Travel Alerts

This page is where you’ll find all the latest travel advice so please check for any updates that might relate to your upcoming tours with us.

Last updated 31 March 2021 – still current as of 5 May 2021

A message from the CEO, Jackie Willis

To all our valued customers

The UK Government’s ‘roadmap’ details key dates in the easing of COVID-19 restrictions. We can already look forward to travel around the UK in the very near future, and we should hear more about opportunities to travel overseas in 2021 at the start of April. The rapid progress in vaccinations is giving many of us the confidence to travel as soon as possible and, if you choose an Brightwater Holidays tour, you’ll have the extra confidence of knowing that our industry-leading 11-point COVID action plan will stay in place throughout 2021. Your health and wellbeing will remain our foremost priority.

We are making plans to operate UK tours from 17 May 2021 and we will be guided by government advise on overseas tours from 17 May 2021. Whilst it may still become necessary to cancel tour departing after this date as a result of (1) subsequent changes to the UK Government advice or local restrictions in the destination, (2) our suppliers are not in a position to put our COVID action plan in place, or (3) voluntary transfers result in unviable guest numbers on the tour, we anticipate an extensive programme of tours in summer, autumn and winter 2021. If your tour is cancelled for one of these three reasons, we are committed to providing the most convenient alternative arrangements, matching prices where possible.

If you are booked on a tour due to depart before 17 May 2021, we will be in contact with you very shortly to discuss your options.

Good health and happy travels from all of us here at Brightwater.

Jackie Willis CEO,

Specialist Journeys

Tours departing up to and including 16 May 2021

We will not be operating any tours before 17 May 2021. We are currently in the process of contacting people booked on tours up until 16 May 2021 to offer them an alternative departure date and discuss options. We are working in departure date order, so if this applies to you please bear with us during this time.

 

UK tours departing 17 May – 31 December 2021

  • We are very much looking forward to welcoming you on tour.
  • If it does become necessary to cancel your tour, there will be no charge to transfer to new travel dates and we will match the price where possible. Alternatively, you may choose to transfer to any other 2021 or 2022 tour (with no admin fee to pay). Any difference in price would be payable.
  • If you wish to transfer to a different tour before we contact you, there is no charge to do so up to 56 days prior to departure. Within 56 days, an admin fee of £50 per person applies.
  • If you wish to cancel now, normal booking conditions apply.
  • If your tour is viable and we contact you to collect your holiday balance, this balance would still be payable, and not to do so would result in the cancellation of your booking and retention of your deposit (if within 56 days). Please note: there is no risk in paying your balance – your holiday booking/monies will be fully protected as part of our ATOL/ABTOT accreditation.
  • We reserve the right to cancel your tour within 12 weeks if the number of late customer cancellations or transfers make the tour commercially unviable.

 

Overseas tours departing 17 May – 31 December 2021

  • We are very much looking forward to welcoming you on tour, subject to confirmation at the UK Government overseas travel update on 5 April 2021.
  • If it does become necessary to cancel your tour, there will be no charge to transfer to new travel dates and we will match the price where possible. Alternatively, you may choose to transfer to any other 2021 or 2022 tour (with no admin fee to pay). Any difference in price would be payable.
  • If you wish to transfer to a different tour before we contact you, there is no charge to do so up to 56 days prior to departure. Within 56 days, an admin fee of £50 per person applies.
  • If you wish to cancel now, normal booking conditions apply.
  • If your tour is viable and we contact you to collect your holiday balance, this balance would still be payable, and not to do so would result in the cancellation of your booking and retention of your deposit (if within 56 days). Please note: there is no risk in paying your balance – your holiday booking/monies will be fully protected as part of our ATOL/ABTOT accreditation.

We reserve the right to cancel your tour within 12 weeks if the number of late customer cancellations or transfers make the tour commercially unviable.

  • We are very much looking forward to welcoming you on tour.
  • Should any of the three key criteria above make your tour unviable we will contact you as quickly as we can.
  • If you wish to transfer to any other tour now, there will be an administrative charge of £50 per person to do so.
  • If you wish to cancel now, normal booking conditions apply.
  • We reserve the right to cancel your tour within 12 weeks if the number of late customer cancellations or transfers make the tour commercially unviable.

“I so hope I will be able to travel on one of your holidays in 2021. You are being more than generous and I wish you the very best — both you personally and everyone at Brightwater. I am looking forward to being with you in 2021 and beyond.”

Brightwater customer

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