What is a tour?

SHARE THE FUN, PLAN A DRIVING TOUR!

We all have favorite driving routes and destinations. PCA encourages everyone to share their driving experiences with fellow members; a driving tour is the PCA way of sharing these experiences. An individual drive becomes a club group drive when a number of cars join the group for a club sanctioned event. Because driving tours are PCA sanctioned events, these drives must abide by PCA national rules and procedures. 

Planning  and executing an event may seem daunting to a beginner; for this reason the Hurricane Region has taken steps to streamline the touring process by separating the fun from the drudgery. The tour organizer is in charge of the fun and the Events Coordinator takes care of everything else. What could be easier? This section deals with the organizer’s responsibilities. Other sections deal with the responsibilities of the Events Coordinator.
 
ANATOMY OF A DRIVING TOUR
Day/Multi-day Tours
  • Plan and drive a route.
  • If the drive involves a meal, lodging, or other activities at a destination, make reservations for the number of people attending. For multi-day events this usually requires signing a contract for the hotel room block and meals.
  • Generate driving instructions to hand out. GPS files alone are not enough; the Club will reimburse organizers for printing expenses. As a minimum, tour directions should include:
    • Cell telephone number of group leader.
    • Direction of upcoming turn (left, right, continue straight).
    • Leg miles to drive after making the turn.
    • Cumulative miles at the end of that leg.
    • Notes, cautions and/or warnings during that leg.
    • Address and telephone numbers of destinations.
  • Engage volunteer(s) for sweep(s) or additional group leaders—one leader and sweep for every 12-15 cars. The sweep is the last car and ensures that no one is left behind.
  • Once the first four steps are completed, submit a tour request form. The Events Coordinator approves day tours. The Board approves multi-day tours. The Events Coordinator uses information in the tour request form to generate the event registration web page, generate a write-up for the Hurricane newsletter, apply for PCA insurance, and enters the event in the Hurricane calendar.
  • Drive the route again just before the event to ensure of no changes to the road conditions.
  • The Events Coordinator will apply for insurance from PCA national and forward the policy to the group leader when it arrives. This policy must be clearly shown at the drivers’ meeting.
  • The day before the event, the Events Coordinator will send PDF files of the pre-filled waiver forms using the EXCEL WAIVER FORM  for you to print out in COLOR​; or, if you prefer, you can print your own blank waiver forms in COLOR; the pdf file will download automatically to your "downloads" file. There is a separate waiver form for minors.
  • All participants must sign the waiver forms at the drivers’ meeting.
  • At the drivers’ meeting the group leader will emphasize safety and provide a safety briefing. The leader will also identify sweeps and secondary leaders, if any. The leader will distribute driving directions. The leader will use his/her or club FRS/GMRS radios, two per group, to communicate with the sweeps. Generally the Club uses channels 3 and 7.
  • All participants must remain with the group throughout the drive(s). Anyone deviating from the set route will no longer be considered part of the group and will not be covered by the PCA insurance policy.
  • Plan for comfort stops between 60 and 90 minutes, max.
  • At the end of the tour, the group leader will submit an ​online Post-Event Form . Any incidents must be reported in the Incident Report Form.
  • After the tour someone other than the leader or spouse needs to file an online Observer Report Form-Tours within five days of the completion of the tour.
  • Before or after the tour, the organizer can apply to the Treasurer, [email protected], for an advance or a reimbursement by providing receipts for expenses paid.
  • Send photos and a write-up (if desired) to the newsletter editor.