Safe. Affordable. Bus-loads of Fun!
Trips & Tours
Southwest Adventure Series
This is the Kindred Classic Tour, small group exploration of the Great Southwest—America’s playground! We’re talking Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Nevada, Colorado and Southern California, and as luck would have it, we are strategically headquartered smack-dab in the middle of all of all this natural wonder! These are driving tours, ranging from one-day trips to week-long journeys.
Gallivant Series
Kindred Tours offers a wide variety of domestic travel, along with some international destinations and cruises. These extended tours make up the Gallivant Series. Whether you travel by road, rail, river or sea—experience the confidence that comes from a tour that has been artfully planned. Working on your bucket list and you don’t see your dream destination? Call us. We can send you anywhere in the world.
Backyard Series
Sunny Phoenix is more than the land of Wile. E. Coyote and his Roadrunner sidekick. There’s a trail for every skill level, cheap eats, ethnic cuisine, a burgeoning brewery scene, tranquil desert gardens, world class museums, a rich arts-and–culture environment, and so much more. Big on adventure, easy on the pocketbook, the Backyard Series invites you to get out and explore your own city.
Club Stylin' Series
Way back when, our bus driver took a wrong turn, which led to a hysterical day filled with big laughs and spontaneous side-trips. Someone on the tour described that rolling party vibe as “Club Styling” and it just stuck. Today we’re Club Styling whenever we get the band back together—festivals, parties, Camp Kindred, and Broadway shows… because life’s a party and you don’t want to be the girl in the bathroom.
Gallivants
FAQ'S
It’s easy to make a reservation for an OVERNIGHT Van or Motorcoach Tour. Simply call us, or fill out our online reservation form. We’ll ask you for a bit of information and a $100 nonrefundable deposit. Wondering why that deposit is nonrefundable? Kindred Tours has made deposits to hotels, vendors, and attractions… sometimes months in advance, and that money is often nonrefundable to us. Your final payment for OVERNIGHT Van or Motorcoach Tours will be due 45 days prior to your departure date. Final payments are nonrefundable. On rare occasions, Kindred Tours may need to cancel a tour prior to departure. If this happens, we’ll notify you as far in advance as possible. You, of course, will receive a full refund for the cost of your tour, or you can transfer your credit to another tour of your choice.
ONE-DAY Van or Motorcoach Tours must be paid for when you make your reservation. Reservations can be made either by phone or online.
One-day tours are nonrefundable within 30 days of the tour.
People ask us all the time about tipping. “Should we?” and “How much?” While we at Kindred Tours want to make it clear that we do not require tips, they are certainly appreciated by our tour guides and drivers when the service meets or exceeds your expectations.
As to the amounts, use your own judgment. Recommendations are all over the map. USA Today recommends $3 to $5 per person for half-day trips, $10 for a full-day excursion, and $1 to $2 for a one or two hour tour. On overnight tours, calculate the per-day tip and multiply it by the number of days, and add $1 to $2 per person for loading and unloading bags.
Trip Advisor suggests that most major Tour Operators are suggesting $4 – $5.00 per day per passenger. At this rate you should budget $8 – $10.00 per day if traveling as a couple. The guideline is per person not per couple. Tips to the driver usually fall within the same range.
Again, these are just guidelines and we want to repeat that they are not required. Give a tip if you think one is warranted.
Absolutely! And there are so many great ways that we can work together. Select a tour from our newsletter or website, and we’ll take care of all the details—providing marketing materials, sending a representative to speak with your group, and collecting payments. If you need help selecting a tour, give us a call. And you’re not limited to our current selection of tours. We’ll work hard to customize or plan a tour specifically for your group. Just give us a call, and we’ll get started.
We get this one a lot! But you needn’t worry about bathroom breaks. We make a stop for coffee and doughnuts early into every tour, usually at a roadside rest-area, and always conveniently located near a restroom. We make regular pit stops through the day, and our drivers brag that they know every public restroom in the American Southwest. Ask any Kindred Traveler and they’ll say that they all had concerns about bathroom breaks heading into their first tour that were quickly forgotten.
Kindred Travelers range in age from 50 to over 100 years old, an enormous span that encompasses a huge range of abilities. We work hard every day to provide great tours to meet the needs and the interests of our entire group. If you are unsure if a tour is right for you, we invite you to call the office to discuss your concerns. We’re happy to provide you with more detail about a tour and answer your questions. We’ll work with you to find your perfect tour.
If you really feel that you’d like to have your own hotel room, consider paying a single supplement. A single supplement is just the additional 50% on the hotel room expense that you would have shared with a roommate.
We get asked this question a lot, and the answer is always yes! Don’t let the fact that you are single keep you from signing up for a tour. The majority of people who travel with Kindred Tours are single. They sign up for a tour, we assign them a roommate, and they often go on to become lifelong friends. We have decades of success matching roommates.
Use your credit card when you sign-up online, or when you call the office to make a reservation. We do not keep your card credit information on file. You can also sign up for a tour, receive confirmation of your reservation from the office, and then pop a check into the mail. Most reservations for extended tours require a $100 deposit, with the balance to be paid closer to the date of the tour.
We’ll always encourage you to USE THE WAIT LIST! When a trip fills, and it can happen very quickly, we begin a wait list. If there’s enough participation to fill a second bus, we’ll let you know. We’ll also check with our wait list, should we have any cancellations, fielding those requests in the order in which they were received.
Check out online for one-stop shopping, or call the office to make a reservation. You may reach our voicemail, after all we are in the travel business, but leave us a message and we’ll always call you back to confirm.
Where do I meet the van?
Mesa:
Mesa Doubletree Hotel
1011 W. Holmes Ave
Mesa, AZ 85210
This is the Fiesta Mall region, and the Hilton Hotel is easily viewed from the U.S. 60/Superstition Freeway. Exit the freeway at Alma School and head east to Holmes. Park and wait for the bus at the west end of the hotel parking lot.
Scottsdale:
La Quinta Inn & Suites
8888 E Shea Blvd
Scottsdale, AZ 85260
The Scottsdale pickup location can be easily reached via AZ 101/Pima Freeway. Exit the freeway at Shea. The La Quinta Hotel is located at the northeast corner of AZ 101 and Shea Blvd.
Phoenix:
Paradise Valley
Community Center
17402 N. 40th Street
Phoenix, AZ 85032
The Paradise Valley Community Center is easily found on 40th Street, north of Bell Road.
Northwest Valley:
Sundome Plaza
13547 W. Camino Del Sol
Sun City West, AZ 85375
Located in the heart of Sun City West at the Sundome Plaza Shopping Center.
Contact Us
Jeff Reed
OwnerSandra Sutherland
OwnerSophia Reed
OwnerSophia Reed
sophia@kindredtours.com
Kindred Tours
