Richard Cable/Joseph Thomas
France: The Lure of the Loire Valley
SUMMARY OF TRIP INFORMATION
France: The Lure of the Loire Valley
Leader Richard Cable
Co-leader Joseph Thomas
Loire Valley, France
Sept. 11-19, 2015
Total # of days 9
Backpacking
Bicycling-Mountain
Bicycling-Road
Title of trip
Leadership
Location(s)
Dates
Type of trip
check all that apply
Primary type of trip
Number of participants
(excluding leaders)
Advertised cost
Airfare range if not included
When should the trip notice be
published in AMC Outdoors?
Do you wish to have your trip
listed online before it is
published in AMC Outdoors?
Smaller trips and leader
subsidization
Camping
Cultural
Family
Hiking
Paddling-Canoeing
Paddling-Sea-Kayaking
Skiing-CrossCountry (Nordic)
Trekking (e.g., hutto-hut)
Bicycling-Road
Minimum 12
Skiing-Downhill
Snorkeling
(Alpine)
Walking
Other – please describe
Select one of those checked above.
Maximum 14
$ 2300
Does it include airfare? Yes
No
$ 1000
Will leaders assist participants with flights? Yes
No
First Appearance: Month Jan
Year 2014
Last Appearance: Month
Year
Note: AMC Outdoors is only published in Jan., March, May, July, Sept., Nov.
Yes
No If yes, please list the approximate month and year when it should
be posted on line. ASAP
Is this proposal for a small group trip – i.e., less than 14 participants and 2
leaders or 7 participants and 1 leader? Yes
No
If yes, why is a small group proposed?
If a participant fee increase of more than 15% is proposed, please explain why?
LEADER AND CO-LEADER INFORMATION
Leader name
Leader address
Leader email
Leader phone
Wilderness first aid
training
CPR training
Prior leading experience
Trip one
Trip two
Trip three
Other related trip
Form Revised July 2013
Richard Cable
8 Heather Lane, Burlington, CT 06013
r.cable@sbcglobal.net
Home 860-673-1940
Work
WFA
AWFA
WFR
Expiration: 4-2014
Cell 860-944-0594
CPR
BLS
Expiration: 1-2014
If this is your first Adventure Travel trip as a Leader you must be present at the AMCATC meeting at which the trip proposal is considered.
Please list the last three longer (5+ day) trips you have led for the AMC including
destination, type of trip, dates and number of participants. Feel free to list additional
trips you have led, particularly if they demonstrate experience related to the trip you are
proposing.
Camino de Santiago Biking- 2013
Mantova to Venice Biking 2012
Mongolia 2011
Mongolia 2009; Sicily Biking; Yosemite Hiking; Nepal Hiking
Adventure Travel Trip Proposal Form, page 1 of 6
Richard Cable/Joseph Thomas
France: The Lure of the Loire Valley
experience
Co-leader name
Co-leader address
Co-leader email
Co-leader phone
Wilderness first aid training
CPR training*
Prior leading experience
Trip one
Trip two
Trip three
Other related trip experience
Scouting
Have either of you led this trip
before or traveled to this area?
Languages
Does either the co-leader or
leader speak the local language?
Couples
Do the leader and co-leader
have a significant personal
relationship?
Private trips Do either of you
lead trips that are private - not
sponsored by the AMC?
Joseph Thomas
181 Maybrook Road, Waterbury, CT 06708
thomasj73@sbcglobal.net
Home 203-755-5141
Work
Cell 203-982-8627
WFA
AWFA
WFR
Expiration: will take in April 2014
CPR
BLS
Expiration: 9-2015
If you are a new co-leader you must submit an application to be an Adventure Travel
leader or co-leader prior to submitting this application. Also, it is strongly
recommended that you be present at the AMC-ATC meeting at which the trip proposal
is considered.
Please list the last three longer (5+ day) trips you have led for the AMC including
destination, type of trip, dates and number of participants. Please indicate if you were
the leader or co-leader.
Hike in the White Mountains: Oct. 2013
Snowshoeing in the White Mountains: Jan. 2014
Bicycling on Cape Cod: April 2013
Participant on two Adventure Travel Trips: Biking Matova to Venice and
Camino de Santiago, Spain Biking. CT. Bike and Hike Leader
Yes
No
If yes, please describe below:
Co-leader: Yes
No
Leader: Yes
No
Not applicable:
Yes
No
If yes, please list who has agreed to be your back-up in case one or
both of you need to drop out. This is required for approval!
