About Explore Walking Tours
fantastic memories. It is the Tour Leader’s responsibility to ensure that the tour runs smoothly and that all the logistics are in place; also to oversee the health and safety aspects of the tour.
Our Tour Leaders will be as fl exible as possible - within the confi nes of the itinerary. For example, they can arrange group meals for those that would like to eat with their travel 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 group 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 We 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 Notes for details. All our accommodation is given a rating to describe standards and facilities. You can fi nd this in the individual Tour Notes.
Rooming
Most tours are based on customers sharing twin-bedded rooms. If you book a group tour 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. Please note that on rare occasions it may be necessary for customers in single rooms to share bathroom facilities.
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 let us know at the time of booking if you have any specifi c dietary 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.
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. We will keep you as well informed as possible about these changes. 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 regularly updated should you wish to check the information at any time. You will be provided with a provisional list of your accommodation shortly after booking. Whilst we expect to stay at the accommodation stated, please note that this is subject to change to an equivalent or higher standard 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 can happen 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 “Prices and Dates” 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. Unsavoury characters 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 tour 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
Seating on fl ights and trains Although we 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 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 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 immediately 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 international fl ight(s) to and from an EU airport 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. Please note that we will not book our customers onto banned airlines whose fl ights may be available for general sale and accessible to the public.
To book, go online or call our experts on 01252 888 722 125
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