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Travel vs COVID-19
We’re all in this together. From our home to yours, we’re with you. By now, you’ve probably heard it a million times. So have we. Yet it’s true — true for you and for us, and for many companies worldwide — and we are no exception.
Our Venues
In the Lifestyle, it's important to realize that venues that agree to host our events do this at a certain risk. They may be worried about their company name, and other important parties they work with may perhaps not be as open-minded as we all are. They are vulnerable to lose vital wholesale contracts, or they risk bad reviews... the list goes on and on. So, it's always a delicate process to secure any venue, let alone keep them. Why is this important? Read on...
Booking Process
When you book an SDC Travel event before we can even process your reservation, you'll need to check the box that you have read and agree to our terms and conditions. Please do so and make sure that you agree, otherwise don't check that box, and then just don't travel with us. It's your choice. You trust us to deliver a great holiday, we at our end trust that you have read and agree to our terms and conditions. Why is that so important? Keep reading...
Impact on Events
In the past weeks, these abnormal circumstances across the globe also negatively affected our travel department. Booking uncertainties have led to anxious people looking for immediate and satisfactory answers. Very understandable. There are still a lot of unknowns, and so, as we are working to wrap our heads around it all, we are also navigating these new waters trying to get a grip on things during this highly unprecedented situation. Okay, so what? Please read further...
Contingency is Key
The possibility to postpone any event is not an easy decision to make, nor is it entirely up to us. It's actually only happened once before — years ago when a hurricane blew away a venue — so it involves quite a back-and-forth with the venues in question. Things take time. We heavily depend on decisions made by each individual venue, contractual stipulations, availability, etc., and that doesn't at all consider the unpredictability of when this health crisis will end.
Our venues put their trust in us, and as such, show their support to the Lifestyle. In return, we are inclined to support them back in an effort to try and work on a contingency plan to keep moving all our combined efforts forward.
Postponing vs Cancelling
Despite popular thinking, a postponement of an event is not the same as a cancellation. In the case of a cancellation, the venue is obligated to return any paid funds. With a postponement, there is no new contract with a venue, no refunds from the venue to us, no new stipulations, no price increases, and no extra event. The contract plus funds are simply forwarded to the new dates with sincere hopes there is enough space in between to make sure all can travel and party with confidence at the re-scheduled time.
Insurance!
When you read the terms and conditions and review your reservation confirmation, you'll see we mention getting a timely and extensive travel insurance quite a bit and we absolutely highly recommend it. It's so important to protect your investment by calling your preferred insurance agent and get your trip insured. If you can, upgrade to "cancel for any reason." Yes, it's more expensive, but when the unexpected happens — let's say for instance a worldwide pandemic or someone in your family gets ill — you won’t lose your investment. In the end, of course, it's your choice to make. If you don’t and you need it, you have to realize it’s not our loss, but yours. Please choose peace of mind for you, as that gives peace of mind to us as well.
We support the Lifestyle community by bringing people together at travel events. We have done this for many years and hope to continue doing this for many more years to come.
We can’t wait 'til it's time to come out and play again!
SDC TRAVEL
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