Yes
No
If yes, please note that you cannot advertise AMC and private
trips together unless there is a clear distinction between the two in any materials
you send out.
LOGISTICAL DETAILS OF TRIP
Summary
Please provide a description
of the trip and the activities
planned. If available, please
include or attach an itinerary.
This is a lower intermediate road bike trip in the Loire Valley just to the south of
Paris. Participants will fly into and out of Paris and will take local train
transportation to Orleans and back from Saumus.
1st DAY: Depart USA
2nd DAY Orléans.
Independent arrival to Orléans, Jeanne DʼArcʼs homeland.
2nd DAY Orléans-St. Dyé/Beaugency (30/50 km).
You pedal along the Loire alternating cycle paths with back-roads. After a visit to the
Cathedral of Clery St. André you arrive at the Chateau Dunois with the beautiful
medieval centre of Beaugency. A land full of water and culture will lead the way to the
beautiful town of St. Dyé, an ancient river harbour.
3rd DAY Beaugency/St. Dyé-Blois (50/70 km).
From the huge park surrounding Chambord Castle today's trip continues on to Cheverny
Castle through the forest of Boulogne. One last ride to the castle of Beauregard across
the forest before you arrive in Blois. Form Revised July 2013
Adventure Travel Trip Proposal Form, page 2 of 6
Richard Cable/Joseph Thomas
France: The Lure of the Loire Valley
4th DAY Blois-Amboise (45 km).
After the visit of the city of Blois and its impressive castle, you pedal through forests up
to the town of Onzain. Here it is possible to visit the castle of Chaumont built on the top
of a hill overlooking the river. In Amboise you cannot miss the house where Leonardo da
Vinci spent the last years of his life.
5th DAY Amboise-Tours (50 km).
After the forest of Amboise you arrive to Chenonceaux, known as the castle of the three
ladies. You continue along the river Cher up to the city of Tours. You might also decide
to stop for a visit at the castle of Nitray with its famous wine cellars.
6th DAY Tours-Chinon (60 km).
Pedalling between the Loire and the Cher rivers you arrive at Villandry Castle, well
known for its gardens. Before arriving in Chinon you will visit Ussé, where there is the
castle of Sleeping Beauty. 7th DAY Chinon-Saumur (40 km).
The tour continues along country roads beyond the confluence of the rivers Loire and
Vienne arriving in Savigny en Vèron and the sites of Candes St-Martin. A few
Kilometres away there is the castle of Montsoreau from which you can enjoy the
landscape over the Fontevraud Abbey. At the end of the stage you will visit Saumur,
considered the “Pearl of Anjou”.
8th DAY Saumur.
After breakfast, depart for Paris by train.
Accommodations
Please describe your plans for
accommodation(s)
Meals: Please describe your
plans for providing meals. If
the budget includes any funds
for leader meals not shared
with the group please justify.
Local Transportation
Please describe your plans for
local transportation
Will leaders or participants be
drivers of motor vehicles?
Permits or permissions
Does the trip require special
permits or permissions?
(required on many U.S.
federal lands and national
parks)
Special equipment
Does the trip require special
equipment?
Special experience
Does the trip require special
skills on the part of the
participant?
Pre-trip activities
Do you plan to get your group
Form Revised July 2013
2/3 star superior hotels
Breakfast and dinner is included and will be provided by each hotel. Lunch will
be on our own. As is previous trips, we will individually contribute euros, will buy
lunch provisions, and we will picnic lunch each day.
We will take local transportation from the Paris airport to the Paris Austerlitz train
station and back. Train from Paris to Orleans and from Saumur to Paris.
Will leaders be drivers?
Will volunteer participants be drivers?
If so, MVR checks will be needed. See Appendix S1.
Yes
No
If yes, please describe below what you will need to do to obtain them:
If no, please describe the process you went through to find out that they were not
required:
n/a
Yes
No
If yes, please describe below what type of equipment and how you
will ensure that people know how to use it:
helmets are required
Yes
No
If yes, please describe below what type of experience? Also describe
how you will ensure that the participant has this experience?
intermediate biking skills
Yes
No
If yes, please describe below what you will do:
day biking in northwest CT/Berkshires of MA.
Adventure Travel Trip Proposal Form, page 3 of 6
France: The Lure of the Loire Valley
together before the trip for an
activity or social event?
