13 days for $5,986 total price from Washington, DC($5,295 air & land inclusive plus $691 airline taxes and departure fees)
An Exclusive Small Group Tour for Members of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
Featuring Dr. Mitchell Merling
JAPAN: PERSPECTIVESVirginia Museum of Fine Arts presents
September 6-18, 2014
Day 1: Depart U.S. for Tokyo, Japan
Day 2: Arrive Tokyo After arriving in Japan’s financial, commercial, and political capital this evening, we transfer to our hotel where we learn about the journey ahead at a briefing with our Odysseys Unlimited Tour Director.
Day 3: Tokyo We spend the morning touring this amazing city that comprises 23 wards and covers a staggering 840 miles. We focus on a smaller area as we visit some of Tokyo’s top sights, including Shinto Meiji Shrine, a peaceful enclave of temples and gardens; and historic Imperial Palace, surrounded by moats and ram-parts, and home of the Imperial Family. Next we visit Tokyo’s oldest temple, Buddhist Asakusa Kannon, followed by the Nakamise Shopping arcade. This afternoon is at leisure; tonight we enjoy a welcome dinner at a local restaurant. B,D
Day 4: Tokyo Our day begins with a motor-coach tour of Ginza, Tokyo’s famed shopping, dining, and entertainment district boasting the most expensive real estate in all of Japan. We visit the gallery of preeminent calligrapher Koshun Masunaga, where we learn about this ancient art and browse the collection. Later we will continue our cultural education in Tokyo with visits to the Museum of Western Art and the Tokyo National Museum. B
Day 5: Tokyo/Mt. Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park/Suwa Japan’s pastoral side is on tap as we leave Tokyo for Mt. Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park. Here sits imposing Mt. Fuji, a dormant volcano (it last erupted in 1707) with a perfectly symmetrical cone that rises to 12,388 feet. The mountain’s majesty is breathtaking, as artists and writers have attested for centuries. We take a coach ride where, weather permitting, we’ll enjoy
JAPAN: PERSPECTIVES13 days for $5,986 total price from Washington, DC($5,295 air & land inclusive plus $691 airline taxes and departure fees)
Avg. High (°F) SepTokyo 78Kyoto 82
DestinationMotorcoachTrainExtension (train)Entry/Departure
Lake Suwa
Kyoto
Hiroshima
Pacific Ocean
Sea of Japan
Osaka
JAPAN
Your Small Group Tour Highlights
Tokyo touring, including Imperial Palace District and Meiji Shrine ... Stunning scenery of Mt. Fuji and Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park ... Overnight stay in tradi-tional ryokan ... Historic Takayama’s ancient streets and houses ... Visit to Shirakawago Gassho-zukuri Village, a UNESCO World Heritage site ... Culturally-rich Kanazawa ... Tour of famed Kenrokuen Garden in Kanawaza ... Full-day tour of Kyoto, Japan’s cultural capital ... Cycling tour of Kyoto’s Gion district ... Traditional tea ceremony
Day Itinerary Hotel Rating
1 Depart U.S. for Tokyo
2-4 Tokyo Park Hotel Tokyo Sup. First Class
5 Lake Suwa Nunohan Hotel
Not Rated (ryokan)
6 Takayama Hida Hotel Plaza First Class
7-8 Kanazawa Nikko Kanazawa First Class
9-12 Kyoto ANA Crowne Plaza First Class
13 Depart Kyoto for U.S.
Ratings are based on the Hotel & Travel Index, the travel industry standard reference. Unrated hotels may be too small, too new, or too remote to be listed.
I t’s a land of delicate art and bustling commerce, of rich traditions and dizzying modernity, a jumble of sights, sounds, and tastes that for visitors
are truly foreign — and truly fascinating. This well-crafted tour features the highlights of energetic Tokyo and enlightening Kyoto, engages us in local life, and takes us off the beaten path to the lovely historic cities of Takayama and Kanazawa.
Cover photo: Mt. Fuji stands as the country’s most enduring symbol.
