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MEALS Most trips are organised on a Bed and Breakfast basis. However every tour is different, and each night-stop could be different. Wherever possible we like to encourage you to sample the cuisine in local restaurants, and also to allow each individual to choose what, where and how much they would like to eat. We thus try to keep allinclusive accommodation to a minimum. Whilst we endeavour to cater for customers with special dietary requirements we do ask people to have realistic expectations. In some countries there is a limited choice of food available and it may be difficult to cater for all special meal requirements. TRANSPORT The variety of transport used is another important aspect of any Explore tour. We use everything from buses, boats and trains to sleds and canoes. You may even find all these on one tour! EXPLORE TOUR LEADERS All Explore History Tours are led by a Tour Leader who will accompany you throughout. 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. It may well be your Tour Leader who meets you at the airport on arrival, and he/she will provide you with a comprehensive briefing at the start of the tour. The ultimate aim for any Tour Leader is to ensure that all members of the group are well looked after for the duration of the tour and return home having had a wonderful holiday with some fantastic memories. Some Explore leaders are UK based and some are from the country in which the tour operates. The leaders that accompany our tours are carefully selected and have undergone thorough training in the UK and/or overseas generally accepted to be some of the best in the industry. They are chosen for their travel experience, their people skills and usually for their experience in working with groups. GUEST LECTURERS Each tour is accompanied by a guest lecturer with specialist knowledge of the destination. Our lecturers aim to bring the history of the region to life through a series of informal talks, and their insights often stimulate discussion and debate within the group. On one or two tours the guest lecturer is also the Tour Leader, see individual tour pages and dossiers for details.
BEFORE YOU BOOK
You need to be aware of the following issues before you go ahead and book an Explore tour. At the time of booking, whether by phone or online, you will be asked if you have read and understood these pages as well as the booking conditions. Please take the time to read the detail through. PRICES The prices published in this brochure are guide prices only. Flight inclusive prices are based on group fares. If for any reason the group flight is not available when you book, a Flight Supplement may be payable. Any Fuel Surcharges imposed by airlines will also be passed onto customers. For more information on this and to see what is included in the tour price please see `Tour Prices p17. TRAVEL INSURANCE Valid travel insurance is mandatory for all Explore customers. You will need to show evidence to your Tour Leader that you are adequately insured at the start of the tour. For this reason your insurance policy must be carried with you on tour. If you have arranged your own insurance please ensure that your documentation specifically shows you as the named policy-holder and that the cover is valid for the period of travel. It must also indicate that you have cover for at least Medical Expenses and Emergency Repatriation. Please ensure that a 24-hour contact telephone number for your Insurance Company is stated on your documentation in case of an emergency. If you are unable to provide this information at the start of the trip your tour leader will ask you to purchase a non-refundable Explore Policy in order to continue on the tour. If you have purchased Explore Insurance you should carry the Master Certificate leaflet with you, which outlines the conditions of the policy, together with a copy of your Confirmation Invoice which is your proof of purchase of insurance. For details of Explore's comprehensive insurance policy, specially tailored to the needs of the adventure traveller, see p20-21. PRE-EXISTING MEDICAL CONDITIONS If you, others you are travelling with or anyone else upon whom travel depends have a preexisting medical condition you must inform Explore and your travel insurance company of this and ensure that you receive written confirmation from your Insurance Company that the condition is covered. Failure to do so may result in any associated claims being refused and may mean that we are unable to accept you on tour (either before travel or on arrival).
FITNESS & ABILITY TO PARTICIPATE All Explore tours require some level of active participation from those that travel on them, whether a cultural tour, trek, safari, expedition or voyage. It is in the interest of all members of the group and beneficiaries that everyone should be capable of fully participating in the activities of their chosen tour. With this in mind, please be aware that (as per booking condition clause 10 "Holiday Participation" p22) if it is felt that any client is either not sufficiently fit, healthy or able to complete a tour without affecting its safety, comfort or happy progress, the tour leader at any stage has the right to remove them from the tour.To ensure that this is never necessary, please make sure that you have fully understood the level of fitness and ability required to complete the tour on which you are booking.Tour dossiers are quite specific about the level of fitness and ability required on any given tour. It is your responsibility to let us know if you have any concerns related to this subject. Our Customer Sales & Support or Operations teams will be glad to assist. WILL MY TOUR OPERATE? Like most tour operators who run small group holidays with fixed departure dates, Explore reserves the right to cancel if a departure is not commercially viable.This would normally be if there are less than 6 or 7 customers booked, however this is dependent on the cost structure of the specific tour and can vary considerably. We continually monitor booking levels and wherever possible consolidate departures way in advance often before anyone has booked. This minimises the number of customers we have to cancel off tours. Company policy is to only publish dates which we believe will sell and operate. We also have a policy of only cancelling when absolutely necessary.This means that we cancel a far smaller proportion of the tours shown in our brochures than most other similar operators. We aim not to cancel any tour within 8 weeks of departure.This gives customers ample opportunity to consider alternative tours or dates. TOUR CHANGES Although we contract all our flight and overseas transport and accommodation services well in advance of our brochures being published, changes can and do occur. It is the nature of the tours that we operate, that some elements may change from those published whether it be due to inclement weather, a change in the local political situation or simply a change in flight or train schedules. We aim to keep customers as well informed as possible when significant changes occur, but we do ask that all those travelling have a degree of flexibility once the tour is under way see `travel advice' (far left).
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