Conservation, education and
recreation
How will this AMC-AT trip meet the
mission of the AMC?
www.outdoors.org/about/mission.cfm
Richard Cable/Joseph Thomas
The very nature of this trip focuses on conservation, education, and
recreation. We will be learning about the history, aritistry and culture of
the Loire Valley.
TOUR OPERATOR AND GUIDE SERVICE INFORMATION
This section should be completed if the trip will be using a tour operator, outfitter, guide service, travel agency or
other such company or person(s) for a significant part of the trip or for the entire trip. Any person(s) or companies
that are handling a significant portion of trip funds or arrangements need to be vetted. If there is more than one
tour operator please provide this information about each such entity.
Will this trip require a tour
Yes
No
operator or guide service
Please describe their services. If you are using a tour operator for the entire trip,
during part of or for the
please describe why you will be using them rather than doing this trip on your own:
We will have guide services for our day to day biking routes and the history of the
entire trip?
villages and towns we will pass through and stay in
Name of tour operator/guide Girolibero Tour operator by Cooperative Zeppelin
service
info@zeppelin.it www.qeppelin.it www.girolibero.it
Tour operator website
This information is on file from a previous trip to Sicily (2009), Bike & Boat
Safety record
Please provide information
Venice (2012)., and Toujour Provence (2013).
about their safety record.
Insurance
Liability? Yes
No
Maximum amt: $
Do they have liability
Are they willing to list AMC as an
Yes
No
insurance?
additional insured?
Transportation to local hospitals at Orleans, Ostuni, and Lecce. Guide will
Emergency response
Please describe the outfitters’
have a cell phone in case of emergencies. Leader will carry a cell phone with
response plan in the case of an international coverage.
emergency.
RISK ASSESSMENT
Please assess the risks and hazards of your trip. Carefully consider each area of risk and how it may affect your trip.
Devise a plan to prevent each hazard and to respond to it if it becomes necessary. Please be very specific for each section
if applicable.
Trail conditions, river crossings, weather, wildlife (bears, snakes, etc.)
Climate/terrain
Potential hazards
The usual hazards of biking will exist.
Response
Road biking carries an inherent risk of injury due to falls or collision. The roads
we will be using are paved and often shared with car traffic. The trip leaders are
WFA and CPR certified and will be carrying basic first aid kits and
communications gear (cell phones, 2-way radios). In addition, our biking tour
guide will be always at hand with constant communication contact with the boat
and their headquarters in case of emergency. Our tour guides are also fully first
aid and CPR certified. Safety talks will precede each day’s ride, with the
outfitters describing fully the road conditions that can be anticipated for the day
and a review of emergency procedures in accordance with the outfitters’
established protocol
Political concerns, crime, language translation, terrorism
Foreign Country
Potential hazards
language/translation; no other political concerns or hazards are anticipated
Response
French is of course the language. Though neither leader speaks the language
fluently, our bike tour guide will be capable of comunicating with the "locals". All
of France is a popular touring country, and it can be expected that many local
inhabitants, merchants, and especially emergency facilities, will be able to
Form Revised July 2013
Adventure Travel Trip Proposal Form, page 4 of 6
France: The Lure of the Loire Valley
Transportation
Potential hazards
Response
Participants
Potential hazards
Response
Other
Potential hazards
Response
Richard Cable/Joseph Thomas
communicate in English if necessary. Our outfitters are fully fluent in English and
our daily bike guide will be with us at all times to ensure that communications are
not problematic.
Road conditions, drivers, insurance
We will not be driving
Level of fitness, screening concerns, experience with equipment or activity
Appropriate level of fitness and riding experience for day road biking
The level of riding is low-intermediate and through trip description and screening,
we should be able to ascertain that the level of fitness is appropriate. It is more
important for us to ascertain that our applicants are experienced with riding on
roadways shared by motorists. Europeans, by and large, are more accustomed
to sharing the road with cyclists, as long as the cyclists are consciously following
the "rules of the road." We have chosen October as our time of year because
the temperatures are mild so we do not anticipate any issues with heat or heavy
weather.
