Frequently Asked Questions

How much is the deposit for a tour?

Can I pay by credit card?
Sorry. In an effort to keep our prices reasonable, we do not accept credit cards for either deposit or final payment. We are happy to accept your personal check for any payments.

Can I purchase Travel Insurance?
Yes. Travel insurance is offered on all longer tours and cruises where there is a cancellation penalty. A travel insurance brochure will be sent to you at the time you request space on the trip. We highly recommend the purchase of travel insurance to protect you from the loss of deposit or full payment due to late cancellation, trip interruption due to injury or sickness of you or an immediate family member, necessary medical evacuation from a foreign country to the US, or the replacement of travel clothes and toiletries due to lost luggage.

Are your tour participants friendly?
Definitely! We spend the first hour or more on the bus getting acquainted. We break the ice by asking everybody to get acquainted with fellow travelers across the aisle and in front and behind of them. Then, using a guest list that is provided to everyone, we introduce you and ask 1) how long you’ve lived in Lake Havasu or how long you’ve been wintering here, and 2) where did you live prior to coming to Lake Havasu. This gets a lot of conversations started! In addition, since most of us live in Lake Havasu, it’s very possible that you’ll know others that are going on the same tour. If not, you will by the time we return.

Are singles welcome on your tours?
Definitely! Many of our travelers are single people. If you choose to have a single room, we charge only the additional cost of the room, since our prices are based on two people sharing the cost of one room (double occupancy). If you can talk a friend into joining you on a tour, that’s the best way. If not, and you choose to share, we often can introduce you to someone else who wants to share. We ask that you meet for lunch or coffee to get acquainted first, then let us know. Much of the fun of group travel is getting to make new friends. We’re very fortunate that almost all of our travelers are from right here in Lake Havasu City so new friends can be lasting friends.

Are the tours always escorted?
Yes. Mike and Leeann Keys escort all tours and cruises to make your travel experience as full and easy as possible. On land tours to other parts of the US, Mexico, Canada, Europe, etc., we contract with one of several large tour companies that offers the desired itinerary on a regular basis. In those cases, a professional tour director will take charge after we have traveled to the beginning point of that particular tour. At that point, Mike and Leeann become the group leaders, but not the tour guide.

Do your tours stop for gambling at casinos?
No. Although we sometimes use a hotel-casino for overnight stays, there is never a requirement for you to gamble or be on the gambling floor. We are not paid by casinos to bring you to them. When we check in, your room will be ready for you. It costs a little more when we pay our own way, but we believe that our discriminating travelers appreciate the difference.

Will I have to carry my own luggage?
Luggage handling is included at all hotels (on tours longer than 2 days) and at airports on domestic flights. International flights require that the individual traveler check their own luggage. If possible, we provide a porter to move the bag to the counter for you.

Where do your tours depart from?
All of our tours and cruises depart by chartered bus from the parking lot on Swanson Avenue, right behind the Best Western Lake Place Inn. We usually have refreshments for you and encourage you to get acquainted with our other travelers before we board the bus.

Can I still go if I don’t live in Lake Havasu?
Yes. Depending on the tour, you can either come to Lake Havasu for the start of the tour or meet us at an airport if we are flying to the starting point. If you come to Lake Havasu, we recommend staying the night before at the Best Western Lake Place Inn which is right next to our parking lot. If you are flying from another point to meet us at an airport, we will be happy to provide you our flight details so you can make arrangements with your local travel agent for a flight that allows you to arrive in plenty of time to join our friendly group.

Where can I park my car while we’re gone?
You can leave your car in our parking lot in the 2000 block of Swanson Avenue, right behind the Best Western Lake Place Inn. All of our tours leave from that lot. The lot is fenced and locked. When our bus pulls out, we lock the gate behind us. For over 14 years we have rented that lot for the convenience of our travelers.

If a tour is sold out, do you have waiting lists?
As most of you know, many of our tours sell out months in advance. We know from experience that we will have cancellations due to various reasons. We do refund deposits on cancellations so there isn’t any risk in signing up early. We maintain a waiting list for all tours so that we can accommodate as many people as possible. When we have a cancellation, we call the next person on the waiting list to see if they’re still interested. If not, we go on to the next until we fill the vacancy. We don’t want to leave you behind when we have space. Don’t hesitate to add your name to the waiting list for a tour you would like. We fill our tours in strict order from our waiting list. It is not uncommon for someone to be well down on the waiting list and still get a call a few weeks before the tour that we now have space. If you put your name on a waiting list and your plans change, we would appreciate you letting us know to take your name off the list so that we are not wasting time trying to contact you while others are waiting. We sincerely appreciate your cooperation.

What if my mailing address changes?
A correct address is very important. If you move, a forwarding order is only good for six months. For many of you, we keep a Lake Havasu address and a “summer” address. If we mail something and get it back “forwarding order expired”, we have no choice but to remove your address from our mailing list. If your address has changed, please let us know so that we can get our schedule to you. A phone call, email or a note will do the trick.

Do you want my email address?
Sure. We will continue to print and mail brochures since many of our travelers don’t use email. However, we will use email very occasionally to make special announcements. In the rare situation where we have cancellations and deplete our wait list, we will use email since it’s not practical to mail a notice to everyone. Email will not be used to announce new tours, since that would not be fair to our non-email travelers. We will not use your email address for any other purpose—no cute jokes, stories or virus warnings.

When do you announce new tours?
We only announce new tours twice a year—near the first day of the months of October and February. We mail a new schedule to all those on our mail list at that time. We will now update our website on those same dates. Although we encourage you to review our website whenever you wish, in fairness to those without internet access, be advised that we will only announce new tours in October and February. If you’d like to be reminded by email when we post a new tour schedule, please be sure we have your email address. 

What is Bartlett Tours’ Responsibility?
Bartlett Tours acts only as agent on behalf of bus operators, airlines, railroads, cruise lines, restaurants, hotels and motels, attractions, tour operators and sightseeing providers subcontracted and shall in no instance be liable for any injury, loss or other shortcomings resulting from the performance of those principals, their employees or servants. You will receive our complete Terms and Conditions with your first tour confirmation or upon request.

If you have other questions, please contact us  and we shall provide a prompt reply.