I have been asked several times why tours have a registration fee. We make every effort to have well planned tours that run smoothly. While it might seem like the only cost for you to participate in a tour is the gas you burn, there are actually a number of club expenses that have to be covered to provide the quality events participants expect. I took over as tour chair in 2016 and set the price for tour registration based on the idea that tours should provide a high quality, fun, safe experience, and be affordable. In fact the club makes very little, if any, profit on tours. So, what expenses does the club have for tours?

The club pays an organizational license to use RideWithGPS so that participants can have free spoken turn-by-turn instructions from their phone, along with a map on the phones’ screen. Or even better, if you have Apple CarPlay you can cast your phone’s screen to the car display.

Tour routes are determined initially by using the mapping features of RideWithGPS, but then the tour chair, or one of the co-chairs, must go and drive the route to insure it is a good safe route, and to be sure that we can find appropriate rest stops that can accommodate the number of cars anticipated on the tour. Sometimes the initial route turns out not to be usable. The process is repeated until an acceptable safe route is determined. Some tours have taken as many as four attempts to arrive at a route we like. The club pays for the gas used while checking routes.

Almost all tours include a social meal as part of the event. Restaurants sometimes have a fee for using a separate dining room for our group. Some restaurants require advance payment based on an estimated number of participants. If we fall short they may, or may not, refund the difference.

The web site we use for registration for tours charges a percentage of all tour fees collected, including fees for meals and entrance charges for museums, or other destinations, which are paid through the registration process.

Some tours have included a celebrity appearance who charges an appearance fee.

If we go to a race track as a stop or destination for a tour we include touring laps on the track in the tour. Some of these tracks charge a fee which must be covered.

We print the waiver forms PCA requires at all moving events. Printed turn-by-turn instructions are also available at sign-in for all tours. The club covers the cost of paper and ink for this printing.

We use wrist bands to show that everyone has signed the waiver forms. These wrist bands are only used one time so must be replaced. They aren’t expensive, but again, they are not free.

We have 5 pairs of radios so that tour leads and sweeps can communicate during the tours. These radios last for several years, but we must replace these radios or their batteries as they wear out.

As you can see, there is a lot going on behind the scenes. At $15 per vehicle for one day tours and $20 for overnight tours, which are longer, and include more than one route that must be checked, we are barely covering our actual costs through registration fees. I would like to think that tours are one of, if not the best, value you can get from a PCA event. Now that you have seen what is covered by the registration fee I hope you now agree that tours are a bargain.