Travel Advice FAQs

• No matter how well travelled you are, it’s comforting to know you’re in safe hands.
• Whilst the travelling schedule on our holidays shall impose no problems for people of any age in normal physical health, we should like to point out that we visit many historical sites and often enjoy walking tours of various places of interest. Some holidays, therefore, may not be suitable for clients of greatly impaired mobility. If you have greatly impaired mobility, then please contact us for further advice.
• We strongly suggest that you check with your GP or travel clinic for any immunisations required.
• Travel health advice (and country specific information), may often change and it is advisable to check the following websites:
  • www.travelhealthpro.org.uk/
  • www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk/destinations.aspx
• For more travel health resources, visit the National Travel Health Network and Centre website 
• For information regarding travel and health measures in the EU, visit the European Union's Re-open EU website

• Although you should have travel insurance, you should also have a:
• UK Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC), or
• UK European Health Insurance Card (EHIC)
• This card provides you access state healthcare that cannot reasonably wait until you come back to the UK (sometimes called "medically necessary healthcare").
• This is available to British citizens in the European Economic Area (EEA) plus a number of other countries, which can be checked on the NHS GHIC website. 
  • Please note: the GHIC is only valid in the 27 EU countries (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland are not included).
• GHICs replaced EHICs for UK citizens as part of our exit from the EU. However if you have an existing EHIC, it will be valid until the expiry date on the card. Once it expires, you’ll need to apply for a GHIC to replace it. 
• This only covers you for some services, so you still need to have travel insurance to cover any eventuality, including being flown back to the UK
• We would request that you bring the name, address and telephone number of your GP as this is usually required by insurance companies if you become unwell.

Useful links:

• GHIC website for more information and to apply
• Department of Health website
• Foreign Commonwealth & Development Office website 

• Malaria is a serious disease and the country/countries to which you are travelling may be classified as a risk area.
• For further information, please refer to www.travelhealthpro.org.uk/factsheet/52/malaria - here you will find both general and country specific advice. 
• You can also check with your GP or travel clinic.

• Please refer to www.travelhealthpro.org.uk/factsheet/43/medicines-and-travel for specific information relating to travellers who need to carry medication and the differing laws/legal requirements/legal status relating to medication when crossing international borders.
• If you are taking any medication with you, then please ensure it is packed with your hand luggage.

• Travel restrictions for certain countries may include that being fully-vaccinated is a requirement of entry to that country 
• You can check this on www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice by selecting the appropriate country and reading to the entry requirements section. 
• We recommend that you check this in plenty of time before you travel to give you time to get vaccinations if needed.

• If you have a physical disability or are undergoing medical treatment that may affect your ability to travel that you have not already informed us about, please let us know asap via email. 
• For river cruising we will be able to advise you if the ship is equipped to meet your needs. If you do not inform us, the ship’s Captain may refuse passage, or your travel insurance may become invalid. 
• We also advise that you check with your travel insurance provider as your policy may be affected. 
   

• You can access the very latest government information which is available at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice or visit gov.uk/travelaware for country-specific information. 

You can access a checklist of things you can do to make air travel quicker and easier by visiting the Gov website.

• During the summer months, water levels can fluctuate on Europe’s rivers which may result in low water conditions in specific destinations. 
• As ever, we monitor this very closely and we will contact you immediately if there is likely to be any impact to your upcoming cruise.
• Whilst we will endeavour to provide you with as much notice as possible, the situation can evolve rapidly and it is impossible for us to predict if a cruise will be affected more than a few days in advance.
• Rest assured, we will contact you right away if your cruise is going to be affected, and there is no need for you to call us.
• Should your cruise be affected, you will be covered by our European River Cruise Assurance Policy.
• Riviera’s ethos is to provide you with an exceptional holiday experience, and you can be sure that we will only operate your holiday if we are fully confident that we can deliver on that promise. We rigorously follow the latest guidance issued by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). Whatever happens, we will ensure you have a safe and happy holiday, guaranteed.

If you are interested in more general travel advice such as passport information, visa requirements or advice on money abroad or locals laws and customs you can find out more information at https://travelaware.campaign.gov.uk.