Frequently Asked Questions
Here you can find answers to some of our frequently asked questions. If you can't find what you are looking for then feel free to contact us.
1.
Choosing your tour
Enclosed are the types of holidays that you are able to choose from and how this website is divided. There are a number of tours classified as ‘Independent’. These are where all or most of the trip will be without a tour leader. We also have a few self-guided tours where you are provided with travel information and maps to complete the itinerary on your own. To truly satisfy your hunger for detail, our website lists each of the types of trips by the respective logo.
Independent
There are a number of tours classified as ‘Independent’. These are where all or most of the trip will be without a group or a tour leader, however a local guide or representative may be available. We also have a few self-guided tours where you are provided with travel information and maps to complete the itinerary on your own.
Neilson does not have any involvement with, control over, or responsibility for any activities your Tour Leader/Guide or any local organisations may promote to you or provide information about during your tour. Such activities may be free or payable locally during your free time / downtime. These do not form part of our itinerary. Please note that you are likely to be contracting with local organisations subject to local laws and you may be asked to sign disclaimers or waivers by either your Tour Leader/Guide or local organisation. Health and safety standards are unlikely to reach the standards you would expect in the UK. If you choose to take part in any such activities we strongly recommend your travel insurance provides appropriate cover for all activities you may undertake.
Your Tour Leader or guide may suggest some optional activities to do in your own free time. You may be asked to sign disclaimers or waivers, so please ensure you are insured for the activity. Neilson is not responsible or liable for any of the optional activities you choose to take part in during your free time.
Walking & Trekking
Put your best foot forward with one of our walking and trekking adventures. As well as trips with an emphasis on covering ground, there are a number of walks that take in the cultures, landscapes and wildlife along your journey. All our walks and treks are graded as leisurely, moderate, challenging or demanding.
Wildlife
Encounter all creatures great and small on some of the world’s best wildlife trips. We’ve travelled from pole to pole to bring you closer to animals in the wild. From the baked savannas of our African safari collection to the more unusual (and chillier) wilderness of the Arctic Circle.
Culture and discovery
A range of trips designed to allow you to reach out and touch a country and its cultures bringing you up close and personal with the world’s great historical sites and their people. From a felucca cruise along the Nile to a train journey across Vietnam.
Multi Active
For the activity-hungry explorer who doesn’t feel they’ve experienced a regions beauty or its culture without doing so using a saddle, paddle, snow shoe or dog sled. Choose from as large a range of activities as there are places on offer to do them. All our active adventures are graded as leisurely, moderate, challenging or demanding.
Cycling
People say if you want to get to know a place, get a bike. Self-guided or in a group, we’ve a range of adventures that will uncover a country’s charms on two wheels. All our cycling adventures are graded as leisurely, moderate, challenging or demanding.
Family
Share a love of adventure with your family on one of our carefully selected trips. All hotels, transport and activities are geared for family groups leaving you to enjoy new cultures, breathtaking scenery and fascinating wildlife with the added peace of mind of an experienced team leader on hand.
Guaranteed departure
If you want your unmissable adventure to be exactly that then look out for our guaranteed logo on selected tours and departures. These trips are guaranteed to run, giving you total peace of mind when booking flights and allowing you to confidently start counting down the days for your adventure holiday to begin.
Connoisseur’s Choice
Why not choose from our 'Connoisseur's Choice' range with its itineraries that are especially selected to offer a more in-depth experience of the country. The idea behind these adventures is to allow more time in the destination and visit places that are not necessarily on the tourist trail - whether you're a family wanting a fun, educational trip to one of the world's great wonders, a couple looking for a big, memorable experience, or just someone who's yearning for an adrenalin-fuelled adventure with a group of like-minded individuals.
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2.
Choose your level of comfort
We have graded the accommodation you can expect on all our trips to give you all the information you need to choose a holiday that’s right for you. From making your own camp and taking part in the washing up rota every evening to ordering room service, we have a style of holiday to suit you. Our activities are also graded and will give you an idea of what to expect en route, whether trekking up a hill or white water rafting down river. Prices are generally based upon sharing a twin room although there are some holidays that include stays at multi-occupancy type accommodation. If you are travelling on an escorted trip, you may end up sharing with other members of the group usually of the same sex. There is the possibility to request your own room by paying a single room occupancy charge – see individual brochure pages or the website for further details of which tours offer this, the price and how many nights within the tour it is available on.