Japan is well-known for its beautiful gardens.
breathtaking panoramic views; then we descend for a relaxing cruise on scenic Ashi Lake. Leaving the park, we travel to the town of Suwa where we spend the night at a ryokan, a traditional Japanese inn where we take off our shoes upon entering and sleep on a futon. B,D
Day 6: Suwa/Takayama Today we travel to lovely Takayama in the Japanese Alps, considered one of the country’s most attractive towns with its 16th-century castle and old-style buildings. Our explorations center on three narrow streets in the San-machi-suji district where, in feudal times, merchants lived amidst the authentically preserved small inns, teahouses, and sake breweries that we see here. We enjoy a sake tasting then have free time to visit local shops that sell the region’s unique lacquerware and yew carvings. B,D
Day 7: Takayama/Shirakawago/Kanazawa We pay an early visit to the riverside Miyagawa Morning Market selling flowers, fruit, and vegeta-bles, a blaze of dazzling colors and exotic foodstuffs. Then we leave Takayama for the UNESCO World Heritage site of Shirakawago Gassho-zukuri Village. Comprising buildings relocated from authentic villages nearby that were razed for a dam, the village is also a vibrant community whose residents work together to preserve the unique traditional archi-tecture here known as Gassho style. Next we visit that dam — Miboro — the largest dam constructed using “rock-fill technology” of stones and clay. Late afternoon we reach the castle town of Kanazawa, an alluring coastal city that survived the ravages of World War II. B,L
Day 8: Kanazawa Today’s tour of this culturally-rich city features renowned Kenrokuen Garden,
a national landmark whose origins date to 1676. We also see Ishikawa Gate, the only remaining section of the town’s original castle; Hakukokan, a museum celebrating the art and craft of gold leaf technology; and the Higashi Chayagai teahouse and geisha area. Our last stop is the Nagamachi Samurai district, where the ruling family’s samurai warriors lived. B,D
Day 9: Kanazawa/Kyoto This morning we visit the Kutani Ceramics Museum celebrating this quintessential Japanese art form; and the
Your Tour Price Includes•RailtransportationKyoto/Hiroshima;Hiroshima/
Osaka•2nights’accommodationsatHotelGranvia
Hiroshima (First Class) •3meals:2breakfasts,1lunch•Extensiveincludedsightseeing:Itsukushima
Shrine;Hiroshimatouringbylocal“Hiroden”train;visittoPeaceMemorialParkandMuseum;JapanMaritime Service School
•ServicesofanOdysseysUnlimitedTourDirector•Gratuitiesfordiningroomservers,hotelporters,
and all drivers
Post-Tour Extension
September 18-20, 2014
HIROSHIMA: CITY OF PEACE3 days/2 nights for $895 total price
Single Supplement: $95
Discover the city reborn from the atomic des truction of World War II,
a modern and cosmopolitan urban center whose residents warmly
welcome American visitors.
Tour Departs: September 6, 2014
Prices include international airfare and all taxes, surcharges, and fees.
Los Angeles, San Francisco $5,486
Portland (OR), Seattle $5,686
Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Houston,
$5,886
Minneapolis, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix
Atlanta, Baltimore, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Miami, Orlando, Tampa, $5,986 Washington DC
Land Only (transfers not included) $4,195
Please call if your city is not listed. Prices are per person based on double occupancy and include airline taxes, fuel surcharges, and departure fees of $691, which are subject to change until final payment is made.
Single travelers please add $995. All tour prices above (excluding airline taxes, fuel surcharges, and departure fees) are guaranteed.
Business Class upgrade on round-trip Trans-Pacific flight: $4,595 per person from San Francisco (upgrade is subject to availability and pricing is subject to change).
For reservations and information, please call Odysseys Unlimited toll-free at
888-370-6765Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM-7:00 PM, Eastern Time
For further information contact VMFA Member Travel at 804-340-1519.
