As questions come in, I’ll post the answers here.
Where can I find the itinerary?
https://maplestarsandstripes.com/itinerary2018
How do I sign up?
The instructions are here: https://maplestarsandstripes.com/2018signuphelp
The actual signup page is here: https://maplestarsandstripes.com/2018signup
Do I have to live in New England to join this tour?
Even though our upcoming bus tour to Quebec City and the Nouvelle France Festival in 2018 originates in New England, you don’t have to live in New England to participate. In fact, right now Texas leads the way in registrations with seven. We have people coming from Florida, Mississippi, and Missouri.
So for those from afar who would be flying in, you have a couple of options. First, you could fly into Quebec City even though that tends to be more expensive than flying into New England (if you’re from the US, of course). This would make sense if you were planning to extend your stay on either side to visit more of Quebec province.
If that’s not the case, then we always make sure to have one pickup site at an airport hotel. So if you flew into Manchester, NH, it would be easy to get to the hotel, and we would pick you up right there. If you fly in early, you could also take advantage of some research at the American Canadian Genealogical Society library.
When should I make hotel or airline reservations?
If you decide to join us, do not make any reservations for hotels or airlines until you hear from us. We need a minimum number of people to make the trip viable. We will let you know when we reach that point.
After I sign up, what should I do next?
Once you register for the trip, we suggest you join our private Facebook group. This is where we keep everyone up to date on tour information.
How did you determine the price for this tour?
One of the reasons that this tour is a bit pricey is that we are staying at a centrally-located hotel during the largest tourist attraction of the summer for French-Canadians – the Nouvelle France Festival (see next question). This central location allows travelers to come and go as they please. It is possible to go back to the hotel and rest if we have a long day. When the bus returns from our day’s tour, travelers can go out and walk around Quebec City on their own.
What is the Nouvelle France Festival?
The Nouvelle France Festival is an annual celebration of French-Canadian culture and heritage. It’s part re-enactment (people play the part the French upper class, the habitant, or the Native) complete with historical and genealogical presentations. They actually have family surname booths set up throughout the venue where you can discuss your family history with cousins.
If you’ve never been, take a look at the website for this year’s event at http://nouvellefrance.qc.ca/home/. Be sure to look at the program to see the types of activities that take place.
Where do I send payments?
Send payments to: And Away We Go Travel, 148 Boyce St., Auburn, MA 01501.
What if I have a question that is not answered here?
Email me with your question at maplestarsandstripes [at] gmail [dot] com.