General FAQs

Booking online

• On our website, select the tour you wish to book, click 'Select dates', choose your departure date, and click 'Book now'.
• There are a small number of holidays on our website that aren't bookable online. In these instances you'll have the option to call us, or submit a form for us to call you back.

Booking over the phone

• Call our friendly Reservations Team on 01283 688 406. You can view our opening hours on our Contact Us page.

Note: For some holidays, we will need to request your flight seats. These are bookable online and over the phone, but we will not take any payment from your card, and you will not receive confirmation for your booking until we have secured your flights.

When should I pay my balance?

• The balance payment date is shown on your confirmation, full details of the dates can be found in our booking conditions.
• You can pay your balance either on our website by clicking on My Account, by sending a cheque or calling our Customer Service team on 01283 688 475 to pay by debit/credit card.

What payment methods are accepted when booking?

• Payments can be made via a bank transfer, cheque, or debit/credit card. All payments must be made in Pound/Sterling.
• Due to arrangements with our bank and card handling companies, bank transfers from non-British accounts must be made in Sterling. 
• Please note: a charge of £10 per transaction will be added, this may also incur charges from your bank.

Is my money protected?

• We are fully bonded with the CAA and ABTA so you can rest assured that your money is safe in any eventuality.
• Please see our booking conditions for full details.

Credit/debit card security

• Credit/debit card payments will be automatically encrypted using Secure Socket Layers (SSL). This technology ensures that your credit/debit card numbers are not accessible by unauthorised persons and are as safe as possible. 
• Once you have completed your transaction, your details will not be kept on our live web servers. All personal details as well as credit card information are kept confidential and held on a secure database.
• We follow strict guidelines and procedures regarding the storage and disclosure of information as outlined by the Data Protection Act.

• Whether booking online, on the phone, or via booking form, you can either pay in full or pay a deposit.
• The only time you may not be able to is if it's a last-minute booking with a departure date in the next 101 days.

Deposit amount

• Deposit amounts will vary by holiday - see the table below.
• There is a minimum deposit amount for each holiday, but you can pay any amount between that and the full holiday amount.

Paying the balance

• If you choose to pay by deposit, you will need to pay your full balance on the date shown on your confirmation. 
• If you’re booking online, your balance due date will be displayed at the payment step.
• Please note deposits are non-refundable and price does not include travel insurance.
• For more detailed information please refer to our booking conditions.

Online bookings

• You'll receive an email as soon as your payment has been confirmed

Telephone bookings

• You'll have the choice to receive your confirmation by email or post.
• This will be done within 10 days of the booking being processed.
• You will receive a Guest Information Form, where you'll need to provide information on each passenger, including passport details and any other missing information.
• The Guest Information Form needs completing and returning to us at the below address 8 weeks prior to departure in order for your travel documents to be dispatched.
• You can also update the required guest information in 'My Account' and this should be completed 8 weeks prior to your date of departure in order for your travel documents to be dispatched.

Please send your completed Guest Information Form to:

Customer Services 
Riviera Travel 
328 Wetmore Road 
Burton on Trent 
DE14 1SP

• Your travel documents will be sent to you approximately 10 days prior to your departure date. 
• Please make sure that you check the details on your travel documents and advise us immediately of any errors.

If you haven't received your travel documents

• If you haven’t received your travel documents 14 days before you are due to travel, please telephone our Reservations team on 01283 688 406.

If you lose your travel documents

• You must contact us as soon as possible on 01283 688 406  and we will provide replacements, or we will advise on what to do.

View our opening hours.

• You can view Booking Conditions online at rivieratravel.co.uk/booking-conditions, and they're also in our brochures
• Please note that the bookings conditions form the basis of your contract with Riviera Travel, so we strongly recommend that you take time to read then.

• If you wish to amend your booking, simply call us on 01283 688 406, or submit a contact form. 
• Please note: an amendment fee of at least £40 per passenger will be added to your booking, plus any additional fees levied by our suppliers.

• If you wish to cancel your booking, please inform us as soon as possible by: 
  • Emailing [email protected], or
  • Writing to Riviera Travel, New Manor, 328 Wetmore Road, Burton on Trent, DE14 1SP
• Please note you will be liable to pay the cancellation charges detailed in our Booking Conditions.