Basic – The emphasis on these trips is experiencing the culture and contact with the local population rather than the accommodation. We will be staying in basic, simple but clean guesthouses, hotels, homestays and lodges, sometimes in multi-share dorm style accommodation and usually with shared facilities. We may also be camping, be it in fixed tents with basic facilities or wild camping where you set up your own tent and help out with camp chores. We travel around the country in a variety of forms but generally using the local transport network. The itineraries allow for more freedom and flexibility to explore on your own with the emphasis on the journey and discovering life as a local with the added bonus of having the security of the group leader. The best value adventures with minimum hassle.
Standard – These trips offer a variety of places, people and activities with most nights staying in a simple but clean twin share hotel or lodge rooms with private facilities. You occasionally may have a night in a multi-share accommodation at a rustic local guesthouse with communal bathrooms or fixed tented camp sites with facilities. Transportation will be a combination of public transport, private buses and some private vehicles so there is a new experience every day.
Good – Maintain your home comforts while feeding your curiosity for culture and authentic grass routes travel. Accommodation is in locally run hotels or guesthouses and generally has air-conditioned rooms with en-suite bathrooms. Camping is in fixed camps with hotel style facilities. Transport is in air-conditioned fixed route tourist buses, private touring vehicles or planes (some journeys may be on public transport).
Superior – Experiencing the world doesn’t have to mean sacrificing comfort. Travel around the country by plane, comfortable trains and private air-conditioned buses and touring vehicles. Expect unique, upscale, stylish accommodation with amenities such as a pool, mini bar and restaurant. There will generally be more meals,transfers and activities included.
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3.
Choose your level of activity
Leisurely –
Suitable for most people in good health, these trips may include only a short element of walking either as part of the tour or visiting cultural highlights that are all on good flat paths with gentle slopes and at low altitude or activities that are easy and comfortable to deal with.
Moderate
– Suitable for people with a moderate level of fitness with activities likely to include walks, cycling, rafting and visiting large cultural sites where there maybe some ascents to view the attraction. walking/cycling is generally involving shorter days at moderate altitude on good paths and tracks, although some treks and cycle routes can involve a number of ascents and descents and the occasional difficult day.
Challenging 
– The treks/cycle/mountain biking tours are suitable for regular hill walkers/cyclists that are used to extended days. This may include high altitude hiking of up to 8 hours per day or other activities that require a good high level of fitness. The treks can involve difficult and sometimes glaciated terrain as well as lengthy periods at high altitude and the cycling/mountain biking trips can involve some steep climbs and descents which may be technical.
Demanding 
– These are the toughest tours with high altitude trekking or cycle journeys. Road cycling trips are between 40 and 70 miles per day (road cycling) and 25 and 50 miles per day (mountain biking). These trips are suitable for those with a high level of fitness and endurance. The tours involve many long days with the treks often in isolated areas and at extreme altitude. A high level of fitness and previous trekking/ cycling/mountain biking experience is essential.
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4.
About the tours and your holiday
You’ll find nearly 300 tours in over 50 countries on this website. Every trip and every part of its itinerary is designed with you and your budget in mind, delivering the ultimate experience exactly how you want it to be. This ‘dynamic choice’ covers everything. Choose a flight on a date when you want to leave and combine this with a choice of experiences and adventures. Furthermore, as part of the Thomas Cook family we’ve also access to over 30,000 great value hotels, apartments and villas worldwide. You can even secure the cheapest and most reliable transfer to get to and from the airport to complete the holiday arrangements. Such is the shared passion for exciting, safe and enlightening travel that some of the world’s best adventure specialists have also joined forces with us. Our list of specialist suppliers reads like a who’s who in adventure travel, each one the best in their field. Once you've found the tour that you would like to book, you will find the most comprehensive guide to the tour itinerary, what to pack, how much money to take with you etc on the tour dossier.
Many of our tours already include some great activities but we recognise that you may also want the freedom to do your own thing and sample other activities available locally. Many tours do include periods of free time where you will have the opportunity to explore on your own. You may also wish to add on some days before or after the tour. Please ensure that your holiday insurance provider is aware of any additional activities that you may choose to do in your free time, as well as before and after the tour.
Your Tour Leader or guide may suggest some optional activities to do in your own free time. You may be asked to sign disclaimers or waivers, so please ensure you are insured for the activity. Neilson is not responsible or liable for any of the optional activities you choose to take part in during your free time.
