NB: This page is being updated regularly to bring you the latest information regarding this evolving picture.
To the Skedaddle community,
We hope that you, your family and friends are in good health. For those that are ill, we wish you the speediest of recoveries. These continue to be the most extraordinary of times. Each individual faces their own challenges, worries and anxieties. For us adventure enthusiasts who love nothing more than exploring the great outdoors and connecting with communities, the global travel restrictions currently in place are difficult to come to terms with.
The safety of our customers, staff and partners remains our top priority as always. So for those of you with existing bookings, we would like to take this opportunity to give you an update:
- If you had planned to go away with us in May we will be in touch with you very soon, if we haven’t already, to talk through with you your options. Please bear with us as we work to contact everyone individually.
- If you are due to travel with us from June onwards, thank you for your patience as we deal with more immediate departures, rest assured we will get in touch with you when we can.
- We won’t be processing your balance payments and are enabling more people to transfer to a future holiday. If you can’t commit to an alternative date at the moment you will receive a refund credit note to the full value of the money paid and which you can use against any Skedaddle holiday, subject to availability.
- You can now transfer to a future date. We are enabling anyone booked on a Skedaddle holiday until the end of August, to move to a future departure, free of charge. This includes switching to 2021 dates, at the current 2020 price. Do get in touch with us if you would like to explore this option.
Please be assured your money is protected, whether as payment for a specific holiday or as a credit note, we are bonded by ABTOT and are members of ABTA.
An update on our team
We are still here for you! Like many, we are home working, testing the limits of our domestic broadbands and IT. So far, so good (surprisingly), and we still have all of our usual means of contact in place, though do bear with us if you are trying to get through to speak to us. As you can imagine, it’s a very busy time.
Like many companies in the travel industry, we have had to make the difficult decision to ask a significant number of our team in the UK to take a leave of absence. We are also not able to provide the normal level of business to our extensive team of guides, suppliers and partners around the world. These are not decisions we have taken lightly. We are painfully aware of the impact this has on our global network’s livelihoods and wellbeing and this weighs heavily on us.
Despite all of this, we continue to be amazed by how our community has come together. Whilst we are now functioning with a reduced team, we are keeping in contact with everyone so we can stay up-to-date about what’s going on, keep spirits high and think about the future. By sharing friendship, compassion and support, we are all finding a way through these difficult days. Your continued support – whether this is kind words, bookings for 2021 or patience as we navigate the daily challenges – means the world to us.
Sharing is caring
Whilst we all adapt to this strange new world, alongside our wider team, we are keen to keep you, our extended family smiling over the coming weeks and months. We’d love to hear how you’re keeping busy, maybe it’s planning your future adventures, or reminiscing on past travels with us – whatever it is you’re up to, do continue to share your stories with us.
For those craving travel inspiration to lift your spirits, check out our new dates for 2021 here. Remember, when we all get through this – and we will – amazing adventures and more community connections await.
Don’t forget, we’re all in this together
These are extraordinary times. Friendship, community and trust have never been more important.
In our 25 year history we have handled many challenges, but this is the biggest yet. We are a small, friendly business, built on inspiring people to travel in a sustainable, community-led way. We’re a passionate, global community and we’re all in this together – that’s the (virtual) office team and our extended family of small, local businesses – our many local partners, the hoteliers, and beyond.
And of course you are part of that community. This is our promise to you: when you set off on your next Skedaddle trip, you can just turn up, relax and have a great time, in the knowledge that we’ve got everything covered.
Thanks again for your understanding, patience and continued support – it means a lot!
Paul, Lizzie, Hannah and the Skedaddle Team