Frequently Asked Questions

We provide you with tags at every hiking trip of three days or longer, which contain the date and the name of the next hotel where we will be staying. With these tags you label your luggage and we will arrange transportation for it to the next hotel, making the hiking more light and comfortable. We recommend you take any valuables with you during the day for safety reasons . For the shorter trips, usually two to three days, your luggage will not be transported. For these trips we advise you to bring a backpack which fits all your holiday belongings. So make sure to check whether your luggage will be transported or not for the trip you will be taking.

When you decide to take one of the longer trips you can park your vehicle safely and for free at the hotel of arrival (except for the Estates of South-Holland trip). In any of the other arrangements we try to avoid any parking fees by starting the hike at a free parking facility. This may not be possible everywhere, so in some cases you need to keep the costs of a parking lot in mind. These costs vary per town, so check the trip’s description for any possible parking expenses beforehand. You can always ask us about a specific trip.

The hotels have been chosen with care and are in quiet locations. Your room will have a shower and toilet. All the hotels have dining facilities, but usually there are some good restaurants within walking distance of the hotel where you can eat as well. If you have any wishes regarding food or if you want different accommodation, please let us know when booking your trip. We cannot guarantee anything but we will try our best to adapt the trip to any of your demands. Arrangements for longer stays at the hotels are possible based on availability and against extra costs.

The clothes most suited for our trips are clothes that are easy to wear and dry quickly. We have learned that those make walking simply more comfortable, even if the weather is not wet at all. We advise you to bring at least two sets of clothes (and shoes). In case of rain this means you will always have a set of clothes ready to start the day fresh and dry. Bringing a lightweight rain suit might also be a good idea. This makes hiking in the rain more comfortable. Most hotels have facilities to quickly dry your footwear.

Unfortunately dogs are mostly not allowed due to restrictions in natural areas or due to hotel restrictions. It is indicated per trip if it is allowed.

We made hiking routes that mainly follow quiet roads and paths. However, sometimes there are no quiet connections between different parts of the route. It is important to pay attention when walking on busier roads. Sometimes walking on paved roads is inevitable, although we would rather not. Our hiking trips follow unpaved grass- or sand paths where possible.

The trips can definitely be walked by anyone with a normal stamina. We advise hiking some times in advance though, to ensure you enjoy the hikes even more. Distances vary between 15 and 22 kilometers. The routes are mainly in a flat landscape with every now and then a small slope (with a maximum length of 50 meters).

The paths we chose are reasonably passable in every weather. In snowy weather the roads might be slippery. Any rain might leave puddles but there is always an opportunity to walk through them or around them. However, do not forget to always bring clothes and shoes suited for rainy weather. It is a good idea to bring an extra pair of walking shoes as well, as your luggage is transported by us anyway.

This depends on what your hiking preferences are. If you like watching birds then the best time is between February and April or between august and November. Many trekking birds visit our country in these months. The trees will not have leaves, which makes the birds easier to spot. If you like watching colorful flowers we recommend planning your trip in between April and June. In the winter the landscape is somewhat empty but the cities are more beautiful. See for our climate: www.weatheronline.com.

All our walks are self-guided. We provide you with a map, a step by step description and a GPS track (for which you can use apps on any type of smartphone), so you should not be able to get lost. And even if you get lost, that is not a huge problem in Holland. You’ll always meet someone who can point you in the right direction and there is a lot of public transport to get you to your destination if really necessary. The advantage is you can walk at your own pace. Take breaks as much or as little as you want! Take 10 minutes to get that perfect picture of the polder, the friendly cow and the dutch skies, or not take pictures at all. It’s all up to you. You are also not walking with a group, but just with your own group, which may be just yourself, or your whole family.

In some of our tours you have to use public transport to travel to the starting point of the walk (or travel back). This is mainly in our centred holidays, but e.g. also in the first stage of Market Garden. Most Dutch people have a so-called OV-chip card (you may hear the term in the bus or tram) to pay, but it is also possible to buy a separate ticket in the bus or tram. Just tell the conductor where you have to get out and he’ll tell you what it costs.

