Hi
I appologise if this topic has been discussed but I cant find any info on it.

How many people does a tour need to become a definate departure? I have found out that the tour we are booked on has only 14 people (9 are Aussies )at the moment and we are 13 weeks off departure. They are predicting it wont go ahead but not calling it yet.

Thanks

Jen

Hi Wren

There is no set number for all tours as the number can vary depending on the particular tour and the country.

Have a read of all of this thread Definite Departures which was started by John Boulding to advise of changes to the previous system Preferred Departeures as it may help to give you a better understanding of the position.

Sorry I can't answer your question Jen. I would be surprised if there is a generic answer to your question, because of the variation in costs for different countries. We toured Egypt in 2007 in a group of 14, but there wasn't a lot of bus travel involved. There might be a chance that people who have had a tour cancelled already might book on your tour and boost the numbers.

We are waiting for definite departures on two of our three tours, so I understand your concern. I have been watching the departure dates on lots of tours fairly closely, and can see that the lists are regularly updated. As frustrating as it is for us, it does seem that Insight is communicating promptly when a decision is made.

Our first tour (11 June)is a definite departure so I have something real to focus on. I've also checked alternatives from the tours that already have definite departures around the dates of our second and third tours (28 June and 11 July). If I had realised the likelihood of cancellations, I would not have booked three tours!

I am interested to know how you found out how many are booked on your trip - from Insight directly or through your travel agent?

I have my fingers crossed for you Jen, and I'll let you know what happens with our tours.

Nelligan

Hi

Our travel agent contacted Insight in London as we were/are concerned as many of the dates for our particular tour have been cancelled ie 8 or so between May and July. All our airfares etc have been paid. We just want something definate advised so we can relax a bit and not have to chase another tour at the last minute.

I know there are a lot of people in our situation and I am aware they would be worried as well...yourself included.

Jen

Jen

I can't believe how easy our tours have been in previous years, when we just picked a 'Tour Guaranteed' date and waited for it to arrive. Maybe some of those were also cancelled and I was blissfully unaware of it. I'm not sure I'd book so far ahead again. If we have any changes to our itinerary, there will be added airfares, so the savings gained through early payment will be negated.

Can you let us know when you have news of your tour? I hope it is soon so that you can relax and enjoy the anticipation.

Nelligan

Nelligan

We also had no problems with our last tour. We did European Spotlight in 2007 and we chose a tour that wasn't a TG as the date suited our party of 4. The tour went ahead with about 30 people.This year is very different and I was told by our agent that it was mainly due to the Americans not travelling. I don't know how true this is. Anyway, there is not much I can do about it but sit tight and wait.

Jen

Wren,

Not sure how many people they need for the tour to go ahead, but if the tour is cancelled I believe it is done at the 50 day prior mark.

I did a tour last year that only had 23, the coach was half full. Having been on tours that are usually always full, it was actually quite nice and intimate with the smaller group, but I guess not so good for the Tour Director and Driver (tips wise). I am sure they would have preferred a full coach.

I am booked on Elegance of Great Britain departing 10th Sept which still shows 'preferred departure'. I booked this tour in January because of the 'early bird specials' at the time, I also booked a tour of Normandy and Brittany France that departs one week later with a stay in london in between the two tours which I have also booked and paid for the London apartment. Since then airfares had decreased and I would have saved $1,000 on the airfare alone. I will never book and pay that far in advance again. Maybe in lean times companies such as Insight should organise fewer departures to ensure they are definate.

I agree with you Sydneysue....we booked and paid in June 2008 for the tour and the airfares were paid in September 2008. I will never do this again. Our tour still isnt a DEF with 12 weeks to go. We are looking at other tours now as a backup. Its frustrating not knowing. We chose this tour because of the variety, coach travel and a cruise, and now it looks like we may be disapointed. I check the site constantly for any updates.

Jen

July 29th 2009 European Classic
September 9th 2007 European Spotlight

quote:

Our first tour (11 June)is a definite departure so I have something real to focus on. I've also checked alternatives from the tours that already have definite departures around the dates of our second and third tours (28 June and 11 July). If I had realised the likelihood of cancellations, I would not have booked three tours

Sorry to read that one of your tours has been cancelled. How did you find out? Did the date just disappear off the list?

I am constantly checking our date. Its become an obsession.

Will you rebook something for that date?

I wish ours was decided one way or the other.

Jen