I was referred to a tour guide by a guide mentioned by Rick Steves in his Provence guidebook. We communicated via email and he did a great job presenting information and tour suggestions. Based on this, I sent him an email to book the tour. He emailed his pro forma contract and instructions to wire 50% of the tour fee (several hundred dollars) to his bank with the balance due on the date of the tour. I emailed him back to see if I could pay by credit card but have not heard back. Is this typical? Do French tour guides generally require down payment by wire?
I have not been able to find any information on this tour guide or his company on the internet. This, combined with the request for wired funds, is a little concerning. Thx!