This questionnaire collects the information we need to help you to and from your trip.

It is an order form.  Please submit it only once you are ready to book your travel.  All travel bookings carry cancellation / refund charges.  Do not order anything until you are sure you want it! 

Prices of the things you are requesting on the “Access Package” page for your trip’s start or end city.
To get to the relevant page, go to the “Access Package” table, and select your start or end city.  

There are 3 chapters. 

(1) Pre-Trip Trains and Hotels
(2) Post-Trip Trains and Hotels
(3) Special Cases (things like airport tickets if you are flying into or out of Paris, or cabin accommodation on overnight trains or boats)

If you do not want our help getting to your trip’s start point, or away from its end point, read no more.
In that case, we would welcome a one-sentence note, to the effect, “I’ll find my own way to Monforte,” or, “I'll get out of Voss on my own at the end of the trip.”  Everyone gets out of Voss someday.  Not everyone makes it to Monforte.


Suggested Use

1.  Copy any of the questions you wish to answer, and paste them into an e.mail.  Then answer each in some distinct manner (ALL CAPS, or bold, or whatever). 
The goal is that we be able to pick your replies out of the message, without inadvertently overlooking one.
Questions are asked in the singular.  If 2 or more are travelling, we assume answers apply to all, unless you tell us otherwise.

2.  Send your composed e.mail to our Paris office, where logistics are handled:  paris@bluemarble.org.
Don't forget to tell us who you are, what trip you are on, and where you are joining and leaving your trip.

3. Do not hesitate to send us partial information as you have it.
For instance:  you know you need the pre-trip hotel in the trip’s start city, but don't yet know from where you will catch your train?  Tell us that.  Or, your pre-trip plans are set, but not your post-trip plans?  Tell us that.  It may permit us to make some precautionary reservations, or to avoid your getting shut out of a key train.

If you are having us issue train tickets, please provide us with...

• ... your name, as it appears on your passport...
• ...your passport number___________________________ and...
• ...the final four numbers of a credit card that you will have aboard the train with you_________________.
  Some or all may be required as ID aboard the train, to validate the ticket.  Note that the credit card does not need to be the one used to purchase the ticket.

1.  Pre-Trip TRAINS (or boats) and HOTELS

Train (or boat) Tickets

I.  What train trip are you making (eg. “Paris - Dijon”, or “London - Hendaye via Paris”)?

______________________________________________________________________

II.  What is your travel date?  For overnight travel, please use the departure date________________________

III.  At what time would you like to travel? 
- If you are travelling via overnight train, there is generally only one schedule choice.  In that case, just tell us “overnight.”
- If you have requested the “Ride the Bike Train Discount,” the schedule can be found on the Access Package page. 

You may answer the question in any of the following ways. 

• “I wish to depart my starting city around______________”   OR “no earlier than ________________”
• “I wish to reach my destination around______________”   OR “no later than ________________”
• √ here if you would like to ride the “Bike Train” from Paris____
• If you are making a plane > train connection: 
  “My flight lands at_________; please choose a train departing my airport city no earlier than_________.”
  Please fill in both times.  To help you plan:  the amount of time you allow should take into account at least these factors:
  (1)  Have you invested in a (higher cost) refundable / exchangeable ticket?  If you have, you can risk a tighter connection.
  (2)  How painful would it be for you to buy a new, replacement train ticket (this is a function of the cost of a full-fare, walk-up ticket, plus the state of your finances).
  (3)  What is the journey time from airport to city center (assuming your arrival airport does not have a rail station)?
  Our advice:  allow ample time to connect from a flight to a train.  Remember that planes are notoriously unreliable; arrival time refers to “touchdown” time (not to the time you are finally allowed out of the metal tube); customs, immigration and baggage all require unpredictable chunks of time.  It can easily take 90 minutes to get off a plane and through customs, even if the plane is on time.
  

If you prefer a direct train (or one with the fewest possible connections), even if it means leaving a couple of hours earlier____ or later____, please check appropriately.

____ Check here for a modifiable ticket (more expensive, per the info page concerning your trip)


IV.  What onboard comfort would you like?
Daylight train(s).  You may answer the question in any of the following ways. “I would like...

____ ...a 1st class seat (or seats) only if seats are available at the discount rate you offer.”
____ ...to take a 1st class seat in any case.”  The lowest available fare will be used.
____ ...to stick with 2nd class tickets.”

If you are travelling on an overnight train, please also complete the “special cases” section, below.


V.  Applies only if you are coming from London.
This section pertains only to the trip on the “Eurostar,”  high-speed train from London to the Continent.

At what time would you like to depart London? 

• “I would like to depart London around____________”   OR “no earlier than ________________”
• “I would like to reach Paris or Brussels around____________”   OR “no later than ________________”
• Or, “Please book a train departing from London such that it safely connects to my ongoing train”_____
  We allow an hour for the Paris station change, or for a station change in Lille if it is required.  We allow 20 minutes for the same-station connection in Lille or Brussels.  Tell us if you wish to allow more / less.

