Belgium 2020
Further Details and FAQs
When and Where do we meet?
If you’re flying out of Toronto Pearson with us, we will meet at 3pm on May 12th at Terminal 3 in front of the Aer Lingus departures counter.
If you are meeting us in Brussels, we will meet at the Baggage Claim at Brussels International Airport after we go through customs. Plan to be there between 9:45 to 10:00 AM on Wednesday May 13th. From there we will go to our coach, and on to Bruges!
Parking in Toronto
There are a few options for long term parking in Toronto. The one that we found that would seem to work best is:
https://www.torontopearson.com/en/transportation-and-parking/parking/value-park-lot
If you reserve ahead of time it is about $135 CAD (about $100) for 8 days right now. There is a terminal tram there which runs about every 4 to 8 minutes.
There are other options that you can google.
Flight Itinerary for Happy Sherpa Belgium 2020
Way There
Toronto to Dublin
Flight Number EI126
Departing Toronto Tuesday May 12 @ 5:55 PM Local Time
Arriving in Dublin @ 5:30 AM Local Time
Dublin to Brussels
Flight Number EI630
Departing Dublin Wednesday May 13 @ 6:50 AM Local Time
Arriving in Brussels @ 9:40 AM Local Time
Way Back
Brussels to Dublin
Departing Brussels Wednesday May 20 @ 10:20 AM Local Time
Arriving in Dublin @ 11:05 AM Local Time
Dublin to Toronto
Departing Dublin Wednesday May 20 @ 1:35 PM Local Time
Arriving in Toronto @ 4:10 PM Local Time
Currency
Right now, the Euro is worth about 1.10 USD.
We recommend buying your euros after you've arrived. There are ATM's all over, which accept US credit and debit cards. BE SURE to let your credit card company know you'll be traveling to Belgium, or they might turn down your transaction in the name of fraud prevention. Lately credit card companies have loosened up on this policy, but better safe then sorry. All restaurants and most pubs take credit cards, though sometimes only Visa/MasterCard. There are places that are cash only, particularly the smaller bars and possibly the Festival.
While I wouldn’t want to have a ton of money on me, I would suggest 100 euro or so for convenience. Also guys, don’t keep your wallets in your back pocket, and ladies strap your purses across your bodies, and not over your shoulder. Just in case.
Gratuities
Generally bartenders do not expect tips. If you get to know them a little, it's nice to leave something. Waitresses, however, DO count on tips, and 15% is normal nowadays. Our driver also depends on your tips. We require a minimum of 20 euros per person tip for our driver, which you can give to him personally on the last day of the trip.
Baggage
One suitcase per person is free.
Passengers are permitted 1 bag up to 23kgs (50lbs) free of charge. Baggage fees apply for 2nd and subsequent checked bags. A maximum of 3 additional bags per passenger can be booked on the website.
Bag Size: One bag at 158 cms/62 ins, second and subsequent bags at 140 cms/55ins. The weight of any one piece of baggage must not exceed 32Kgs/70lbs. Any additional bags and Excess weight (23kgs - 32kgs) will be charged.
No pooling or sharing of baggage allowances is permitted, even within a party travelling on the same booking.
The fees are non-refundable.
One carry-on per person is also included.
Cabin baggage must weigh less than 10 kgs / 22 lbs in total carried in one bag per passenger and be small enough to fit in an overhead bin or under your seat. The maximum dimensions for a cabin bag are 55cm x 40cm x 20cm or 22in x 16in x 8in.
These limits are strictly enforced. Passengers in breach of the baggage allowance policy will be subject to additional baggage charges at the gate or may be offloaded.
All cabin/carry-on bags are checked and weighed at the airport. Any bags exceeding size and/or weight will be checked-in and passengers must pay a fee of €40.00 or equivalent per bag per flight for their bags when checking-in.
Passengers are not permitted to carry any bag containing sharp objects. Also please note carriage of liquids is curtained as per the EU Security Rules At Airports, effective since 6 November 2006.
Flights departing the USA are subject to TSA security rules.
Travel Insurance
We recommend your consider investing in Trip Insurance (usually about $150 per person) to provide for a return of your trip payment in the case of sickness, etc. Williams Travel of Travel Insured International is a great place to look for quotes:
Further Information
We will be expanding on this page to answer your questions and fill in more details as the trip approaches. For specific inquiries, see our contact page.