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COVID-19: Updates & Policies

After a long period of cancelled trips amid the world's travel shutdown, all Detours trips in all destinations are now proceeding as planned and have been since the beginning of 2022.  We're relieved to be back to the fun and adventures that all of us missed so much. While the pandemic isn't over, we've worked with our partners in all destinations to ensure that we're able to offer our travelers the fun and safe experience that they've come to expect from Detours.  We can't wait to welcome you back onto your next trip with us!

A Not-so-new Normal

From a private villa in the Costa Rican jungle, to a century-old manor house in the winelands of South Africa, to a small boutique hotel on the quiet island of Milos in Greece, we've always put an emphasis on small properties in unique locations while avoiding crowded big-box resorts.  Even in tourist hot spots like Machu Picchu, Angkor Wat, and Mykonos, we've always prioritized smaller boutique properties with plenty of character.  Our hotel and transportation partners have largely adopted improved cleaning and sanitization procedures to keep travelers are safe and comfortable as possible.  Local regulations regarding mask-wearing, distancing, and entry rules have disappeared in most of our destinations but if you're curious about the current situation in a particular destination, just ask!

Rescheduling Bookings

Travel restrictions and Covid concerns led to hundreds of cancelations during the pandemic.  Sometimes Detours was forced to cancel a trip, and sometimes our travelers chose to cancel their trips due to travel concerns.  Either way, if your space on a trip was cancelled and you've got a credit to use with us, just get in touch any time to use that credit.  We never put any expiry date or destination restrictions on credits.

OUR CURRENT COVID POLICY

Updated: February 7th, 2023

Nobody likes the C-word, but as long as Covid is still around it’s something that we, especially as a travel business, must be prepared to face and it’s important that you, our travelers, understand our policy regarding vaccinations, positive cases, and exposures.

Group settings, including traveling and sharing experiences as a group, come with an inherent risk of contracting Covid.  Detours will communicate any applicable local laws and regulations regarding testing, masking, distancing and isolating, and we expect our travelers to follow these local laws.  That said, we do not require our trip leaders to police these local rules and each traveler is responsible for any repercussions that may arise from their failure to follow and abide by them.

  • Do I need to be vaccinated to join a trip?

No.  Vaccination against Covid-19 is not a requirement to join a Detours trip, but it's important that you confirm that your destination (as well as any stopover along the way) does not have any entry regulations that may keep you from entering the country.

  • What if someone tests positive for Covid on a trip?

We have a duty of care to our travelers and a responsibility to keep each person in our groups as safe as possible as they travel with us.  This means that, if a Detours trip leader or staff are made aware of a positive Covid case within a group, our policy is to isolate and distance that person from others in the group.  In practice, while we will assist with connecting the traveler with local medical care, guidance, and travel arrangements this may mean a positive case will not be able to continue traveling with the group until a negative test is provided.  Any additional costs associated with the deviation from the group itinerary will be the responsibility of the affected traveler.  We strongly suggest travelers protect themselves with travel insurance which covers Covid-related costs.  If the traveler is able to provide a negative test result prior to the end of the itinerary, Detours will assist in arranging the re-joining of the group.

  • What if I get Covid before the trip?

You're welcome to cancel and/or reschedule your Detours trip at least 60 days prior to the starting date with no cancellation or change fees, however, we must pass along any unrecoverable costs such as domestic flights, etc. that have been paid for using your deposit.  If you test positive for Covid in the days leading up to your Detours trip and you aren’t able to join the full group trip we will assist in providing the necessary documentation for an insurance claim, but as all of our partners in your destination have been paid and the ability to fill your space has passed, we are unable to provide refunds or credits in this case.  If you are able to provide a negative result and join the group late, however, we will assist in coordinating the joining of the trip midway through the itinerary.  We strongly suggest travelers protect themselves with travel insurance which covers Covid-related costs.

  • What happens in cases of roommate sharing if one person tests positive?

Some of our solo travelers choose to share their room with another solo traveler.  If one of these travelers becomes ill and test positive for Covid during the trip, it is the responsibility of the positive case to remove themselves from their shared room and, with the assistance of Detours, book a separate single-occupancy room at the positive traveler’s cost.  We strongly suggest travelers protect themselves with travel insurance which covers Covid-related costs.

To ensure the consistent treatment of all guests, and to ensure clarity to all guests, our Detours trip leaders are not able to make exceptions to the above policies.  Your Detours trip leader as well as our Detours office staff will assist as much as possible to ensure that anyone who tests positive for Covid during a Detours trip is assisted with medical and travel care as required and re-joined with the group before the itinerary if possible.  

  • Where can I find out more information about the current situation in a particular country?
    • There are several sources that we use to inform our decisions about traveling in a particular country during this pandemic.  We suggest the following sites with regularly updated information:
    • Europe: Re-Open EU
    • World: IATA's Interactive Map

We really appreciate your continued patience as we navigate the changing world of travel, and we can't wait to get back out there with you!  If you have any questions related to traveling with us, please reach out at travel@detourstravel.com or give us a call at 1-800-680-8066.