QUESTIONS ABOUT OUR LOCAL TOUR
At Our Local Tour, our experts are happy to help. We can arrange every aspect of your small group tour or tailor-made holiday. However, you must know how these tours and holidays operate. You also need to prepare for your trip. Here we answer some of the questions that people frequently ask us. If the info below doesn't answer your question, please contact us. A team member will be happy to answer any questions.
Common Questions
For a custom holiday or a private tour, choose a country to explore. Then, contact us. Give us an idea of when, how long for and what you like, then leave the rest up to us. We will send an itinerary and cost for your holiday. We can tailor this to your requirements. If there is a country or place that you don't see listed, ask us. We have firsthand knowledge of a vast array of destinations, and not everything is listed on our website.
For our escorted small group tours, it’s even simpler. Browse our range of countries to experience, choose a tour that appeals, read through the itinerary, and pick a date to travel. You can either call our office or send us a message, and we will get back to you. Online booking is in the pipeline for our escorted group tours. Most tours need a minimum group size to operate, so don’t book any flights until we confirm that the tour can go ahead. If you would like any additional arrangements pre- or post-tour, just let us know, and we can book this for you.
For most of our tours and holidays, you can pay a minimum deposit of £350 or 10% of the total amount (whichever is greater), plus any extra flight costs. The balance is then required ten weeks before you are due to travel.
We have taken great care in choosing each one of our local travel experts. Most of our local travel partners have decades-long ties with our team.
For new destinations and potential partners, Our Local Tour vets any promising local company. There is no guarantee that we will work with them. All our local travel partners must share our ethos. They must be locally owned and committed to providing the best, most immersive holidays and authentic tours.
In most cases, yes, you could. However, most of the local travel partners that we have teamed up with only work directly with inbound tour operators such as ourselves. Therefore, we do not give out their details before booking. They do not want to be handling enquiries directly from travellers. We act as their sales and marketing departments. This lets them focus on what they do best: providing world-class, authentic travel experiences.
In addition, it is not always cost-effective to book directly with a locally based tour operator. After considering exchange rates, transfer fees, and language barriers, you will find Our Local Tour is very competitive. If you have had a quote from a local tour operator, let us know and see how we compare. Add in our 100% financial protection and you can rest assured that you are getting great value for money with an Our Local Tour holiday.
On most of the escorted small group tours, we operate based on at least four confirmed clients.
We are a small operator. We support our local teams. So, we believe in running the tour whenever possible. We put in a great deal of effort to accommodate smaller group sizes. So, for a small fee, we can usually run the tour privately for just two clients.
For tours of this type, we have high standards. Our experience in the destination is also very good and they offer excellent value for money.
There are no hard and fast rules about what type of people travel on a holiday or tour with us. We attract people of all ages, nationalities and walks of life.
What you are likely to find though is that travellers share a similar outlook about travel. We tend to attract people with a curiosity about the places and people that they visit. Many are seeking new and unique travel experiences. Others enjoy the companionship of travelling together on an escorted small group tour.
In a word, yes. We get a good mix of solo travellers, couples and groups of friends on our group tours. There is usually a small supplement to pay for solo travellers due to the hotels and guesthouses only giving us prices per room rather than per person.
We keep any supplement at an absolute minimum.
If we have two solo same sex travellers and both want to share, we are very happy to pair you up to avoid and extra payments.
No. We use local staff to lead and guide our trips.
This way Our Local Tour groups and private tours can offer excellent insights into local culture and traditions that many western leaders simply don’t have access to.
At certain places we may also use a local specialist tour guide who is an expert in the site you are visiting. Check the tour itinerary for each tour.
The only time you may find a member of our staff on the tour is if they are enjoying their own holiday!
Yes we can.
Get in touch and let one of our travel experts know what you had in mind.
Please note that we do not book tours or accommodation in a country for less than five nights in each place.
At Our Local Tour, the safety of our passengers, staff and local operators is our major priority. We monitor world events very closely and make operational decisions based on informed advice from a number of different sources.
We have a duty to monitor the advice issued for each country by the British Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO). Rather than depend solely on this advice we prefer to also work closely with our local partners and plan our tours based on their sound experience and up-to-date first-hand knowledge.
For further information, visit the British FCDO website for their local travel advice - https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice
We also strongly recommend taking out travel insurance at the time of booking, which may offer some protection against changes to Government travel warnings. Check this with your insurance provider.
Our Local Tour believe that adventure travel does not mean taking unnecessary risks. The safety of our clients and of our local colleagues is paramount and non-negotiable. Below we have listed additional Government travel advisories that you may wish to consider depending on your nationality.
When you’re happy with the suggested itinerary or group departure date, you can pay for your trip over the phone by calling us or we can send you an email to pay via a secure link.
We require a minimum deposit of £350 or 10% of the total amount. For flights, we often have to take full payment for these at the time of reservation. Your consultant will advise you on this. The balance is then due ten weeks before your departure date. For bookings made within ten weeks, full payment will be due at the time of confirmation.
You can pay in installments as long as the final balance is paid at least ten weeks before your departure. You can pay for your trip using VISA, MasterCard or bank transfer.
To give you more flexibility around flight times and airlines, international flights are not included in our prices.
Ask your travel consultant for an idea of times and prices.
For our group tours there may be a set arrival flight . With tailor-made holidays and private escorted tours we can offer you a wide range of options.
Yes. Our Local Tour is a member of the Association of Bonded Travel Organisers Trust Limited (ABTOT) which provides financial protection under its ATOL Franchise and The Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018. More details can be found here - Financial Protection
Yes we do. This is the link to our Responsible Travel Policy.
You must have all visas (and vaccination) certificates that are necessary to enter or pass through any countries involved in the journey or tour. Visa requirements are listed in individual trip notes, but this information is subject to change.
You can visit https://travcour-vls.com to find out instantly what, if any visas, you need to obtain prior to travel. Alternatively, visas can be obtained through the relevant embassy or consulate.
Where letters of invitation or other documentation is required from our local partners, we will aim to get this to you in adequate time. This documentation will not be provided before full payment is received. If you require any documents for your visa application before ten weeks, full payment will need to be made.
General Note: Some countries refuse admission to travellers not meeting their accepted standards of dress or appearance (even if they hold a visa). Entry may also be refused to certain countries if your passport bears stamps or visas (valid or expired) for Israel. Please note it is your responsibility to ensure you have the correct, current information in good time before departure and that you act on it.
Visa requirements are listed in the trip notes, but please note that this information is subject to change. It is your responsibility to ensure that you are in possession of a full passport, with the correct validity for your chosen destination.