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5.
Tour leaders
Unless opting for self-guided or independent tours, our dedicated professional tour leaders and local guides will accompany you throughout your journey. With unrivalled knowledge of the area, its cultures and local traditions they also have the knack of finding the best restaurant, even in the middle of nowhere. The Tour Leaders are quite simply the glue that holds our tours together. They are chosen for their travel experience and people skills, experienced with looking after groups, have local knowledge and ensure everyone is well looked after and have a wonderful holiday which includes comprehensive briefings at the beginning and throughout the tour.
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6.
Documents, invoices & payment
My documents have not arrived yet. Can you let me know if they have been sent?
Documents should be automatically printed & processed approximately 3 weeks before departure date but may arrive a little later during exceptionally busy periods. As a rule of thumb, we aim for documents to be received no later than 2 weeks prior to departure. If your documents do not arrive within 3-4 days let us know by emailing admin@neilsonadventures.com and we will send the documents.
I need to make payment for my holiday booked over the phone.
To make a payment through our call centre staff, please call 0844 8798152 making sure that when you do, you have your eight digit booking reference to hand. However, please note, when making a payment with a member of staff, there will be a charge of 2.5% up to £50 per transaction when paying by credit card. For any other payment queries, please contact us at admin@neilsonadventures.com.
When do I need to pay the final balance of my holiday?
If you have booked directly with Neilson either by phone or on the website then your final balance will be due at the latest 8 weeks prior to departure. (Bookings made through travel agents may vary so please check with them).Unfortunately, it is not currently possible to pay the final balance of your holiday online. For any other payment queries, please contact us at admin@neilsonadventures.com.
As well as my ticket what other travel documents will I need to take with me?
You will need to take a current passport and, if your destination country requires one, a visa. You will also need your most recent booking confirmation/invoice as well as your travel insurance details.
(Please note it takes approximately 12 weeks to obtain a full British passport, although at certain times this may be longer.) Requirements may change for travel to your destination so always check the current situation in good time before departure. For the latest passport, visa and health requirements applicable to British Citizens, you’re advised to check the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Passport Office website.
What are the visa requirements for the country I am travelling to?
We would recommend you check with the trip notes that have been provided for each tour or the embassy or high commission of the country you are visiting (Or their website where available). The Foreign and Commonwealth Office website may also have visa information to help. There are now a number of very important requirements for people visiting America to comply with.
If my flight transits through America, do I need a visa?
Yes, if you travel on a flight that transits through America to your final destination, you will need follow the below instructions.
Passports
British passport holders travelling to the USA (or via the USA) are required to have either individual machine-readable passports or biometric passports. (If you need to check your passport we recommend you contact the UK Passport Office ). Families will be required to obtain individual passports for each traveller including all children.
Visa Waiver Programme (VWP)
If you have a machine readable or Biometric passport you should be able to qualify for travel (of up to 90 days) without a visa, under the Visa Waiver Programme (VWP). That is, provided no one in your party has ever been arrested (even if not convicted), or if suffering from a serious communicable disease (visit the US Embassy website for details of all restrictions).
For passengers holding a non-British Passport, or, if you are unsure whether you qualify for travel under the VWP please consult the Identity & Passport Service or the US Embassy.
For travellers who qualify for travel under the VWP, important details on obtaining travel authorisation are outlined below.
Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA)
Called "Electronic System for Travel Authorisation", or ESTA for short, this is a US Customs & Passport Control entry requirement and must therefore be completed in order to visit the USA (or transit through the USA). US Immigration may well refuse you entry at border control if you do not complete the online form.
This ESTA system has been introduced in addition to the existing Visa Waiver Programme. The system is web based only and requires all passengers (including infants) travelling via or to the USA to apply for 'authority to travel' a minimum of 72 hours prior to travel. Effective from 12 January 2009, ESTA is compulsory. You may be denied boarding or refused entry to the US if you have not registered and obtained authorisation using ESTA. To apply for this new travel authorisation, visit the official ESTA website.
It is very important that you complete your ESTA application using the exact address as displayed on the documentation you receive from your Airline/Operator. (If you have booked a flight only or the address of your accommodation is confirmed on arrival, please use our resort office address as stated on your holiday invoice/tickets). Your Airline or Tour Operator will be providing accommodation details for all passengers to the US Immigration authorities after you have departed to America. If there are any differences between the Tour Operator/Airline information compared to what you have written on your ESTA registration, then you may be denied entry into the USA. We recommend that you carry your ESTA approval with you when you travel. For additional information on travel to the US visit the US Embassy website.
