The unprecedented coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has undoubtedly had an impact on everyone's lives, and we are constantly thinking of those affected by this global pandemic - both our family, friends, colleagues and customers both here in the UK and elsewhere across the world; and our family, friends, colleagues and partners and the countless people that contribute directly and indirectly to our holidays across South America. The future may not be as certain as we would all like and we understand you may be concerned about travel at the moment, but we believe the future is bright and we want to reassure both our booked and prospective customers that we are monitoring the situation closely, have a plan in place, and are always here and ready to help as we all work together to steer a path through this unprecedented situation.
New Customers
Thinking of booking with us? For new customers and new bookings we understand making plans comes with a higher level of caution than normal, so we have worked very hard in tandem with our fabulous partners across South America to be able to offer as much flexibility as possible and we have introduced our Flexible Booking Plan to give you extra flexibility when making your travel plans for 2021, 2022 and beyond. Over and above this we'd like to reaffirm that as a small specialist company we are financially secure, are members of the Travel Trust Association, and also an ATOL-holder, so you can book with confidence.
We're here to help you prepare and plan. When planning and preparing for your holiday our friendly team are always on hand - you can contact us by telephone, email, our website enquiry form, and we are also able to schedule face to face Zoom video calls so you can meet our team and we can plan your holiday with you. In addition once you have booked we provide you with our 24 hour emergency contact telephone and WhatsApp number, so you can call or video call us 24 hours of the day.
COVID Personal Travel Information. We completely understand that there's a lot to think about now when potentially considering travelling abroad, but you can have peace of mind that we are here to help. Before you book and if you have already booked but before you travel we will provide you with up to date travel information, both UK information from the FCDO and up to date "local" information relevant to your destination from our team on the ground in South America. Where tests or forms are needed for your destination (such as for the Galapagos) we'll let you know, and if there's any relevant information you either need to be aware of before travelling (such as if masks are required) we'll let you know.
COVID Travel in South America. The world has changed, at least for the moment, and we'd be fools to try to convince you otherwise. However we're embracing the "new normal" and, in partnership with our suppliers, have put in place a number of measures to ensure our holidays remain wonderfully enjoyable while also giving you the necessary peace of mind. Some of the hygiene and safety measures now in place include regular COVID testing for our guides and cruise staff (such as the Galapagos), deep cleaning of transfer vehicles, training of staff (such as guides and hotel staff), use of PPE, and we operate in accordance with the required protocols in key destinations (such as Machu Picchu). In many respects the beautiful and remote wilderness of South America is the perfect place to "socially distance"!
Current Travel Restrictions / FCDO Advice
Travel advice is constantly under review and the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is the best place to stay up to date: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice
If you require more specific travel information over and above this please contact any of our team at anytime.
Further Information
The UK government has published further information on COVID-19 which can be found at the below links:
UK Government coronavirus information for the public - here.
UK Government coronavirus travel information - here.
Customers frequently ask us about travel insurance relating to COVID-19 and it is vitally important (and a requirement of our Booking Terms and Conditions) that you have suitable insurance to cover risks associated with COVID-19. We are able to put you in touch with an insurance company if required (including for travel insurance against FCDO advice).
Due to Travel With Us?
If you have a booked holiday and are due to travel with us we will contact you at the appropriate time to discuss your options. Although we will stay in touch with you regularly prior to your holiday, we tend not to provide specific advice relating to the precise situation for your holiday too far in advance as the situation can change and we do not want you to travel with out of date information, but of course if you have any questions please get in touch at anytime.
We are asking all our affected customers to defer / reschedule their holiday rather than cancel, and we are being as flexible as possible with regards to reschedule options (in most instances we are able to defer to later in 2021 or 2022 at no on-cost) and wherever practical we are absorbing associated deferment costs (e.g. flight re-booking fees, 2022 v 2020 hotel costs) and are also waiving all our usual change fees to support our customers as much as we possibly can. Where holidays have been paid in full we are refunding balance payments with the balance them becoming re-due for payment two months before your new travel dates.
By rescheduling your holiday this not only means you have a fantastic holiday to look forward to in the future but it equally supports us (we put a lot of hard work, time and effort into each of our holidays, and have already incurred a great deal of direct and indirect costs associated with each of our bookings whether our customers travel or not) and, importantly for us, it supports our partners and their employees across South America (hotels, transport companies, guides and so on) in some of the poorest regions in the world at a time when they need our support - protecting tourism for the future. Due to the complex nature of our holidays and the various component parts that make up our holidays the flexibility we can offer can vary so we are treating each booking on a case by case basis so will contact you individually with options. Please note that we are only cancelling holidays when necessary and only when travel is "imminent" (usually 7-14 days before travel) as earlier cancellation can result in additional costs (for example if we preemptively cancel flight tickets before the relevant airline has actually cancelled the flight). If you wish to cancel please refer to our Booking Terms and Conditions.
Contact Us
We appreciate the world is a little uncertain at the moment and we are here to provide personal help and support - just get in touch with us, whatever you need. As an independent business we care passionately about each and every one of our customers and prospective customers, we are not a
Please feel free to contact us at anytime either via our Contact Us enquiry form, by telephone or by email.
Schedule a Zoom call: If you prefer to chat with us face to face just let us know and we'd be happy to schedule a zoom call with you.
