Friends,
At Out Adventures we talk a lot about never losing our sense of adventure, and the camaraderie of joining a group tour. We talk about supporting local communities in the destinations we visit, and we pride ourselves on putting purpose ahead of profit. In nearly 12 years of business these values have helped us forge a community of travellers who are not only clients and guests, but friends. We also believe in cultivating trusting and equitable business relationships with local and small business suppliers around the world. It is because of these deep relationships we have been able to create such special adventures shared with each of you for more than a decade.
Now is the time to take care of friends, to put purpose ahead of profits, and to put into action the values that are often only witnessed behind the scenes.
Coronavirus (COVID-19) is spreading rapidly. Nations around the world are responding with travel advisories and bans on individuals travelling from various countries. And while this situation is evolving daily, our top priority remains the health and well being of our travel community—both our clients and the local suppliers we work with who are also facing uncertainty.
We’ve already rescheduled a few departures, while others have run as planned. At Out Adventures HQ, we are working hard to renegotiate supplier contracts. We are also rolling out temporary adjustments to our Booking Conditions to put you at ease when planning a trip, or considering the status of your Out Adventure.
In light of COVID-19, here are the changes we’ve made to serve you better:
- If booking a scheduled Out Adventures tour, we will require a $500 USD deposit (previously $750) unless otherwise stated. This applies to new bookings only.
- Final payment will be required 60 days prior to departure (previously 90 days). This applies to all trips departing before June 1st, 2021 unless otherwise stated.
- If you decide to cancel your booking:
- up to 60 days before departure, we will hold 100% of your payment as a credit for future travel. If you require a refund, we will retain your deposit.
- up to 30 days before departure, we will hold 100% of your payment as a credit for future travel, or provide a 50% refund.
- between 15 and 29 days before departure, we will hold 75% of your payment as a credit for future travel, with no option for refund.
- under 14 days, we will retain the full amount of your booking as a cancellation fee.
- If Out Adventures cancels your booking due to factors outside of our control, you will receive 100% credit towards future travel with us – or you can choose a refund, less unrecoverable costs.
To read about these changes in more detail, along with conditions, please click here.
Our urgent and recent efforts to renegotiate contracts means we are doing everything we can to minimize unrecoverable costs. You can further protect yourself by purchasing travel insurance that includes “cancel for any reason” coverage, where available. This type of coverage typically must be purchased within 24-36 hours of booking a trip.
It is important that each and every one of us treat this situation with the utmost seriousness. We need to hold ourselves as responsible as our governments, and follow the advice of the World Health Organization.
If you are thinking of cancelling your vacation, take a moment to consider a few things. Is your trip more than a few months away? Could the situation evolve between now and then? If so, I am personally asking you to please wait to make a decision. Not only will it cause you less stress right now, but it will take the pressure off the limited resources of your travel providers who are being inundated with immediate inquiries and cancellation requests. Our temporary changes to our booking conditions have been put in place to give you the flexibility to take extra time in making these important decisions.
These are unprecedented times, and I assure you that my team and I are doing our very best to stay on top of the situation, to act with integrity, and to protect you.
Stay safe, and please get in touch if you have further questions.