I’ve lost my confirmation invoice. Can you send me another one?
Of course! Please drop us an e-mail to admin@neilsonadventures.com with your booking reference and we will get one out to you shortly.
I’ve just received my invoice or tickets and my name is incorrect.
If you have booked through the Neilson website or directly over the phone please e-mail us at admin@neilsonadventures.com. If you’re making any changes like this, we may have to make a small charge.
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7.
Flights, airports and baggage allowance
What is the baggage allowance for my flight?
Baggage allowance is different depending on the airline but generally, around 20kg, Remember these allowances are exclusive of hand luggage which is limited simply to a number of pieces depending on airport of departure.
What time can I check in for my flight?
We strongly advise that you plan your journey to the airport so that you arrive 3 hours prior to the scheduled departure time. Airline check-in desks open 3 hours prior to departure at UK airports and between 2 and 2½ hours before departure at overseas airports. If you arrive late or after the check-in staff have closed the flight, they may not accept you for travel and could cancel your reservation. If this happens, additional travel costs will be at your expense and no refunds will be given.
When you arrive at the airport check-in desk, be ready to show your tickets, passport and baggage. If you have an E-Ticket, please take your E-Ticket Travel Itinerary, as you may be asked for this at check-in. Make sure in advance that your baggage meets weight and size requirements. If you're travelling in a group, make sure all members of your party are present at the desk at the time of check-in.
After check-in, you can move to the departure lounge where you'll find further flight information including your departure gate number. Please note that no call will be made for your flight so make sure you are at the departure gate at least 45 minutes before departure time.
I have a special meal request. Can I pre-book my in flight meal?
Please drop us an e-mail to admin@neilsonadventures.com with your booking reference and the passengers name who requires the meal. We will pass the information onto the airline. You can request the following meals:
Vegetarian
Vegan
Dairy free
Nut free
Gluten free
Diabetic meals
Kids meal
Please note meal requests are not guaranteed, and are at the discretion of the airline.
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8.
Changes to a booking / adding extras
How do I cancel or amend an existing booking?
Email us at admin@neilsonadventures.com or phone us on 0844 8798152 making sure you quote all relevant booking references. We can only access bookings which have been made directly through us or our website. For any booking made through a travel agent you will need to speak to them. Charges may apply to any changes you make. You can find out more accurate information about these fees by looking at our Booking Conditions. (Please note the applicable fees are those quoted in the brochure and were current at the time of booking).
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9.
Booking online
What do I do if I have a problem with my online booking?
The majority of tours are available to book online. If you have problems booking online, please phone us on 0844 8798152. If the tour is not available online, please call us to book on 0844 8798152.
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10.
Insurance /
health requirements
Do I need insurance?
All our guests need to have adequate holiday insurance before they travel. There are many insurance policies available, but it is vital that your policy covers you for all the activities you'll be enjoying on your Neilson holiday. If you'll be having a go at activities like scuba diving and off-road mountain biking, make sure your policy covers you adequately. We have arranged a policy with Whitehorse Insurance which is custom designed for Neilson guests and the adventures they enjoy.
Where can I find information on health requirements such as vaccinations?
For the latest information on any possible vaccination requirements for your destination, please visit the Embassy website of your destination. We recommend you also check with your GP, as the health advice may be dependent on your medical history. You may also find useful information in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website.
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11.
What clothing should I take with me?
Mountain climates can vary day to day so it’s essential you take the appropriate clothing with you, especially if you’re planning to explore mountain terrain high above the resort. See the individual trips notes for further details.
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12.
Add more to your experience
Neilson Adventures are able to offer you your adventure holiday as well as a range of flights and add-ons to your tour such as hotels, transfers or other adventure trips. Once you have confirmed which tour you would like, you will be offered a range of accommodation types, locations and classes depending on which tour you have chosen. If the tour is already confirmed as guaranteed to go, you will also be given a selection of flight options allowing you to choose when you want to travel, or maybe you might want to add a hotel stay to the beginning or end of your trip. Please note that if your trip is not yet guaranteed, then you will not be offered flights or extra accommodation or transfer options online. You can however book these over the phone with us once your trip is confirmed.
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