Exodus Travel www.exodus.co.uk

Exodus is knowledgeable of their market and consistent with what they deliver, well designed and good values for all trips.

A (formerly) regular customer of this joke of a company, I was supposed to travel with Exodus in May.

I first emailed the company about a week before FCO actually took action, and was promised that the refund will be offered if the trip is cancelled through no fault of my own. However, when FCO took action, advising against travel - and thus automatically enabling customers to ask for a refund - Exodus stated they retrospectively changed the rules. Three weeks later, the company is refusing to offer refunds, in blatant breach of the law as it stands.

Adding insult to injury, Exodus claimed they are following ABTA's advice. This is not true: Exodus' vouchers differ from ABTA's guidance in important aspects. I have asked for a clarification on this - whether vouchers are as legally protected as ABTA's guidance promised - but a week later, no response.

The company is trying to make me an unsecured creditor, to the tune of almost £3,000, despite having revenue of £72m and pre-tax profit of £1.3m (year ending Sept-18, the last available). Exodus Travels is 75% owned by Trek Investco Limited, which in the same year recorded £1.1 billion (!) in revenue and EBITDA of £46m, with £296m of cash.

I would wholeheartedly recommend everybody to refuse their vouchers; instead, I suggest writing to your MP - let's try to prevent these people keeping our money, while also claiming hardship, and the Government's grants.

BEWARE! This is a cautionary tale if you are booking with Exodus Travels as a sole traveler. I booked the Moonstone Trek to Machu Picchu with Exodus Travels with the intention of completing the trek with a group since I was a single traveler. I was particularly concerned with joining a group as I felt that there would be safety in numbers, especially since I would be travelling to a foreign country that I had not previously visited and would be completing a trek for the first time. I made this clear to Exodus when I booked the trip.

For those that are not familiar, the Moonstone Trek is an alternative trek to Machu Picchu (the Inca Trail being the traditional trek). The Moonstone Trek involves a trek through a less traveled area than the traditional Inca Trail. Many people choose to take this route instead of the traditional Inca Trail because you do not need a permit and do not have to book as far in advance. I felt comfortable booking the Moonstone Trek to Machu Picchu because the website said that the group is normally 4 to 16 persons, plus a leader. I booked the trip with the understanding that I would be joining a group of people that had also signed up for this trek. I would have thought that more precautions would be taken for groups taking this trek as it is a less traveled area, but I was wrong.

I arrived in Peru more than 4 months after I booked the trip extremely excited about the trek and a bit anxious because I was there on my own. At my first meeting with the tour group and the guide, upon arrival, I found out for the FIRST time that I was the only one that was supposed to go on the Moonstone Trek. The group assembled was going on the Inca Trail Trek and the guide was the person that would be leading the Inca Trail Trek. The person that was supposed to guide the Moonstone Trek was not even present. Exodus intended for me to go on the Moonstone Trek without a group.

I was never advised, either at booking or at any time thereafter, of the possibility that I would be the only person doing the Moonstone Trail trek. From the information that I had read on the Exodus website and the five communications I received from Exodus between the time of booking and the time of my arrival in Peru, I NEVER considered the possibility that I would be booked to do the Moonstone Trek alone. I was completely blindsided by this information. Had I at any time known that there was even a remote possibility that I would not be doing the trek with a group, I would have NEVER booked the trip. By the time I found this out, I was already in Peru and there was not much that I could do. I did not go on the trek because I did not feel comfortable going without a group.

I am so disappointed with my experience with Exodus that it is difficult to express it in words. They ruined what would have been a dream trip for me. I had been looking forward to going on such a trek for years. I really felt that Exodus had no regard for my personal safety or my wishes.

The only shining light is that Peru is a wonderful place and the local folks are incredibly kind and generous. I would go back to Peru at any opportunity and hope to do one of the treks to Machu Pichu in the future as I had originally intended, just NOT with Exodus Travels.

We booked a tour to Costa Rica through a travel agent in July 2018. The deposit was paid and the booking accepted. The final balance was paid on time. Ten days before we were due to depart, we received a phone call from our travel agent apologising that the holiday did not, as far as Exodus were concerned, exist. They had found this out when they queried the non-appearance of tickets.

Although Exodus will not talk to me, the TA say that they, Exodus, had queried the non-payment of funds on numerous occasions and had therefore cancelled the booking. The TA has no record of any such contact and, significantly, Exodus cannot quote any times or persons spoken to. If Exodus felt they had to cancel a holiday, you would expect that there would be a record of when they cancelled and on what date. On this there is silence.

It beggars belief that a so called premium holiday company should have such a dysfunctional booking system and then try to put the blame on a travel agent.

