Please note that A2B TRAVEL is by nature active and some travel to remote destinations. It is therefore imperative that you understand exactly what is involved and are confident that you can fully participate in all activities included in the trip. If having read the literature, you are unsure about a trips suitability please contact A2B TRAVEL on the above number for your region, or your agent, and speak to one of our travel experts. Whether you are first-time A2B traveller or an old hand, you never know what piece of information you might require and when, so here is our comprehensive guide to anything you might need to know in the months and weeks before your departure. There is no need to read it all, just follow the links to the sections of interest.
Frequently asked questions
About My Booking
Already booked, but have a question about your booking?
If you wish to make any changes to your booking, particularly if you need to alter any flights booked through us, please let us know as soon as possible. Flight amendments often incur extra airline costs depending on the changes to be made and if the ticket has been issued or not.
If you need to cancel your booking, please let us know as soon as possible. This is required in writing and you should refer to the booking conditions with regards to any cancellation charges that may apply. Normally, if you cancel before the final balance is due, the deposit and insurance premium are non refundable but we can usually hold your balance for you to use on a future trip. Please contact A2B TRAVEL for further details. Once your final balance has been paid, there is a sliding scale of charges, outlined in the booking conditions. If you wish to transfer your booking to a different holiday or traveller, you should contact us before the final balance is due for your existing holiday, and there are no fees charged by A2B TRAVEL to do so. Any changes are, however, subject to any additional fees charged by local suppliers or airlines. Transfers after the final balance is due are classed as a cancellation and re-booking. For cancellations or transfers, please contact Customer Operations.
The balance of your payment is due 56 days before departure. Your invoice shows the date your final balance is due and, if you have booked directly with A2B TRAVEL and we have an email address for you, a reminder will be sent out 1 to 2 weeks before this date. To pay, you can use any of the following methods, quoting your booking reference in all cases: Call the Accounts team on +90 532 591 2445; we accept all major Credit Cards and UK Debit Cards. Please note that we do not accept payment by Amex. There will be no fee applied to payments made on any other card types. For queries, assistance or to pay by card, you can contact the accounts team as follows: telephone +90 532 591 2445, email accounts@a2btravel.com A receipt of payment will be emailed out to the lead booker within one working day of payment being received. If you have not received a receipt and would like one, please contact the accounts team on the above number. If payment is not made on time you may lose your place on the trip, although we will always do our best to contact you before we cancel your booking.
If you’ve travelled on two or more trips with A2B TRAVEL, you will receive a 5% discount on your next A2B TRAVEL booking. Dedicated travellers who have been on nine or more trips with A2B TRAVEL will receive a 10% discount on all subsequent bookings. Please note that for online bookings, loyalty discounts will be applied on your invoice and not at the booking stage.
For many holidays we need your passport details and sometimes other personal information. This might be for registration with the local authorities or for border crossings. A number of airlines now also require full passport information, known as Advanced Passenger Information. If your passport details change before travel, you must provide us with the new details.
Joining the tour When you purchase a tour on a land only basis (i.e. without international flights from A2B TRAVEL), you take the responsibility of reaching the start point of the tour yourself. In most cases, the start point of the tour is the first night’s accommodation; the exact start point is referred to in the brochure, website or trip notes for that trip. Our final joining instructions contain detailed advice on how to reach the start point from the main airport for that destination. Meeting times with the tour leader and group will vary from tour to tour, normally depending on the arrival time of the group flight from London. However, instructions for land only clients should be displayed in the hotel or left with reception confirming what to do next. Making use of A2B TRAVEL transfers If you have booked land only and your flight arrangements allow you to make use of the A2B TRAVEL transfers, then we can arrange for you to join these at no charge. You must request this in advance and provide us with your flight arrival details. You should be aware that if your flight is delayed, the A2B group transfer will not wait for you indefinitely (we usually set a maximum waiting period of 30 minutes beyond the scheduled arrival time) and you will be responsible for the cost of your onward travel arrangements to catch up with the group. Changes to group flight arrangements Occasionally we are forced to change the group flight, and re-arrange the group transfer accordingly. If you are relying on taking the group transfer, you may need to make alternative arrangements if the transfer no longer coincides with your flight arrangements
What Happens Next
When can I expect to hear from A2B TRAVEL next?
Once you have paid the deposit for your holiday, our sales team will immediately email you your booking confirmation and invoice. If you would prefer these by post, please let them know and it will go out first class within 24 hours (if you have booked through an agent, they will provide you with the necessary paperwork and you should check with them directly). Once you have received your confirmation, please check the information carefully to make sure that we have booked the arrangements you requested. If there are any inaccuracies, please contact us so that we can make the necessary corrections.
We can send your documents either by post or email. Our sales team will normally ask at the time of booking how you would like to receive them, and you can also request posted documents on the web booking form. If you have received your documents by email but would prefer post (or vice versa), please contact the Customer Operations Team by email or on +90-532-591-2445 and they will be happy to resend it.
Once you have paid your deposit and booked on that trip of a lifetime, you will be looked after by our Customer Operations team, who are responsible for all your travel arrangements until you depart. One of our experienced operations executives will be assigned to assist you in any way they can, and their name and contact details can be found at the bottom of your confirmation letter. With nine nationalities and years of experience behind them, there isn’t much they won’t be able to answer for you!
