Answers, before you have to ask

We are an independent travel service provider offering booking and reservation assistance. You describe the trip, we research the options, explain the terms, and place the reservation with the airline, rail operator, hotel, rental company or cruise line on your instruction.

No, and deliberately so. This site is where you find out what we do; the booking happens in a conversation, because the trips people bring us are usually the ones an automated form handles badly.

Either. The enquiry form reaches the same team. Calling is faster if your dates are tight or the itinerary is complicated.

We aim to respond within one business day. If your travel is within 48 hours, please call rather than using the form.

No. Discussing your trip and receiving options costs nothing. Any service fee that would apply to a booking is disclosed in writing before you authorise anything.

Departure and destination cities, approximate dates, the number of travellers and their ages if under 18, passport names as they appear on the document, and anything fixed that the trip must work around.

Flights, rail travel, hotels and accommodation, car rental, cruises, and general multi-element travel assistance. Each has its own page on this site with the detail.

Yes. Most of what we do involves at least one international element, and international itineraries are where assistance is usually most useful.

No. We are not immigration advisers. We will tell you what the published entry requirements appear to be for your route and direct you to the official government source, which is the only authoritative one.

No. Arrange cover through a licensed insurance provider. We suggest doing it early, because cancellation benefits often depend on the policy being purchased close to your first booking.

We can help with shore excursions and transfers connected to a booking we are assisting with. We are not a tour operator and do not sell packaged tours of our own.

Once the reservation is confirmed by the provider, you receive written confirmation by email including reference numbers, the total paid, and the conditions attached.

Tell us immediately. Corrections are often possible shortly after issue and become progressively harder or impossible later. Check every confirmation on the day it arrives.

For air and most international travel, yes. Middle names, hyphens, apostrophes and married names cause more denied boardings than delays do.

Many destinations require at least six months of validity beyond your intended return date, and some require blank pages. Check for your specific destination well before you travel.

It depends entirely on the fare or rate booked. We tell you the change conditions before you commit, and if you need a change afterwards, call us and we will work it with the provider.

Yes, subject to the terms of the specific fare, rate or contract booked. Those terms are set by the provider, and we give them to you in writing before you commit so there are no surprises.

Refunds are processed by the provider holding the funds — the airline, hotel, rental company or cruise line — under their terms. We assist with submitting and following up the request.

It varies by provider and payment method, and can range from days to several weeks. We will tell you the provider’s stated timeframe and follow up on your behalf if it passes.

Our position on service fees is set out in full on the Refund Policy page. Any fee and its refundability are disclosed to you before you authorise it.

Your rights sit with the provider under their contract and applicable consumer law. Call us and we will help you pursue the rebooking, refund or compensation you are entitled to.

No. GoTripWay is an independent travel service provider and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any airline, railway, hotel, car rental company, cruise line, or other travel brand unless explicitly stated. All trademarks and brand names belong to their respective owners.

No. If you need an airline’s own customer service, contact that airline directly using the number on their official website or on your ticket. We are a separate, independent booking assistance service.

Because your ticket, reservation and any compensation rights are governed by the provider’s contract with you. Knowing who holds the booking tells you who can change it, refund it and answer for it.

No. We do not display third-party brand logos or imply partnerships that do not exist.

Call. Phone is the primary channel and the reason the number sits at the top of every page on this site.

Yes. Use the contact form or the email address on the Contact page. Email is better for detail and worse for anything urgent.

Call the same number. Have your booking reference to hand if you can.

Only what is needed to make and manage your bookings, handled as set out in the Privacy Policy. We do not sell personal data.

No. GoTripWay is an independent booking assistance service. Reservations are made with the operating carrier or through a licensed distribution channel, and the airline is the party that issues and honours the ticket.

Sometimes a routing or fare combination is available through a distribution channel that consumer sites do not display, and sometimes it is not. We will not claim a secret discount — we will show you what we actually find.

Call us and we will work the rebooking alongside you. Note that compensation and rebooking obligations sit with the operating carrier under its conditions of carriage and applicable law, not with GoTripWay.

Yes. Tell us the group size and whether everyone must travel together on the same routing, and we will price it both as a group booking and as individual tickets so you can compare.

Any service fee is disclosed to you in writing before you authorise anything. You will never find a charge on your statement that was not stated to you first.

No, and we will tell you when it is not. For a small number of long journeys a pass often wins; for a few short hops with advance fares it usually loses. We price both for your specific route.

On many high-speed, cross-border and overnight services, yes — the reservation is separate and compulsory. We identify which of your trains require one.

Yes, we assist with rail booking across a wide range of international networks. Availability and booking windows differ by operator.

It varies by operator — some open around a year out, many open two to three months out. We will tell you the window for your route and when it is worth waiting.

Rebooking and any compensation are handled under the rail operator’s conditions. Call us and we will help you work through their process.

No. GoTripWay is an independent booking assistance service. Reservations are made with the property or an authorised distributor and the property’s terms govern the stay.

We can request it and tell you whether the property has confirmed or merely noted it. Anything not confirmed in writing we will describe as a request, not a guarantee.

Yes. Mandatory fees and taxes are included in the total we quote. If a property charges one, you will hear about it before booking, not at checkout.

Yes. Tell us the specific requirement — step-free access, roll-in shower, grab rails, lift access — and we will confirm what the property can actually provide rather than relying on a generic accessibility tick-box.

Call us. We will contact the property, push for the reservation to be honoured or a comparable alternative to be arranged, and help you document what happened.

That is the intention. We quote the drive-away total including mandatory charges. The only additions should be optional extras you choose at the desk, or charges arising from the rental itself such as fuel, tolls or damage under the rental agreement.

Sometimes. If you already hold cover through a credit card or annual policy, often not. We will tell you what the excess is so you can check your existing cover before you travel.

It depends on the rental company, the country and the vehicle class. It must be declared and approved before collection — turning up at a border without it is where trips go wrong.

In a number of countries, yes, alongside your national licence. We will tell you whether your destination requires one and roughly how long it takes to obtain.

These apply in many markets and can be substantial. Give us the drivers’ ages up front and the surcharge will be in the quoted total rather than a surprise.

No. GoTripWay is an independent booking assistance service. Cruise bookings are made with the cruise line, and the line’s passenger ticket contract governs the voyage.

It varies by line and sailing, commonly between 60 and 120 days before departure. We confirm your exact date in writing when the deposit is taken and remind you before it falls due.

It is usually a good idea, because we can then build the arrival buffer around the embarkation time rather than hoping two separate bookings line up.

Typically accommodation, main dining and most onboard entertainment. Gratuities, speciality dining, drinks packages, wifi and shore excursions are usually extra. We set out what is and is not included before you book.

Cruise lines reserve the right to change the itinerary, most often for weather or safety. Any remedy is governed by the line’s ticket contract. We will help you understand what applies to your booking.

It is help planning, booking and managing a trip that involves several elements or several travellers — building the itinerary, checking that the connections work, and being the number you call when something changes.

No. We are not immigration advisers and we do not issue visas. We will tell you what the published entry requirements appear to be and direct you to the official government source, which is the only authoritative one.

No. We recommend you arrange cover through a licensed insurance provider, and we suggest doing it early because some benefits depend on when the policy was bought.

In many cases yes, particularly with planning and with working out options during disruption. Where a booking was made through another provider, that provider controls the reservation and some changes can only be made by them.

Any service fee is disclosed and agreed in writing before work begins. We do not add charges after the fact.