Information About Our Tours
companions. Alternatively, if you would prefer to make your own plans they may offer suggestions for local restaurants. They will also try to make sure that everyone has as much free time during the tour as they wish. In order to keep the tours running effectively, Tour Leaders give regular briefi ngs to talk about what is happening in the next few days, to remind you of timings and what you need to bring for excursions, sightseeing and activities. Often this will be reiterated on notices put up in hotel receptions or other appropriate places. Tour Leaders will also brief the group on safety and general health issues.
All Tour Leaders are carefully selected and have undergone thorough training in the UK and/or overseas – this is generally accepted to be some of the best in the industry. Tour Leaders are chosen for their travel experience, their people skills and their experience of working with groups. Please note that a small number of tours are accompanied by local representatives. This will not affect the enjoyment of your holiday and will be outlined clearly in the individual Tour Notes.
Itineraries
Explore itineraries offer a wide variety of experiences and activities which allow you to really get to know an area and to see beyond the normal tourist facade. Of course we include the better known sights but we understand that you should have the fl exibility to do your own thing so we build in free time for you to either take part in an optional excursion or to explore independently - an important part of any tour.
Accommodation Wherever possible, we try to include accommodation which best refl ects the local area in which we are travelling. Where we use hotels, we aim for mid-range accommodation, with the key requirements being cleanliness, safety, comfort and a good location. (The type of room provided and the level of facilities may vary from place to place.) In exceptional circumstances, we may use simple hotels with more basic amenities. Please see the individual tour Tour Notes for details. All our accommodation is given a rating to describe standards and facilities. You can fi nd this in the individual tour Tour Notes.
Rooming and Single room option
Most tours are based on customers sharing twin-bedded rooms. If you book as an individual, you will share a room with someone of the same sex. However, on many tours we offer the opportunity to pay a supplement to pre-book a single room. On some of these tours a single room will be provided every night, on others it will be provided on some nights, but for logistical reasons not all. Individual Tour Notes clarify this.
Meals
Most tours include breakfast, but other meals are often not included. This allows you to try the cuisine in local restaurants and also to choose what and where to eat and how much to spend. We try to keep all-inclusive accommodation to a minimum. Where there is no option, such as when camping, on safari or on some boat-based tours, meals tend to be included. We try to cater for you if you have special dietary requirements but we do ask you to have realistic expectations. In some countries there is a limited choice of food and it may be diffi cult to cater for all special meal requirements. Please check the Tour Notes carefully before booking if you have any specifi c requirements.
Transport
The variety of transport used is another important aspect of any Explore Adventure. We use everything from buses, boats and trains to camels and donkeys. You may even fi nd all these on the same tour.
Protection and Suitability
Travel Insurance You must have valid travel insurance. You will need to confi rm to your Tour Leader that you are covered by a travel insurance policy at the start of the tour.
If you have arranged your own insurance please ensure that your documentation shows you as the named policyholder and that the cover is valid for the entire period of travel. It must also indicate that you have cover for (at least) Medical Expenses and Emergency Repatriation in the event of illness or injury. Please ensure that a 24 hour contact telephone number for your Insurance Company is written on your documentation in case of an emergency. If you are unable to provide this information at the start of the trip you will not be able to continue with us unless you purchase a suitable Insurance Policy. If you have purchased Explore Insurance you should carry the policy document and a copy of your Confi rmation Invoice (For more information and to purchase, go online at www.explore.
co.uk) with you. Please see page 131 for details
Pre-existing medical conditions
If you, your travelling companions, or anyone upon whom your travel depends (such as a friend or family member whose illness or death would result in you wishing to cancel or curtail your tour) have a pre-existing medical condition you must inform your travel insurance company of this when you purchase your policy. Please ensure that you receive written confi rmation from them that the condition is covered. You must take this written confi rmation with you on tour, in addition to the insurance policy itself. If you don’t, you may not have appropriate cover.
Your fi tness and ability to participate All Explore tours require some level of active participation. This could be on a cultural tour, trek, safari, expedition or voyage. It is in the interests of all members of the group that everyone should be capable of fully participating in the activities of their chosen tour. With this in mind, please be aware that (as detailed in our Booking Conditions) if it is felt that any customer is not able to participate in a tour without endangering the health or safety of themselves or any other person (including other group members), or that the presence of the customer on the tour means we will be unable to provide the tour, in whole or part, to other members of the group as advertised and contracted, the Tour Leader at any stage has the right to require them to leave the tour. To ensure that this is never necessary, please make sure that you have fully understood the level of fi tness and ability required to complete the tour on which you are booking. It is your responsibility to let us know if you have any concerns related to this subject. If you have any medical condition or disability which may affect your tour arrangements in any way, you must provide us with full details at the time of booking – please see booking condition 10 on p128.
or call our experts on 0844 875 1893 High altitude
Several tours reach elevations of 2500 metres or more. We allow time for acclimatisation and usually the body acclimatises well to spending extended periods of time above this altitude. It is diffi cult to predict who is at risk from altitude sickness but if you have a heart or respiratory problem we advise you not to risk extended travel or trekking at high altitudes.
