided by your selected lodging. Since dining in Italy is such a treasure chest of culinary choices, we leave that part up to you. For your lunch and dinner selections, we offer you our well researched list of every town's finest dining establishments to their best trattorias and pizzerias, and even our favorite ice cream shops.

Many of the available activities and diversions on our guided trips are personally escorted by a Club Toscana trip leader. As a Self-Guided traveler, we will provide you with a list of our favorite activities and diversions where an in-house guide is available or self-guiding is an option. Depending on the trip itinerary, these include visits to wine and food producers, historical sites and craft shops and will include a schedule of opening hours and fees where applicable. In this way, you can choose to include or bypass an activity as part of your Self-Guided daily itinerary.

On some trips, the lodging for your final evening is located out in the countryside or in a small village where convenient taxi service might not be available. When this occurs, we will make arrangements for a transfer at your convenience to the nearest major train station or rental car office. On some Self-Guided trips, where a hotel (listed on the trip's web page itinerary) is isolated without a restaurant, we will choose a more convenient lodging for dinner options and better accessibility.

If you have any questions about a Club Toscana Self-Guided trip, please e-mail or call 1-866-563-4248 and ask for Club Toscana Reservations.

FOR SELF-GUIDED TRIPS
For Guided Trip General Information, click here.

MAKING A RESERVATION - There are several ways to sign up for a Club Toscana trip: (1) click here to reserve online; (2) call us at 1-866-563-4248 and ask for Club Toscana reservations; (3) contact your travel agent to arrange all the details. All trips require a deposit (credit card, cashier's check or money order) for US $ 500. / Can $ 750. payable per person to Club Toscana, c/o Royal City Travel / American Express Travel Services, 10 Paisley Street, Suite 8, Guelph, Ontario, Canada, N1H 2N6.

Please note that the balance of the trip cost is due 45 days before the trip departure. Final payments must be made by credit card, certified cashier's check, or bank / post office money order. Reservations placed within 45 days of trip departure date require full payment on reservation. Club Toscana is registered, (Ontario Registration # 2716341) under the Travel Industry Act of Ontario. Your deposit and all payments made to Club Toscana are guaranteed secure by the Ontario Government Travel Compensation Fund.

CANCELLATIONS AND REFUNDS - All requests for refunds or changes must be sent to Club Toscana in writing. If you must cancel your reservation, your payments will be returned, subject to a cancellation fee of US $ 100. / Can $ 150. per person if we are notified more than 45 days before the trip departure date. If we are notified less than 45 days before the date, there is no refund unless we are able to fill your space on the trip, in which case there is a full refund minus the deposit. There is no refund for unused accommodations, meals or other unused trip services if you unexpectedly leave a trip early or arrive late. Exceptions to this cancellation policy cannot be made for any reason, including weather or personal emergencies.

You can transfer your payments from one trip to another (current year trips only) up to 45 days before your requested trip for a transfer fee of US $ 100. / Can $ 150. per person, after which time our cancellation policy applies.

If unforeseen circumstances require a change in the itinerary, Club Toscana will make every effort to select alternate hotels and restaurants of the same high quality and keep the route modifications to a minimum. On the rare occasions when we must cancel a trip, we will notify you as soon as possible before departure. In this event, if you would like to choose another trip, no transfer fee will apply. However, we reserve the right to cancel any trip for any reason at any time before departure. In such a case, refund of any payments received will constitute full settlement with the guest. Club Toscana is not responsible for and does not recommend the purchase of non-refundable or uninsured advance purchase airline tickets. Guests who fail to provide signed Club Toscana "Release of Liability and Assumption of All Risks" and personal information forms prior to departure will not be allowed to participate on the trip and the cancellation policy applies.

ACCOMMODATIONS - Hotels listed in each trip itinerary are subject to accommodations availability upon trip request. If the published hotel has insufficient accommodations, we will use another lodging that meets our same exacting standards and character. With some trip's more historic lodging, requested double or twin bed combinations might not be available due to the dimensions and character of each available room. Lodging upgrades are available. For suites or other upgraded rooms including the use of different preferred hotels, please call our office. Inns identified in our trip lodging list as "Nostro Segreto" are named so to protect the exclusivity of these properties. Our reservations office would be happy to discuss the identity of these inns once room reservations are assured. Our trip prices are calculated on a per person basis and are based on standard double occupancy rooms with private amenities. Personal expenses and hotel charges such as phone use, bar service, spa services, laundry, etc. are not included in the trip price.

