COVID-19 Travel Update

Ready to Travel When You Are
We are sure that many of you are looking forward to traveling and getting into the outdoors. Whether you’ve been dreaming of exotic overseas destinations or a wilderness paddling trip in North America, we want you to know that Tofino Expeditions is ready for you. Tofino Expeditions has developed and implemented enhanced sanitation and distancing protocols to help keep our travelers, guides, and local communities healthy and safe. We have implemented health and safety protocols on all of our trips— and will update them as the situation evolves.
We look forward to welcoming you on your next adventure.

Book with Confidence
Our Book with Confidence policy lets you cancel and rebook your trip closer to the time of departure, giving you added flexibility and peace of mind. Backed by 33 years of exploring the most remarkable paddling destinations worldwide, Tofino Expeditions has the expertise to help you from the moment you book your trip to the moment you return.
If you are planning for 2021, it’s not too early to start the process. Early planning is more important than ever given the volume of travelers rebooking 2020 trips to 2021. Space is limited.

For reservations submitted on or after September 1, 2020, the following applies to Canada, Europe and South American departures:

What happens if I want to cancel my trip with Tofino Expeditions?
To give you peace of mind during these challenging times, we have worked with our ground teams in Canada, Europe, and South America to offer a flexible cancellation policy. For trip registrations made after September 1st, 2020, we are now offering a 100% refund up until 60 days before departure.

What happens if Tofino Expeditions postpones my trip because of COVID-19 travel restrictions?
If we need to postpone a trip because of COVID-19 travel restrictions, we will contact you with more information specific to your trip.
You can choose between the following options:

• Transfer to a future departure.
• 100% credit to use towards a future trip departing on or before December 31, 2022, less any penalties by hotels or local service providers that we cannot recoup.
• A full refund of your trip costs, less any penalties by accommodation providers (hotels, inns, rifugios) or local service providers that we are unable to recoup. We will endeavor to recover and refund as much money as possible in good faith in light of these circumstances.

 What happens if I’ve transferred with a travel credit onto a 2021 trip with Tofino Expeditions and I need to cancel?

You can cancel your trip up to 60 days before departure and transfer 100% of your travel credit to a credit for future travel. These credits must be used by December 31, 2022.

If Tofino Expeditions postpones your departure because of COVID-19 travel restrictions, you can choose between the following options:

• Transfer to a future departure.
• 100% credit to use towards a future trip departing on or before December 31, 2022, less any penalties by hotels or local service providers that we cannot recoup.

If you cancel your trip with Tofino Expeditions:
You can cancel your trip up to 60 days before departure and transfer 100% of your travel credit to a credit for future travel. These credits must be used by December 31, 2022.

For more details regarding Tofino Expeditions booking policies during COVID-19 and for the future, visit our current Terms and Conditions page

Pre-Trip Communication

From the very onset of planning your adventure, we want to ensure you feel that you have a good understanding of all aspects of your upcoming trip, including health and safety protocols we’ve implemented. We will guide you every step of the way, providing our Trip Health & Safety Protocol, as well as a Pre-Trip Health Evaluation Form, every guest will complete before arrival.

Hotels
We review the sanitation protocols of each of the accommodations that we use during our tours and work only with those accommodations who abide by enhanced sanitation and distancing standards that meet the practices implemented by local governing authorities.

Vehicles
As with our accommodations, we respect and follow the required sanitation protocols implemented by local government agencies, including restrictions on the number of guests per vehicle. Alcohol-based hand sanitizer will be available on transfer vehicles. Masks will be worn when there is a group transfer or shuttle. We clean and disinfect high-touch surfaces in common areas daily, including vehicle seats, door handles, and steering wheels.

Traveling Together
Part of the joy of travel in small groups is the shared camaraderie. While this will remain a vital part of every trip, it may look a little different for now. Guests and guides will need to wear masks when distancing is not possible, and we’ll minimize passing any material such as food or documents. And we’ll make provisions for more space within the group, and in the places, we visit.

Guides
Our guides are all trained in Wilderness First Aid, CPR, and other safety protocols and procedures to follow in case of any health issues. They are trained in the new health standards that Tofino Expeditions has adopted. They will wear face coverings whenever necessary and following local guidelines.
Our guides have extensive knowledge of the region, as many of them are native to the area you are visiting. They are well versed in local patterns, know the best times to visit iconic locations to avoid crowds, and can identify local clinics to take you if you’re feeling ill. They are excellent communicators and have access to our office team 24/7 to help manage any logistics needed to alter or enhance your trip.

Food Preparation & Handling
All meals will be individually distributed to each guest. Until further notice, we will not offer self-serve buffet-style meals. Alcohol-based hand sanitizer will be available at meals. Our guides will wash hands with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer before and after food preparation or distribution. We will not share snacks (e.g., trail mix from one bag), and instead, provide individual snack options for each guest.

Clean Camping
Tents, kayaks, sleeping pads, and any gear for individual use will be labeled and assigned for the trip duration. After the trip, any personal equipment will be sprayed with sanitizer and let dry in direct sunlight. On some wilderness trips, guests will be required to bring sleeping bag liners if not using their own sleeping bag. Sleeping bags will be washed and dried in a commercial dryer using the hot setting. Water purification equipment will be sanitized before and after use. Food will be prepared and served by one or two guides, and others will avoid the kitchen area. Guides will wash their hands and put on face coverings before meal prep. On wilderness trips, meal preparation will occur in an open-air space. Meals will not be served in a self-serve buffet-style offering. All dishes and utensils will be cleaned with boiling water each evening.

Staying Up to Date
Tofino Expeditions’ response to COVID-19 is subject to change following the CDC and government agencies' recommendations and requirements. We also respect and follow the required protocols put into place by local government agencies. We are monitoring travel alerts and best practices and will make adjustments as necessary.

Small Groups
For over 33 years, Tofino Expeditions has believed in the value of small group adventures. We keep our groups small–averaging 10 people or less–so that you can benefit from your guide team's individual care and attention and be allowed more space. We’ll utilize a lower cap on our group size where necessary to accommodate spacing in vehicles or on boats and allow for social distancing.

We Are Ready to Travel When You Are
The safety of our travelers has always been of paramount concern to all of us at Tofino Expeditions. We are committed to looking out for you and for our guides while traveling responsibly in the remarkable places we visit. We will not hesitate to postpone departures if there are insurmountable obstacles to maintaining these health and safety protocols. Your well-being is our top priority.