Travel Updates

HEALTH & SAFETY MEASURES POST COVID-19

Our passion for discovering and introducing Southeast Asia is as strong as ever, and we remain committed to providing you experiences of a lifetime. The purpose of the following guidelines is to help mitigate the spread of contagious diseases on trip.

HEALTH & SAFETY COMMITTEE

Trails of Indochina has appointed a health & safety committee to oversee and implement these new health & safety measure in all destinations. The committee will meet regularly to review the policies and vendors to ensure we are doing everything possible to achieve the necessary health & safety preparedness.

SOCIAL DISTANCING

In accordance with travel restrictions and health advice offered by government advisories worldwide Trails of Indochina will work with partners and customers to apply social distancing where possible.

GROUP VEHICLES

For larger vehicles and coaches, we will have the option for larger vehicles and less guests per vehicle thereby creating more personal space for each guest.

FIT VEHICLES

For smaller vehicles, we will approach this on a case by case basis. As smaller FITs are normally family members, there is no requirement for social distancing. There will be different requirements.

BOATS

We aim to provide appropriate social distancing for our guests when using boats while on tour. There are many considerations, so each trip & booking must be reviewed on a case by case basis. For private charter vs join-in, day boat & overnight boats we are working with these vendors to understand their on-board procedures and will act accordingly to ensure safety consideration for our guests.

HOTEL LOBBY DURING CHECK-IN

We will ask hotels to ensure physical distancing will be implemented in the event of queues or waiting and all keys and pens used to complete the check-in procedure should be sanitized. Where possible and appropriate, our guide can assist guests checking in and keep an eye for social distance
and hygiene.

SIGHTSEEING

Trails of Indochina have always aimed to avoid the crowds when we do our sightseeing to popular locations. We will continue to visit at off-peak areas, use alternative entry & exit points and apply other measure to avoid crowds.

PLANES

Different airlines apply their own policy for social distancing and hygiene. We are currently working with all airlines in Asia to advise and collect this information and make it available for all business partners.

HYGIENE IN VEHICLES

At a minimum, clean & disinfect all hard non-porous surfaces within the interior of the vehicle such as hard seats, arm rests, door handles, seat belt buckles, light and air controls, doors and windows, and grab handles.
Empty any waste baskets regularly. TOI will provide hand sanitizer in the vehicles for guests to use during the trip, before and after visiting sightseeing locations.

MASKS & SANITIZER

We will aim to make Masks & Hand sanitizer available for all guests traveling with us in 2020 and 2021.

RESTAURANTS

Trails of Indochina will work with restaurants who have appropriate and strict health & safety guidelines including cleanliness & hygiene. Where possible, TOI will keep a copy of the hygiene certificate on file.

BOATS & HOTELS

Trails of Indochina will work with overnight boats and hotels who have appropriate and strict health & safety guidelines including cleanliness & hygiene. Where possible, TOI will keep a copy of the hygiene certificate on file.

DAILY HEALTH CHECKS FOR GUIDES & DRIVERS

Guides and Drivers will be required to take their temperature each morning and report to the operations manager before starting their day. If they have a fever, they cannot work and the company will find an alternative.

GUIDE & DRIVER HYGIENE

Guide and driver will wash their hands frequently throughout the day and use hand sanitizer each time they get in the vehicles with guests. Guides and rivers should do this in view of guests so guests will feel secure that hygiene is being taken seriously. Drivers should also wipe down and sanitize the hard surfaces in vehicles at each stop. This includes hard seats, arm rests, door handles, seat belt buckles, light and air controls, doors and windows, and grab handles.

CRISIS MANAGEMENT

Guides and key Customer Care Staff will be briefed and trained on how to respond to travelers with symptoms of COVID-19. These measures are also covered in TOI’s Crisis Management Plan which is
updated regularly.

GENERAL HEALTH AND SAFETY PRECAUTIONS FOR TRAVELERS IN SOUTHEAST ASIA

Guests are encouraged to take sensible precautions against COVID-19 during their trips with Trails of Indochina. The World Health Organization outlines these basic practices to keep yourself and your loved ones safe:
1. Avoid travelling if you have a fever and cough. If you have fever, cough, and difficulty breathing, alert health care services and share with them your recent travel history.
2. Maintain social distancing. Where possible, stay a metre or more away from others, especially those who are sneezing or coughing, or have fever.
3. Wash your hands regularly with soap and running water. You can also use an alcohol-based hand-sanitizer to spray your hands as often as you like.
4. Cover your mouth and nose with tissue when you cough or sneeze. Dispose of dirty tissues immediately and wash your hands after coughing or sneezing.
5. Avoid contact with live animals. Wash your hands with soap and water if you touch live animals or animal products in markets.
6. Eat only well-cooked food. Make sure your meals especially animal proteins and dairy products are thoroughly cooked and prepared in a sanitary environment.
7. Discard single-use masks. If you choose to wear a single-use mask, ensure it covers your nose and mouth, avoid touching the mask, and wash your hands after removing it. Bring masks from home as they can sometimes be difficult to buy in Southeast Asia.

