From the Office…
Hello to all Odyssey riders, from Sam and Isi in the office in Berry, Australia.
As 2025 begins and the months start to fly by we wanted to let you know of some changes we are implementing in regard to our payment scheduling and cancellation conditions.
Our Odysseys, as you know, are epic, logistically complex and highly orchestrated from behind-the-scenes adventures, often combining speed boats, gulets, flights, ferries, multiple guides, let alone 20ish different hotels per trip! We commit early, always more than 12 months out. We must do this to ensure routes tie together and run as smoothly as possible!
We love nothing more than when we announce a new trip and you all jump on board – it is thrilling for us that you are as excited about doing our trips, as we are building and delivering them to the very best of our ability. Many of our trips are sold out well in advance of a year out and we plan for such, but then when numbers shuffle at three months out when invoices are due, it is often too late to replace riders. A lower number of guests means a reduced team, which affects the overall experience and expectations for everyone.
We completely understand that things come up, grandchildren are born, weddings happen, fingers crossed we don’t fall off our bikes too often and we will always do our best to be accommodating. However, in the last few years, frequent last-minute changes have challenged several Odysseys, affecting not just our carefully chosen guides, soigneurs, hotels, and resources, but also the time and effort that should be dedicated to making your journey truly exceptional.
After reviewing and discussing with colleagues across the industry, we are making the following adjustments to our booking process. At the point of booking, a deposit will be requested. At 10 months out, you will receive your welcome pack including an Odyssey schedule so you know when payments and information are due, but also so you can see what we are investing in along the way for you – kits/flights/ferries/teams, etc. Then we will request staged payments from eight months out to support these investments.
Our new conditions are here, valid for 2026 tours onwards.
We will always be as flexible as possible and treat you like the friends you are. This adjustment ensures the quality of our Odysseys stays as high as possible. As always, we highly recommend obtaining travel insurance to cover unexpected changes in plans. Any questions, please do ask.
Best,
Sam and Isabel