Exodus Adventure Travels

Passport Requirements

Travelers require a full passport for all vacations with Exodus and this should be valid for at least six months after the date of your scheduled return home. Other regulations may apply to you and you should check with the nearest embassy of the country you intend to visit.

Please note that for certain trips, Exodus will require your passport details prior to accepting your booking. Furthermore, if you renew your passport after you have booked, it is important you let your Travel Advisor know the new details as soon as possible and you may be required to take your old passport with you to maintain the validity of the trip.

Visa Requirements

It is your responsibility to have a valid passport and all Visa, Permits and Certificates required for your selected vacation. Global Journeys do not arrange Visas however we have provided information here to assist with the process.

Do I need Travel Insurance to travel with Exodus?

It is an essential condition of joining an Exodus vacation that you have an adequate and valid travel insurance policy to cover the cost of any emergency medical treatment and the activities included in your vacation (including the maximum altitude on treks). You are strongly advised to take out your policy at the time of booking to protect your vacation payments in the event of cancellation.

What should I pack for my vacation?

The 'Trip Notes' for your vacation (on every itinerary page on our site) include a 'What to Take' section, which will mention items specific to your vacation. Please ensure you check the list carefully, as anything beyond normal travel and clothing requirements will be shown here.

How do I go about hiring equipment?

Exodus offer a ‘local pick-up’ hire service for key items needed for altitude trekking in Peru, Tanzania (for Kilimanjaro) and Nepal. Normal hire items available are down jackets and down sleeping bags, but other items may be mentioned in the Trip Notes. Prices vary and are confirmed in the Trip Notes.

How fit do I need to be?

For active trips, Exodus are often asked ‘what kind of fitness levels are required?’ or ‘what kind of training do I need to do?’ Of course, if you have booked a trip that is at the upper end of your capabilities, you want to know that you have done all you can to prepare. Unfortunately, however, these questions are often the most difficult to answer. Only you know your current fitness levels and capabilities and can prepare according to the options available to you.

Where altitude is involved, your ability to acclimatise is going to have a much greater impact on your progress than your fitness. However, poor fitness and preparation is certainly not going to increase your chances.

It is always best to make your preparation as close to the real thing as possible. There is no point in relying on your weekly squash game (short bursts of explosive energy) to prepare for several consecutive days walking with major ascents and descents. Of course, it may be tough to replicate the major mountain ranges nearby your home town, but make sure you include ups and downs if you are preparing for a mountain trek.

If you are still unsure about your fitness, or the difficulty of the trek or ride, Exodus suggest you refer again to their grading system or talk it through with your Travel Advisor at Global Journeys.

Do I need any vaccinations?

Exodus does not give specific health advice, but Trip Notes provided by Exodus do mention any compulsory or suggested vaccinations, and will recommend clients take malarial prophylaxis for known malarial areas. Exodus recommends all clients contact their GP for all up to date advice on all vaccination and malarial issues for the country they are due to visit. Please note there is a wide range of advice available and you may find conflicting information for the same areas, but Exodus always advise you seek qualified medical advice.

Will I have access to purified water?

Plentiful clean drinking water is of course a requirement to stay healthy in any country. For the vast majority of trips, Exodus arrange for treated, boiled or bottled water to be available at all times. Certain trips in remote areas may require clients to provide a system of water purification themselves; if this is the case, it will be clearly explained in the Trip Notes.

Travel in the developing world or into remote locations exposes all travelers to an increased risk of low level stomach infections. Your tour leader will outline the basic precautions, but even the most careful travelers can still pick up bugs. Personal hygiene and sensible eating and drinking are the best precautions, but you may wish to take rehydration salts to aid your recovery should you become unwell.

Do I need to bring my own first aid or medical kit?

For all remote or active trips, your tour leader will be first aid trained, and will carry an adequate first aid kit or medical kit. However, Exodus recommends that clients carry a small first aid kit for personal use. For some items you may need to consult your doctor for a prescription. If you are traveling to remote areas in developing countries, you may also like to consider taking a sterile needle kit (please be careful to pack this in your hold luggage for airport security).

The following list is intended as a guide only: Plasters (including blister plasters for walking trips); sterile dressings and bandages; simple pain killers e.g. paracetamol or ibuprofen; antiseptic cream; antihistamine cream (for insect bites); sunburn cream; anti-diarrhoea pills e.g. Imodium or Lomotil; rehydration salts e.g. Dioralyte. Please ensure you carry any essential personal medication in your hand luggage rather than checked in bags.

What should I do about travel money and currency?

You will need to take enough money to cover the cost of meals not included in the trip cost and of drinks, tipping and other incidentals including shopping and optional activities. Advice on the amounts required and the best currency to take is given in the Trip Notes.

