| Here are the answers to the questions
we are most commonly asked!
Please will you send me a brochure?
What dates we can travel?
What airlines do you use?
What hotels do you use?
Can we choose our hotels?
Can you tailor-make an itinerary for us, or do we have to take one of the standard tours on your website?
Do you offer the whole package?
Can you offer flight-only bookings?
How about just flight and hotel?
How do we apply for our visas?
Are your tours group tours or private tours?
Will our guide & driver be with us for the whole trip?
Can we book our own flights and ask you to arrange just the tour?
What are the hidden extras?
Is my money safe with Dragon Travel?
Do I need travel insurance?
Please will you send me a brochure?
As Dragon Travel markets its tours exclusively via the internet, we do not publish a printed brochure.
All the information that would normally be found in a brochure is here on our website.
What dates we can travel?
Any date you like - all our tours are
tailor-made for you and so long as flights to the region
are available we can arrange for you to depart and return
on any date that is convenient. Some tours require you to start on a
particular day of the week, as sights included on the tour are only worth visiting at certain times.
What airlines do you use?
For transport to and from South-East
Asia, we use only the major airlines serving the region.
Nearly always this means Thai Airways, Malaysian Airlines,
Singapore Airlines or Cathay Pacific.
For tours in the Northern part of China (Beijing etc.) we
usually use the major European airlines (KLM, Lufthansa etc).
We always try to source the best flight for you, bearing in mind not just price,
but also routing, departure time, connection times etc.
We source tickets
for domestic or international flights within or between
the countries of South-East Asia in the countries concerned,
usually with the national carrier. Our guide in-situ
will give these to you as required during your trip.
These flights are sometimes subject to cancellation
or schedule changes beyond our control. In the event
of such a disruption, we will make every effort to carry
out your programme, or make the necessary changes to
ensure as much of it is carried out as possible. Many
domestic flights take place quite early in the morning
and although we try to source flights at 'civilised'
hours if possible, sometimes an early start is unavoidable.
What hotels do you use?
We normally quote three prices for your
trip - for standard, superior or deluxe hotels. The prices we quote apply to hotels, chosen by us, normally
from those shown on the hotels pages of this website.
For tours in china we normally quote only two categories of hotel, Deluxe and Superior.
Can we choose our hotels?
Of course. If you wish to specify the hotels you want, please tell us as soon as possible
as the price may vary (up or down) to reflect your choices. If your
chosen hotel is fully booked, we will offer you an alternative hotel of a similar standard.
You may also mix hotel standards if you wish, for example using superior grade hotels whilst
on tour, but a deluxe hotel for your beach break.
If you want to stay at a hotel that you know about but which is not shown on our website, we will be pleased to book it for you -
on the understanding that we may not have inspected that hotel and can offer no comment as to its suitability for your stay.
Can you tailor-make an itinerary for
us or do we have to take one of the standard tours on
your website?
Actually, all Dragon tours are tailor-made
to suit the exact requirements of each customer. The'
standard' tours on our website are our suggestions in
the light of what has proved popular with our clients.
One of these might provide the basis for your itinerary
but of course it can readily be modified to suit your
precise needs.
Do you offer the whole package?
Yes, that is what we do. Our quotation will normally include international and domestic flights, land transportation, transfers, entrance fees,
services of a guide and driver, hotel accommodation and many meals. The only things not included are airport departure taxes, visa fees
and your personal expenses such as laundry, telephone etc.
Do you offer flight-only bookings?
No.
How about just flight and hotel?
No again.
How do we apply for our visas?
When you book with us, we will send you a visa pack containing full instructions and application forms for your visas. We can also
assist further with your application by checking your applications and submitting them on your behalf if you prefer.
Are your tours group tours or private tours?
All our tours are private and arranged just for you and your party. You will not join any other travellers on arrival and will have
your own vehicle (air-conditioned car, 'people mover' or minibus as appropriate) together with your own driver and guide.
Will our guide & driver be with us for the whole trip?
In general, you will have a different guide and driver in each main area that you visit. For example, you would have one guide and driver
in south Vietnam, and a different guide and driver in central or north Vietnam.
Can we book our own flights and ask you to arrange just the tour?
We do not normally arrange tours without flights to and from the UK, for very good reasons. You would probably not be
better off sourcing your own flights to south-east Asia in any case:
1)ATOL Protection: If you provide your own flights, you forego your protection under the ATOL scheme. ATOL protection only applies to
'air tours', i.e. international flights plus hotel, land transportation etc.
2) Cheap flights are often cheap for a reason: the departure or arrival times are inconvenient, or there are long transit delays at intermediate airports.
3) Tours usually start and end in different places. We provide 'open jaw' return air tickets that allow different arrival and departure airports. In general,
cheap tickets are standard returns both to and from a particular airport. If you have these, we then have to provide a domestic or regional flight to get you back to your
start point to connect with your departure flight. The combined cost of your standard return and the domestic/regional flight can add up to more than the 'open jaw' return that we supply,
making your trip more expensive overall, as well as involving unnecessary travel and transit delays.
What are the hidden extras?
There aren't any. The only costs not included in our quoted price are your visa fees, airport departure taxes and personal expenses.
Our tours always include breakfast and many other meals: the tour program that we agree with you will specify which meals are included.
Is my money safe with Dragon Travel?
Your money is very safe with Dragon Travel. We hold an Air Tour Operators Licence: if you book an air tour with us, you are fully protected by the
Civil Aviation Authority in the event of a failure of Dragon Travel or the airline. In addition, under the terms of our membership of the Travel Trust Association,
the money you pay for your tour is held in a special trust account until you have returned from your holiday. Dragon Travel only receives payment for your
tour after you have come back. A special 'safe-seat' insurance policy, provided free-of-charge, covers you against Dragon Travel or the trustee failing to operate the
trust account correctly.
Do I need travel insurance?
We strongly recommend that you take out a good travel insurance policy as soon as possible after booking with us.
We can arrange this for you, if you wish. Although rare, it sometimes happens that a client is unable to travel due to illness and a travel policy
should cover against this eventuality.
Please also note that the travel cover offered by credit cards is very limited and certainly no substitute for a proper travel insurance policy.
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