However, for safety reasons more and more public transport companies are not accepting cash money anymore, while others are still not accepting digital money. Giving a complete overview would be difficult since it is changing all the time. Therefore we recommend you to have a few payment options available.

• Bring some cash in case you can still pay with cash
• Bring a bank card (Europeans only) with a Pincode or a Creditcard with a pincode to pay. A credit card where you can only verify through a signature doesn’t work in the public transport, but most Creditcards have the pin option these days.

A third option is to buy a separate ticket ahead of your trip.  you can do that often at a service desk of a supermarket or in other stores (your hotel may know where, or maybe even sell them), but then you would have to know the cost of your trip (which you can find out on www.9292ov.nl). It is a bit cumbersome, so paying in the bus or tram may be more easy.

We always make sure that the first hotel is not at a big distance from public transport, either train, tram or bus. Nowadays there’s many apps that can tell you how to get to your hotel, but the www.9292.nl website can help you plan public transport from e.g. the airport to the hotel. In Holland public transport often leaves every 15 or 30 minutes, so you never have to wait really long or plan really well. After booking you can always ask us for the best way to get to the hotel. If you are arriving by car, then we would suggest using the navigation to get to the hotel, and contact the hotel or us for the best parking options. Often it’s for free, but not always (see earlier question).

A travel insurance is not included in the costs of our hiking trips. We highly recommend getting one, for which you can turn to any travel insurance company.

Hike in Holland is a member of STO (Stichting Take Over). All trips advertised on this website are covered by the guarantee of STO. The STO-guarantee means that a customer will get his prepaid money back if the travel agent cannot fulfill the agreed delivery, due to financial inability. In our case the delivery will be the hotel stays, the transport of Luggage (in case of a long trip), the route descriptions, maps, For more information: www.sto-reisgarantie.nl/garantie.

Yes, Hike in Holland is a member of a travel association: De Vereniging voor Kleinschalige Reisorganisaties (VvKR). This association represents the interests of small often specialized travel agencies. By the VvKR we share our expertise for the travel agency as for the consumer for the most possible certainty and satisfaction.

Hike in Holland uses the so called certo escrow arrangement for customers within Europe. This means that as a customer you pay to an account which is managed by a third party. In case Hike in Holland goes bankrupt, your payments are safeguarded on this secured account. STO (Stiching Take Over) takes over at that point in time and arranges that you will get your money back, or can finish your vacation (depending on the point in time). In the normal case, Hike in Holland receives your money after your trip has been finished. As a customer you have to agree to this. It may take a little more time, but your money will be safeguarded. In 4 easy steps you will be taken through the payment process.

For customers outside of Europe it’s a bit more simple, since you can pay directly to Hike in Holland. Although we normally work with a downpayment after booking and a second payment 6 weeks in advance, this can be more expensive, since banks outside of Europe do charge an amount for every payment. Therefore there is a possibility to pay the whole amount at once. Payment can be done by bank transfer or Credit Card

Yes, is possible, but only for customers outside of the European Union. Not all Credit Cards  are accepted though. VISA, Mastercard and American Express Cards are accepted. Some Pre-paid Credit Cards and other brands are not. This is mostly for security reasons.

Within the EU, due to the fact that we’re obliged to work with a warranty, payment is done differently (see the previous question), and Credit Card payment is not possible. Since bank transfers are also without a fee within the EU, this should not be a problem.

Upon booking the trip we ask you to pay 15 % of the money in advance. The other 85 % has to be paid at least six weeks before the trip actually starts. When you book within six weeks before your trip you will have to pay the full amount in one time (as said before, since international banks often charge an amount per payment, it is possible to pay the whole amount at once as well).

Unfortunately we have to charge you with some or all of the costs when you cancel your trip. These costs are as following: when you cancel eight weeks before you trip you pay 30 percent of the full amount. This becomes 50 percent when you cancel four weeks in advance, 80 percent when you cancel two weeks in advance and the full amount when you cancel less than seven days in advance. These payments can be returned through a cancelling insurance if you have one and keep to its terms.

This is definitely possible, but in the case that you do want to change your booking we charge €25,- for the processing.