We know lots of you have questions about Coronavirus (COVID-19) and the status of your holiday. We’ve tried to answer as many of these questions as possible below, and we’ll update this page regularly.
Updated 29th January 2021
Without wanting to needlessly add to the noise we need to give you the latest on where we stand in regards to the ongoing Covid-19 outbreak.
As you might imagine we have been overwhelmed as a small company trying to understand, decipher and respond to the ever-changing global situation over the recent months, as we get to grips with what pandemic means for us all.
In short, we believe we’ll be able to provide your well needed holiday when it is safe to do so. So as part of this proposal we are asking all of our existing customers to postpone their holiday and to change their booking to any future point with no administration charges. The only applicable charges would be if there was a difference in seasonal rates. We are open for bookings in Portugal, for domestic tourism in Kerala with decisions being made around Sri Lanka as soon as we can.
Obviously that is not great for us, or anyone within our chain of business. But for you, our customer, your money is protected by our financial failure insurance which will pay out after the bankruptcy process is completed. So hopefully that gives you a little peace of mind.
Please email us enquiries@soulandsurf.com to discuss your options should you not be in a position to pause with us.
At times like these, we turn to the greats. As Daniel Bedingfield (google him) once implored, we ‘Gotta Get Thru This’.
It feels more important now than ever to reiterate that by coming on holiday with us once it is safe to do so you are helping us to support the wonderful teams of staff, local business and communities in which we operate. As with other events that have impacted tourism, the floods in Kerala a couple of years back and the Easter attacks in Sri Lanka last year we appreciate that it is our customers who tend to be the most resilient and the first to help the industry recover, recoup and rebuild.
Once it is wise to travel again we hope you’ll continue to support us and our teams.
Love,
Ed, Sofie & Kit Templeton
We currently offer holidays in 3 countries around the world. As we are a UK Tour Operator, we and our local teams rely on the travel advice from the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) to continue to inform our approach with consistency.
For those travelling later in the year we appreciate how unsettling this situation is, so we’re working round the clock with our local hosts to provide you the flexibility and reassurance you need. Here’s how:
We are happily requesting and allowing guests to postpone their trips to a later date, should you wish. Doing so will incur no fees, no price changes and will honour any discounts already applied. If you’re happy to keep your booking as it is for now, you don’t have to do anything, and of course if anything changes that affects your booking we’ll be in touch to remind you of your options. Saves you being glued to the news.
If you’re not able to commit to a new date just yet, worry not. You can postpone your trip and rearrange it later. We’ll hold your booking for as long as you need.
To keep you up to speed, you can follow our Coronavirus updates on this page and in our usual lines of communication.
If you are concerned about your trip and would like to discuss your options, please email our lovely Customer Support team on enquries@soulandsurf.com and we’ll be happy to help you.
Our Operations are still paused in Sri Lanka, but Portugal is open for business from 30th April and Kerala is currently welcoming guests from within India.
As of the 20th January 2021, the UK Gov Travel Advice is this: As countries respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, including travel and border restrictions, the FCO advises British nationals against all but essential international travel. Any country or area may restrict travel without notice.
We are monitoring the Coronavirus situation closely, following legitimate sources such as:
– Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO)
– Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
– National Travel Health Network and Centre (NaTHNaC)
– World Health Organisation (WHO)
We as a UK Tour Operator rely on the travel advice from the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office to inform our approach.
We are offering all of our existing customers to postpone their holiday and to change their booking to any future point with no administration charges.
Please email us <click to show address> to discuss your options should you not be in a position to pause with us.
We understand you might be wondering whether this is the best time to book a holiday. Happily, UK and European citizens are generally protected under the Package Travel Regulations.
In non-legal speak this basically means that should the FCO advise against ‘all but essential travel’ to your destination and your holiday is subsequently cancelled, the supplier needs to offer either an alternative, an option to postpone or in some cases a full refund. The supplier also needs to hold insolvency protection to cover refund and repatriation costs in the unlikely event of their financial failure before or during your trip.
We are offering all of our existing customers to postpone their holiday and to change their booking to any future point with no administration charges.
Please email us <click to show address> to discuss your options should you not be in a position to pause with us.
You should also contact your airline and your insurance company to confirm if there are compensation options available.
We are offering all of our existing customers to postpone their holiday and to change their booking to any future point with no administration charges. Please email us <click to show address> to discuss your options should you not be in a position to pause with us.
You should also contact your airline and your insurance company to confirm if there are compensation options available as at the time of booking you ticked to say you had cancellation cover and we will ask you to peruse this before we are able to offer any refunds. Soul & Surf can provide you with a letter for you to pursue this further.
Unless we have informed you that your holiday is not going ahead please follow the payment instructions on your booking to pay by the deadline for your booking as normal.
We are offering all of our existing customers to postpone their holiday and to change their booking to any future point with no administration charges. Please email us to discuss your options should you not be in a position to pause with us.
If you wish to cancel your trip, the cancellation policy shown on your booking will apply.
You should also always take out comprehensive travel and medical insurance as soon as you book. We like World Nomads, but there are countless other options available.
This forms part of our agreement with you and we ask at the point of booking to confirm as to whether or not you have travel Insurance that covers you for cancellation too.
The coverage available to you in the event of coronavirus related problems will depend on the insurer and your individual circumstances, so do contact the insurer if you have queries.
When you made your booking with us you ticked a box to confirm that you had travel insurance that covered you for cancellation too. Please can we ask you to explore this route first as that’s what the insurance industry is designed to do and help you the guest get your money back, whilst covering us the provider for mass cancellations like this to mitigate our liabilities and make sure we have a Soul & Surf for you to travel to in the future.
If you have any further questions about the status of your booking and how Coronavirus may affect this, please contact our customer support team.
The c-word. It has changed the whole world, and forced many of us to re-think habits and routines we wouldn’t think twice about. Anyone remember hugs & handshakes?
We have always taken cleanliness and hygiene seriously at our hotels, but in light of Covid-19, we have created our own internal protocol that meets both the country’s and international guidelines.
Before you make a booking please check here if you are eligible for travel to India.
Please read on for a summary of our safety protocols, but feel free to email us if you have any questions or concerns.
We’ve adapted our offer to guests to meet with best practice rules & guidelines.
Please read on for a summary of our safety protocols, but feel free to email us if you have any questions or concerns.
We’ve adapted our offer to guests to meet with best practice rules & guidelines.
Please read on for a summary of our safety protocols, but feel free to email us if you have any questions or concerns.
We’ve adapted our offer to guests to meet with best practice rules & guidelines.
Please note, the advice on this article is for guidance only. It may change at any time and may not apply in some circumstances.