CEOs Note On FCO Advice, Refunds & More

Dear Friends,

I write this note from our office in Brixton, London on October 19th 2020. 

We are 7 months into the pandemic official notifications tell us but I think the general consensus is that Covid-19 was on these shores well before March 2020.

We’ve all been affected by the circumstances in which we find ourselves, some more so than others. 

Like many industries the travel industry has been severely affected with many thousands losing their jobs, sadly that includes some from The Adventure People family. 

At this point in time we are happy to see so many of you book your adventures for 2021, something to look forward to as we move through this difficult time.

With that in mind I wanted to write and set out our stance on refunds, changing dates and how we can help.

The Impact Of The FCO & Refunds

What is FCO advice?  The FCO is the UK’s Foreign Office which provides the latest advice about travelling any country in the world. The FCO advise on entry requirements, security, covid and travel warning.

I think it's worth setting out some context. Before Covid-19 the convention was that FCO advice dictated if customers could and would travel and if the holiday providers should refund or not. In the old world this worked well.

The problem was this was conventional behaviour and actually had no grounding in any legal framework within the travel industry, it was just ‘the done thing’.

In our new world the old convention doesn’t work any more. The reason it doesn’t work is because the FCO advice is just that, advice and regardless of the advice, elements of any holiday can go ahead.

In the past FCO advice has changed because of macro events like war, threats to safety like fire or terrorism and of course these changes were relatively rare. But this is the old world. In the new world the FCO advice changes very frequently as a result of Covid. 

Let's take a real example like Spain. The FCO changed its advice and stated that non essential travel should stop and  this was a result of Covid19. However, airlines continue to fly, borders are open and hotels are operating. In this case the FCO advice is at odds to what is actually happening. 

In the old world if the FCO stated Spain was no-go then the customer would get a 100% refund of all elements.

This will not be the case any more. Everyone is aware of Covid-19 and everyone is aware the FCO advice can change at any point in time. If a customer has booked an adventure including flights and pre-start date the FCO advice changes, the customer may not be entitled to a refund if the holiday elements are going ahead.

With this in mind our advice - strong advice - is to book flexible flights even if you have to pay a little more. This flexibility will allow you to move your dates and protect your purchase. 

If any part of your adventure is cancelled by the provider we guarantee a full cash refund. For example if your tour is cancelled we’ll either provide an alternative or a refund. Our team are working hard to ensure all our customers are as informed as possible and will always be happy to discuss your options at any point. We aim to be as clear, honest and transparent with you as possible

Changing Travelling Dates

It may be that as your start dates gets nearer you feel you’d rather move the start dates to a date in future.

There will be two main parts to your adventure, flights and the adventure itself.

Changing the adventure dates is almost always fine so long as you can do so in advance. Most partners state that you can amend your travel dates up to 21 days before the start date with no charges. Our team will of course be able to assist you with any questions before you make your booking.

Changing your flight is more difficult. Typically airlines will charge a change fee or even, in some cases, you’d have to cancel the flight at full cost and book another. Again, we strongly recommend you book flexible tickets to avoid this scenario. Flexible tickets will allow you to move dates.

How We Operate

We try to be as transparent and flexible as possible. In summary here are the key points:

• Where we can we’ll ensure you avoid any fees and we’ll always advise on the most flexible approach for you.

• If your provider cancels their flight or adventure we’ll do our best to provide an alternative or give a full cash refund for that particular element. 

• If you cancel any element, rather than the provider, then their normal cancellation charges apply.

• FCO advice has no bearing on whether your holiday can or will go ahead. This is determined by the flight provider, the tour operator and the destination government on border control.

I hope this note makes things a little clearer. We don’t wish to hoodwink anybody and since our very early days we’ve always tried to be open and honest.

I would finally like to say, even if you don’t book with The Adventure People (if not, why not?!!) please do check your financial protection and the policies of the company you’re booking with. Be wary of any business in the UK which isn’t a member of ABTA and / or doesn’t have an ATOL and be very aware of companies which promote ‘special insurance’ policies. Basically check before you buy!

If you’d like to talk about any of the items in this note please do contact us on hello@theadventurepeople.com

Very best wishes and thank you for your support,

Chris