“This too will pass”

We offer these words to all of us who are anxious about travel and the world health in the current environment.

First and foremost, take care of yourself and your families and follow government guidelines including the CDC, World Health Organization and local authorities where you live.

We are equal parts hopeful and optimistic that as vaccines roll out, a return to normality is in the not too distant future. When you feel ready to plan ahead, we are here for you, tweaking existing trip itineraries and dreaming up new destinations.

We have been operating trips under Great Explorations since 1996 and have weathered difficult times before and this is no exception. Together, we will come through this and be back on bikes and actively traveling soon enough.

Robbin McKinney
Owner at Great Explorations

For us at Great Explorations, your  health and safety is our top priority.  We are taking all necessary steps to ensure that when the time is right and  you are ready to book your next adventure, you can do so with confidence. 

Our Expectations of our Travelers

Arriving in Good Health

All travelers will be sent a health questionnaire to be completed, signed and returned before the trip departure date.

We trust that each individual traveler will arrive healthy for any of our trips, but in order to ensure the safety of everyone, all travelers will have their temperature taken by one of our Guides upon arriving on day one. If any traveler presents with a temperature of 38.0°C (100.4°F) or above they will not be able to participate in the trip. 

Some local health authorities and destination countries will require travelers to get tested in order to visit the region. We encourage all our travelers to investigate what is expected of them ahead of time. Should any of our travelers be confused in regards to what is expected of them, please do not hesitate to get in touch with your travel advisor.

Masks 

We are encouraging all our travelers to bring their own masks, whether it’s a stylish reusable mask or a disposable medical one, travelers should be prepared and ready to wear a mask when required or deemed appropriate. We will have a small supply of masks available to travelers should you forget, however it is best to come prepared with your own. 

All travelers must wear a mask should they be asked by a Great Explorations Guide or any of our travel partners (i.e. hotels, restaurants, etc.). We would like to remind all our travelers that masks must cover both the nose and mouth in order to be effective. 

Healthy Practices

All travelers are reminded to wash their hands well & frequently and practice social distancing where possible and when appropriate. We encourage all our travelers to bring any necessary health & sanitation products (i.e. wipes, hand sanitizer, etc.) with them. We will have hand sanitizer in all our vehicles and available to travelers whenever possible.

Our Promise to our Travelers

Before Your Trip 

At 60 days prior to your trip we will begin sending out updates every other week on the local situation and any necessary health and safety protocols in place in the region that our travelers should be aware of. 

Small Groups  

We have always prided ourselves on offering small group trips and we will continue to limit the number of travelers to 16 people max. Our groups tend to be made up of an average of 8 travelers.

Transportation & Equipment 

We will be implementing enhanced safety and sanitation measures in all our vehicles. For open groups, Great Explorations requires all passengers to wear masks when in our vehicles. There will be enough room in our vehicles for travelers to space themselves out in order to maintain social distancing between unrelated parties. For private groups, Great Explorations will default to the group’s choice, however our guides and drivers will always wear masks when in our vehicles.  Vehicles will be sanitized and cleaned after every use. 

Bikes and equipment will be thoroughly disinfected prior to the trip beginning and throughout the trip whenever necessary. travelers will be assigned personal equipment: bike, helmet (where provided), etc. that they will be the sole user of for the duration of the trip.

Accommodations

We pride ourselves on working with incredible off the beaten track boutique hotels. We will communicate any of our accommodation partners’ relevant health and safety measures to our travelers prior to the trip. The health and safety of our travelers is of the utmost importance to Great Explorations. Whilst we are not responsible for the  health and safety protocols of our partners, we will be taking their measures into account when deciding which accommodations we will work with. 

T & Cs

We have updated our Terms & Conditions in order to be as flexible as possible and help you book with confidence, all while ensuring we can continue to offer once in a lifetime adventures for many more years to come. 

Enhancing Our Offer

We understand that not all travelers will feel comfortable with group travel at this moment in time and that is why we are offering more options than ever before, so you can design a trip that feels right for you.  Whether you want to design your own custom trip, make any of our trips private, we’ve got you covered! Individual travelers on group trips may opt for a private room with our single supplement offer. 

We have also added even more trips closer to home. For those who’d prefer to explore their own backyard for the time being, we have even more options for you!

Our sister company Randonnée Tours offers self-guided tours, which is also a great option for travelers hoping to stick strictly with their own bubble but are itching to get back out on the road adventuring.