Karen Berger

Excerpted from Advanced Backpacking: A Trailside Guide, by Karen Berger, published by W. W. Norton, 1998. Reprinted with permission.

How many years has the company been in business?

Can you check the company's references with former trip participants?

What kind of training do the guides have?

Do the guides speak the languages?

What kind of accommodations will you be using?

What services are provided? (For instance, on a raft trip, do you float down the river in queenly comfort, or are you expected to row the boat yourself?)

Do you put up your tent and cook your meals, or do porters carry lounge chairs so that you can sit around while someone else does the work?

How many people will be on your trip?

What kinds of arrangements does the company have for dealing with medical emergencies?

What equipment is provided and what do you need to bring?

What does the company do to ensure that its trips are run in an environmentally and culturally sensitive manner?

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