COVID-19 Response
As you know, the COVID-19 pandemic has been very difficult for many, including the sports and travel industries. The good news is that The Tour de France and Vuelta a España hosted great events in 2020 with very little impact to the races from the virus. Few racers or team members tested positive and the crowds were deemed safe by the French and Spanish governments. The Tour de France and Vuelta a España hosted the VIP areas and were successful in staging those venues in 2020. We very much expect both races to run in 2021.
For your protection
As an official tour operator for the Tour de France and the Vuelta a España and a partner of A.S.O., the Paris-based organizer for both races, Custom Getaways is committed to following all requirements set forth by that organization. If A.S.O., French or Spanish governments require face coverings and social distancing, then we will require that of our guests.
We will ask that family groups sit together in vans and busses. We will sanitize bus, van and bike surfaces whenever possible.
Travel tips
Your safety and well-being are our top priority. If you’re traveling with us there are steps you can take to help prevent COVID-19 or other illnesses.
Carry your own hand sanitizer
The US TSA now allows you to bring up to 12 ounces of hand sanitizer in your carry-on bag. Custom Getaways will have hand sanitizer available in the vans and busses. We recommend you also carry a container for personal use.
Bring a face covering
Face covering will likely be required in public spaces in Europe in 2021. Bringing a few personal face coverings to be used during your trip will ensure you have one when required. Depending on the amount of guests in vans and busses, face coverings may be required if social distancing is not possible.
Travel Insurance
As we all have seen, life is unpredictable. We highly recommend travel insurance for your trip with us. It is most important to secure the “Cancel For Any Reason” (CFAR) option when choosing a travel insurance policy. Many travel insurance companies have the option of CFAR that can be added to your policy and in most cases, this option must be purchased within days of making your trip deposit (usually 40% deposit for new clients or using a credit for returning guests from 2020). CFAR allows you to recover 50% of your trip cost for new bookings or the difference in trip cost and any credits for rebooking from 2020. This can be for any reason and pandemics are not excluded. You can learn more about CFAR here: https://www.travelguard.com/travel-insurance/benefits/cancel-for-any-reason
To emphasize the importance of travel insurance with CFAR, Custom Getaways will extend a 5% discount on the trip cost for new bookings and for the difference on rebookings for those securing travel insurance with CFAR.
In case of trip cancellation by Custom Getaways, due to a pandemic, the CFAR protection will ensure you receive a 50% refund from TravelGuard or your travel insurance provider. Custom Getaways will work with our guests on an individual basis regarding a credit for future travel beyond your refund from your policy. This credit will be determined after you receive your refund from your CFAR travel insurance policy and will depend on a number of variables such as legal determination of Force Majeure by the French or Spanish government, vendor deposit refunds, credit from A.S.O., Tour de France organizers, etc..
For guests within the United States, Custom Getaways can provide a quote for you from AIG/TravelGuard. Mark on your registration form that you wish a quote. Once Custom Getaways has sent you a quote, you will work directly with TravelGuard to tailor your policy. For our guests outside of the US, you can find information here: https://www.travelguard.com/about-us/non-us-residents. Of course, our guests can choose any travel insurance company they wish. The important thing is to have coverage with CFAR from a reputable company.