Conditions unique to this type of trip
EMERGENCY ACTION PLAN
Please describe your plans for dealing with emergencies. Give as much detail as possible and list any special
communications equipment you may need to ensure the safety of your participants. DO NOT LEAVE THIS BLANK
The leader and co-leader will be carrying cell phones and two way radios;
Emergency communication
Phone contacts, language,
additionally, we will have phone contact at each hotel. Our guide will speak both
English and French. We are less than one to two hours to medical services of
documentation, distance from
hospital status. Both leaders use AT&T international service when traveling
emergency services
abroad which offers a wide area of coverage in European countries. The area of
France in which we will travel is not remote, so cell coverage is expected to be
fairly abundant. However, leaders will also be equipped with 2-way radios based
on point to point technology (e.g., "22 GMRS channels offer a range of up to 35
miles (per manufacturer); range is based on an unobstructed line of sight
between you and another radio operator in good weather" with additional
"repeater" technology in the event that cell phones enter a "dead zone". In
addition, our outfitter is equipped with communications gear that is specific to
France as they maintain a base of operation in France. At no time will we be
more than a few hours vehicle ride from a medical facility. France is a country
where finding an English speaking person is never an extreme difficulty.
Participants will carry passports and emergency medical documents at all times.
Leaders will be equipped with waiver, emergency contact, and medical condition
documents required for submission by all participants.
Both the leader and co-leader, as well as the bike guide, will be carrying first aid
Emergency equipment
What sort of emergency first
and tool kits and two way radios as well as cell phones and radios.
aid or communication
equipment (satellite phone,
two-way radios) do you plan
to use, if any?
We do not anticipate the need to evaculate, but in such an extreme situation, our
Evacuation
Please describe your plan for
outfitters' evacuation plan will be used to move participants to safety. We will
always be in radio contact with our guide and support vehicle, and we will not be
evacuation from the
in backcountry.
backcountry location if
applicable?
Orleans: Centre Hospitalier Regional d'Orleans Porte Madeleine. 1 Rue Porte
Medical care
Madeleine. tel. 33 2 38 51 44 44; Amboise: Hopital Robert Debre. Rue des
Please describe the medical
Ursulines. te. 33 2 47 23 33 33; Saumur: Centre Hospitalier. 106 Rue du
care available in the area(s)
Form Revised July 2013
Adventure Travel Trip Proposal Form, page 5 of 6
Richard Cable/Joseph Thomas
France: The Lure of the Loire Valley
where you will be traveling
and list names and telephone
numbers for these facilities.
Mounton. tel. 33 2 41 40 11 80.
COST AND BUDGET DETAILS
Foreign currencies
For int’l trips list each foreign currency, the
current $US dollar exchange rate and what
contingencies you have if that rate changes. If
a tour operator or agent is being used, what
currency is the agent to be paid in?
Group Trip Deposits
What deposits will be required
from you by airlines, hotels, tour
operators, etc., and when?
Group Trip Refunds
What is the latest date you can
cancel and still receive a full
refund of any deposits?
Participant deposits
What are the initial deposit and
your schedule of payments by
participants to you?
Cancellation policy
What will be your cancellation
policy for the participants?
Minimum numbers
Will you still run the trip if you
do not get the minimum number?
Reference web links:
AMC-ATC Home Page:
Forms:
Deadlines:
E-Mail Addresses:
Club House:
AMC-ATC Chair:
Form Revised July 2013
The cost of the trip from the outfitter is 950 euros per person. This
is an all inclusive price that includes hotels, breakfast and dinner,
guide, support van, and bike rental. With an exchange rate of
1.40 [current exchange is 1.33] gives us a per person cost of
$1330. A 1.5% transfer rate by TD Bank is approximately $20
per participant for a total participant cost of $1350. We have
established a contingency of 7%.
20% ten months before trip date
90 days prior
$800 with application; $750 on Feb. 1, 2015; and final deposit of $750 on June
1, 2015.
Full refund if the trip does not run. Once a trip has been confirmed to run with
a sufficient number of partcipants, no refund will be available unless another
suitable participant can be confirmed. Once that participant is confirmed and
monies deposited, a refund will be issued. Refunds will only be refunded to the
extent that the cost of the trip for other participants is not affected. Participants
are responsible for their own airline tickets. Most domestic airlines no longer
give refunds for cancellations; instead, they issue coupons for a future trip with
an administrative charge of $100.00 and an expiration date. Trip cancellation
insurance is advised and policy information is supplied to all participants.
Yes
No
If yes, please describe conditions:
http://snebulos.mit.edu/orgs/amc/
http://snebulos.mit.edu/orgs/amc/application/
http://snebulos.mit.edu/orgs/amc/committee/proposals/
nholland@outdoors.org
amcatchair@comcast.net
Adventure Travel Trip Proposal Form, page 6 of 6