Proof of fi tness In certain circumstances, usually on more strenuous tours, we may require you to provide proof of medical fi tness before travelling.
Bear in mind
Tour changes From time to time, some elements of our tours may change from those that have been published. This could be the result of inclement weather, a change in the local political situation or in fl ight or train schedules or other circumstances beyond our control. Signifi cant changes to your holiday will be notifi ed as soon as we feasibly can. Minor amendments to your tour will be detailed on your fi nal tour documentation, although our website will be constantly updated should you wish to check the information at any time.
Will my tour operate? We reserve the right to cancel departures that (in our opinion) are not commercially viable (except for “Guaranteed Departures” which are described below). Typically this happens when less than around 4 people have booked on a tour (the exact numbers can vary). We try very hard to make every departure work and only cancel when absolutely necessary. We will give you as much notice of a cancellation as possible, allowing you to consider alternative tours or dates. We do not guarantee a minimum number of participants for each tour and we may decide to operate a tour with less than the normal minimum number of people.
Guaranteed departures Our “Guaranteed Departures” can be found under the “Dates and Prices” tab on our website. On these tours we guarantee that the advertised “Tour Only” itinerary will not be cancelled or signifi cantly changed unless we are forced to do so by a “force majeure” (as defi ned in our Booking Conditions). There is no minimum group size for these departures. This guarantee does not apply to international or UK domestic fl ights, which may be subject to change or cancellation in accordance with our Booking Conditions.
Adventure travel Travelling to far-fl ung corners of the earth involves adapting to living conditions that are often very different from your own. Please be prepared for unusual situations, local differences and unpredictable events. Adventure holidays are not necessarily suitable for people who expect to be pampered or who like everything to go exactly as planned. You should also be aware that some countries around the world have security problems. Thieves, muggers and drug pushers are likely to be active in big cities and street markets; and certain areas may be considered ‘out-of-bounds’ for tourists. However, most crime is opportunistic. Using your common sense will reduce the risks. Unfortunately, no destination can be guaranteed to be safe from terrorism. We constantly monitor the political situation in the regions we visit and will re-route or cancel a trip if we feel it is necessary. If you are concerned about your safety when visiting a particular destination, please contact the Foreign Offi ce or the appropriate embassy. For details see
www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice
Arranging Your Own Flights
Tour Only tours Tour Only tours start at the joining point overseas and do not include any connecting fl ights to or from the joining point. If you are planning to book ‘Tour Only’ we strongly recommend that you only purchase fl ights (or train or bus tickets) that are totally fl exible and refundable. This is because by their very nature, adventure holiday itineraries can change and it is important that you are able to amend your connecting travel arrangements if necessary. Also, in the event of a tour being cancelled it is important that you are able to get a refund if you no longer wish to use the associated fl ight, bus or train. We regret that we cannot accept liability for any connecting travel arrangements that you make (including any cancellation or amendment charges) in the event of any change to, or cancellation of, our tour; or for any other reason that makes you unable to use your booked travel arrangements.
Seating on fl ights and trains Although Explore are unable to assign specifi c fl ight or train seats, it is possible to put special requests through to the majority of airlines and train operators. If you have a special request, please tell us at the time of booking. Please be aware that no guarantee can be made that your request will be successful. Failure to grant your request will not be a breach of contract on our part. Sometimes your allocated seats will not be close to other members of your party. We recommended that you check in for your fl ight or train as early as possible in order to have the best chance of being given alternative seats. If you require specifi c seats because of to a disability or reduced mobility or a medical condition, please make this clear at the time of booking. Subject to safety requirements and availability, EU airlines are required to make all reasonable efforts to arrange seating to meet the requirements of individuals with a disability or reduced mobility. You may be required to provide written confi rmation of your disability, reduced mobility or medical condition and fi tness to travel from your doctor.
In-fl ight meals
Although meals are still provided on most international fl ights, you should be aware that there is a trend towards them not being included on shorter fl ights, and particularly those within Europe. On many routes with connections within Europe, a meal will be provided on the inter-continental sector, but not on the sector between the UK and the connecting European airport. We cannot therefore guarantee that a meal will be provided on all fl ights. If you have a special dietary requirement, please let us know at the time of booking. We will send an automated request through to the airline. Please be aware that in most cases airlines do not confi rm individual meal requests, so it is worth double checking that the meal has been ordered at check-in.
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