COVID19 has turned our lives upside down, shaken them round a bit, then shaken them some more. As adventurers, getting out and exploring our world is part of who we are. Thankfully we are now headed very much in the right direction and things are opening up once again.
We have some great trips right here in the UK. Many of you eager beavers, however, are keen to book things abroad but might still have a few questions. You can always get in touch with us by shooting us a message or giving us a buzz, but the below should help shed some light on things in the first instance.
Is it safe to travel yet?
Different countries are at different stages of dealing with this Coronavirus.
It’s the Foreign Commonwealth Office’s (FCO) job to offer guidance on when and where it’s safe to travel to, so be sure to check their advice before booking.
We always recommend you take out insurance and check coverage.
What changes have you made in response to COVID-19?
Updated risk assessments based on leading industry guidance
Our priority is the safety of you lot. All of our partners and guides are therefore carrying out/have completed new risk assessments to ensure we’re doing everything we can to mitigate additional risk.
They have all been sent a copy of the Adventure Travel Trade Association's updated guidelines to ensure they are following best practice and are making things safer for you.
Total flexibility when booking
We’ve also made some changes to give you total flexibility when booking.
You now have even longer to change dates without charge:
30 days before departure for UK based trips
60 days before departure for international based trips
We're also offering a lifetime deposit so if you're unable to move to another trip within the time windows above, we'll keep your deposit on file to use on any other trip, so you can book with complete peace of mind.
If the trip can't go ahead due to COVID, we'll offer you a full refund.
You should also have travel insurance to protect you in the case that you're unable to travel due to you having COVID personally.
WILL I BE ABLE TO GET MY MONEY BACK IF the trip CAN'T go ahead?
Yes, in most instances we will be able to just refund you in full if that's what you'd like. However, we sometimes need to book things like accommodation for you. If we can't get that money back, you can claim on your insurance. It's super important that you choose the right cover.
We always recommend that you have insurance. It’s often a pre-req of booking the trip if you’re doing something a bit spicy which, let’s face it, is most of what we offer.
COVID now means we’ve got one extra thing to think about when buying our insurance. Many policies won’t payout if you ignore the FCO’s advice, so be sure to check the country you plan to visit is on the '
exemption for all but essential travel' list...in plain English, you're allowed to go there for a holiday.
It’s important to note that different insurers offer different policies so be sure to take out insurance that you know covers you. Some policies wouldn’t cover you for recreational travel where ‘all but essential travel’ warnings are in place. At the time of writing, these include Boots, Sainsbury’s and Saga. See this
Coronavirus - What it Means for Your Travel Insurance article for more.
We recommend taking out a policy like the one offered by
Trailfinders which does offer Coronavirus related cover.
We also keep your deposit on your account if you're unable to travel too so you don't need to worry about that.
it seems like a tough time for travel companies. can i get my money back if something happens to call to adventure?
Yes you can. All our packages are fully covered by Trust My Travel under policy TMT59478 so you can sleep easy.
More good reasons to book with us include small groups, fully qualified local guides, real adventures, and a leading carbon offset programme.
If you're feeling ready, head over to our Adventures Hub to get booking. What happens if the accommodation DESCRIBED IN THE ITINERARY ISN'T AVAILABLE given corona?
We're current at the whim of the virus and so plans may have to change. We may therefore have to look for alternative types of accommodation to those listed in the itinerary.
We will do our best to find comparable alternatives or we might instead look to camp.
We'll let you know before hand and give you the option to decide if you still want to go ahead with the trip.
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