Financial protection and greater peace of mind when booking your fishing holiday with FishTravel
We are delighted to confirm that FishTravel has renewed its membership of ABTOT – the Association of Bonded Travel Organisers Trust.
It is something we invest in every year and, although it largely operates behind the scenes, we believe it is an extremely important part of booking a fishing holiday with FishTravel.
Put simply, ABTOT provides financial protection for our clients.
And importantly, this protection comes at no additional cost to you.
WHAT IS ABTOT?
ABTOT is an established UK travel trade association providing a bonding and financial protection scheme for travel organisers.
When you book qualifying travel arrangements through an ABTOT member such as FishTravel, your payments are financially protected in accordance with the applicable regulations and the terms of the protection.
For us, maintaining this protection is an important responsibility. Fishing holidays can represent a considerable financial commitment and are often booked many months – sometimes well over a year – before departure.
We believe you should be able to make those payments with confidence.
WHY DOES FINANCIAL PROTECTION MATTER?
When booking a fishing holiday, it is easy to concentrate on the exciting parts: the river, lodge, guides, flights and, hopefully, the fish you might catch.
But there is another question worth asking:
What happens to my money if my travel company fails?
This is where financial protection becomes important.
ABTOT bonding provides protection for eligible customer payments in the event of the financial failure of the travel organiser, subject to the terms of the scheme.
It is an additional layer of security between paying for your holiday and actually travelling.
IT COSTS OUR CLIENTS NOTHING EXTRA
FishTravel pays the costs associated with maintaining its ABTOT membership and financial protection.
There is no separate ABTOT charge added to your holiday.
We consider it part of operating a responsible travel business and providing our clients with the level of protection they should expect when entrusting us with their money.
Whether you are booking a relatively short fishing trip or a major international adventure costing many thousands of pounds, that protection is there without increasing the price you pay.
ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT FOR FISHING TRAVEL
Specialist fishing holidays are slightly unusual within the travel industry.
Prime rods can be reserved a year or more in advance. Substantial deposits may be required to secure them, with money often passing through several different suppliers and countries before you ever arrive at the lodge.
Some of our destinations are also exceptionally remote – from Iceland and Tierra del Fuego to Alaska, Bolivia and the Seychelles.
That makes choosing who you book with just as important as choosing where you go.
ABTOT AND ATOL – WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?
You may also be familiar with ATOL, particularly when booking flights.
ATOL primarily relates to flight-inclusive travel arrangements covered by the ATOL scheme, whereas ABTOT provides financial protection for qualifying non-flight packages and travel arrangements offered by its members.
FishTravel does not sell flights directly. Where flights are required, we can help with the planning and can put clients in touch with an appropriate ATOL-protected flight provider, or you are free to arrange your own flights.
This means you can benefit from appropriate financial protection for the different elements of your trip.
MORE THAN JUST BOOKING A LODGE
When you book through FishTravel, our job doesn’t end when your deposit is paid.
We help with the planning, logistics and preparation before departure; provide detailed information about your destination; remain available if circumstances change; and have established relationships with the lodges, outfitters and guides we work with around the world.
ABTOT protection is another important part of that service.
It isn’t the most exciting aspect of planning a fishing holiday – but when you are committing significant sums of money to a trip that may be more than a year away, knowing that appropriate financial protection is in place matters.
BOOK WITH CONFIDENCE
Our renewed ABTOT membership means FishTravel continues to provide qualifying clients with financial protection as part of their booking, at no additional cost.
It is one more reason why booking through an established, bonded fishing travel specialist provides benefits beyond simply reserving a rod.
You concentrate on where you’re going to fish.
We’ll concentrate on helping you get there – and making sure your booking is properly protected along the way.