Toll Free: 800.328.8368
Phone: 512.328.5221
Preparation & Insurance
Although VENT’s detailed tour itineraries include all of the information needed to prepare for your tour, here we bring your attention to some essential information.
If you will be traveling outside the U.S.A., please make sure your documentation is in order. Passport validity requirements vary by country, ranging from validity only through your length of stay to up to six months after your planned departure date. Similarly, tourist visas are required of American citizens in some countries but not others. Information about country specific travel documents can be found under the Documents section of our tour itineraries or by checking the website of the U.S. Department of State. If you are a citizen of any country other than the U.S., be sure to check your government website or embassy regarding passport and visa requirements for traveling abroad.
Consult your doctor or the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta (800.232.4636) concerning health precautions and any inoculations or shots that may be necessary to enter the country you will be visiting. Country specific health information can also be found in the Health section of our tour itineraries.
VENT tours depart from the departure city or location listed in the tour itinerary, but we can also book your travel to the departure location. VENT’s in-house, full-service travel agency was established in 1990 to offer VENT customers a complete range of travel-related services. For airline reservations and ticketing, we charge a service fee of $35 for domestic and $55 for international itineraries. This fee is assessed per-person so that if multiple tickets are required, as is sometimes the case, you will be charged this transaction fee only once. All your travel arrangements can be made with one easy call to 800.328.VENT (8368) or 512.328.5221. Just tell us which tour you wish to take and we’ll do the rest!
Check to see that all of your air arrangements are in order. Check your tickets, and be sure to reconfirm the night before to make certain your departure time hasn’t changed. After boarding the aircraft, be sure to drink plenty of liquids and move around frequently to aid circulation while in flight.
Your tour itinerary will have specific suggestions about what to bring. In general, bring the things you will need and leave unnecessary items at home. Casual attire is appropriate at all times on VENT tours. Wearing bright or light-colored clothing in the field is strongly discouraged. Waterproof or rubber boots that reach at least halfway to the knee are useful on many VENT tours (check specific itineraries). All VENT leaders carry a scope. Bringing one of your own is optional. A water bottle, insect repellent, a hat, alarm clock, and snacks may also be useful.
When you register for a tour with Victor Emanuel Nature Tours, you invest in a travel experience of the highest quality. It is an investment you will want to protect. To safeguard against losses due to illness, accident, or other unforeseen circumstances, we strongly recommend the purchase of travel insurance as soon as possible after making a deposit.
VENT has partnered with Redpoint Travel Protection as our preferred travel insurance provider. Through Redpoint, we recommend its comprehensive Ripcord plan, which includes a medical evacuation benefit. With this in mind, it is important to note that medical evacuation is not offered by Redpoint as a stand-alone policy or benefit. For travelers not interested in comprehensive travel insurance, VENT recommends Medjet and its MedjetAssist® plan. Medjet is not an insurance company, and Medjet Assist is not an insurance product; rather, Medjet is a membership-based air-medical transport company specializing in moving hospitalized travelers from an admitting hospital to a medical facility of choice. Medjet does not provide medical evacuation service from the point of injury or illness; yet, the MedjetAssist plan offers robust enough travel protection to satisfy the medical evacuation insurance requirement in place for many VENT tours.
About Ripcord
Ripcord is a completely integrated travel insurance program with single contact for emergency services, travel assistance, and insurance claims. Critical benefits include comprehensive travel insurance for trip cancellation/interruption, medical evacuation from your point of injury or illness to your hospital of choice; medical expense coverage, death of pet, and much more. Optional expanded insurance coverage is available and includes items such as evacuation coverage in case of a natural disaster or political or security reasons, waiver for pre-existing medical conditions exclusion, and a “Cancel for Any Reason” benefit. Ripcord is available to U.S. and non-U.S. residents.*
For a price quote, or to purchase travel insurance, please visit the VENT page at Ripcord; or call +1-415-481-0600. Pricing is based on age, trip cost, trip length, and level of coverage.
*To be eligible for the pre-existing medical condition exclusion waiver and the optional Cancel for Any Reason (CFAR) upgrade, you must purchase your policy within 15 days of making your first trip payment. The CFAR benefit provides reimbursement for 75% of covered costs, and increases the policy premium by approximately 50%. Policies may be purchased either for the full value of the tour fee at the time of deposit or in segments as individual tour payments are made (deposit, second deposit, final balance, additional arrangements, etc.). The “pay as you go” approach reduces up-front expense and ensures that the amount paid toward your full policy premium is in proportion to the amount paid toward the full tour fee. If you choose to “pay as you go,” you must cover each deposit or payment within 15 days, and insure all non-refundable trip cost in order to maintain the CFAR benefit. Please refer to the policy for a full description of coverage. <br>Redpoint considers COVID-19 illness as any other seasonal respiratory illness. Providing only a positive Covid-19 test result will likely not be considered a covered event per the terms and conditions of the company's policy. Redpoint maintains a <a href=" aria-invalid="true">Coronavirus FAQ page that addresses questions and concerns travelers may have regarding COVID-19 and Redpoint's policy. We strongly recommend that you visit the page for an overview of relevant topics.
