Knowing that a refund would suit some guests while a transfer, to a future tour, would suit others— we allowed our guests to make the choice.
A lot of other companies, as there was no legal obligation to do so, offered neither refunds nor transfers. Some companies only gave the option of transferring to a future tour, to us this seemed unreasonable. We know how much effort goes into booking a tour, and we understand that you choose specific dates for a reason. For many, a vacation like this is a once in a lifetime chance: dates can’t always be easily changed.
We made it our priority to ensure all refunds were processed as quickly as possible. Once a guest had requested a refund, the money was back in their account within two weeks.
Other companies have had to issue apologies for the time incurred by their customers, in waiting for a refund. Waiting times of up to six months and beyond have been reported. Worse still, companies that did not have their finances in order, and were unable to survive through the pandemic, have left some of their customers short-changed.