Covid 19 (Coronavirus) Update
We understand that once travel restrictions are lifted, you will want to travel safely. Indeed, your health and safety is our top priority, and we have taken a variety of proactive measures.
Our commitment to enriching lives is holistic, meaning not only will you still be able to make a difference, but we will also do our utmost to ensure that you are safe while you are doing this, which includes where you stay, eat and how you travel.
We will only recommend hotels, restaurants, and transport providers that comply with WHO guidelines, and continue to refine our health and safety procedures in accordance with best practice.
We know how hard it is to be far away from the places you love most to travel to, so check out our social media channels for content that enables you to be an armchair traveler.
We hope your desire to connect with and help people and nature is stronger than ever. We look forward to welcoming you back to experience this amazing planet and “being the change”.
If you have any questions, get in touch – I promise to personally respond.
Christopher Hill
CEO
Hands Up Holidays
How we are handling this for you
The Covid-19 virus has quite understandably generated concerns around traveling while the virus is still active and official government travel advice is continually changing. Hands Up Holidays will support all our clients in helping you to make the optimal decisions around your travels. Your individual situation is unique, and we will tailor our recommendations to your specific situation. The following information gives details of what we are doing, as well as resources for you:
- We are actively monitoring this evolving situation; we receive daily updates from our in-country partners and monitor official travel advice, primarily from the US State Department and the UK Foreign Office.
- If official travel advice recommends against travel to destinations you are booked to travel to (or through), we will help you to reroute or reschedule your itinerary. If you are already traveling or are about to be traveling, we will have already been in touch with you, and a reminder that you have a 24/7 emergency number while you are traveling. For those clients due to travel in the next 90 days, we are monitoring any changes in travel advice. Irrespective of when you are traveling, we are available to speak about your questions or concerns.
- Most of our clients can still travel to most parts of the world, and those that are, are experiencing no disruptions.
- Our priority is your health and wellbeing, and we will do all we can to support you.
Based in the US? Please check the latest Government travel advice: US State Dept travel advice.
Based in the UK? We strongly recommend that all clients monitor the FCO travel advice page. Sign up to receive email alerts for the country you’re visiting: GOV.UK Foreign Travel Advice.
How you can book with peace of mind if you need to cancel
If you’re thinking about traveling again you can book with Hands Up Holidays in complete confidence, giving you full flexibility in your plans.
You can look forward to your next trip knowing you can change your plans if needed.
Our promise to you
We guarantee you no charge for rescheduling your trip, up to 45 days before departure*
You are free to reschedule your trip free of charge, up to 45 days before your departure date*. So you can change your travel dates or even switch you to another destination for no charge.
*Valid for all bookings made from 1st August to 30th September, 2020. Travel dates may be moved to departures up to 31st December 2022.
*In order to secure the best rates it might be that some products are excluded from our flexibility promise, these will be highlighted to you prior to the point of booking.
*Additional charges may be incurred based on changes to your trip such as accommodation and/or seasonality.
Considering heading overseas in 2020?
Your best options are currently (updated 21 August, 2020) Mexico, Ecuador, Rwanda, Kenya, Zambia, Dominican Republic, Barbados, St Lucia, Tanzania, Maldives, and of course the USA. For all bookings for this year, we aim to enable you to be able to cancel for a full refund up to 7 days prior to your trip date (prior to booking, we will let you know exactly how many days this is, and if your flights can also be canceled).
**This applies to new bookings only made between August 1st and September 30th 2020
Frequently Asked Questions
I’m traveling with you in the next two months. What if the State Dept or FCO advises against non-essential travel to my destination?
If you are due to travel to a country on which the State Dept or FCO imposes a travel restriction, we will be in contact immediately to discuss the nature of the advice and the most viable options for rerouting or delaying your trip. Your individual situation is unique, and we will tailor our recommendations to your specific situation.
I’m traveling with you in more than two months – what do you advise?
Covid-19 is evolving continually, and we will monitor the situation and assess if your chosen destination will be safe for travel; if however, you would like to consider pre-emptively postponing your trip we are happy to review your options with you.
What happens if I choose to postpone my dates to a season when rates are higher or lower?
If you wish to consider traveling in a season when rates are higher than you originally booked, we will calculate & communicate to you the increase in the price of the trip, which you would then need to pay as a supplement according to our normal payment terms. If you choose to travel in a season when rates are lower, we would be able to offer you a refund of the difference between your original booking and your new booking.
I’m keen to book a trip, what if the FCO or State Department Travel Advisory advice changes?
We constantly monitor changes in travel advice to the destinations in which we operate – should this advice change in the lead-up to your trip we will communicate this to you immediately and at that time can discuss the right course of action, as detailed above.
How to contact us
If you have any questions regarding your travel arrangements, please contact your Hands Up Holidays Travel Advisor, who will assist or email us at query@handsupholidays.com.
If you have a Coronavirus cancellation request, please check online prior to contacting us to see if the area you are traveling to has been affected. Use the WHO link below for up to date information.
Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic
