Overview
There are dozens of birding tour companies these days, from small start-ups and one-person operations to companies offering 100 or more tours per year, from relative newcomers to outfits that have been around for several decades. So why do so many people choose Field Guides for their birding vacations? Since 1985 Field Guides has operated more than 1,600 tours. They have a wealth of experience and operate ethically and honestly, and you can be assured of their professionalism and proper handling of your account. But these are not the most important attributes that set them apart from several other bird tour companies who do the same. How then is Field Guides different? They love guiding tours and it shows. They gauge a tour’s success not by the birds seen or the revenue generated but by the smile on your face at the tour’s end. Tours are not scientific expeditions — they are vacations. At Field Guides, they never forget that the quality of your experience comes first. And that is a great motivator for diligence and thoroughness in every tour that's planned, with each new guide or tour manager invited to join the Field Guides community of professionals, and for every lodge or transportation provider with whom they choose to work.
The Guides
It goes almost without saying that the guides are great birders who know the birds, where to find them, and how to show them to a group. Just as importantly they are professionals who are great with people, understand group dynamics, want to make a very rich birding experience a lot of fun, and enjoy teaching and sharing.
Service
Field Guides believes service trumps everything else in a birding tour experience, and no one offers better service— this is what Field Guides has heard through regular feedback from thousands of participants who are now part of the Field Guides community. Great service begins with a committed and motivated office staff, whose planning and tour management skills are second to none. They’ve done everything from easing uncertainty and fielding many a question about taking a first birding tour or overseas trip, to helping re-route travelers stranded somewhere in transit by a cancelled flight. Participants can relax on tour knowing that, should a family emergency arise, Field Guides staff will be available to assist their families in contacting them. Special occasions, like birthdays and anniversaries, are celebrated on tour (as well as those landmark birds!). Guides are tuned in to dietary needs and make sure clients have choices available to them. Field Guides tours are all-inclusive so that once the tour starts you can relax and leave the bill paying and logistics to them.
Why Birders Choose Field Guides
To reduce it to its simplest form, Field Guides knows what a good tour experience feels like, way beyond just seeing a lot of great birds (of course!), and they have the experience, guides, and office staff to make it happen for you.
Community
If service is everything to a tour, community is everything to a company. With no majority owner and a full-time staff vested in the company either through ownership or profit sharing, the integration of all at Field Guides — through communication, training, feedback, and shared information and experiences — defines who they are: a tight-knit community of professionals who know each other well, work together seamlessly, and care deeply about the success of your tour experience, which in turn defines their success and professional regard. The Field Guides community also includes longtime clients who have become good friends over the years. Satisfied participants are the company's best advertisers and often enjoy introducing new clients to the Field Guides way as much as the staff and guides do!
If you haven’t traveled with them, Field Guides invites you to choose one of their tours and join the community of fellow travelers, guides, and office staff. If you have traveled with Field Guides, they look forward to sharing another great birding adventure with you soon.
Affiliations
Payments Accepted
Reservation Policy
To register for a tour, complete a Registration/Release and Indemnity form and return it with the deposit (ask office for amount). If registering by phone, a deposit must be received within fourteen days, or the space will be released. Full payment of the tour fee is due 120 days prior to departure. If Field Guides has not received your final and full payment by the due date indicated, they reserve the right to cancel you from the trip without refund. Please mark your calendar, as you will not be billed separately for the balance.
Cancellation Policy
Refund of deposit and payment, less $100 handling fee, will be made if cancellation is received up to 120 days before departure. If cancellation occurs between 119 and 70 days before the departure date, 50% of the tour fee is refundable. Thereafter, all deposits and payments are not refundable. The right is reserved to cancel any tour prior to departure, in which case full refund will constitute full settlement to the passenger. The right is reserved to substitute another guide for the original one. Where this is necessary, notification will be given to tour members, and they will have the right to cancel their participation and receive a full refund.
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