Please be warned that, even if the booking is made through a travel agent, as far as Exodus is concerned, take nothing for granted.

D A Dewar

JORDON IS ONE OF THE COUNTRIES WHICH EVERYONE SHOULD VISIT THE HISTORY AND THE PEOPLE ARE THE BEST.

WE ARRIVED AT THE FIRST HOTEL 2.30 A.M. ALL OUR BAGS AND AND OTHERS WERE TOLD WE WERE IN THE WRONG HOTEL, READING A REVIEW FROM 2011 THIS ALSO HAPPENED.

OUR ACCOMMODATION WAS GOOD BUT NOT EXCELLENT

NEVER NEVER LET THE GUIDE BUY YOUR MEALS THEY CHARGE OVER THE TOP ALWAYS ASK WHAT HE HIS GOING TO CHARGE YOU BEFORE SAYING YES, USE THE LOCAL SHOPS EVERY THING SOLD TO YOU IS A REASONABLE PRICE WITH A LOVELY SMILE.

ALL THE PLACES- AMMAN, PETRA, JERASH, KERAK, AQABA, AND WADI RUM, WERE GREAT PLACES TO VISIT ALL DIFFERENT. WATCH OUT FOR PETRA IT'S HARDER THAN STATED BUT GREAT IF YOU ARE USE TO WALKING UP MOUNTINGS.

THE DRIVER WAS GOOD AT SPEAKING ENGLISH GOOD AT DRIVING SPEAKING ON HIS MOBILE PHONE AT THE SAME TIME.

APRIL WAS THE RIGHT TIME TO VISIT

WE MADE 16 NEW FRIENDS ON OUR HOLIDAYS, BEST EVER

KINGDOMS OF UNEXPECTED TREASURES THE NAME OF OUR TRIP

We had 2 planned trips with Exodus to South America. The first time our flight arrangements went seriously awry and we had to sort out the problems ourselves before we eventually joined our trip a day late. The second time their information on passports was very vague and tucked away, they didn't feel it necessary to check passport details when they booked flights, and as a result we didn't satisfy the receiving country's passport criteria and were not allowed to board our flight.Because of the first experience I had particularly asked that they make sure our travel arrangements were O.K. Waste of time.They have every excuse but basically they are a very uncaring company who don't look after you.

I have travelled with Exodus on three occasions and they have always been excellent. However, they are an adventure company not a luxury holiday company so if you like 5* luxury you will not get it. If you like to go to countries with emerging tourism and subscribe to ethical tourism then Exodus will navigate you through the questionable food and sanitary arrangements. You will stay in locally owned hotels and support the economy of that country. If you want to get beyond the tourist spots and swim in rivers and barbeque on the banks with local people and understand more about their culture then Exodus is great. If you want a resort holiday then maybe use a different company.

I've been on one holiday with exodus, four years ago and it was great. Since then I've tried to book 3 holidays and the booking process has been so useless that I've not been able to book. It's taken so long to get responses from them that the booking has dragged out over a month on each occasion, at which point I've had to give up with them and go with another company.

On the most recent occasion, I tried to book 2 trips that were advertised as available on their website, only to find that they were fully booked - this took a week. Then I requested flight and room information for a different trip, again taking over a week to get a response, with lots of chasing on my part.

Meanwhile, I found another company with a cheaper, but similar, holiday, who responded to my email within hours with all the information I requested. Obviously I've gone with them and not exodus. I can't understand how exodus have such a good reputation! They seem complacent and lazy to me.

This was my 2nd trip with Exodus - the 1st one to Jordan was excellent. I was expecting the same level of care and professionalism but what I got was a £3000 holiday from hell. My gluten/lactose free diet wasn't catered for properly - despite 6 months of assurances that it would be. By the end of the 'holiday' I was so ill I was referred to hospital and spent 3 wks in bed. When I contacted Exodus about the circumstances of my illness, I received a 4 page letter denying everything and including a plethary of fictitious events - in other words I was lying and their guide was beyond reproach. It was shocking and extremely insulting. In my book, a company that refuses to accept feedback and believes its customers are liars is a company that's going to go under. BTW I wasn't asking, nor after, any compensation but they sent me a cheque for £41 in repayment of a 'non-intentional' over charge demanded by the guide for one of the excursions

recently spent an excellent week at the hotel Torrecerredo in Cabrales. Fantastic walking,wild flower meadows,mountains and lots of sightings of Vultures. We could not fault our guide, he was very knowledgeable,friendly,fun and if you had any worries he was very discreet. The hotel was comfortable, all the staff were very friendly and helpful, the food was top class just what you need at the end of a days walking. and the view from the hotels restaurant of the snow covered mountains made you look forward to the days walking.We could thoroughly recommend the Picos even if your not walking.