COVID-19 Update: Intrepid, Exodus and More
Intrepid Suspends Tours Until May 31
With the safety and wellbeing of travellers and staff in mind, Intrepid Travel is suspending all tours until at least May 31. The tour operator had previously announced tour suspensions until April 30.
“Given the unprecedented impact of coronavirus (COVID-19) we have updated our booking conditions. Travellers who have booked a tour departing before May 31 will receive a credit of 110% of monies paid (excluding polar, flights and insurance) to use towards an alternative tour with a departure date before April 30, 2022 (excluding polar, flights and insurance). This travel credit will be automatically applied to your Intrepid booking.”
Tours departing from June 1 will continue as planned. If there are changes, or if the trip is suspended, clients will be notified directly by the customer care team or travel agent.
Those choosing to suspend their tour departing from June 1 will receive a credit of monies paid (excluding polar, flights and insurance) to use towards an alternative tour with a departure date before April 30, 2022. For future travel full payment is due 21 days prior to the departure.
Intrepid has also rolled out #BeTogether, a community engagement piece, including this new video.
Exodus Suspends All Tours Through June 30
Exodus Travels is suspending all travel through June.
Exodus is currently reaching out to affected travellers according to proximity of departure to discuss future options. Travellers who booked their tour through a travel agent are being asked to contact their advisor directly to discuss next steps.
All travellers booked on a tour departing before July 1 are eligible for a Refund Credit Note, which can be used on any booking made by July 31, 2021 for travel prior to March 31, 2022.
Exodus will continue to monitor local conditions and all relevant governmental advice and will review all trips, and update passengers a minimum of 30 days prior to departure.
For more information, visit: https://www.exodustravels.com/covid-19-travel-suspension.
Air Transat Donates Masks, Gloves
Air Transat has donated more than 44,000 masks and 301,000 gloves to the Quebec Ministry of Health and Social Services to support the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
Following the temporary suspension of its flights on April 1, Air Transat handed over all of the medical equipment at its disposal, which had, up until now, been dedicated to protecting its crews. This included: 7,260 N95 masks, 36,800 surgical masks, 301,000 gloves.
“Now that our repatriation operations are over, it seemed only natural to donate our unused protective equipment to those who need it most, namely those in the health services,” says Jean-François Lemay, president and chief executive officer of Air Transat. “It’s thanks to everyone’s contributions that we will overcome this terrible crisis.”
Lindblad Offers Reassuring Rhythms for Daily Life
During this time of social isolation Lindblad Expeditions is bridging the distance through a Virtual Expedition to explore the world’s remote pristine reaches.
The small ship adventure travel company is taking guests on a virtual expedition, designed to offer the “tonic of wildness,” and the engaging and reassuring rhythms of life on board — from morning stretch classes, to exhilarating sights, photo ops and even evening Recap daily at 6 p.m., complete with cocktail recipes from fleet menus.
As the Virtual Expedition unfolds in the weeks ahead — and pulling from a renowned expedition team of naturalists and experts in isolation as well — there will be activities for kids led by Lindblad’s team of certified field educators; lectures with the line’s renowned naturalist team; live musical performances from around the world; artisan demonstrations; and cooking demos of sustainable shipboard bites. And a special evening recap will reveal the newest addition to the fleet, National Geographic Endurance, via a virtual ship tour led by the captain and members of his team.
“We are all adjusting to our new ways of living. Never have any of us experienced anything like this and we are all having to learn new tricks during a period of social distancing,” said Sven Lindblad, CEO of Lindblad Expeditions. “The main intent is to keep us connected, put a smile on your face, and provide a bit of inspiration.”
Choreographed with all the hallmarks of a Lindblad expedition, the Daily Program will be posted daily to Virtual Expedition. Flexible, spontaneous — who knows where you’ll go? — the expedition will feature new discoveries each day, using Facebook and Instagram for both video and live activities, including:
Today’s Activity: Video clips with Lindblad naturalists taking guests from temperate to tropical rainforests to the towering ice of Antarctica, guiding them into the sights and sounds.
AHHHHH Moment: The healing tonic of wildness, a tiny dose of bliss, or a bit of insight. What does it feel like to spend time, truly steep in wild remote places, stop, let it sink in, get captured by one moment or a string of them?
Photo Tips: Get info you can use to practice indoors or out. Learn from Lindblad certified photo instructors as they explore their own landscape in isolation.
RECAP: It’s 6p.m. — grab a cocktail recipe and meet us in the Lounge, with demonstrations from virtual shipboard bartenders – and soon to be added lectures, presentations, and more.
Virtual Music Lounge: Choreographed by Lindblad’ ethnomusicologist, Jacob Edgar, enjoy a series of live musical performances from Ireland, Iceland, Trinidad, Rapa Nui, Scotland, and more. Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh, a multi-award winning traditional singer and musician from Ireland, leads the lineup starting this week.
“The invitation is open: Come aboard and join the expedition — see familiar faces, discover exhilarating places, observe wildlife, get photo tips, and experience a Virtual Expedition,” Lindblad says.
Los Cabos Suspends All Tourism Activities
Los Cabos authorities continue to work to contain the spread of coronavirus. Los Cabos have suspended all tourism activities in the destination, closing hotels, resorts, bars, restaurants, and all public beaches during April. The governor of the state of Baja California Sur, Carlos Mendoza Davis is also encouraging all travellers to postpone their upcoming vacation trips to Los Cabos to allow the destination to keep focusing on the implementation of strict contingency protocols to keep the community safe. Los Cabos can only be accessed by air or sea, and has stopped all tourism activity at the port and has strengthened its contingency protocols at the San Jose International Airport to ensure all travelers are screened upon arrival. The following are the current health and security measures being enforced in Los Cabos to prevent the spread of the virus:
Screening measures at the San José International Airport and ports throughout Baja California Sur to conduct passenger wellness checks, i.e. taking the temperatures of all arriving passengers.
Containment measures in place should a passenger register an abnormally high temperature and exhibiting potential symptoms of the virus.
Background checks for all passengers to confirm where they have traveled in the past 14 days.
For any additional inquires, contact the Los Cabos Tourism Board at [email protected].
Helping Out
Yesterday, the Windsor Arms Hotel, in partnership with Cerise Fine Catering, delivered 500 boxed lunches to first responders at Michael Garron Hospital in Toronto, with an additional 1,000 snacks prepared for the University Health Network to support health care professionals on the frontline battling the COVID-19 crisis.
First responders and health care professionals will be delivered a free boxed meal designed by Executive Chef Shawn Whalen of Cerise Fine Catering. Whalen is one of five Master Chefs in Canada and the only one in Toronto.
“As COVID-19 continues to spread globally, those not involved in the medical field may feel an inability to help. The Windsor Arms Hotel and Cerise Fine Catering wanted to do our part in supporting first responders through this challenging time,” said George Friedmann, president of Windsor Arms Hotel.
