Covid-19 Travel Information

Once the world starts to open up we understand that different destinations will come back as viable travel destinations at different times. To determine which destinations we are able to visit, we will be looking to official sources upon which to base our decision-making especially as we are not medical experts. In general, we will be following the advice of the British Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) with regards to Covid -19 and would urge all travellers to do the same. As things currently stand there are travel advisories as a consequence of Covid -19 against all destinations but this will soon begin to change.

Please also note that as one of the UK’s most pioneering travel companies, we are very experienced in assessing the safety of the countries to which we travel. As well as reviewing the FCO advice on the safety of travellers, we also are in close contact with our teams in each country to understand the local situation.

We would not run a trip if we had serious concerns about the safety of our clients or our local teams on the ground.

In addition, given the current fluidity of the situation, if required we would have no hesitation in making any necessary changes to your day-by-day itinerary for your own personal welfare and safety.

For an Undiscovered Destinations trip to be viable during the Covid-19 pandemic, we run a full assessment taken in conjunction with our local partners to ensure we can provide your trip in a safe and an enjoyable manner.

Every country is implementing its own set of guidelines and regulations (such as standardised cleaning practices, face-mask requirements etc) to minimise risks associated with Covid-19. As a minimum we will follow and implement all such requirements. While we cannot offer a 100% guarantee that not a single client will contract Covid-19, we can assure you that we will take all reasonable steps as part of our duty of care to both you and our local team abroad.

The links below are the internal procedures and protocols that Undiscovered Destinations and our local suppliers will be following during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Undiscovered Destinations Covid-19 Policies

Covid-19 Apenndix 1-2

The advice below is applicable even for those not travelling and is considered good hygiene practice even back home in your country of residence.

· Frequently wash your hands with soap and (ideally hot) running water for at least 20 seconds.
· Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
· Cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in a bin and wash your hands. If you don’t have a tissue to hand, then sneeze into the crease of your elbow.
· Do not travel if you feel sick and avoid close contact with anyone who is sick.
· Carry hand sanitiser with you at all times and use frequently.
· The actual benefits of using masks and/or other facial coverings are hotly disputed, however it increasingly seems that they will play some role in travel, especially at times when social distancing is not possible or not practical. Should you decide to use a mask or it is required, you should ensure you continue to use all the above recommended precautions in order to minimise the risk of transmission.

This is certainly possible. Each country is approaching screening measures in their own way based on their own unique situation but you should be prepared for some form of screening and allow for extra time at entry and exit ports.

If we have cancelled your tour, we will contact you by phone or email and advise you of this and give you two options for your balance that you have with us.

You can transfer your full balance to a future tour or be issued a credit note that is valid for two years.

We will give you a full refund of all monies paid to us for the cancelled trip. This will be in accordance to the guidance that we have received from our trade body ABTA. Please click on this link for further details – https://www.abta.com/news/coronavirus-outbreak

The logistics behind cancelling our tours are generally complicated and time consuming; just as setting up the tour is in the first place.

Once we have finished this process we then have to deal with a large amount of email and phone enquiries, refunds, insurance letters etc. The most efficient way for us to be able to work through this difficult period is to go through each tour separately, before we move on to deciding which we need to cancel next.

Rest assured, if it’s unsafe to visit one of our destinations or border restrictions make it not possible, we will certainly get around to cancelling the tour, arranging deposit/balance transfers and when requested providing refunds.

If we cancel your tour and you have booked your flights through Undiscovered Destinations, we will arrange for the dates to be changed should you be deferring your booking to a later date.

Alternatively if you have chosen to cancel and will not be travelling you will be entitled to a full refund of the cost of your flights. Please note that it may take some weeks and potentially up to 3 or more months before we have received the funds from the airline. For this reason we will ask you to accept your refund being paid in two parts, with the tour element refunded first.

At the moment we can only concentrate on tours that are coming up in the next few weeks. It is impossible for us to know how things are going to progress over the coming weeks and months, so for the time being we can only deal with postponements and cancellations for the time period where we know it’s not possible to travel.

We understand this can be frustrating but we appreciate your patience at this difficult time. And please rest assured that we will certainly allow postponement or cancellations when the time is appropriate.

At this time it’s impossible for us to say. We will do our best to keep all of our future tours running, but the situation at the moment is too uncertain to predict.

Unless you have been advised otherwise you should assume that your tour will be going ahead.

Therefore, should you decide not to travel before we have made any decision to cancel your tour our standard booking conditions, including cancellation charges, will apply. However, we are being as flexible as we can and will consider switching your deposits to a later tour at no extra cost if you prefer. It is also possible to remain booked onto original tour until the situation becomes  clear.

It is a huge help to us if you decide to keep your balance or deposit with us towards a future tour. This helps us to reassure the people we work with in some very remote places around the globe. It’s a tough time for us now, but it’s even worse for them.

Many of the people we work with are small companies and often they are very dependent on the business that they receive from Undiscovered Destinations. The money that is brought in through our tours is incredibly helpful for them and their communities.

Absolutely. Undiscovered Destinations is ABTA (membership number Y6120) and ATOL (license number 7232) bonded. Your money, including the cost of flights, is 100% secure.