Your Tour Price Includes
• Round-trip air transportation from listed cities•11nights’accommodations:10nightsin
SuperiorFirstClassandFirstClasshotels; 1nightintraditionalJapaneseryokan
•18meals:11breakfasts,1lunch,6dinners• Extensive sightseeing as described, including
all entrance fees• Services of an Odysseys Unlimited Tour Director• Private motorcoach transportation throughout
your trip• Train transportation as described• Luggage handling for one bag per person• Gratuities for local guides, dining room servers,
airport and hotel porters, and all drivers
Asakusra Isokichi Art Museum. Then we board the train for Kyoto, once Japan’s Imperial Capital and now the country’s cultural and artistic capi-tal. With more than 1,600 temples, hundreds of shrines, artful gardens, and well-preserved wooden architecture, Kyoto embodies Japan’s rich culture and complex history. B,D
Day 10: Kyoto Today’s tour reveals the high-lights of Kyoto, which was spared destruction during World War II. Highlights include 16th-century Ryoan-ji Temple, where we see the dry garden of sand and rocks (kare-sansui), a marvel of classic Japanese design; and Kinkaku-ji, the lakeside Temple of the Golden Pavilion set on pillars suspended over the water. We also visit osten-tatious Nijo Castle (c. 1603), where the shogun asserted control over the city and its people. And we attend a traditional Japanese tea ceremony, an historic, ritualized ceremony of form, grace, and spirituality. B
Day 11: Nara Today, enjoy an excursion to Nara, Japan’s ancient capital. Take a walking tour to see the Kasuga Taisha Shrine and Todaiji Temple, both World Heritage sites, and the Nara National Museum. Return to Kyoto late after-noon. B
Day 12: Kyoto We see the sights today from a slightly different perspective as we embark on a cycling tour through the grounds of the Imperial Palace and its garden, Kyoto-gyoen; and the Gion district where geishas gather. We disembark to stroll through Miyakawacho, where the geishas live; and Machiya, a neighborhood of traditional townhouses. Our afternoon is at leisure; tonight we enjoy a farewell dinner at a local restaurant. B,D
Day 13: Depart Kyoto for U.S. This morn-ing we travel by motorcoach to Osaka, where we board our return flight to the United States. B
Traveling With YouDr. Mitchell Merling, Paul Mellon Curator and Head of the Department of European Art, has been with the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts since 2005. He previously served as Curator at the John andMable Ringling Museum of Art
and Curator of European Art at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. Before that, Merling held predoctoral and postdoctoral fellowships at the Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts at the National Gallery of Art, where he contributed to the Systematic Catalog volume on Italian Baroque Painting as well as to the Glory of Venice exhibition catalogue, coproduced with London’sRoyalAcademy.AttheVMFA,Merlingoversees the Mellon collections of French, British Sporting, and American art, as well as the general European collections from the Middle Ages to thelate19th century. In addition, he serves as the in-house curator of the Gans Collection of English Silver. He is also supervising the acquisition of the FrankRaysorCollectionofapproximately10,000European and American prints. Dr. Merling graduated from Vassar College, and holds the M.A. and Ph.D. from Brown University.
VMFA RESERVATION FORM — JAPAN: PERSPECTIVES
Enclosed is my/our deposit for $______($500 per person) for ____ person/people on Japan: Perspectives departing September 6, 2014. I/we understand the final payment is due at least 95 days prior to departure. Payment may be made by American Express, Discover, MasterCard, or VISA or by personal check. Please make deposit check payable to Odysseys Unlimited, Inc. and mail check (along with completed reservation form) to: Odysseys Unlimited, Inc., Attn: Special Interest Groups, One Newton Place, 275 Washington Street, Suite 300, Newton, MA 02458 Or call Odysseys Unlimited toll-free at 888-370-6765, or fax reservation to 617-454-9199.
