Sunday, February 16, 2020

Payment Plan

Hi Silas  -Payment plan starts today and your first payment was successfully processed! Over the coming months your credit card statement will show payments made to Black Soul Rhythms Travel or Adventure to Africa.
There are a few more items of information we need to share and actions we ask of you:
  1. Adventure to Africa will be your tour operator servicing your trip to Ghana. They will coordinate and manage all on the ground support when you arrive in Ghana. They ask that you agree to their waiver of liability and have provided an online waiver form to sign electronically.   Here is a link for the waiver to be signed by you.
  2. Photo of the first page in your passport  .... please email a copy to me. We will keep this securely on file and will have it available if your passport becomes damaged or lost.
  3. Please let me know if you agree to register with the US State Dept.  We can complete this on your behalf if you wish. 
  4. Please bookmark your online itinerary for future reference. https://travefy.com/trip/6yw9rqwseuusqz2a4p5ugqrb78t5wk I can always password protect this itinerary to protect your privacy --  just let me know. 
  5. As soon as you are able please provide your round trip flight details  (airline & flight number). We will need this to arrange your airport pick up and drop off.  Please try to book your plane ticket for a morning arrival in Ghana so we can prepare your welcome dinner on the first night in Accra.
  6.   I have asked to squeeze in time for you to attend a naming ceremony during your journey. I will revert when I have more information.  There may be an additional charge for this activity as it was not originally included in the itinerary. 
  7. What is your t-shirt size? 
Very important ....

Cancellation Policy: Cancellation fee of 100% applies within 60 days of trip departure.

Not including the $500 deposit which is non refundable.  Due to limited accommodations at the lodges/camps we reserve the right to automatically cancel your reservation should payments not be received by the due date. Unused portions of package are non-refundable. 

Cost Increase:  
All published costs/prices are subject to increase without prior notice. Cost increases may include currency exchange rate changes, cost of service increase by suppliers, unforeseen increase in National Park Fees or fuel surcharges. Cost increases may happen even after paying deposit. BSR Travel and ATA try to limit increases as much as possible but prices are published with long lead times and it is sometimes unavoidable to incur increases. Client will be notified at least 2 months before departure should a cost increase be due.
  
I have a bunch of travel tips to share  ...  will hold these & share as we get closer to your departure.  In the meantime I am happy to give you a call if you have any questions. 
This is going to be an exciting trip to the continent!!  



photo 
Marjorie Fort-Dees
CEO & Principal Travel Advisor
Black Soul Rhythms LLC
929-376-9658 | travel@BlackSoulRhythms.com
1648 Amsterdam Ave., PMB #30, New York, NY 10031

Itinerary Change



Hi Silas 
Happy be-lated birthday to your Mom!!  I hope you are enjoying this long weekend :-)  
Good news!  We were able to add a moment in the journey through Ghana for a Naming Ceremony.  Time was allocated in the itinerary on Tuesday December 1st for this activity in Accra.  To keep the price of your travel package unchanged we removed the welcome dinner on the first night which was initially planned for 4 people. Now that the tour is for two people it makes better financial sense to have dinner on your own. A reservation will be made at Buka Restaurant on your behalf but if you choose to eat elsewhere please let me know.  


At this point if you know anyone who wants to join this tour, the deposit is now increased to $600 due immediately to hold their spot. 

Contact me if you have any questions.

Thank you!



photo 
Marjorie Fort-Dees
CEO & Principal Travel Advisor
Black Soul Rhythms LLC
929-376-9658 | travel@BlackSoulRhythms.com
1648 Amsterdam Ave., PMB #30, New York, NY 10031


Monday, February 3, 2020

Required Shots - Yellow Fever!


Unfortunately the part of Western Africa we will be in has a high risk of exposure to Yellow Fever. It is a required shot for Visa processing.

The tricky part however at least in our area here in Chicago is apparently there has been a shortage of this particular vaccine.  Please use the following link to find out who has it in your area. Search for available shots in your area!

In addition, same potential wait exists getting into a clinic so do not wait. Not to mention you want time for the vaccine to work its way through your body so you are protected.