Many countries have ATM machines, particularly in major cities, and this can be an ideal way to access cash abroad, although bank charges are sometimes quite high. In addition, credit cards are now very widely accepted, particularly in larger cities.

Trip Notes

The Trip Notes contain the most up-to-date information about your trip, including details about the itinerary, and inclusions and exclusions. We will send you the latest version before your trip.

Accommodation

The Trip Notes describe the type of accommodation used, including details about camping, huts, teahouses, bathroom facilities and any nights spent in multi-share rooms. Exodus aims, wherever possible, to use properties that are in keeping with the area that they visit and is locally-owned. All accommodation is carefully chosen, but please be aware that electricity, plumbing and hot water can sometimes be erratic, and other facilities will vary in standard.

Exodus’ prices are based on twin-share accommodation which means that if you book on your own, they will arrange for you to share with a person of the same sex. You must satisfy yourself that you do not have any conditions or preferences which may preclude you from sharing a room. Exodus will provide twin rooms for non-couples and whilst they cannot always guarantee double rooms for couples, please request this at the time of booking.

Wherever possible Exodus offers optional single supplements. In the case that it is not possible to secure single accommodation for the whole tour, details can be found in the Trip Notes. Please be aware that paying a single supplement does not guarantee you sole use of a twin or double room, and that single rooms are often smaller than a standard twin or double room.

Group Size

Exodus groups are small, normally 8-16 people. Maximum group sizes vary, the most common maximum group size is 16 and won’t usually exceed 20 guests (except on Polar trips). Exodus group vacations require a certain number of participants to operate; normal group sizes are indicated in the Trip Notes and trip details on Global Journeys’ website. In the unlikely event that a trip does not reach the normal minimum, Exodus may be forced to cancel the tour; a decision will usually be made between eight and six weeks before departure, unless there are late cancellations from other passengers.

Exodus reserves the right to confirm trips on numbers lower than the minimum indicated and occasionally may exceed the normal maximum. If at the time of booking your trip is not guaranteed, Exodus strongly recommends that you do not make any non-refundable or non-changeable travel arrangements..

Age Requirements

The minimum age for each itinerary is shown in the Trip Notes. For most tours, the minimum age is 16 years, however those aged 16 and 17 years can only travel on the understanding that an accompanying adult takes full responsibility for them. Exodus offers dedicated family vacations and the minimum age for each Family Adventure itinerary and activity is shown in the Trip Notes.

There is no upper age limit on Exodus trips, but as most vacations are quite active, Exodus may ask clients over the age of 80 a number of questions about their health and fitness.

Dietary Requirements

Please let your Travel Advisor know of any dietary requirements so that they can advise Exodus of your needs. Exodus can pass this information on to the relevant airlines and local operators. Exodus will endeavour to cater to your requirements, but in some cases may suggest you consider bringing some personal supplies to supplement what can be provided locally.

Pre-existing medical condition and fitness

You must advise Global Journeys of any pre-existing conditions, illnesses, disabilities or recent surgeries which may affect your or other people’s enjoyment of the vacation. Please read the Trip Notes carefully for details of the level of the activity and any necessary experience required on your vacation.

It is your responsibility to ensure that the trip or activity is suitable for you and that you are fit enough to participate fully. If you are worried about any pre-existing medical condition or if you are unsure of your own physical ability, Exodus recommends that you seek medical advice prior to booking. In certain cases, Exodus may require a doctor’s letter confirming your suitability to join a specific trip.

Leaders

You must abide by the authority of the tour leader and their word is final; if the leader deems you to be unfit or unsuitable for a particular activity, you may not be allowed to participate with the rest of the group. If by choice or necessity you leave the group, we will not be able to supply alternative services, leaders, activities or any refund.

Adventure Travel Warning

Whilst Exodus ensure that all activities are operated to the local legal standard and that risk assessments are carried out annually, many of Exodus’ vacations do carry an element of risk.

On many Exodus tours, the areas are remote and events far less predictable than on a conventional vacation. Health, safety and operational standards, particularly of hotels and transport, are often not up to levels you may have come to expect. Exodus require that all the properties and transport they use comply fully with local regulations, but Exodus do not guarantee the same standards as in your home country. If you choose to travel on this type of vacation, you must be prepared to accept that this is all part of the experience.

Outdoor activities are weather dependent to an extent and some can become dangerous in certain conditions. If the leader feels there is any heightened level of risk involved in activity, they may amend it as they see fit or cancel it, in which case Exodus will do their best to offer an alternative activity.

Adverse weather conditions, political situations and a host of other uncontrollable factors can mean a change in itinerary. It is unlikely that an itinerary would be substantially altered, but if changes are necessary, Exodus will make the best possible alternative arrangements which maintain the integrity of the original itinerary. Exodus will do everything they can to minimise the effect, but cannot be held responsible for the impact of changes outside their control.

