Several members who signed up for either the northbound or southbound tour have asked about the fees for the tours.
The following fees are required:
| No. | Item | Cost $ | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lodging | Pay by yourself | Book and pay by yourself |
| 2 | Bus and Tips | $100 / person | 5 days (7/21-7/25) |
| 3 | Driver's Expense (lodging and meals) | $20 / person | 5 days (7/21-7/25) |
| 4 | National Park Entrace Fees | To be paid on-site, depending on the negotiations with each site | See explanation below |
| Total (excluding lodging and park fees) | $120 / person |
Detail explanations for individual item
- lodging arrangements are done by yourself. If you haven’t done so, do it ASAP
- the costs for chartering the buses is $5,000 for each bus (including the gratuity) for 5 days (from July 21 to 25). Each bus seats 50 persons. This amounts to $100/per person
- the driver’s lodging and meal expense for 5 days is tentatively budgeted at $200 per day for each diver. For a 5-day trip, it totals to $1000, which amounts to $20 per person for 50 seater bus
- Entrance fees to the national parks are still under negotiations. We will be collecting the park entrace fee from you on-site at individual park, depending on the final negotiation results. The admission fee to each National Park. According to the published data, the Yellowstone National Park and Grand Teton NP charges $300 for each commercial bus entering these NP. I have tried to call to find out whether the fee could be waived for our group as we are members of a nonprofit organization which hires buses for taking post conference tours. But due to recent government shutdown that results in considerable backlog at the park service, my calls were not answered by the park service personnel at the Yellowstone NP. Admission fees to national parks in Utah are less, but for the same reason, I am unable to get a precise fee; the bus company from whom we charter the buses also do not know the fees. Thus, I could not give you information about the NP admission fee, and we need to prepare to pay on site at the park entrance. I suggest that if you own a lifetime admission permit such as the Golden Age Passport, bring it with you in case that you may need to use it.
To guarantee a seat in the bus, please send a check of $120 ($100 for the charter bus plus gratuity, $20 for the driver’s living expense) made payable to TAC-WC and send the check to Ms. Angel Yang at TAC-WC (Taiwanese American Conference-West Coast) c/o Ms Angel Yang, 650 Bellevue Way NE #3403, Bellevue, WA 98004, before March 31.
If you pay after that date, we will have to ask an additional 10% of late fee connected with doing additional administrative work. The northbound bus is currently full with a waiting list. The southbound bus is half full; we strongly encourage you to sign up to visit those spectacular national parks, exploring the wilderness of canyons and fantastically formed buttes carved by the Colorado River and its tributaries since time immemorial.