Full Passport Name ____________________________________________ Date of Birth ____________ Gender _____
Full Passport Name ____________________________________________ Date of Birth ____________ Gender _____
Address ____________________________________________________________________________________________
City ____________________________________________________ State ________________ ZIP _________________
Home Phone: ( ______ ) ________________________________ Cell Phone: (______) ___________________________
E-mail _______________________________________________________ Badge Name(s) ______________________________
Please book my/our air from ______________________________ I/we request a Business Class upgrade q
I will share a room with ___________________________________ I request a single room (limited availability) q
Post-Tour “Hiroshima – City of Peace” Extension: Please sign me/us up q
Please Note: The undersigned has read the schedule of activites for Japan: Perspectives, September 6-18, 2014, and agrees that their signature below represents their acceptance of the General Terms and Conditions.
Signature(s) ________________________________________________________________ Date__________________
Dear VMFA Members,
Join us on a special 13-day journey to Japan in the fall of 2014. This exclusive tour features Japan’s highlights in Tokyo and Kyoto as well as the lesser known historic cities of Takayama and Kanazawa.
Starting in Tokyo, we’ll have two full days to discover Japan’s financial, commercial and political capital with morning group tours and afternoons free for independent exploration. From here, we visit Mt. Fuji-Hakone-Isu National Park to experience its namesake volcano then continue on to Suwa for an overnight in a ryokan, a traditional Japanese inn. We’ll explore the narrow streets of Takayama, where we enjoy a sake tasting, then tour the culturally-rich castle town of Kanazawa. Our journey concludes with four nights in Kyoto, which was spared destruction in World War II. We’ll see the Temple of the Golden Pavilion, Nijo Castle (c.1603), and explore the grounds of the Imperial Palace on a cycling tour. There will also be ample time to explore this amazing city on your own. An optional 3-day/2-night post-tour extension to cosmopolitan Hiroshima is also available.
Space on this program is limited to VMFA members and family and will fill quickly; your early reservations are encouraged.
Sincerely,
Adele “Hutch” Livingston Coordinator of Member Travel
Method of Payment q Check q American Express q Discover q MasterCard q VISA
Account # ______________________________________ Security Code _________ Exp. Date ______________
Name of Cardholder ____________________________________________________________________________
Signature _____________________________________________________________________________________
Final invoicing will be sent by our tour operator, Odysseys Unlimited, Inc. The balance of the program price must be paid to Odysseys Unlimited, Inc. Final payment is due 95 days prior to departure and is payable by check or credit card.
Pres
orte
d St
anda
rd
U.S.
POS
TAG
E P
AID
Od
ysse
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Unlim
ited,
Inc.
JOIN
US
FOR
AN
EX
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MFA
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Plea
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it pe
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rep
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nts
your
acc
epta
nce
of t
he f
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win
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rms
and
Con
ditio
ns.
Not
inc
lude
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tou
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Airf
are
whe
n pu
rcha
sing
a L
and
Only
pac
kage
; co
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of p
assp
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and
vis
as;
pers
onal
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s su
ch a
s be
vera
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la
undr
y, r
oom
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mea
ls n
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fied;
airp
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rans
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whe
n pu
rcha
sing
a L
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kage
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mun
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char
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opt
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gr
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ties
$10-
$15
per d
ay, p
er tr
avel
er);
trav
el p
rote
ctio
n in
sura
nce.
Add
ition
al b
agga
ge fe
es m
ay a
pply
and
are
sub
ject
to
cha
nge
at a
ny ti
me.
You
sho
uld
confi
rm d
irect
ly w
ith y
our a
irlin
e pr
ior t
o de
part
ure.
Can
cella
tion
s, r
efun
ds a
nd c
hang
es
If yo
u m
ust c
ance
l you
r trip
, the
effe
ctiv
e da
te o
f can
cella
tion
will
be
upon
our
rece
ipt o
f you
r writ
ten
notifi
catio
n. R
efun
ds
for
canc
ella
tions
are
sub
ject
to
the
follo
win
g pe
r pe
rson
cha
rges
: C
ance
l 9
5 d
ays
or m
ore
befo
re d
epar
ture
: $
20
0
char
ge;
Can
cel
94
-65
day
s be
fore
dep
artu
re:
25
% o
f to
ur p
rice
; C
ance
l 6
4-4
5 d
ays
befo
re d
epar
ture
: 5
0%
of
tour
pr
ice;
Can
cel
44
-30
day
s be
fore
dep
artu
re:
75
% o
f to
ur p
rice
; C
ance
l 2
9-0
day
s be
fore
dep
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No
refu
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f a
gues
t mak
es a
ny c
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thei
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serv
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4 to
30
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dep
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dyss
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Inc.
will
app
ly
a $1
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er p
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n ad
min
istr
ativ
e fe
e, in
add
ition
to a
ny fe
es o
r pen
altie
s im
pose
d by
third
par
ties.
