TRAVEL INFORMATION

ARRIVAL & DEPARTURE INFORMATION

Arrival and Departure Airport: You should arrive at and depart from Ordaz International Airport in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico (PVR). Please plan to arrive by late afternoon on Day 1 for an introduction to our trip leader followed by dinner with the group.

Pick-up Information: Our driver will be waiting for you after you pass immigration with a sign saying `Access Trips`. We will provide an airport shuttle service on the last day of your session so that you are dropped off in time for your flight.

Drop-off Information: Our tour ends at Ordaz International Airport (PVR) in Puerto Vallarta. We will provide an airport shuttle service on the last day of your session so that you are dropped off in time for your flight.

Airlines and Checking Equipment: If you intend to bring your own equipment, please check with your airline regarding policies for checking and transporting sports gear and equipment before you book your flight. This includes inquiring as to weight, charges and liability.

Flights: We do not book flights or insurance for our clients. For recommendations, click here

TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS

Travel Insurance: Travel insurance, including emergency evacuation coverage, is compulsory for all our trips. Please do not attend any of our trips without purchasing appropriate insurance coverage. We recommend that you purchase travel insurance that includes cancellation protection so that you will be covered in the event that you are unable to attend our trip (due to injury, illness or other unforeseen circumstances) or in the unlikely event that our trip must be cancelled. We do not provide travel insurance for our clients. Please contact your local travel agent to purchase travel insurance. Additional details here: http://www.accesstrips.com/company/insurance/

Passports & Visas: All visitors are required to present a passport for travel in Mexico (with a minimum of 6 months validity). Citizens of some countries will also require a visa. To learn more about visa and entry requirements for Mexico, please check out http://embamex.sre.gob.mx/eua/, or consult your local travel agent. It is your responsibility to ensure that you have the correct travel documentation.

You will obtain and fill out a Tourist Visa on the plane. Be sure to keep the stamped portion, as you will need it when you depart from Mexico.

Age: Most of our trips do not have any age restrictions. The majority of our clients are between the ages of 28 and 50, but we also have many clients who are older and younger than this. Please contact us with any questions.

HEALTH AND SAFETY

Emergency Contact: If you need to contact the Access Trips office in an emergency, you can reach us at the following numbers:

Email: customer_service@accesstrips.com
Tamar Lowell, guest services, mobile: +1 (415) 260-7270

Office number when dialing within North America: 1 (650) 492-4778
Office number when dialing from outside North America: +1 (650) 492-4778

If you do not receive an immediate answer when calling the above numbers, please leave us a detailed message and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

Health requirements: Please carefully review the health information section of the following webpage for up-to-date health information, including information on the quality of medical care, the availability of medications and the necessity for vaccinations in Mexico: U.S. Department of State Consular Information Sheet at http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_970.html

You are responsible for ensuring that you receive any necessary vaccinations before embarking on your trip with us.

Note: It’s best not to drink the water in Mexico, so be prepared to buy bottled drinking water which is available everywhere.

Fitness requirements: The majority of our trips are open to people who are beginners in our target sports. Nevertheless, you should have a reasonable level of fitness before attending any of our trips and you should enjoy physical activity and the outdoors. During the majority of our trips you will be able to take a rest if you find that you are over-exerting yourself, but in order to maximize your enjoyment of our tours you should ensure that you are in reasonable shape.

Mosquitoes: To cut down the number of mosquitoes in Sayulita, avoid standing water, especially at dusk, which is the worst time for getting bitten. Other precautions include wearing long pants, long-sleeved tops, or using an anti-bug cream or spray.

Security: To maximize your safety during our tours you should exercise common sense and caution at all times. We recommend that you always stick to set travel arrangements, and avoid unknown areas. We also recommend that you wear minimal jewelry and that you keep valuable items safely stored. Always keep a copy of your passport, airline tickets, traveler’s checks and credit card numbers separate from where you keep the originals.

For information on safety and security in Mexico, please review the safety and security section of the following webpage, U.S. Department of State Consular Information Sheet for Mexico: http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_970.html

Climate, Electricity, Currency & Banking

Climate: Sayulita’s location on the Central Pacific coast of Mexico, hemmed by jungle covered mountains, gives it a sub-tropical climate with only two seasons: fairly warm and dry winters (Nov to May) and hot, semi-humid wet summers (June to Oct). The Nayarit region averages 345 days of sunshine and 60 inches of rain a year. Winter temperatures average 80F (26C) with sunny dry days and cool evenings for perfect sleeping temperatures.

Electricity: Mexico uses standard 120-volt/60-cycle current, the same as the US and Canada, so adapters are not needed if traveling from North America.

Currency & Banking: Mexico’s currency is the peso. U.S. and Canadian dollars (not traveler’s checks) are accepted at most stores and restaurants in Sayulita, but you will get better exchange rates from ATMs and at exchange bureaus (“Casa de Cambios”). Sayulita does not have bank, but there are three ATM cash machines in the village that charge a $7–$10 peso surcharge (plus any international bank fees).

For the latest currency exchange information please go to: http://finance.yahoo.com/currency

WHAT TO TAKE

Clothing Norms: Life in Mexico is very casual and the weather is usually warm, so beach wear, casual resort wear, and flip-flops or sandals are perfect during the daytime. Bring a pair of lightweight pants and a sweater or jacket as the evenings can sometimes get cool. We may also suggest that you pack a pair of tennis shoes or comfortable walking shoes for walking on the cobblestone streets.