If you prefer an exchangeable ticket (more expensive), please check here_____.

Would you prefer to travel in 2nd_____  or 1st_____ class on the Eurostar portion of your trip? 
An at-seat light meal service is included on the Eurostar in 1st class.



VII.  Getting Your Pre-Trip Tickets
To travel by train, you often need a paper document.  We use e.tickets when we can, but they are still the exception, not the rule. 

If you are passing through Paris, we can have your ticket(s) waiting for you there.  Otherwise, they are sent to you by some sort of traceable mail.  Our standard shipping charges are here.

Please indicate here how you would like to gain possession of paper train tickets (if required).

• ____ “I will pick them up in your Paris office”
• ____ “Please send them to my home address, the one you have on file.
  I understand that the shipper will not require a signature for home delivery, with the result that my tickets may be eaten by monsters.”  We prefer to send tickets to work addresses.  There is no recourse if a home shipment goes wrong.
• ____ “Please send them to my work address, where someone will be able to sign for them.”
  In this case, please provide us with the address you want us to use, and a phone number, required on the shipping manifest.
  

Tickets needed for travel after your cycle trip with us will be delivered to you by your Trip Coordinator, without additional charge.



Hotels
For a general discussion of our hotels, see here.

I.  Paris
For a general discussion of our Paris lodging options, see here.

What pre-trip dates would you like us to reserve in Paris (nights of...)?______________________________

Paris Hotel Preference
_____Our “Usual Economical Hotel”
_____Our “Usual More Comfortable Hotel”
_____Left bank hotel
_____One of our Paris guest apartments (check one:  Citron____ — Soleil____ — Petit Nuage____ )
_____Less expensive hotel (3-night minimum stay)

Room Type, if in a hotel (check one):
____ Single
____ Double (one, double bed)
____ Twin
____ Triple
____ Single bed in a twin / triple if available, otherwise single
____ Single bed in a twin / triple if available, otherwise no reservation

Check here if you prefer a less expensive room, with hall shower and WC (only available in our “Less expensive hotel,” and only available if you are booking the entire room) ____


II.  Any City EXCEPT Paris
If you have additional pre-trip hotels, you may tell us about others in the “Special Cases” section, below.

Where?__________________________
What nights would you like us to reserve?______________________________

Room Type, if in a hotel (check one):
____ Single
____ Double (one, double bed)
____ Twin
____ Triple
____ Single bed in a twin / triple if available, otherwise single
____ Single bed in a twin / triple if available, otherwise no reservation

Check here if you prefer a less expensive room, with hall shower and WC (only available if you are booking an entire room) ____

If this hotel is part of one of our “Access Packages,” please check here, to receive appropriate pricing____
If you would prefer to upgrade to a 3* hotel where one is proposed, please check here____

Otherwise, where we offer both, would you prefer a 2*_____ or a 3*_____ level hotel?



2. Post-Trip HOTELS and TRAINS (or boats)

Hotels
For a general discussion of our hotels, see here.

I.  Any City EXCEPT Paris
If you have additional post-trip hotels, you may tell us about others in the “Special Cases” section, below.

Where?__________________________
What nights would you like us to reserve?______________________________

Room Type, if in a hotel (check one):
____ Single
____ Double (one, double bed)
____ Twin
____ Triple
____ Single bed in a twin / triple if available, otherwise single
____ Single bed in a twin / triple if available, otherwise no reservation

Check here if you prefer a less expensive room, with hall shower and WC (only available if you are booking an entire room) ____

If this hotel is part of one of our “Access Packages,” please check here, to receive appropriate pricing____
If you would prefer to upgrade to a 3* hotel where one is proposed, please check here____

Otherwise, where we offer both, would you prefer a 2*_____ or a 3*_____ level hotel?


II.  Paris
For a general discussion of our Paris lodging options, see here.

What post-trip dates would you like us to reserve in Paris (nights of...)?______________________________

Paris Hotel Preference
_____Our “Usual Economical Hotel”
_____Our “Usual More Comfortable Hotel”
_____Left bank hotel
_____One of our Paris guest apartments (check one:  Citron____ — Soleil____ — Petit Nuage____ )
_____Less expensive hotel (3-night minimum stay)

Room Type, if in a hotel (check one):
____ Single
____ Double (one, double bed)
____ Twin
____ Triple
____ Single bed in a twin / triple if available, otherwise single
____ Single bed in a twin / triple if available, otherwise no reservation

Check here if you prefer a less expensive room, with hall shower and WC (only available in our “Less expensive hotel,” and only available if you are booking the entire room) ____

Train (or boat) Tickets

I.  What train trip are you making (eg. “Como - Paris”, or “Trip Disband Point - Zurich Airport”)?

______________________________________________________________________

II.  What is your travel date?  For overnight travel, please use the departure date________________________

III.  At what time would you like to travel? 
- If you are travelling via overnight train, there is generally only one schedule choice.  In that case, just tell us “overnight.”
- If you have requested the “Ride the Bike Train Discount,” the schedule can be found on the Access Package page. 