Cha
nges
are
sub
ject
to
ava
ilabi
lity
and
cann
ot b
e gu
aran
teed
. If y
our r
eser
vatio
n ch
ange
s fr
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oubl
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cupa
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to s
ingl
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cupa
ncy
for a
ny
reas
on, y
ou w
ill b
e ch
arge
d th
e si
ngle
sup
plem
ent.
No
chan
ges
are
allo
wed
wit
hin
30
day
s of
dep
artu
re.
Upo
n re
serv
atio
n yo
u m
ust
prov
ide
your
ful
l le
gal
nam
e as
it
appe
ars
on y
our
pass
port
. In
the
eve
nt a
n ai
rlin
e ti
cket
is
issu
ed w
ith
inco
rrec
t in
form
atio
n yo
u ha
ve p
rovi
ded,
you
will
be
resp
onsi
ble
for
char
ges
ass
ocia
ted
wit
h th
e ti
cket
’s r
eiss
ue.
Res
pons
ibili
ty
The
liabi
lity
of t
he V
MFA
Fou
ndat
ion,
as
spon
sor,
and
Odys
seys
Unl
imite
d, I
nc.,
as t
our
oper
ator
, is
str
ictly
lim
ited.
O
dyss
eys
Unlim
ited,
Inc
. pu
rcha
ses
tran
spor
tatio
n, h
otel
acc
omm
odat
ions
, re
stau
rant
and
oth
er s
ervi
ces
from
in
depe
nden
t sup
plie
rs n
ot u
nder
our
con
trol
. We
serv
e on
ly a
s ag
ents
for t
hese
sup
plie
rs in
sec
urin
g to
ur a
rran
gem
ents
, an
d th
eref
ore
will
not
acc
ept
resp
onsi
bilit
y fo
r w
rong
ful,
negl
igen
t, or
arb
itrar
y ac
ts o
r om
issi
ons
of t
hese
inde
pend
ent
cont
ract
ors,
the
ir em
ploy
ees,
age
nts,
ser
vant
s or
rep
rese
ntat
ives
. Th
e VM
FA F
ound
atio
n an
d Od
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ys U
nlim
ited,
Inc
. ar
e no
t lia
ble
for
inju
ry, d
amag
e, lo
ss, a
ccid
ent,
or d
elay
that
may
be
caus
ed b
y ev
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not
with
in o
ur c
ontr
ol, i
nclu
ding
w
ithou
t lim
itatio
n, a
cts
of te
rror
ism
, war
, str
ikes
, the
def
ect o
f any
veh
icle
, or t
he n
eglig
ence
or d
efau
lt of
any
third
par
ty.
All c
oupo
ns, r
ecei
pts,
and
tick
ets
issu
ed a
re s
ubje
ct to
the
term
s an
d co
nditi
ons
spec
ified
by
the
air c
arrie
rs, c
ruis
e lin
e,
and
othe
r ind
epen
dent
sup
plie
rs.
We
will
mak
e ev
ery
effo
rt to
ope
rate
our
tour
s as
pla
nned
, but
we
rese
rve
the
right
to m
ake
itine
rary
cha
nges
as
nece
ssar
y.
If un
fore
seen
circ
umst
ance
s re
quire
us
to c
hang
e a
hote
l, w
e w
ill s
elec
t alte
rnat
ive
acco
mm
odat
ions
of t
he s
ame
or b
ette
r qu
ality
.
