| Questions To Ask When Booking A Tour |
| The following are questions that you might want to ask before
booking a dogsled trip. Some questions are only relevant for multi-day trips,
and the list should be modified to include your own interests and concerns. |
- How long have you been in the sled dog tour business?
- Who actually conducts the trips? What are their qualifications and experience? What medical training have they had?
- How many dog teams do you have operational at one time? How often do the dogs run?
- How many teams will be going on this trip? How many dogs per team? How many people per sled? How many guides?
- How much are guests involved in handling, harnessing and mushing the dogs?
- What kind of dogs do you use for these trips (freighting, racing)?
- Are the dogs well socialized to people? Children as well? Do you have dog fights often?
- What is included in the price (food, gear, etc.)? On what departure and return points is the overall cost of the package or trip based?
- What equipment is provided? What isn't provided? (If parkas, boots and mitts are not provided, are they available for rent?) Do you provide a recommended gear list?
- Do you have sleeping bags or comforters for guests who ride in the sled?
- What kinds of meals are provided?
- What kinds of accommodations will be used (tents, cabins, etc.)?
- Is the trip self-supported, or will a snowmachine transport some of the gear and supplies?
- How much of the advertised trip time is used for transportation, preparation, orientation and training? How much time will be spent on the trail?
- How many miles do you cover in a day? Is experience required? What level of physical ability is needed?
- Will there be pre-trip training or information available?
- Is everything available that is advertised in the brochure?
- Do you have liability insurance to cover all of the activities you offer? Have you ever had an accident in which a guest was injured?
- Do you have all the permits necessary from the land owner or manager to operate commercial trips in the area?
- What are cancellation policies?
- Ask for references.
|
| Reprinted from the July/August 2000 issue of Mushing magazine. © 2000 by Stellar Communications, Inc. |
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