You may answer the question in any of the following ways. 

• “I wish to depart my starting city around______________”   OR “no earlier than ________________”
• “I wish to reach my destination around______________”   OR “no later than ________________”
• √ here if you would like to ride the “Bike Train” to Paris____
• If you are making a train > plane connection: 
  “My flight departs at_________; please choose a train arriving in my airport city no later than_________.”
  Please fill in both times.  To help you plan:  the amount of time you allow should take into account at least these factors:
  (1)  Travel time from the center of your arrival city to the airport, unless your train takes you to an airport rail station.
  (2)  Your comfort level with check-in times.  Interncontinental flgihts generally request 2 hours, but if you are connecting via a European hub, 1 hour is sufficient.

If you prefer a direct train (or one with the fewest possible connections), even if it means leaving a couple of hours earlier____ or later____, please check appropriately.

____ Check here for a modifiable ticket (more expensive, per the info page concerning your trip)


IV.  What onboard comfort would you like?
Daylight train(s).  You may answer the question in any of the following ways. “I would like...

____ ...a 1st class seat (or seats) only if seats are available at the discount rate you offer.”
____ ...to take a 1st class seat in any case.”  The lowest available fare will be used.
____ ...to stick with 2nd class tickets.”

If you are travelling on an overnight train, please also complete the “special cases” section, below.


V.  Applies only if you are travelling to London.
This section pertains only to the trip on the “Eurostar,”  high-speed train from the Continent to London.

At what time would you like to depart from Paris or Brussels? 

• “I would like to depart around____________”   OR “no earlier than ________________”
• “I would like to reach London around____________”   OR “no later than ________________”
• Or, “Please book a train departing from Paris / Brussels such that it safely connects from my arriving train”_____
  We allow 90 minutes for the Paris station change, or for a station change in Lille if it is required.  We allow 50 minutes for the same-station connection in Lille or Brussels.  Tell us if you wish to allow more / less.  Remember that Eurostar requires “check-in,” 30 minutes in advance.

If you prefer an exchangeable ticket (more expensive), please check here_____.

Would you prefer to travel in 2nd_____  or 1st_____ class on the Eurostar portion of your trip? 
An at-seat light meal service is included on the Eurostar in 1st class.


Post-trip train tickets will be delivered to you by your Trip Coordinator, without additional charge.





3. Special Cases

I.  Tickets for the Paris Airport Train
Discussion here.

If you would like tickets for the Paris airport train, please tell us how many tickets you would like (they are good for travel in either direction), and which airport you are using (Charles de Gaulle or Orly).


II.  Accomodation on Overnight Train(s) or Boat(s).
If you are taking an overnight train at some point, please tell us about your desired on-board accommodation.
Please indicate your order of preference, marking each acceptable choice with a number:  1, 2, 3....
“I would prefer....

• _____...a 2nd class couchette
• _____...a “Comfort Couchette”
• _____...a berths in single-sex quad or triple sleeping car cabins.
  Only one of these two cabin types will be available on any given train.
• _____...a berth in a double sleeping car cabin (not generally available to solo travellers).
• _____...a berth in a deluxe double sleeping car cabin.
• _____...a private single sleeping car cabin.
• _____...a private deluxe single sleeping car cabin.

- If you would prefer to share a cabin with someone from your trip, and are willing to go either UP_____ or DOWN_____ a comfort level to do so, please check accordingly.  If you are willing to do either, mark a “1” and a “2” to indicate your order of preference.
- If you are willing to share with a trip-mate of opposite gender (and prefer this to sharing with strangers of your gender), please check here_____.

If you would like to nuance your reply in some way (for instance, to upgrade on one train but not on another), please comment here:

III.  Additional Hotel Booking(s)

Where?__________________________
What nights would you like us to reserve?______________________________

Room Type, if in a hotel (check one):
____ Single
____ Double (one, double bed)
____ Twin
____ Triple
____ Single bed in a twin / triple if available, otherwise single
____ Single bed in a twin / triple if available, otherwise no reservation

Check here if you prefer a less expensive room, with hall shower and WC (only available if you are booking an entire room) ____

Where we offer both, would you prefer a 2*_____ or a 3*_____ level hotel?

Thank you for taking the time to fill out this form.  
An updated account statement reflecting your requests will be e.mailed to you.

Call whenever you have questions.

The Friendly, Occasionally Helpful, in Any Event Harmless,
Blue Marble Staff, and Their Bikes