Expedition Exclusive - COVID-19 Customers FAQs

Posted on 15 May 2020

1. WHY HAVE YOU SUSPENDED ALL TOURS UNTIL THE END OF NOVEMBER?

Due to the ongoing global impact of coronavirus (COVID-19) and the likelihood of international borders remaining closed for an extended period of time we have had no choice but extend our suspension of tours until at least 30 November 2020. We are monitoring the situation very closely and will continue to provide updates on our website if the suspension periodis to be extended further.

2. MY TOUR HAS BEEN SUSPENDED WHAT HAPPENS TO MY BOOKING NOW?

If you were booked on a tour that has been suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic, you will automatically receive a credit voucher of 100% of monies paid directly to us of your deposit or full payment. This excludes the flights, insurances, credit card surcharge and any service fees as they are irrecoverable, or they will have their own booking conditions.

You do not need to contact us to confirm your credit voucher as it has been automatically applied to your Expedition Exclusive booking file. Simply contact us when the time comes that you are ready to re-book. You can visit the Credit Voucher FAQs and Credit Voucher Terms and Conditions for full details.

3. I BOOKED MY TOUR VIA A TRAVEL AGENT, WHAT SHOULD I DO?

All of our travel agent partners have been notified of their customers who have been impacted by the suspension of tours up until 30 November 2020. We recommend you contact your travel agent directly for them to assist you with your booking and future travel arrangements, as some agencies may have different booking conditions and should already have all of your information on file.

4. MY TOUR IS BOOKED TO DEPART AFTER 30 NOVEMBER 2020, WHAT DO I NEED TO KNOW?

At this stage, all tours departing from 1 December 2020 have not been suspended and are scheduled to depart as planned. We are monitoring the situation very closely and if your tour is suspended you will be notified directly by our service team or your travel agent as soon as possible. If you choose to cancel your tour booking departing from 1 December 2020, the cancellation terms and conditions at the time you booked are still applicable. In addition, you have the option to receive a 100% credit of monies paid (land portion only excluding flights and insurance) to use towards an alternative tour with a later departure date.

5. CAN I GET A REFUND FOR MY BOOKING?

To request a refund for your booking, please email your request to info@expeditionexclusive.com.au and we will review your case in line with the standard Booking Terms and Conditions.

In most cases, the fees or conditions imposed by third-party suppliers will apply. Unfortunately, we can't waive fees or conditions that airlines and other third-party suppliers impose, and nor can we control the speed at which they process and return your funds. However, our people are working closely with these suppliers to negotiate better outcomes and faster turnaround times.

6. HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE TO RECEIVE MY REFUND?

We are processing refund requests in order of the date of booking departure, so that all of our customers are treated as fairly and reasonably as possible in the current circumstances. In normal circumstances refunds can take up to 12-26 weeks, as we are reliant on receiving the funds back from the supplier before we are able to pass them on to you. Please note that the time to issue a refund varies per supplier.

Please refer to the refund process and timeframe here.

7. WHAT ARE THE CANCELLATION FEES?

Any applicable fees imposed by third-party suppliers will apply if you wish to receive a refund on your booking. Supplier policies are changing constantly and vary widely. In many cases, they are also reasonably short-term in application. This means that if you do have longer term bookings, you may not yet have clarity around final amendment or cancellation positions and it may be in your interests to wait for further updates from the travel service provider at this time.

8. WHY IS EXPEDITION EXCLUSIVE ASKING ME TO TAKE CREDIT VOUCHER FOR MY BOOKING?

People love travel as it is not only the best way to explore the outside world, but also the journey enriches life. However, travel used to be expensive and hard to manage, especially when you are planning to a foreign country with different culture, language and etc.

The establishment of Expedition Exclusive is inspired by the dream of making the travel to the world more affordable and accessible for everyone. To achieve this, every single member in our team is dedicated to providing the best quality, value, and service to meet our customers' needs. Expedition Exclusive, the company has never been motivated by money for money sake, and we are offering all our guests credit voucher for the best benefit of your good.

Please allow us to explain how.

Payments
For us to create the tour at a great value (sometimes it is up to 50% cheaper than the normal market price), we will make upfront deposits and full payments to airlines, hotels, and our suppliers to secure the reservation for our guests. These payments apply to all tour relevant elements, including but not limited to the flights, accommodations, local transports, tour guides and optional extras. During the coronavirus crisis, many of our suppliers have decided to offer credits instead of refunds, and for those suppliers who agreed to refund (less the cancellation fee), the refund process may take up to 6-8 months. However, we understand how important to our guests to be guided on what will happen to your booking with us and the long wait of the booking update is painful. Therefore, we moved quickly and settled the largest portion of each booking value the tour cost with more than 95% of all our guests while we are yet to receive the funds from the suppliers. We are offering the credit voucher so our guests can have the option of not be penalised on the supplier's cancellation fee and experience the long wait of the refund process.

Continuous Support from Expedition Exclusive
During this unprecedented time, all of us are struggling to navigate the impact COVID-19 is having on our work and live. Expedition Exclusive is committed to doing our part and to keep people in our offices and destinations employed so we are here to provide continuously support to all our guests. By taking the credit voucher and keeping your trust in Expedition Exclusive, you will help us get back on our feet when the COVID-19 crisis is over, and it will enable us to offer you the best service and tours when the world opens up again.

Further Product Development
While travel aboard is paused due to COVID-19, our team has not stopped developing and enhancing our products. We are proud to announce the new destinations including Australia, Japan and India will become available soon. On top of the touring service, we will facilitate retail reservation team and assist you with flight and hotel bookings. So, when you are ready to travel again, you will have more products and flexibility in using the credit voucher with us.

9. OTHER USEFUL LINKS AND GUIDELINES

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