Frequently Asked Questions about Dragon Tours
Here are the answers to the questions we are most commonly asked!
What dates we can travel?
What airlines do you use?
Can you reserve seats for us on the plane?
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?
Dragon Travel markets its tours exclusively via the internet and so we do not publish a printed brochure.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?
Except for group tours, 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.
All 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.
Can you reserve seats for us on the plane?
We are happy to reserve seats for you on your international flights to and from the UK, provided the airline concerned
allows it. Advance seat reservation on internal flights is not possible.
Please note that this service is provided as a courtesy to our customers. Seat allocations are under the control of
the airline and reserved seats may be reallocated by the airline any time for its own reasons.
Exit-row seats cannot normally be reserved, but if you are allocated an exit-row seat you must be fully able-bodied.
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?
Yes. If you wish to specify the hotels you prefer, chosen from those on our website, 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.
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 specially arranged for you, but the 'standard' tours on our website are our suggestions in the light of what has proved popular with our clients. It is usually better to start with the 'standard' tour and modifiy it if necessary to suit your precise needs.
Do you offer the whole package?
Yes. Our quotation will normally include international and domestic flights, land transportation and transfers, entrance fees, services of a guide and driver, hotel accommodation and many meals. The only things not included are some 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
How do we apply for our visas?
When you book with us, we will send you a booking 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?
Nearly 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.
We do organise several group tours each year. These are clearly identified on our website and we will make it very
clear if we are offering a group tour to you.
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 usually 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 would 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 and personal expenses. Nowadays, airport departure taxes/service charges are often included in the air ticket, but in some countries may still be payable. Your tour will always include breakfast, lunch on every day that full day tours are arranged and usually several dinners: the tour program that we agree with you will show clearly 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 returned. 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?
It is essential that you take out a good travel insurance policy as soon as possible after booking with us.
We can help arrange this for you, if you wish. Although rare, it sometimes happens that a client is unable to travel due
to illness and your travel policy should carry sufficient cancellation cover against this eventuality.
Please also note that the travel cover offered by credit cards is very limited and will not cover cancellation of
your holiday: it is certainly no substitute for a proper travel insurance policy.