Clothing & Equipment

* Rash guard (you can buy one from any surf retailer)
* Board shorts
* Reef booties
* Toiletries
* Money belt
* Sunscreen & sunglasses
* Swimsuit
* Mosquito repellant
* First-aid kit containing lip balm, aspirin, band aids, cream for sore muscles (e.g. deep heat), extra prescription drugs you may be taking
* Casual summer clothing
* Sweatshirt
* Comfortable walking shoes
* Small daypack

Documents & Money

* Passport (with photocopies)
* Travel insurance (with photocopies)
* Airline tickets (with photocopies)
* Credit and/or debit card and/or traveler's checks and/or cash
* Any entry visas or vaccination certificates required

Spending Money

* Meals: All breakfasts, one lunch and two dinners are included. For the lunches and dinners that are not included, you should budget $5-$30 USD per meal, depending on where you eat.

* Other Expenses: There are no required additional expenses for this trip, but you might like to take spending money for such things as souvenir shopping, drinks and Internet cafes.

* Tipping: For taxi rides, 10-20% of the fare (in pesos) is the suggested tip amount. For someone who carries your bags to your room or from your hotel to a taxi, $10-$20 pesos per article of luggage would be appropriate. In restaurants, 10-15% of the bill (in pesos) is standard.

Discretionary tips to your tour staff for good service are much appreciated. For your surf instructor and group leader, USD $40-$100 per guest is recommended for the week.

USEFUL LINKS

Country Information: For additional information about traveling in Mexico, check out U.S. Department of State Consular Information Sheet: Mexico.

Currency Exchange: The currency in Mexico is the Mexican Peso (MXN). For the latest currency exchange information: http://finance.yahoo.com/currency

ABOUT ACCESS TRIPS

Who we are: Access Trips is dedicated to offering a wide range of instructional adventure tours. If you`re looking for a vacation that provides a huge sense of personal achievement while still being fun, exciting and rewarding, our tours are right for you. We coined the term `instructional adventure tour` to describe our unique style of travel because as far as we know, we are the only company in the world to specialize in offering a variety of such trips! Instructional adventure tours offer the best of both worlds - expert instruction to help you develop and improve in your favorite pastime (or, if you`re a beginner, to help you learn a new pastime correctly from the start), and varied and exciting itineraries to give you a unique and memorable travel experience. Our tours are the perfect mix of a high quality instructional course and an exciting adventure vacation and you`ll find there`s nothing more satisfying than challenging yourself and reaching new heights in your favorite pastime, while also enjoying a unique and authentic travel experience. Our instructional tours encourage you to develop your potential in a relaxed and non-intimidating setting, regardless of your ability level, and reward you with carefully selected accommodation, delicious food, incredible scenery and unique cultural experiences.

We offer trips in all continents except Antarctica and we currently specialize in snowboarding, skiing, surfing, mountain biking and multisport tours. Our team is made up of instructors who are among the best in the world; we select them not only for their talent and experience (many are professional and competitive athletes) but also for their great personalities and their passion for coaching. Our tours attract men and women of all abilities and ages and, thanks to the fact that all clients have a common interest, our trips tend to be fantastic social experiences in addition to great instructional trips.

Our commitment to our clients: Like many travel companies, we are dedicated to offering the highest quality, safest and best value trips that we can. But our client mission is much more than this: on top of offering an excellent product, we are committed to making a positive change in the lives of our clients. We at Access Trips have all benefited in meaningful ways from the remarkable power of having a passion in life - of having a pastime that brings you pleasure, friendships, a sense of achievement and a total escape from the pressures of everyday life. Some of us have found self-confidence, others friendships, and others motivation and drive as a result of our involvement in sports. We want our clients to also experience the pleasure of finding and pursuing a passion. It is our goal that clients return from our trips having found a new passion or solidified an existing one, having made lasting friendships, having experienced a deep sense of achievement as a result of reaching new heights in their favorite sport, and having acquired a new perspective on life as a result of the unique experiences that our trips provide. We have had more than a few clients who have returned from our trips and decided to make major life changes such as changing careers to pursue more meaningful work, moving countries to be closer to the outdoors, and changing universities to be around more like-minded people. We do not expect our trips to have such a dramatic impact on all our clients, but we do hope that all our clients can be inspired in some small way from the experience of sharing their passion with us.

Our commitment to others: Although we are ultimately a for-profit business, Access Trips is about so much more than just turning profits. We operate Access Trips because we are passionate about travel, sports and the outdoors and because we love to share this passion with our clients, our employees and the local people we encounter during our travels. It is deeply important to us that our business contributes to the world in a favorable way and that we use our resources to affect as much positive change in the world as we can. We believe that we have three major responsibilities: to our clients, to our employees and to the world at large (which includes the environment and local communities) and we are doing everything we can to serve these three groups to the best of our ability. Please see the company section of our website (http://www.accesstrips.com/company/mission/) to read more about the actions we are taking to fulfill our mission and to effect positive change in the world.

FINAL NOTE

The information contained in this document is provided in good faith. Due to the nature of travel, details in this document may change. You should thus use the above information as an indication only and not as a contractual obligation on the part of Access Travel, Ltd.