This page explains refunds in one place, with examples. The percentages come from our booking and payment terms. If the two ever differ, the terms apply.
In short
- The booking amount is non-refundable. It counts toward your package price.
- If you cancel a confirmed journey, we expect to refund about 90%, about 80% or about 15% of the rest of what you have paid, depending on how close to departure you cancel.
- These are guides. The exact refund depends on what our suppliers return to us. We confirm the amount in writing before we refund anything.
Why refunds are a guide and not a fixed number
About 45 days before departure we book your hotels, transport and guides. After that point, many of those bookings carry charges that the hotel, airline or other supplier will not return. Your refund is what remains after those charges. It is usually close to the percentage below, but it can be lower or higher, and we would rather tell you that plainly now than surprise you later.
The booking amount
When you pay the booking amount, we hold your place and start planning your dates. It is non-refundable and it counts toward your package price, so you do not pay it twice.
If you cancel a confirmed journey
The percentage applies to what you have paid apart from the booking amount, which is not refundable. It depends on how many days remain between the day we receive your cancellation in writing and your departure date.
| If you cancel | You are refunded |
|---|---|
| More than 45 days before departure | about 90% of what you have paid, apart from the booking amount |
| Within 45 days of departure | about 80% of what you have paid, apart from the booking amount |
| Within 30 days of departure | about 15% of what you have paid, apart from the booking amount |
Worked examples
These are only to show how the figures work. The amounts are made up, and the real refund is confirmed to you in writing.
- Cancelling 70 days before departure. Apart from the booking amount, you have paid an advance of 100,000. We expect to refund about 90,000. Our suppliers have not been paid yet, so the final figure is usually close to this.
- Cancelling 40 days before departure. Apart from the booking amount, you have paid 100,000. Hotels and transport are booked. We expect to refund about 80,000, after supplier charges.
- Cancelling 20 days before departure. Apart from the booking amount, you have paid 300,000, the rest of the price. Almost everything is committed. We expect to refund about 15%, which is 45,000, depending on what suppliers return.
If you would rather change than cancel
Tell us. We can often move your dates or adjust the plan. Whether it costs anything depends on what our suppliers allow, and we will tell you the cost before you decide. A change is not a cancellation, and the percentages above only apply if you cancel.
If we have to cancel or change
If we must cancel your journey, we will tell you as soon as we can and either offer new dates or refund the amount you have paid for it. If we change part of a journey because of something outside our control, we will offer the closest comparable alternative first.
Visa fees, insurance and other third-party payments
Some payments go to someone else on your behalf, such as visa and entry fees, and insurance premiums. These are generally not returned by the organisation that received them, including when a visa is refused. If you need to make an insurance claim, for example after an illness, your insurer decides the claim. We will help you with the paperwork.
Taxes
Your invoice shows any tax, including tax collected at source on overseas packages where it applies. If a refund affects these taxes, they are adjusted as the law provides, and we will show you how in the refund confirmation.
How to ask for a refund
- Write to [email protected] from the email you used to book, with your name and the journey. If you have a booking reference, include it.
- We reply with the refund amount worked out, in writing.
- Once you agree, we return the money to the way you paid, where that is possible. How long it takes to reach you depends on our suppliers' own refunds and on your bank.
Questions
If any of this is unclear, ask before you book. We would much rather explain it now than after.