Well, good morning campers, and happy Wednesday! So the countdown is on, and we're now down to just a little over 100 days from when we're departing & meeting up at the Château du Soleil in Provence... It's getting exciting now! And we know some of you are planning on heading over several days early to Tour other areas of France before coming to the Villa, so we need to get a little info from you before your departure...
First: As the Official Tour Operator you've contracted with for OIGT (Organized International Group Travel), the legal and regulatory agencies both here in the USA & France require that we have your passport on file, and that for safety and emergency purposes, we must have what they call a summary awareness of your whereabouts while you're traveling outside of the US on this trip... And the Villa Management & local police (in the region where the Villa resides) require we give them a copy of your Passport. (the same as any tour agency, cruise line or hotel does).
With this in mind, we need you to please fill out the OIGT Form and email it back to us:
What you'll see below is a photo of the OIGT Form. We'll email you the full size document. please print it out, complete the form, (you can simply handwrite the info or type it in, whichever you prefer). set your passport photo page on top of the form in the indicated spot, and simply snap a photo with your phone, and email it back to us at: AdventuresToTuscany@gmail.com with the subject line: "last name-OIGT" . (for example: Harpster - OIGT) If you're traveling & sharing a room with your spouse or travel partner, we only need one form for the two of you, or if it's more convenient, each guest can forward their own form.
When you receive our email, (later today) could you please email the completed form back to us at your earliest convenience, but please, we need it no later than March 20th.
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| don't bother to try to print out this photo... We'll email you the full size document |
We know you'll be excited to get to The Villa... And you should plan on arriving between 4pm - 6pm on Saturday. Just a reminder: You won't be able to actually come to the Villa before 4pm on Saturday, as we'll have a full cleaning staff on site all day, and it's very difficult for them to work around guests, so they won't allow us to open the security gates before 4pm... So as you plan your arrival day, please keep that in mind...
No matter how many times we tell everyone this, someone says to themselves; oh, let's just go a little bit early and walk around... Please don't be this person. It has never, in 25 years, worked out well... They will not allow you through the security gates before 4pm... and this will lead to you getting upset at us, and we unfortunately can not control this...
If you're flying into Marseille, or perhaps taking a train into Avignon, we suggest you use your extra time on Saturday exploring one of those areas... In both of those scenarios, you're only about an hour's drive from the Villa in Venasque... Maybe find a nice little bistro to have a some lunch or a little charcuterie & a nice relaxing glass of wine... and do what the French do - some people watching! If there's an urgent situation or some type of emergency & you think we can help - by all means, please call us: 610-657-7894
Know that we'll be there a week early getting ready for your arrival... We'll be welcoming you with open arms, and we'll have ice cold Champagne and snacks waiting for you at the Villa! As well as chilled refreshments including ice cold Prosecco's, beers, sodas, and waters... And of course we'll have the Ultimate French Wine Bar open and waiting for you!
After we get each of you checked into your rooms, we'll give you a little time to relax, and freshen up, and then we'll get together at around 6:00 PM for a little casual Orientation to The Expedition & the Estate. We'll have a little Happy Hour - and we'll take you on a short walk around The Villa and the property to familiarize you with the Estate before Dinner. And our Chefs Fabian & Coralie will likely pass hors d'oeuvres around 7:30ish, with dinner served around 8ish (typically a little early by French standards)
So we want to give you our phone numbers in case you need to reach us::
Tommy's cell # 610-657-7894
Terese's cell # 484-410-1481
(you might want to put these phone #s into your phone's contact list now. To dial us while you're in France, is the same as dialing us in the US... there's no need to add any special dialing codes)
Once you return your completed OIGT Form mentioned above, we will send you out a little packet with your Tour Vouchers, the address and a detailed map with the Villa marked on it, a GPS location pin for your cell phone and a handful of our Adventures to Provence luggage tags... and lastly the password to be used at the security gate.
Note: This map is not a map of France or even all of Provence, it is a very specialized large-scale map showing precise details of just the immediate area around the Villa... and we will include very specific turn by turn directions for the last couple of miles to The Villa. It's not that it's difficult, but it is rural and the turn by turn directions, if followed exactly, will get you right to The Villa very easily.
So that's all for now... we're looking forward to meeting up with all of you in Provence! It's just a couple months away now!
Please watch for our email (within the next 24 hours) with the OIGT Form in it, and email us the completed form requested above at your earliest convenience... Please send to us at AdventuresToTuscany@gmail.com. With the subject line: lastname- OIGT
Thanks so much,
T & T
