Covid-19 Update
18th Nov 2021
Our promise to you
We would like to assure you that all Greenwings customers who have booked a holiday with us, will be assisted in ensuring that they fulfil any travel requirements pertaining to their holiday destination. We will offer information and advice on what testing may be required and will provide our guests with links to any relevant documentation needed to satisfy each country’s entry requirements – e.g., passenger locator forms.
We would also like to reiterate that our now long-standing covid policy (implemented 10th March 2020) is still in place, whereby we offer you hassle and cost-free booking changes and full refunds.
The latest travel news
All countries have now been removed from the UK government ‘Red List’, and most of the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) travel advice has also been generally relaxed. Therefore, we are now operating under the premise that all our scheduled holidays will be going ahead as planned.
All holidays and Day Trips within the United Kingdom will also proceed as planned, always adhering to Government rules and guidance.
We will however continue to adhere to our policy to cancel any holidays to locations where the FCO issues advice against non-essential travel, where mandatory quarantine upon arrival is in place, or where British tourists are not permitted.
In this case, our covid policy means you will be offered a free change to your booking or full refund.
You may find it useful to visit the FCO website for up-to-date individual country information FCO website.
If you are UK based, you may also find the following entry rule links useful:
Our Covid-19 Policy
The uncertainty and regular changes to the world of travel is a challenging situation for us all, and we at Greenwings recognise the need to be flexible – we are all learning & adapting as we navigate these uncharted waters. Since the very beginning of the pandemic, Greenwings has operated a straightforward policy of giving our guests the freedom to change or cancel bookings, without hassle or any financial penalties, even if a destination has been open and deemed safe for non-essential travel by the FCO.
If we must cancel a holiday due to FCO Travel Advice (or a national lockdown in the UK), we will offer you a full refund, or the option to transfer to a different departure date for the same holiday, or to a different holiday altogether.
If you decide to cancel your holiday before we officially cancel it, our standard booking terms & conditions will apply.
If you are unable to travel for your holiday because you, or another member of your party, has been diagnosed with Covid-19, or because you are prevented from travelling by a track and trace alert, or UK government travel restrictions affecting your local area, please approach your travel insurer (but notify us at the same time). If your claim is not successful, we will offer you a full refund minus any non-recoverable costs we have incurred, such as non-refundable hotel deposit payments.
We offer full refunds for day trips for any of the above.
Travel insurance
You should ensure that any travel insurance policy you buy includes at least all the following:
- cancellation if you or anyone covered by the policy gets a positive coronavirus test in the two weeks before you travel
- medical costs if you contract coronavirus while you are away
- additional transport and/or accommodation expenses if you fall ill with coronavirus while you are away
Not all policies offer this kind of cover, so you should read the policy document carefully before you buy so you can see exactly what is and isn’t covered.
Please be aware that some policies now state that if you’ve chosen not to have the recommended vaccinations, then you won’t be covered for any COVID-19 related claims. This includes cancellation, curtailment, or emergency medical and repatriation expenses.
Keeping you safe on holiday
Guest safety is of paramount importance to Greenwings. We are constantly monitoring and adhering to government advice and guidelines both in the UK and in the other countries so we can adhere to them fully. Before the holiday, we will inform you of any relevant local requirements. We will always respect local codes of behaviour in our holiday destination. Throughout your holiday, please follow these guidelines to help protect yourself and others.
Please also be aware that there may be varying social distancing and cleaning regimes in the hotels and other accommodations that we stay at during your holiday. The check-ins may be different and take a little longer than usual, and mealtimes may involve more social distancing or to be taken outside. Rest assured that we are working with all our accommodation providers, and will advise you on what you need to know prior to departure.
There may also be a requirement to wear masks at times, which will depend on what local rules are in place at the time. This could be in the hotel, public areas, inside vehicles, or indeed all those places. Please ensure you bring enough masks for your own use during the holiday.
We also recommend that you bring a lateral flow test with you on the holiday in case you feel under the weather and wish to test yourself. These are available for free in the UK and available from Lloyds Pharmacies or a number of other local pharmacies – you can find which ones locally offer them here: https://maps.test-and-trace.nhs.uk
Travel in vehicles
We usually use 9-seater minibuses on our holidays. We never fill all the seats as we want to ensure our guests travel as comfortably as possible, but during the pandemic we may reduce passenger numbers even further, depending on current social distancing rules and restrictions in the holiday destination.
We will maintain good ventilation during travel by keeping windows open to a certain degree.
We will regularly sanitise door handles and provide hand sanitiser (but do please bring plenty of your own for personal use).
Face coverings may be required inside vehicles, depending on local requirements at the time of the holiday. Otherwise, they may be worn by personal choice.
After your holiday or day trip
If you have a positive Covid-19 test result within 14 days of your trip please let us know immediately, so that we can inform the other guests in the group and our guide(s).
And finally for now…
We hope this update is helpful and provides clarity on Greenwings covid policies. Please don’t hesitate to ask any questions. You can contact us via our usual email address enquiries@greenwings.co.uk or by telephone on +44 1473 254658
We look forward to sharing a lot more wonderful wildlife experiences with you in 2022!
Best wishes from the entire Greenwings team.
Matt Berry
Director
Leave a Reply