Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, we have a growing number of travelers joining us from the US. Every tour is offered two ways: with a group airfare from Australia, or land only — the tour itself, without flights. American guests almost always choose land only.

You book the land-only fare, we send you the exact hotel, address and check-in day for the start of the tour, and you arrange your own flights to and from the nearest gateway city. From the moment you arrive at that hotel, everything is handled.

Each tour begins at a named hotel in the first city on the itinerary and ends after breakfast in the final city. Both are listed on every tour page, so you can book flights with confidence.

Airport transfers on the official start and end days are included where the itinerary says so. If you arrive early or stay on, we can arrange a private transfer for you.

We do not ticket flights originating in North America, but we will happily review your proposed itinerary before you book and confirm the timings work with the tour. That five-minute check has saved a lot of guests from arriving the morning the group departs.

You are free to use airline miles, a travel advisor, or book direct. If you would like to fly premium economy or business, that is entirely your choice on a land-only booking.

Yes — we recommend it strongly, and for Australia, New Zealand and Japan we would call it close to essential. A flight from the US to Sydney or Tokyo crosses a lot of time zones, and the first day of a garden tour is not the day you want to be running on two hours of sleep.

We can book extra nights at the group hotel at our contracted rate so you are already in the right place when the tour begins.

Yes. Pre- and post-tour extensions are one of the most common requests we get from overseas guests — if you have flown fifteen hours, staying another week makes sense.

We can arrange additional hotel nights, transfers and private garden visits. Some of our tours are also designed to link together, so you can travel two consecutive itineraries as one longer trip. Ask us which ones connect.

Absolutely. A good proportion of every group travels alone, and small-group garden touring suits solo travelers unusually well — by the second morning nobody is eating breakfast on their own.

A single supplement applies for a room to yourself. If you would rather avoid it, tell us at the time of booking and we will try to match you with another guest looking to share. We cannot guarantee a match, but we often find one.

Yes. We have organised many tours for US garden clubs and societies including the American Horticultural Society, the American Conifer Society, Oregon Hardy Plant Soc. and many more. If you are a garden club, horticultural society, alumni group, or plant society with a group of 12 or more, we can arrange a private departure tailored to your interests and dates, with your own tour leader.

Email travel@rosstours.com with roughly how many people, where you would like to go and when, and we will put together a proposal.

Because we are an Australian company and we contract our hotels, coaches and guides in Australian dollars. Quoting in AUD means the price you are shown is the price we can actually hold.

We can quote an indicative USD figure at the time of enquiry, but we cannot fix the exchange rate.

Visa, Mastercard and American Express, and international bank transfer (wire). US-issued cards work without any problem.

Two things worth knowing before you pay:

• Foreign transaction fees. Many US cards add around 3% on a charge processed in a foreign currency. A no-foreign-transaction-fee travel card avoids this — on a tour of this size, that is a meaningful saving.
• Tell your bank. A large charge from an Australian merchant is exactly the sort of thing fraud systems decline. It’s best to notify your bank ahead of the transfer.

Wire transfers are welcome for larger balances — ask us for the details and allow for your bank outgoing wire fee.

The deposit is A$800 per person and it is non-refundable. It secures your seat, and we commit it to hotels and operators on your behalf.

Final payment is generally due around 60–90 days before departure, depending on the tour. Some tours also have an interim progress payment.

The exact schedule is set out on your booking confirmation and in the terms and conditions for your specific departure. We send a reminder well ahead of every due date.

Included on a land-only booking:

• Centrally located hotel accommodation throughout
• Private coach travel, ferries and rail as set out in the itinerary
• All garden and site entry fees, including private garden visits
• Your Ross Tours leader for the whole trip, plus expert local guides
• Most meals — breakfast daily, plus the lunches and dinners listed day by day
• Baggage handling at hotels

Not included: international airfares to and from the tour, visas and travel authorizations, travel insurance, meals not listed, drinks other than those specified, laundry, personal spending, and any optional excursions.

Every tour page carries a full inclusions list. Please contact us if you have any questions regarding any of our itineraries.

This is the question we are asked most often by American guests, and the honest answer is: tipping works very differently outside the US, and you should not apply US norms abroad.

• On most itineraries, gratuities for coach drivers and local guides are arranged by us and built into the tour, so you do not need to think about them.
• Where they are not, your tour leader will notify you at the start of the trip what is customary and roughly what to allow.
• In Japan, tipping is not part of the culture at all and can cause genuine awkwardness. In Australia and New Zealand it is uncommon and never expected.
• Restaurant service charges in Europe are usually already on the bill.

You are never expected to tip your Ross Tours leader. Many guests do choose to at the end of a trip, and it is always appreciated — but it is entirely voluntary and there is no expected amount.

Cancellation charges depend on how close to departure you cancel, and are set out in full in the terms and conditions for your tour. The deposit is non-refundable in all cases. Look for travel insurance that covers cancellation.

As a general rule, at least six months of validity beyond your date of return, plus two blank facing pages for stamps. Some countries require less, but six months is the safe standard and several of our destinations enforce it strictly.

If your passport expires within a year of travel, renew before you book. US passport processing times fluctuate, and expedited service costs more and still takes time. Check the pages, too — a passport that is nearly full can be refused at check-in.

It varies by country, and several destinations that used to be visa-free now require an online travel authorization.

Apply for any authorization as soon as your tour is confirmed. They are usually quick and inexpensive, but don’t leave it to the week of departure — and only ever apply through the official government site, never a third-party lookalike.

For most of our destinations, no. Some African routings require proof of yellow fever vaccination depending on the countries you have transited, and a few destinations have recommendations that are not strictly mandatory.

Speak to a travel medicine clinic six to eight weeks before departure. Bring a copy of your vaccination record if one is required for entry, and keep prescription medication in original labelled packaging with a copy of the prescription.

Declare everything you are bringing back. Plants, seeds, bulbs, soil, fresh produce and untreated plant material are heavily restricted or prohibited by USDA. Ask your tour leader before you buy; some nurseries can arrange properly certified export.

Yes. Comprehensive travel insurance is a condition of travel on every Ross Tour, and we will ask for your policy number and emergency contact details before departure.

At minimum, your policy should cover overseas medical treatment and hospitalization, emergency medical evacuation and repatriation, trip cancellation and interruption, and baggage.

Assume not. Original Medicare provides essentially no coverage outside the United States, and while some Medicare Advantage and supplement plans include limited emergency coverage abroad, it is usually capped and rarely includes evacuation.

Check with your own insurer directly rather than assuming, and buy a standalone travel medical policy to fill the gap.

Here is our honest benchmark: you should be able to walk on uneven ground for about 45 minutes without difficulty, and get on and off a coach unaided.

Great gardens are large, and they are not designed for convenience. Expect gravel paths, grass, steps without handrails, slopes, and two to four hours on your feet on a garden day. Historic properties in Europe and Japan often have no steps.

All guests complete a fitness-to-travel declaration as part of registration. It is not a formality — it helps us tell you honestly whether a particular itinerary is right for you.

Plenty of our guests travel with a walking stick or a folding seat-stick, and nobody minds in the least. What we cannot do is provide one-to-one assistance, and our coaches are not wheelchair accessible.

You can always opt out of an activity and stay at the hotel or a nearby café — just tell your leader. Talk to us before booking about anything that affects mobility.

Your tour leader will help you get to a doctor or hospital, deal with local staff, and contact your insurer assistance line and your family. Our leaders have done this before, and the small group size means you will not be overlooked.

Bring enough of any regular medication for the whole trip plus a week, carried in hand luggage, with a copy of your prescriptions. Also carry your insurer 24-hour number somewhere other than your phone.