About MedjetAssist
MedjetAssist is a membership program that functions like AAA for motorists. The company’s primary service is air medical transport. Critical benefits of MedjetAssist include a staff on call and ready to provide assistance 24 hours a day, 7 days a week; all-expenses-paid air medical transport in the United States and internationally to medical facility of choice, regardless of medical necessity; repatriation of remains; and no exclusions for pre-existing conditions.
For travelers under 75, MedjetAssist may be purchased as Short-Term Memberships of 8, 15, 21, and 30 days, or Regular Annual Memberships from 1 to 5 years. For travelers 75–84, Medjet offers a Diamond Membership that is the same program but with a few additional conditions.
For a price quote, or to purchase MedjetAssist, please visit the VENT page at Medjet or call 1-800-527-7478. Pricing is based on type and term of membership.
VENT has partnered with Redpoint Travel Protection as our preferred travel insurance provider. Through Redpoint, we recommend its comprehensive Ripcord plan, which includes a medical evacuation benefit. With this in mind, it is important to note that medical evacuation is not offered by Redpoint as a stand-alone policy or benefit. For travelers not interested in comprehensive travel insurance, VENT recommends Medjet and its MedjetAssist® plan. Medjet is not an insurance company, and Medjet Assist is not an insurance product; rather, Medjet is a membership-based air-medical transport company specializing in moving hospitalized travelers from an admitting hospital to a medical facility of choice. Medjet does not provide medical evacuation service from the point of injury or illness; yet, the MedjetAssist plan offers robust enough travel protection to satisfy the medical evacuation insurance requirement in place for many VENT tours.
About Ripcord
Ripcord is a completely integrated travel insurance program with single contact for emergency services, travel assistance, and insurance claims. Critical benefits include comprehensive travel insurance for trip cancellation/interruption, medical evacuation from your point of injury or illness to your hospital of choice; medical expense coverage, death of pet, and much more. Optional expanded insurance coverage is available and includes items such as evacuation coverage in case of a natural disaster or political or security reasons, waiver for pre-existing medical conditions exclusion, and a “Cancel for Any Reason” benefit. Ripcord is available to U.S. and non-U.S. residents.*
For a price quote, or to purchase travel insurance, please visit the VENT page at Ripcord; or call +1-415-481-0600. Pricing is based on age, trip cost, trip length, and level of coverage.
*To be eligible for the pre-existing medical condition exclusion waiver and the optional Cancel for Any Reason (CFAR) upgrade, you must purchase your policy within 15 days of making your first trip payment. The CFAR benefit provides reimbursement for 75% of covered costs, and increases the policy premium by approximately 50%. Policies may be purchased either for the full value of the tour fee at the time of deposit or in segments as individual tour payments are made (deposit, second deposit, final balance, additional arrangements, etc.). The “pay as you go” approach reduces up-front expense and ensures that the amount paid toward your full policy premium is in proportion to the amount paid toward the full tour fee. If you choose to “pay as you go,” you must cover each deposit or payment within 15 days, and insure all non-refundable trip cost in order to maintain the CFAR benefit. Please refer to the policy for a full description of coverage. <br>Redpoint considers COVID-19 illness as any other seasonal respiratory illness. Providing only a positive Covid-19 test result will likely not be considered a covered event per the terms and conditions of the company's policy. Redpoint maintains a <a href=" aria-invalid="true">Coronavirus FAQ page that addresses questions and concerns travelers may have regarding COVID-19 and Redpoint's policy. We strongly recommend that you visit the page for an overview of relevant topics.
About MedjetAssist
MedjetAssist is a membership program that functions like AAA for motorists. The company’s primary service is air medical transport. Critical benefits of MedjetAssist include a staff on call and ready to provide assistance 24 hours a day, 7 days a week; all-expenses-paid air medical transport in the United States and internationally to medical facility of choice, regardless of medical necessity; repatriation of remains; and no exclusions for pre-existing conditions.
For travelers under 75, MedjetAssist may be purchased as Short-Term Memberships of 8, 15, 21, and 30 days, or Regular Annual Memberships from 1 to 5 years. For travelers 75–84, Medjet offers a Diamond Membership that is the same program but with a few additional conditions.
For a price quote, or to purchase MedjetAssist, please visit the VENT page at Medjet or call 1-800-527-7478. Pricing is based on type and term of membership.