The balance of your payment is due 56 days before departure. Your invoice shows the date your final balance is due and, if you have booked directly with A2B TRAVEL and we have an email address for you, a reminder will be sent out 1 to 2 weeks before this date.
You can also now get in touch with fellow travellers through the A2B Cafe forum on the A2B TRAVEL website and share tips and ideas. Don’t worry if you don’t see your trip on there yet, just start a thread and this should inspire the rest of the group to start chatting!
You’ve done the hard part and paid the final balance, now you can start looking forward to going! If you have booked direct and as long as we have an email address for you, your Customer Operations Executive will be in touch with you 8 weeks before travel. They will include the latest copy of the trip notes and if there are any last minute arrangements you need to make or questions you might have, just let them know and they’ll be happy to look into it for you.
Your final joining instructions and flight details, if booked with us, will then be sent out 2 to 3 weeks before departure. If you would like a hard copy posted, or if you require these any earlier, please contact the customer operations team. We advise that if you are booking connecting travel before receiving these, please ensure you leave plenty of time. Around this time, we’ll also be sending out our sturdy and durable luggage label 4 life, which will come separately in the post. If they haven’t arrived a week before travel, let us know and we can send some more. Please note that we normally only send labels to clients booked directly with A2B TRAVEL. If you have booked through an agent and would like us to send you some, please let us know and we will be happy to post them directly to your address.
If you are on the group flight, you may see some of your group at check-in or on the plane, but your leader normally meets the group at the destination airport. There may be people on other flights, or joining at the hotel.
Preparing For My Trip
Getting prepared for your travels
All nationals require a full passport for all holidays with A2B TRAVEL and this should be valid for at least 6 months after the date of your scheduled return home. Please note that for certain trips, we will require your passport details prior to accepting your booking. Furthermore, if you renew your passport after you have booked, it is important you advise us of the new details as soon as possible and you may be required to take your old passport with you to maintain the validity of the trip.
It is an essential condition of joining an A2B TRAVEL holiday that you have a valid travel insurance policy to cover the cost of any emergency medical treatment. You are strongly advised to take out your policy at the time of booking to protect your holiday payments in the event of cancellation.
What to pack? We do not produce a comprehensive individual packing list for each tour, as each person’s needs and requirements vary, even for the same trip. But we do help you in the following ways: The trip notes for your holiday include a What to Take section, which will mention items specific to your holiday. Please ensure you check the list carefully, as anything beyond normal travel and clothing requirements will be shown here. The FAQ section for each trip on our website may well contain some advice about what to take. The Reviews section also often contains useful tips from clients who have been on the trip previously. Finally, if you still have questions, you can contact the area expert in our Customer Operations Team, and they will be happy to offer advice and guidance on what is required. Of course no list is foolproof. We may encourage you to take waterproofs, and it will turn out to be the driest year on record. But if we don’t suggest it, you can be sure its going to rain!
Health advice A2B TRAVEL does not give specific health advice, but our trip notes do mention any compulsory or suggested vaccinations, and will recommend our clients take malarial prophylaxis for known malarial areas. A2B TRAVEL recommends all clients contact their GP or Nomad Travel Health for all up to date advice on all vaccination and malarial issues for the country they are due to visit. Please note there is a wide range of advice available and you may find conflicting information for the same areas, but we always advise you seek qualified medical advice. Water purification Plentiful clean drinking water is of course a requirement to stay healthy in any country. For the vast majority of our trips, we arrange for treated, boiled or bottled water to be available at all times. Certain trips in remote areas may require our clients to provide a system of water purification themselves; if this is the case, it will be clearly explained in the trip notes. Travel in the developing world or into remote locations exposes all travellers to an increased risk of low level stomach infections. Your tour leader will outline the basic precautions, but even the most careful travellers can still pick up bugs. Personal hygiene and sensible eating and drinking are the best precautions, but you may wish to take rehydration salts to aid your recovery should you become unwell. Your own first aid or medical kit For all remote or active trips, your tour leader will be first aid trained, and will carry an adequate first aid kit or medical kit. However, we recommend that clients carry a small first aid kit for personal use. For some items you may need to consult your doctor for a prescription. If you are travelling to remote areas in developing countries, you may also like to consider taking a sterile needle kit (please be careful to pack this in your hold luggage for airport security). The following list is intended as a guide only: Plasters (including blister plasters for walking trips); sterile dressings and bandages; simple pain killers e.g. paracetamol or ibuprofen; antiseptic cream; antihistamine cream (for insect bites); sunburn cream; anti-diarrhoea pills e.g. Imodium or Lomotil; rehydration salts e.g. Dioralyte. Please ensure you carry any essential personal medication in your hand luggage rather than checked in bags.
You will need to take enough money to cover the cost of meals not included in the trip cost and of drinks, tipping and other incidentals including shopping and optional activities. Advice on the amounts required and the best currency to take is given in the trip notes. Many countries have ATM machines, particularly in major cities, and this can be an ideal way to access cash abroad, although bank charges are sometimes quite high. In addition, credit cards are now very widely accepted, particularly in larger cities. Travellers cheques can also be useful in certain destinations, but are often time consuming and costly to exchange.