As a benefit to our solo guests, those requesting a private room will receive a full sized room with a large bed and the Single Room Charge will apply. Where a solo guest requests to share a room, we will pair the guest with another of the same sex. If no room mate is available, the guest will get the room without the Single Room Charge. If a solo guest signs up within 60 days of a trip, the Single Room Charge will apply if a room mate does not become available.

TRAVEL PROTECTION - Club Toscana strongly recommends the purchase of trip cancellation, baggage and health & accident insurance, which you may purchase from our in house travel associates at Royal City Travel.

TRAVELING TO AND FROM THE TRIP - Airfare and other costs to arrive at the trip rendezvous and depart from the trip finish are not included in the trip prices. The starting point for each trip has been conveniently located at the nearest major city, national airport or transportation center. We will provide explicit instructions on how to reach each starting point in your pre-departure packet. If possible, you might wish to arrive a day or so before a trip begins, especially if you are arriving for the trip from another time zone. All Self-Guided trips finish at the final evening's lodging. Where a final evening's lodging is located away from a convenient transportation source (eg taxis, train station, etc.) Club Toscana will provide a transfer to the nearest train station. For airfare and other travel arrangements, please call our in house travel associates at Royal City Travel for pre- and post-trip hotel reservations, flight, train, rental car and travel insurance information.

PASSPORTS AND VISAS - Guests traveling to the European Community from the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand require a valid passport. Guests from other countries should contact their closest Italian or E.C. consulate to determine which documents you require to enter the European Community.

GUEST RESPONSIBILITY - Guests are responsible for choosing a trip that matches their cycling or walking & hiking abilities, level of fitness and state of health, providing a signed release and assumption of risk form including medical information prior to trip departure, arriving at the trip start at the time and location specified in your trip confirmation package, having the recommended clothing and gear specified in your trip confirmation package, respecting European laws and customs, following environment guidelines and regulations in accordance with the trip leader and respecting the rights and privacy of other trip participants. An individual may be requested to leave the trip if the leader feels that the person's continuing participation may prove detrimental to the individual or to the safety, well being and enjoyment of the other guests. Self-Guided biking travelers are provided with a high quality combination lock and instructions on the safe handling and parking of your trip bicycle. Self-Guided participants are responsible for any damage (non-normal wear and tear) or loss (at TREK authorized shop time and list prices) to their bicycle or its components regardless of reason.

LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY - Club Toscana is not liable for bodily injury or property damage as a result of (but not limited to): physical exertion for which a guest is not prepared; forces of nature; travel by plane, train, auto, boat or other conveyance, or by bicycle, ski, horseback, foot or other form of active or adventure travel; consumption of alcoholic beverages; civil unrest; terrorism; breakdown of equipment; high altitude; lack of or limited access to medical attention in remote locations; and the adequacy of medical attention once provided. Club Toscana is also not liable for expenses (e.g. meals, transportation or hotel costs) that are not specified or included in the trip cost but may be required to get you to or from a trip start or finish. Club Toscana reserves the right to make route and hotel modifications as necessary to improve the quality of a trip or to accommodate the comfort and well being of guests. Club Toscana reserves the right to take photographic or film records of any of its trips for possible promotional and / or commercial use.

FAMILY TRIPS - We strongly recommend families to request trips designated exclusively for parents traveling with children. All minors (less than 16 years of age) must be accompanied by at least one adult. When sharing a room (subject to availability) with two adults, youths would receive a 10% discount. Club Toscana has trips designed specifically with families in mind. 24" bikes are available for younger riders. For guests wishing to travel with children under 8 years of age, please contact our office to see if your preferred trip is suitable for your children. Please note that children under 8 must be accompanied by a parent while traveling in the trip vehicle.

HELMETS and BICYCLES - Helmets are provided free of charge and are strongly recommended on all our biking trips. If you prefer to bring your own bicycle, we will provide information on how to safely pack and transport it to and from the cycling trip. Club Toscana can not provide a discount for those wishing to bring their own bikes, however, we would be happy to assist you should you require bike repairs.