Your Byway Trip Handbook

Your journey guide has all the information about each of your stays including your booking reference, room type, board basis, and check in and check out times. Click the ‘see details’ button on each hotel entry for everything you need to know.

All you need to do is turn up at your accommodation and give your name and/or booking reference at the front desk, so no you don’t need accommodation vouchers. On occasion, self-catering stays or small B&Bs, may have different check-in procedures. In those cases, we’ll provide you with the necessary information, such as key codes.

Sometimes you may be asked for your passport or ID to check in to your stay, this is completely normal and nothing to worry about. In many European countries, it is a legal requirement for accommodation providers to register guests with local authorities. Usually you'll be asked for it when checking in, but sometimes hosts ask for this in advance of your arrival. When this happens, we will let you know and provide you with their details so you can send it.

Many European countries charge a city/tourist tax that goes back into taking care of the city. This is to be paid at your accommodation, not in advance of your stay, and city taxes cannot be included in your package. They are usually no more than a few Euros per person per night. You may sometimes be required to pay this tax in cash due to local regulations. Major cities in Italy and the Netherlands often charge a higher rate.

You can check tax policies for the destinations you're visiting online if you think you've been charged an unusually high amount.

Some hotels will ask for a pre-authorisation amount or a damage deposit at the time of checking in. This is to cover any room service requests, charges to your room that you might make or damage to rooms. It is normal practice for a hotel to ask for this, and you’ll be refunded on departure (it may take a few days to return to your account). The hotel may ask for this to be paid by cash or more often, credit card, but debit card will usually be accepted. The ‘hold’ amount varies between hotels but is normally around €100 - €150.

It’s up to the hotel to decide whether they charge a deposit and it is not something that we control. When the hotel has provided the correct information, this will always be included in the hotel entry.

If your hotel requires a deposit, you’ll find this information in the reservation notes section on the hotel entry in your Trip Summary page and in your Journey Guide. In the rare case that your hotel charges you a deposit and this hasn’t been mentioned in your guide, please let us know so that we can update the hotel’s information for future travellers.

Your holiday package doesn’t include transfers between accommodation and stations/ports. Most of your stays will be within walking distance of your arrival/departure point, but you may prefer to get there by public transport or taxi. Sometimes there are taxi ranks at the station or we can provide map links with directions or taxi numbers on request. If you'd like to pre-arrange taxi services with your accommodation, you will find information on how to get in touch with them in your journey guide.