It seems this is the only travel company I have found that does not guarantee departure when you book. It seems ashame because I can not imagine that you dont loose some customers because of this. That is usually what a deposit is for. I myself am hesitant. I probably would go w/ a diff. company because of this, although I have not found an itinerary I like better. I do not want to make all the preparations to end up not going. Especially only 2 months prior. Why don't they atleast decide sooner? Have they ever considered changing this? Just like I am postponing booking- im sure others are doing the same- so there could be several people that want to go- but dont book because they see that nobody else has. Just some feedback to consider.
departure guarantee
Hello dakgrl,
Thank you for posting on the forums and sharing your feedback - this has been passed onto our Operations team.
There are very many companies that will not guarantee a trip until it has reached minimum numbers - in fact with companies that offer group tours this is established practice as our pricing is based on reaching a certain level of clients (although some companies do take the bold step of saying that everything is guaranteed).
Imaginative Traveller have in the past guaranteed tours on low numbers but when those tours have actually run with low numbers the travellers have generally not enjoyed themselves as much as they would have had numbers been greater. This is because one of the main attractions of booking a group tour is the chance to meet lots of other people.
One of Imaginative Traveller's best points is that we sell our tours around the world so you have a great chance of meeting other travellers from outside your own country with bookings coming from UK, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland, Germany, South Africa, etc.
We do as a compeny have quite low minimum numbers. It is generally 6 people but sometimes tours can and do run with as few as 4 people booked. If you have any concerns please don't hesitate to get in touch and we'll do our best to update you on how your particular chosen tour is going.
Our email address is online@imtrav.net, or you can contact our Sales Team using the Live Chat facility that you see on the website.
Having said all this, all tours should certainly be guaranteed by the time they get to 2 months before departure.
I hope this helps.
Best wishes,
Kelly