Information About Our Tours
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 Book- ing 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 be- cause 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 recom- mended 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.
Flight schedule changes When you book a fl ight-inclusive tour with Explore, your holiday confi rmation will contain
AITO quality charter 5048
The Association of Independent Tour Operators
AITO is the Association for independent and specialist holiday companies. Our member companies, usually owner managed, strive to create overseas holidays with high levels of professionalism and a shared concern for quality and personal service. The Association encourages the highest standards in all aspects of tour operating.
Exclusive Membership AITO sets criteria regarding ownership, fi nance and quality which must be satisfi ed before new companies are admitted to membership. All members are required to adhere to a Code of Business Practice which encourages high operational standards and conduct.
Financial Security
An AITO member is required to arrange fi nancial protection for all holidays and other arrangements (including accommodation only) booked by customers with the member under the AITO logo. This fi nancial protection applies to customers who are resident in the UK at the time of booking and to most overseas customers who have booked directly with the member. In doing so, the member must comply with UK Government regulations. Members are required to submit details of their fi nancial protection arrangements to AITO on a regular basis.
Accurate Brochures / Web Sites
All members do their utmost to ensure that all their brochures and other publications, print or electronic, clearly and accurately describe the holidays and services offered.
or call our experts on 0844 875 1892 253
Professional Service and Continual Improvements All members are committed to high standards of service and believe in regular and thorough training of employees. Members continually seek to review and improve their holidays. They listen to their customers and always welcome suggestions for improving standards.
Monitoring Standards
AITO endeavours to monitor quality standards regularly. All customers should receive a post- holiday questionnaire, the results of which are scrutinised by the Association.
Sustainable Tourism All members acknowledge the importance of AITO’s Sustainable Tourism guidelines, which recognise the social, economic and environmental responsibilities of tour operating. Those demonstrating their achievements beyond the pure acceptance of this principle are recognised by the award of 2 to 5 star status. Explore have achieved 5 star status.
Customer Relations All members endeavour to deal swiftly and fairly with any issues their customers may raise. In the unlikely event that a dispute between an AITO member and a customer cannot be settled amicably, AITO’s low-cost Independent Dispute Settlement Service may be called upon by either side to bring the matter to a speedy and acceptable conclusion.
Explore is a member of the Association of Independent Tour Operators. To contact the association visit
www.aito.co.uk or call 020 8744 9280.
provisional fl ight details. The timings, fl ight numbers or route could change several times before departure. We will confi rm fi nal timings with your fi nal documents. We will notify you immedi- ately of any signifi cant airline schedule change which occurs after your tickets have been issued. We recommend that you defer booking any connecting travel to the airport or arrangements such as car parking or overnight hotels until you have received your fi nal documents, with confi rmed travel times. Where Explore are arranging domestic regional fl ights, these will be automatically rebooked to connect with your international fl ights.
We strongly recommend that you do not purchase non-fl exible, non-refundable connecting rail, air or bus tickets, as they usually incur cancellation or penalty charges in the event of a change to the departure time or date.
Banned airlines
In accordance with EU Directive (EC) No 2111/2005 Article 9, we are required to bring to your attention the existence of a “Community list” which contains details of air carriers which are subject to an operating ban within the EU. The Community list is available for inspection at
www.europa.eu. In accordance with EU Regulations we are required to advise you of the actual carrier(s) (or, if the actual carrier(s) is not known, the likely carrier(s)) that will operate your fl ight(s) at the time of booking. Where we are only able to inform you of the likely carrier(s) at the time of booking, we shall inform you of the identity of the actual carrier(s) as soon as we become aware of this. Any change to the operating carrier(s) after your booking has been confi rmed will be notifi ed to you as soon as possible. If the carrier with whom you have a confi rmed reservation becomes subject to an operating ban and, as a result, we or the carrier are unable to offer you a suitable alternative, the provisions of our Booking Conditions “If we change your tour” will apply.
Peace of Mind and Quality of Service
Peace of Mind Explore is a fully bonded Tour Operator licensed by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and by ABTOT. We hold an Air Travel Organiser’s Licence issued by the Civil Aviation Authority (ATOL number 2595).
All the fl ights and fl ight-inclusive holidays* in this brochure or on our website are fi nancially pro- tected by the ATOL scheme. When you pay, you will be supplied with an ATOL Certifi cate. Please ask for it and check to ensure that everything you booked (fl ights, hotels and other services) is listed on it. Please see our booking conditions for further information or for more information about fi nancial protection and the ATOL Certifi cate go to
http://www.atol.org.uk/ATOLCertifi cate
*The fl ights and fl ight- inclusive holidays we arrange are ATOL protected providing they are made available in the UK.
As a member of the Association of Bonded Travel Organisers Trust Limited (AB- TOT), Explore has provided a bond to meet the requirements of the Package Travel, Package Holidays and Package Tours Regulations 1992.
In the event of Explore’s insolvency, protection is provided for non-fl ight packages commencing in and returning to the UK and other non-fl ight packages excluding pre-arranged travel to and from your destination. Please note that packages booked outside the UK are only protected when purchased directly with Explore Worldwide Ltd. In the above circumstances, if you have not yet travelled you may claim a refund, or if you have already travelled, you may claim repatriation to the starting point of your non-fl ight package.
No. 5207
Foreign Offi ce Travel Advice The Foreign & Commonwealth Offi ce (FCO) Travel Advice Unit (
www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice) provides detailed information about your destination. We strongly recommend that you read their comments about the country you are planning to visit; both when you book and again just before you leave. We monitor FCO travel warnings and advice and based on them, may cancel tours before departure, or re-route or make other changes to tours operating in or through the country concerned.
Any decision we take about whether to operate or cancel a tour or make other changes will always be made in the interests of your safety and security. We will make these decisions at least four weeks before departure, unless we believe that local conditions will improve before the start of the tour.
Be prepared
Whilst we endeavour to provide as much information as possible in our brochure and individual Tour Notes regarding the areas our tours travel to, we would always recommend that you under- take some background research about the places you will be visiting and the type of climate and local conditions you can expect in order to get the most out of your holiday.
2595
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