Coronavirus Update – Latest update: 14th August 2020
Rayburn Tours Office – Update
In order to support Government advice our office is, unfortunately, temporarily closed and our staff are working from home.
However we can still be easily contacted. Most of our staff have their direct dial work phones at home or have an app to facilitate direct access. As usual all email mailboxes are still routed directly to individual staff members. If your enquiry is new or of a more general nature, then please use our web enquiry form or simply email us at info@RayburnTours.com.
All Tours
The Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) has updated its global advisory against ‘all but essential’ travel, exempting destinations that no longer pose an unacceptably high risk for British travellers. Click here for details.
We are currently contacting all groups with future planned tours to discuss options. We are doing this in chronological departure date order, so we would ask you to please be patient whilst we complete this work.
For tours to countries with FCO restrictions still in place and with an imminent departure, we will firstly look to postpone your tour or offer an alternative (either a different destination or date). If you do not wish to accept this you will be entitled to a refund.
For tours to countries without FCO restrictions in place we will continue to progress arrangements. For us to do this it is important for groups to make their payments on time so we, in turn, can pay suppliers. We will also ensure that our suppliers will be following strict health guidelines and conforming to COVID-19 requirements applicable to their country.
We are, however, mindful of the problems facing schools and groups and the worry to make further payments at this time. If this is the case we will assist you the best we can, hopefully, to transfer the booking to 2021. This will eliminate further immediate worries and would mean that no further payments are due this year as the payment schedule would move with the new dates.
Postponement
If you choose this option we will work with you to find convenient dates and will try to maintain the current pricing. If, however, additional costs are inevitable, such as new flights, then we will discuss this with you before any commitment is made.
Cancellation
If your school decides to cancel your tour and the FCO has lifted the travel restriction to your destination, then our normal cancellation terms would apply. In this case we recommend that you contact us first as we may be able to recover sufficient costs from our suppliers that we are able to reduce your cancellation charges. Also, if you are a school group you may be able to recoup cancellation fees.
We have an ever-growing number of schools that are now successfully recouping any cancellation costs via their business insurance or via the Government’s Risk Protection Arrangement (RPA). We strongly recommend that schools check to see if they are covered as this means they have the option to cancel with no cost to themselves or the students.
The following websites may be helpful to access more information and current advice:
www.gov.uk/government/collections/guidance-for-schools-coronavirus-covid-19
www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice