Book With Confidence

*Please note: these terms are only valid for bookings made by Monday 13th June 2022*

If you are due to be travelling to an Oliver’s Travels holiday home or are currently deciding whether to book, then please relax as you are in good hands. If the FCDO advises against 'all but essential' travel or the government imposes legal restrictions that mean you are unable to travel due to the Coronavirus, then we will change your dates with no admin fees applied.

In summary this means that:

  • You will not lose your deposit, it will be transferred to your replacement booking.

  • We are waiving all Oliver’s Travels admin fees for amending dates for bookings affected by Covid19. Should you wish to book more expensive dates for your replacement booking then you simply pay the difference (and similarly less expensive dates will mean a partial credit!).

  • You can still look forward to your Oliver’s Travels holiday experience!

Travel Insurance
Although our Book with Confidence pledge protects you against any government-imposed travel restrictions, travel insurance should still be considered a critical part of your booking. We recommend everyone that travels with us should take out adequate insurance to cover themselves in the event of cancellation due to illness (including Covid!), medical costs whilst abroad, lost luggage etc. The most comprehensive Covid Cover that we have seen is offered by Holiday Extras. For full details and to book it click here.


The New System for International Travel
In October 2021 the traffic light system was replaced by a single red list of countries and simplified travel measures for arrivals from the rest of the world. Full details can be found here with a summary below.

  • Rest of the World: Fully vaccinated passengers coming from non-red countries will now be able to enter England without the need to test. Testing requirements for unvaccinated passengers from non-red countries can be found here.

  • Red List: Travellers need to take two PCR tests after their return to the UK. They will also have to pay for a 10-day stay in a managed quarantine hotel.

In addition to the entry requirements to the UK detailed above, you may also face entry requirements to your chosen destination depending on where you are travelling from. An up-to-date list of destination entry requirements can be found here.


Existing Bookings
In light of the latest UK government update regarding international travel restrictions we wanted to let you know how this affects your existing booking with us.

Red List
For all international bookings to destinations on the Red List or any other bookings that can’t go ahead due to government travel restrictions, if you wish to request a change of dates to your booking, you are welcome to complete our change of dates request form. Please make sure to include your clear reason for why you are unable to travel. Please also note that change of date requests must be made a minimum of 8 weeks prior to the start date of the original booking.

Rest of the World
Following the UK government announcement that there is no longer any quarantine requirement for fully vaccinated passengers returning from these countries, bookings to any non Red List destinations are now considered okay to proceed and therefore will no longer be eligible for change of date requests.

Covid-19 travel guidance for passengers
Help control the virus by travelling safely and responsibly, during the Coronavirus outbreak. Full details can be found on Gov.uk.

Covid-19 Cleaning Standard

As travel continues to open up, villa holidays have become more popular than ever and we continue to work closely with our owners and property managers to ensure they feel well prepared to welcome our guests. We've provided them with enhanced hygiene guidelines and cleaning checklists to ensure their property meets appropriate hygiene standards in line with Covid-19.

We have also encouraged owners to implement self-check-in through technology, electronic key boxes or other means where possible if they haven’t already got this in place, as well as to adhere to social distancing measures. For example, asking cleaning teams to only go into homes when guests aren't present and providing a contactless service for the extras booked through our online Concierge Team. If you have any specific property-related questions feel free to ask our friendly team when you enquire.

Please note, that due to the effects of Covid-19 there may be some local businesses and services mentioned on your holiday home listing page, that may not be open/available. We apologise in advance for any inconvenience.

Terms & Conditions

  • For British citizens, the right to change your dates will depend on whether you are deemed free to travel to the specific region where your holiday home is located, as determined by the official advice from the FCDO that can be found here: www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice, or as defined by UK government travel restrictions.
  • For foreign nationals, the right to change your dates will depend on whether you are free to travel to the specific region where your holiday home is located, as determined by the official advice from the governing body of your country of residence.
  • Date changes may be requested up to 8 weeks before your holiday start date.*
  • Bookings may be moved to any alternative available dates of equivalent monetary value or simply pay the difference.
  • The full balance will need to be paid 12 weeks before the original holiday start date in order for us to confirm the date change.

    *Please note that if your booking starts in less than 8 weeks, the owner/supplier is not contractually obliged to offer date changes or credit notes under any circumstances, even if travel restrictions are introduced to/from your destination. So please check your travel insurance if you require cover for any Covid-related disruptions or cancellation.

FAQs

If the FCDO (or international equivalent) advises against “all but essential travel” or the government imposes travel restrictions to your destination we will liaise with the holiday home owner or property manager on your behalf to defer your holiday. Travellers are advised to keep up to date with the FCDO travel advice for the destination they are travelling to.
If the FCDO advice has not changed and holidays are legally allowed to go ahead, your holiday will be subject to our usual booking conditions and standard cancellation charges will apply. Disinclination to travel is not covered as part of our 'Book with Confidence' pledge.
Many travel insurance policies do now offer Covid cover. However, you would need to check your policy to confirm. Holiday Extras offer a comprehensive Covid cover insurance policy.
Owners are not contractually obliged to defer your dates in this scenario but if you still prefer not to travel we are more than happy to make a request to the owner on your behalf to defer your booking (dates are subject to availability). If you wish to do so then please complete this form.
We understand that the uncertainty around travel plans is a concern for all. As it stands, if there are no specific travel restrictions for your holiday dates, then it is still scheduled to go ahead as planned. Therefore, you will need to pay your balance unless you wish to cancel your booking and attempt to claim the deposit back via your travel insurance provider. For added peace of mind remember that if the FCDO advice changes, and you are no longer able to travel, you will still have the option to move your holiday to a later date.
Oliver's Travels act as Agents to the holiday Principal (usually the holiday home owner or property manager). When we collect a deposit to confirm a booking we pay it over to the holiday Principal to ensure that the dates are held, so from that point onwards we are no longer in possession of your funds and therefore not in a position to refund them.
By far the majority of our bookings that cannot proceed due to travel restrictions have been moved without issue. However, all deferred holidays are subject to availability and the discretion of the holiday homeowner or property manager. Do please bear in mind that holidays to non Red List destinations can still go ahead, and as such very few owners are likely to accept a change of dates request. However, if you have a good reason for not being able to travel then we are very happy to ask the owner and request a change of dates on your behalf.
Deferred bookings are only eligible to the original holiday home that you booked, as the deposit payment will have already been made to the home owner or property manager.
In line with our Ts&Cs we are unable to consider any change of date requests made within 8 weeks of the holiday start date.
Should you wish to change your dates after your deferred booking has been confirmed we would be happy to ask the owner. However, this will be completely at their discretion and subject to availability.