Crime and other security risks exist in all countries and whilst traveling in a group is a safeguard, it is not a guarantee of safety. Exodus will take all reasonable care of you, but cannot do this adequately if you do not at all times take sensible precautions yourself.

Cycling Tours

A hire bike will be included in the price of all cycling vacations, excluding Drop Bars trips. At the time of booking Exodus will need to take your height in order to reserve equipment. There may on occasions be insufficient bikes available in the correct size; Exodus will endeavour to find suitable alternative equipment, but this cannot be guaranteed. Your Travel Advisor will tell you before you book whether suitably sized bikes are available.

Any client bringing their own bike will receive a discount off the price of the vacation; you will need to advise your Travel Advisor at the time of booking if you are taking your own bike. Any clients bringing their own bike should ensure they have adequate cover for loss, damage or theft under their travel, home contents or a specialist insurance policy as if Exodus is confident that they have taken all reasonable care to ensure the safety of your bike, in the rare event of loss, damage or theft you will need to claim under you own insurance policy.

Winter Trips

Exodus have taken care to select locations that have good snow reliability and during normal winters, all the activities described should be possible. In the event of poor conditions, Exodus will do their best to get you to the nearest available snow or to arrange a suitable alternative package of similar activities. Exodus are not able to offer a guarantee of snow, nor will they regard poor snow conditions immediately prior to a trip to be a valid reason for cancellation, as conditions can change very quickly and just one fall of snow can improve conditions considerably.

On almost all trips Exodus supply all the specialist equipment you will need for the included activities. For skiing trips, hire of skis, boots and poles is paid locally; details are in the Trip Notes. If you would prefer to bring your own equipment, please inform your Travel Advisor at Global Journeys at the time of booking.

Walking Tours

As detailed in the Trip Notes, some Exodus trips go to altitude (3000m and above) where there is a risk of being affected by Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS). Exodus itineraries are designed to enable everyone to acclimatise to these altitudes, but you should be aware that it is still possible for you to be affected. A number of medical conditions can reduce the body’s ability to acclimatise and may make you more susceptible to AMS. If you are worried about any pre-existing medical condition or if you are unsure of your own physical ability, Exodus recommends that you seek medical advice prior to booking.

Family Tours

The minimum age for each Family Adventure itinerary and activity is shown in the Trip Notes. These ages apply to the date of departure, not the date of booking and therefore, for each family booking there must be at least one child under the age of 18 years. Regrettably Exodus cannot accept unaccompanied children under the age of 18 years. Discounted child prices are valid for children aged 5-14 years at the time of booking.

The Trip Notes provide specific details about rooming arrangements for families of various sizes. In general, however, families of two will have one twin room, families of three will have a triple room where available (although triple rooms will often be a twin room with an additional mattress or bed), families of four will have two twin rooms and larger families will have a combination of twin and triple rooms.

On camping trips, tents are usually for two clients only and where communal accommodation is used, all adults and children are put together and privacy will be limited. Whilst Exodus do their very best to ensure that families are allocated rooms close together, they cannot guarantee this as most family vacations take place in peak season, so Exodus has little control over the location of rooms.

How can I prepare for trekking at altitude?

There's no other way to prepare for altitude than to acclimatise slowly. Explore carefully plan their trekking itineraries to allow for gradual acclimatisation once you climb above 3,000 metres. Altitude sickness can affect the fittest trekkers just as easily as the less fit. Once on the trek the main recommendation is to keep your fluid intake up and stay hydrated. As a precaution on the highest treks the support team carry emergency oxygen cylinders and a Portable Altitude Chamber (PAC).

Does Exodus offer airport transfers?

You take the responsibility of reaching the start point of the tour yourself. If your flight arrangements allow you to make use of the Exodus group transfers (group transfers are arranged around a group flight from and to London), then we can arrange for you to join these at no charge.

You must request this in advance and provide us with your flight details. You should be aware that if your flight is delayed, the Exodus group transfer will not wait for you indefinitely (Exodus usually set a maximum waiting period of 30 minutes beyond the scheduled arrival time) and you will be responsible for the cost of your onward travel arrangements to catch up with the group.

Occasionally Exodus are forced to re-schedule the group transfer. If you are relying on taking the group transfer, you may need to make alternative arrangements if the transfer no longer coincides with your flight arrangements. Private transfers can also be pre-arranged at an extra cost, if arriving or departing outside of group transfer times.

When and where will I join my tour?

In most cases, the start point of the tour is the first night’s accommodation; the exact start point is referred to in the Trip Notes for that trip. Meeting times with the tour leader and group will vary from tour to tour and instructions should be displayed in the hotel or left with reception confirming what to do next.

Your final joining instructions will be emailed to you roughly four weeks before departure. If you require these any earlier, please let your Global Journeys Travel Advisor know. If you are booking connecting travel before receiving these, please ensure you leave plenty of time.