DEALING WITH SICKNESS (FOLLOWING ECDC GUIDANCE)

TOI representatives to look for symptoms

• Fever (person feels warm to the touch, gives a history of feeling feverish, or has an actual measured temperature of 100.4°F [38° C] or higher) that has persisted for more than 48 hours OR
  • Fever AND one of the following: persistent cough, difficulty breathing, appears obviously unwell https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/sites/default/files/documents/COVID-19-
  resourcesfor-contact-tracing-2-March-2020.pdf

Guidelines established for trip representatives with Medical input on what action should be taken and when. https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/sites/default/files/documents/COVID-19-resourcesforcontact- tracing-2-March-2020.pdf

• Identify sick passenger who meet the above description.
• Discuss situation with that passenger immediately and arrange for medical services. Depending on the location of the trip, this could be either arranging for the passenger to go to a doctors’ office/hospital, have a doctor come to the hotel or the most suitable medical review based on local conditions.
• Offer a facemask, if available for the sick person. If a facemask is not available, ask the sick person to cover their mouth and nose with tissues when coughing or sneezing.
• Minimize contact between the sick person and everyone else. If possible, separate for mothers (2 meters or 6 feet is ideal).
• Wear disposable gloves when tending to a sick traveler or touching body fluids or potentially contaminated surfaces. Remove gloves carefully to avoid contaminating yourself, then wash hands.
• Clean and disinfect contaminated surfaces according to transportation protocol.
• Determine what actions should be taken based on the information/status of the medical services:
  • Self-Isolate – passenger agrees to avoid contact with other passengers and trip representative until a more comprehensive medical prognoses can be received.
    o Mandate quarantine – limiting movement and access to sleeping quarters until government/medical expertise can evaluate.
    o Exit from the trip / refusal to rejoin
    o Soliciting assistance from local government officials

We encourage our guests to stay up to date on government advice from their own countries. Here are some helpful links to get started:
• USA, CDC: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
• Public Health England: https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus
• Australia Dept of Health: https://www.health.gov.au/news/health-alerts/novelcoronavirus-2019-ncov-health-alert
• New Zealand Ministry of Health: https://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/diseases-andconditions/covid-19-novel-coronavirus

To prevent the further spread of COVID-19 in Southeast Asia, some hotels and resorts have temporarily closed down. These hospitality companies are taking this time to renovate their properties, upgrade facilities and train their workforce to serve guests better in the future. View the list of hotels from this LINK.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Asia now open to international leisure travelers?

As the number of coronavirus infections continues to rise in Asia, international borders and ports remain closed for general tourism as of this time. The World Health Organization and all local governments do not encourage non-essential travel to prevent the further spread of the coronavirus. However, countries such as Japan, Vietnam and Singapore have already allowed business travelers to enter their ports, with COVID-19 tests and quarantines implemented. Thailand is also now allowing travelers into Phuket through a special 90-day visa.

How do you ensure the safety of your guests?

The safety of our guests is out top priority. As such, we have established a detailed Health & Safety Policy in all of the destinations we offer. These precautionary measures are in accordance to World Health Organization policies. Social distancing, wearing of masks, sanitation and many other measures will be implemented for guests, tour guides, drivers and everyone involved in your trip.

Is it safe to travel to Asia this year?

While some destinations in Southeast Asia have the health crisis under control and have started offering special visas for travelers, the global pandemic is still very much present. Therefore, it is really not safe to go on leisure trips this year. Several restrictions are still in place, which may hinder you from enjoying your holiday. We will definitely inform you of when our part of the world will reopen to international travelers.

What are your booking and cancellation policies?

We offer most flexible terms at the moment with no cancelation charges. However, we do not recommend to book any trips between now until Q4 2021 to avoid wasting our resources for booking and then canceling due to border closure and on-going pandemic in the world. For further information, please contact our Sales Team.

When is the most practical time to travel?

We don’t know yet but we hope our borders will reopen towards the end of 2021. We will continue to update you on this  through our monthly newsletter, social media updates and virtual meetings.