Why book a group tour?
There are obvious advantages to booking a group tour. Our group tours are fun, comfortable and convenient, you know what the costs will be and there is great camaraderie.
However, with the arrival of Covid-19 being in a group has made us all aware of socially distancing.
So how does this affect Classic Travelling Group Tours?
Many recent reports suggest driving tours and holidays are the new travel trend. Group travel trends will be for smaller groups, such as the size we already operate. Classic Travelling has been organising driving tours for over 18 years, since 2003 and we specialise in small group tours and independent tours. Driving your own car is naturally socially-distanced.
Our carefully-curated itineraries are for small groups and we handpick small, boutique-style hotels, where clients are treated as individuals. These hotels are often family-run or owner-managed and great care is taken with all procedures, including having sanitation policies in place. The types of hotels we use are nearly always based in the countryside and give everyone space, making it easy to keep social distancing practices in mind.
Our driving tours tend to explore rural areas, where the open road avoids towns and cities. Classic Travelling tours, by their very nature, are off the beaten track and away from crowds.
Driving tours also allow you to be a more sensitive traveller and experience a destination at a leisurely pace whilst appreciating the local heritage, culture, flavours and sights.
Covid means that, especially in the next year, more people will be enjoying a staycation and exploring their own country. For our UK clients, driving around our beautiful country, especially in a lovely car, is a bucket-list experience and it’s so easy to do. International travel is understandably difficult at this time, so many people are leaning towards multiple short breaks.
How will group tours work in practice?
The UK is doing exceptionally well in its vaccination scheme, and we know that the vast majority of our UK clients have already been fully vaccinated. This will give everyone more confidence to get out and about.
- We aim to keep 1 metre apart from those not in our families or bubbles.
- We encourage face coverings/masks to be worn indoors if you wish, apart from when eating or drinking.
- We encourage tour participants to maintain good hygiene with regular hand-washing or sanitising.
To comply with the rules:
- Classic Travelling Tour Directors will ensure they are familiar with the most up-to-date public health guidelines and will adhere to these for the duration of the tour.
- Classic Travelling Tour Directors will maintain government-recommended social distancing between themselves and clients at all times. On tours where the group includes different households, tour directors will encourage and help clients to adopt appropriate social distancing between each other too.
- Classic Travelling Tour Directors will avoid shaking hands or any other physical contact with clients.
- Classic Travelling Tour Directors will apply rigorous hygiene practices, including thoroughly cleaning and waiting for hands to dry before guiding, and use a personal hand sanitiser when this is not possible.
