Latest Coronavirus Advice

10-03-2020

To the Cyclomundo community,

Thank you for the many kind messages we've received over the last few weeks. Your support and solidarity have deeply touched us, and we couldn’t be more appreciative.

We hope that you and your loved ones are keeping safe and healthy during these strange times. We know how difficult it is to stay in place when our calling is to explore the world, though it’s a small price to pay in the long run. And when all is over, we'll savor and value the freedom that cycling provides more than ever.

For the time being, we are handling every personal situation to the best of our abilities. For those of you set to travel with us in May or June, we recommend that you postpone your trip (as many have already done). The number of trips being postponed until 2021 is such that we recommend picking a new date before the end of October—as our small family-owned hotels have a limited number of rooms.

Should you choose to cancel your trip rather than postpone, we will issue you a credit note/voucher (as per the ordinance enacted by the French government on March 23, 2020). This credit/voucher can be used by you—or you can pass it to someone else—towards any Cyclomundo trip of your choice within an 18-month period from the time your voucher is issued. If the credit/voucher is not redeemed by the end of this period, a refund will be processed.

Looking beyond May and June, we’re hopeful that the global situation will improve and that travel and distancing restrictions will start to ease up in the following months. As ever, we’re keeping our ear to the ground so that we can keep ourselves and our customers up to date with evolving conditions and recommendations.

As you can imagine, it’s been a challenging time for everyone operating in travel and tourism, and the French government has taken the exceptional measure to alleviate the financial burden our tourism industry is facing. Much like the #PostponeDontCancel trend on social media, the goal of this measure is to encourage people to postpone their trips when possible, instead of cancelling. Your support is invaluable to small, independent businesses like ourselves and those who make up the extended Cyclomundo family, as we strive to continue bringing you memorable, authentic cycling experiences.

We’re sure many of you are using this time at home to daydream and plan about future trips. As some may know, we usually have to turn down a number of custom tours every year. Our resources are simply too thinly stretched to work on custom itineraries between April and October… but this year is different! Hence, if you're part of a group of six or more riders and wish to put together a custom itinerary for your group, now is a great time to start dreaming and planning. The technology is such that we can easily meet (via Zoom, Skype, Hangout, etc…) and share routes and profiles.

As for our standard tours, note that if you book a tour now for 2021, our 2020 rates will apply. In light of the current situation, we’ve introduced temporary special booking conditions for most of our tours, to make your planning process as flexible as possible. These conditions will apply until further notice; as things return to normal, we’ll revert back to our standard conditions (which are still pretty flexible!)

Until it’s time to explore again, we hope we can still help you ‘get away’ from it all, even virtually. Escape for a bit on our blog, or come hang out with us on social media (we’re on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram at @cyclomundo). Let us know about a recent ride, or share a memory of a past trip—we’ll never say no to a conversation about cycling or travel.

A brief update on the team: We’re doing well! Bruno still gravel bikes daily to the office, while the rest of the Cyclomundo team is working remotely on a lighter schedule. In our free time, we’re gardening, cooking, and teaching the kids... and our colleague, James, has joined "Les Coursiers Solidaires" as a volunteer messenger to deliver goods to the elderly. Although we’re keeping busy, it definitely can’t compare to the rush of the season getting underway, and we’re counting the days until we can welcome you back to our incredible corner of the world.

Keep fit and healthy. We look forward to seeing you on the road when the skies open up again.

Bruno and the Cyclomundo Team

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General Coronavirus-related advice (posted in March)

Understandably, we have been receiving a few messages from clients who have questions about the impact of the Coronavirus outbreak in Italy and across Europe on their travel plans. We do not have any more information about the way the epidemic spreads than you do and rely on a variety of news sources (New York Times, BBC, CNN), as well as authoritative institutes (WHO, CDC, Institut Pasteur) and travel advisories.

We have come across this interesting article addressing some questions you may have relating to the risk of air travel (and other forms of public transport):

www.bbc.com/news/health-51736185

At this moment in time our advice is the following:

Before making a decision about your travel plans, we recommend that you:

Check travel advisories and health authorities’ advice on a regular basis for the most up to date information (CDC’s website, Institut Pasteur, WHO, etc…)

If you choose to proceed with your travel plans:

Check your travel insurance policy to see what is covered in the case of cancellation for different scenarios (such as cancelled flights). It is advisable to ensure that your insurance includes ‘travel disruption cover’ in the event of cancelled flights etc.
Note that travel insurance policies will generally not cover cancellations for “fear of travel.” However, in some cases it is possible to add “cancel for any reason” to your insurance policy (though you will have to check your policy carefully as certain conditions can apply).
Be sure to read the small print about the type of coverage you’re eligible for in case you need medical assistance while traveling.
Register with your country’s travelling abroad service (if available) to receive any updates and important advice.
We recommend purchasing refundable travel arrangements where possible, in the case of unexpected changes. Many US airlines have begun introducing temporary policies waiving the change fee. We recommend that you check directly on the airline’s website for the most up to date information.
Currently some of the major European airlines have begun to also introduce temporary fee-waiving policies.

Here are links to the latest airline policies in light of the current coronavirus situation for some of the major American airlines:

DELTA

www.delta.com/us/en/advisories/other-alerts/coronavirus-travel-updates

AMERICAN AIRLINES

www.aa.com/i18n/travel-info/travel-alerts.jsp

UNITED

https://hub.united.com/united-coronavirus-covid19-safety-update-2645397564.html

SOUTHWEST

www.southwest.com/Coronavirus/

JET BLUE

http://blog.jetblue.com/coronavirus/

ALASKA