No. We go to some of the most beautiful places in the world. A fair number of guests come for the culture, the food, the history and the company.

Equally, if you are a serious gardener, you will find our tour leaders highly experienced to answer any question.

A maximum of 25 travelers, and 16 on safari. That is small enough for a private garden owner to welcome us, and small enough that everyone hears the guide.

Our tours are designed for travelers aged 50 and over, though anyone who meets the fitness guidance is welcome. Groups are typically a mix of small groups, couples and solo travelers, mostly Australians and New Zealanders with a growing number of travelers from the US, Canada and the UK. Around seven in ten of our guests have traveled with us before.

Breakfast at the hotel, on the coach by mid-morning, one or two gardens with time to walk them properly rather than at a march, a good lunch somewhere local, and back with the afternoon or evening free more often than not.

Deluxe and centrally located. Rooms are twin share as standard, with a single supplement available. Our team inspects hotels personally as part of planning each itinerary.

Yes. Tell us at the time of booking — vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, allergies, or anything else — and we will pass it to every hotel and restaurant on the itinerary in advance.

You probably are, and it catches almost every first-time visitor. Seasons are reversed south of the equator.

• Spring in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa runs roughly September to November — so our spring garden tours depart during your fall.
• Autumn is March to May, during your spring.
• Christmas falls in high summer, and January is beach weather.

Japan, Europe and the UK follow the same seasons you are used to. It is worth double-checking what you are packing for.

Your phone, laptop and camera chargers will be fine — nearly all are dual voltage. Bring a universal adapter with a USB port.

Three options, in rough order of value: an eSIM bought before you leave, usually the cheapest and simplest; your US carrier international day pass, convenient but it adds up over two weeks; or a local SIM on arrival.
Whatever you choose, set it up before you fly — activating an eSIM is far easier on home Wi-Fi than in an arrivals hall. Hotels have Wi-Fi, and many of our coaches do too, though coverage in rural country can be patchy. That is rarely a bad thing.

Less than you would think. Cards are accepted almost everywhere in Australia, New Zealand, the UK and Europe — Australia in particular is close to cashless. Japan still favours cash in smaller establishments and at some garden entrances.

Bring a modest amount of local currency for the first day and use ATMs as you go; the rate is better than an airport bureau de change. Carry two cards from different networks, kept separately, and notify both banks of your travel dates. American Express is accepted less widely outside the US than at home, so do not rely on it alone.

One checked bag plus a carry-on per person. Coach luggage space is finite, and you will be moving between hotels, so a bag you can manage yourself is the right bag.

Most hotels offer laundry, and on longer itineraries your leader will flag the best stop for it. Pack layers, a light waterproof, a sun hat and shoes you have already walked in. Never a new pair for day one.

In Australia, New Zealand, Japan, the UK and most of Europe, yes. Elsewhere, your tour leader and local guides will tell you where to use bottled water. Bring a reusable bottle.

We are a specialist garden tour company founded in 1980 by horticulturists Graham and Sandra Ross, and we are now the world’s leading operator in this field. In forty-five years, we have taken more than 25,000 travelers to over 1,000 gardens across four continents.

Yes. Ross Tours is ATAS accredited (the Australian Travel Accreditation Scheme, administered by the Australian Federation of Travel Agents) and a member of CATO, the Council of Australian Tour Operators, which requires members to meet audited financial and consumer-protection standards. We are also a member of ATIA.

The US equivalents you may be familiar with are USTOA and ASTA. The principle is the same: independent accreditation, financial scrutiny, and a complaints process that is not just us.

English throughout — your Ross Tours leader, all local guides, and all written material. Where we visit non-English-speaking countries, local guides interpret and your leader handles the practicalities.

Yes, we post our annual program internationally at no charge. Request a copy through the website or email mailto:travel@rosstours.com with your mailing address, and allow a couple of weeks for it to reach you.

A digital version is also available.