Some of these symptoms do not look like fun. So take this serious so we all can have fun. Plus did I mention it was required anyway?

Global Entry

Make travel easy on yourself by picking up some of these services if you haven't done so already. Both TSA Pre-Check as well as Global Entry makes getting through the security and customs process easier.

Global Entry & TSA Pre-Check

If you are considering these keep in mind there is an interview process and typically a long wait for an appointment. Check it out soon and get on their calendar as available dates may be months out. Here in Chicago our soonest dates are May.

Travel Advisor Update: Flights & Getting Started


Marjorie Fort-Dees travel@blacksoulrhythms.com


Hi Silas
As promised, I am sending you a few follow up items from our meeting including suggested flights and payment plan.  Please let me know which flight you decide to book. Your arrival time will determine if we have the group dinner (African Thanksgiving) on the first night you arrive or the second night. The following are the flights I recommend round trip:  O'Hare (ORD) > Accra (ACC) > O'Hare (ORD):

LEAVES THE USA (November 25th):
South African Airlines (SAA) flight # 7413 leaves ORD @ 1:12 PM transfer  in Wash DC (IAD) Flight #210 leaves @ 4:01 PM arrives in ACC @ 8:35AM
South African Airlines (SAA) flight # 7443 leaves ORD @  9:00 AM transfer  in Wash DC (IAD) Flight #210 leaves @ 4:01 PM arrives in ACC @ 8:35AM  
United Airlines flight #1858 leaves ORD @ 1:12 PM transfer  in Wash DC (IAD) . SAA flight #210 leaves @ 4:01 PM arrives in ACC @ 8:35AM
United Airlines flight #972 leaves ORD @ 6:05 PM transfer in Brussels (BRU) . United Airlines flight #9963 operated by Brussels Airlines arrives in ACC @ 4:55PM
Delta Airlines flight #9602 leaves ORD @ 4:29 PM transfer  in Amsterdam (AMS) Flight #9372 leaves @ 2:25 PM arrives in ACC @ 7:55 PM
KLM Airlines flight #612  leaves ORD @ 4:29 PM transfer  in Amsterdam (AMS) Flight #589 leaves @ 2:25 PM arrives in ACC @ 7:55 PM  

RETURNS TO THE USA (December 3rd)
United Airlines flight #9936 leaves ACC @11:20 PM transfer in Brussels (BRU) . Flight #973 leaves @11:00 AM arrives in ORD @ 12:55 PM
... there are other flights. Try to get a return flight that leaves on December 2nd from Accra late in the evening. 

Please remember to get started with the online forms:

Please be assured, both online forms are secure.

In regard to payment plans,I drafted a 2 times per month plan starting tomorrow Feb. 1 (Saturday) with the deposit. Before you start the plan we can change the day of the week payments are made and/or # of payments. The drafted plan has 16 payments ending on Aug 29th.  Please see attached.  The same would be for Jewel if she also wants a 2 times per month payment plan.

Please continue to refer to the online itinerary -- I added more information about some of the sights and restaurants to visit.  

Have a great weekend!!


photo 
Marjorie Fort-Dees
CEO & Principal Travel Advisor
Black Soul Rhythms LLC
929-376-9658 | travel@BlackSoulRhythms.com
1648 Amsterdam Ave., PMB #30, New York, NY 10031

Travel Group Contact List

Whose cooking so far. 
I will update this list often.




NAME
EMAIL
DEPOSIT
AIR
VISA
SHOT
Jewel Bessellieu
bijoudiva40@gmail.com
X
X


Lisa Richards
lisa.richards@varian.com




Angela Cannon
Angela.Cannon@varian.com




Peaches
almaspragues@hotmail.com




Torson
browntk10@gmail.com




Ja'Meda Reaves
jae@jamedareaves.com




Silas D. Ali
clydevilleswing@gmail.com
X
X




Trip Details!




Full itinerary and event info: Ghana 2020

Please use this link to initiate your trip, pay your deposit and begin planning. There are some forms to fill out and this link will be updated often as we add additional details to our trip. Current price is good through February 10th.