With the latest news of promising vaccines, we are hopeful that the world is going to open up again and allow us to return to the things we love most, especially travel. That said we also fully understand that you may have reservations about traveling whilst the Corona virus pandemic is ongoing. We hope that sharing some of our enhanced hygiene protocols and innovations will ease your concerns about your future travels with us.
We have also always had the health and well-being of our travelers as our top priority but at the start of the pandemic we quickly realized how important this would become for our industry. To quote our Chairman, Mr. Stanley Tollman, who has been at the forefront of innovation throughout his career spanning six decades “Our Travel Directors need to focus on delivering exceptional travel experiences and our Drivers need to focus on the task at hand when we travel again. We need a third pair of hands on our trips to take care of all the well-being needs of the guests and reassure them.” Thus, the concept of a Well-Being Director was born.
Whilst the Corona virus pandemic is ongoing, rest assured that at Insight Vacations we have taken extra precautions to ensure our guests are able to enjoy one of our trips with their well-being concerns addressed. We’ve worked closely with the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) to guide and co-create the “New Normal Safe and Seamless Traveler Journey” global protocols. The role of the Well-Being Director is to ensure our protocols are adhered to so that you can sit back, relax and enjoy your tour knowing that every detail has been thought of.
Well-Being Directors will be on every Insight Vacations tour* from 2021 and will join the Travel Director, who will remain the lead on providing exceptional travel experiences, and the driver who has been trained to ensure transportation and luggage is hygienically managed. The on the road team is also supported by our operations and guest support teams that are available behind the scenes, in contact and on call 24/7.
HOW DO OUR WELL-BEING DIRECTORS SUPPORT YOU?
1. ALWAYS-ON PERSONAL SUPPORT AND ASSISTANCE
The Well-Being Director will always be available to you and ready to answer any questions or concerns relating to your well-being. They will be specially trained to provide the latest information on international developments and guidelines that contribute to your well-being while traveling. They’ll provide personal support with luggage management throughout the trip, ensuring all handles are sanitized during loading and unloading.
2. PARTNER ENGAGEMENT AND COMPLIANCE
As part of The Travel Corporation (TTC), we’ve strengthened our already high health and hygiene standards, reflecting our 100 years of guided vacation and hospitality experience. Our latest protocols are aligned with the guidelines provided by the WTTC and WHO. The Well-Being Director is responsible for checking that all hotels, restaurants and other venues meet these expected standards.
3. DAILY MONITORING OF PHYSICAL DISTANCING AND HYGIENE STANDARDS
The Well-Being Director will undertake daily monitoring and health checks of all guests, as well as the Travel Director and driver. They’ll also support the driver in daily sanitization of the coach and ensure all hygiene, physical distancing and well-being regulations are met each day. Other ways we are committed to your well-being are in ensuring hygiene and physical distancing protocols.
4. PRE-TOUR HEALTH DECLARATION
All team members and guests will complete a personal well-being declaration before joining their tour. If a guest has tested positive for COVID-19 (or is traveling with someone who has), they will not be able to join the tour until cleared as “fit for travel” by a medical professional.
5. SMALLER GROUPS, MORE PERSONAL SPACE
With our smaller groups and uniquely reconfigured coaches with fewer seats, you can travel as part of a social travel bubble and still maintain your physical distance and benefit from more personal space.
6. AIR FILTERS
Our coaches are equipped with air filters that are inspected and cleaned daily and replaced regularly. The on-board filters help purify the air as you travel.
7. QUALITY ASSURANCE
Your Well-Being Director is responsible for the quality assurance of all hotels, restaurants and other venues you visit during each journey. Quality checks will ensure that all travel partners meet local regulations and the established TTC, WTTC and WHO well-being protocols.
8. HYGIENE EQUIPMENT
Hand sanitizer is accessible and freely available. We ask that you bring your own face mask and gloves, but in the case of emergency, personal protective equipment will be distributed to you.
9. SANITIZED SURFACES
All frequently touched surfaces inside your coach — including handrails, doors, tables, overhead lockers — plus your luggage handles, will be disinfected multiple times each day.
10. PRIORITY ACCESS
With priority access at landmark sites, you skip the queues and have greater opportunity to maintain your physical distance while sightseeing.
Visit our well-being pages for further information and updates on our enhanced hygiene protocols, ensuring that when you are ready to travel again you can do so confident in our ability to provide trips of a lifetime!
*Not available on Australia and New Zealand trips