Hea
lth
and
Med
ical
Iss
ues
We
requ
est
that
you
be
in g
ood
heal
th t
o pa
rtic
ipat
e in
thi
s Od
ysse
ys U
nlim
ited
tour
. The
re is
a s
ubst
antia
l am
ount
of
wal
king
, and
you
mus
t be
abl
e to
get
on
and
off
mot
orco
ache
s on
you
r ow
n. If
you
requ
ire th
e us
e of
a w
heel
chai
r or
have
oth
er p
erso
nal n
eeds
, you
mus
t be
acco
mpa
nied
by
a co
mpa
nion
who
will
ass
ist y
ou. W
e re
serv
e th
e rig
ht to
rem
ove
anyo
ne w
hose
phy
sica
l or
men
tal c
ondi
tion,
in o
ur o
pini
on, c
ompr
omis
es t
he o
pera
tion
of t
he t
our
or d
etra
cts
from
the
en
joym
ent o
r saf
ety
of th
e ot
her p
asse
nger
s. In
that
eve
nt, O
dyss
eys
Unlim
ited,
Inc.
and
the
VMFA
Fou
ndat
ion
assu
me
no
finan
cial
resp
onsi
bilit
y fo
r any
unu
sed
port
ion
of th
e to
ur.
Air
Tra
nspo
rtat
ion
– Im
port
ant
Info
rmat
ion
Odys
seys
Unl
imite
d, In
c. in
clud
es in
its
tour
pric
e ro
und
trip
eco
nom
y ai
r fr
om d
esig
nate
d ga
tew
ay c
ities
as
show
n an
d co
ntra
cts
with
thos
e ai
rline
s th
ey fe
el p
rovi
de th
e le
vel o
f ser
vice
, rou
tings
, and
val
ue n
eces
sary
for y
our e
ntire
trip
. Whi
le
anot
her
airli
ne m
ay o
ffer
a m
ore
dire
ct c
onne
ctio
n, it
may
be
at a
pric
e un
avai
labl
e at
the
low
er g
roup
rat
es. Y
ou w
ill
rece
ive
your
pre
limin
ary
air s
ched
ule
appr
oxim
atel
y 2½
mon
ths
prio
r to
depa
rtur
e. P
leas
e no
te t
hat
seat
ass
ignm
ents
on
you
r in
tern
atio
nal fl
ight
are
usu
ally
don
e at
air
port
che
ck-in
. O
dyss
eys
Unl
imit
ed is
una
ble
to g
uara
ntee
any
sea
t as
signm
ents
. Due
to th
e na
ture
of t
our o
pera
tor t
icke
ts, o
ther
rest
rictio
ns a
pply
, inc
ludi
ng b
ut n
ot li
mite
d to
, fre
quen
t flye
r m
ileag
e ac
crua
l, st
opov
ers,
alte
rnat
e tr
avel
dat
es, u
pgra
des,
and
airl
ine
taxe
s an
d de
part
ure
fees
. If y
ou p
refe
r to
mak
e yo
ur o
wn
trav
el a
rran
gem
ents
, Lan
d On
ly is
ava
ilabl
e on
mos
t to
urs.
Sin
ce i
nter
nati
onal
and
dom
esti
c ai
r sc
hedu
les
are
subj
ect
to c
hang
e at
any
tim
e, w
e re
com
men
d th
at i
f yo
u ch
oose
to
mak
e yo
ur o
wn
airl
ine
rese
rvat
ions
, yo
u do
not
pur
chas
e no
n-re
fund
able
tic
ket
s or
tho
se w
ith
high
pena
ltie
s fo
r ch
anges
. If
you
cho
ose
to m
ake
your
ow
n ai
r ar
rang
emen
ts,
Ody
ssey
s U
nlim
ited
, In
c. s
hall
not
have
any
lia
bilit
y fo
r an
y lo
ss r
esul
ting
fro
m c
ance
llati
on o
f th
is t
our
or c
hang
es i
n th
is t
our.
VM
FA T
rave
l20
0 N
. Bo
ulev
ard
Ric
hmo
nd, V
A
2322
0-40
07