Passports

• You will require a valid passport for your holiday. 
• Sometimes your passport needs to be valid for a period of time after you return - you can check this on www.fco.gov.uk.
• Please check the Government Foreign Advice website for country specific information relating to entry requirements (including whether your passport needs to be valid beyond the return date of your holiday and whether a visa is a requirement of entry).
• For further details regarding passports and the requirements for traveling abroad please visit:
  • www.gov.uk/browse/abroad/travel-abroad
  • www.gov.uk/browse/abroad/passports

Visas

• Visas are required by UK Passport holders to enter a number of countries that we operate to and may incur an additional charge. 
• Please check carefully if you need a visa as we cannot accept responsibility for the cancellation of a holiday due to the non-granting of a visa. 
• If you are unsure whether you require a visa please contact our Reservations Team on 01283 688 517.
• We cannot complete visa applications or passenger locator forms on your behalf. 

Note: We will not accept any liability if you are unable to travel and/or refused entry onto any transport or into any country due to failure on your part to comply with these requirements.

Applying for a passport

• For details on how to obtain a passport please visit www.gov.uk/government/organisations/hm-passport-office or enquire at your nearest Post Office.

• British passport holders do not require a visa under the US Visa Waiver Programme. Your passport must be machine readable (i.e. a red passport with two lines of letters, numbers and ‘>>>>’ at the foot of your personal details page).
• All British passport holders qualifying for the Visa Waiver Programme must now apply online for authorisation to enter the USA. 
• This is done by going to esta.cbp.dhs.gov and registering at least 72 hours before travelling. 
• Without authorisation prior to travel, admission to the USA may be denied at the Port of Entry. Non-British passport holders should contact the American Embassy for more information.
• Further details can be found at uk.usembassy.gov/visas/

Note: under certain circumstances it is not possible to travel under the US Visa Waiver Programme such as by having a criminal record for example, and advice should be sought from the US Embassy.

EES (Entry/Exit scheme)

• The introduction of the EES (Entry/Exit Scheme) has been delayed and is expected some time in 2025.
• This is a new electronic system that will replace the physical stamping of a passport.
• When you go through passport control on arrival, as well as producing your passport you will also have your photograph taken and fingers scanned. 
• It will register your entry and then your exit when leaving.
• You will only need to do this on your first entry into Europe after the scheme starts.
• Exceptions – Irish passport holders or British Passport holders with an EU residency.  

For travel via Eurostar

• Currently when boarding Eurostar at St Pancras, there is a dual border – both British & French/Belgiam borders are at the stations.
• Therefore the EES system will be in place at the stations, you will not need to be checked again on arrival at the other side.
• ABTA - have full details of the scheme on their website under "tips and advice" EES & ETIAS advice for travellers

ETIAS - expected in mid 2025

• The above should not be confused with the ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorisation system) which is expected to come into operation mid 2025, where travellers will be required to obtain a ETIAS prior to travelling. 
• Full details on this should be available soon.

• You can rest assured that Riviera will always check all travel requirements for your holiday, advise you accordingly and provide comprehensive information with your travel documentation.
• Should you wish to check real-time information on any travel restrictions and documentation required for travel, we would recommend visiting the Sherpa website.
• In the filters above the interactive map, you simply need to select as follows:
  • The country where your passport is issued
  • The country you will be travelling from
  • The country you are travelling to
  • Indicate your vaccination status
• Alternatively, enter the first two options and then use the interactive map (hover over/click the applicable country).

Note: the information provided on the Sherpa website could be subject to change at very short notice. Riviera Travel is not responsible for information provided on a third-party website.

• Requests to pre-book your seat are subject to the airlines' conditions. 
• If you would like to pre-book seats please contact our Customer Service Team who will be able to provide further information regarding the possibility and also the cost.
• Our Customer Service team can be contacted either by telephone on 01283 688 455 or by email at [email protected]
• If your booking includes rail travel our Customer Service Team will be able to add seat requests to your booking. These requests cannot be guaranteed and are subject to availability.

View our opening hours.

• You will receive details of your luggage allowance with your final travel documents, which are sent approximately 10 days prior to your date of departure.
• Alternatively, you can call our reservation team on 01283 688 406 for further details. 
• For Eurostar, only two pieces of luggage are permitted per person, though please be aware that porterage may not be available on the station platform.

Travelling by air

• For European holidays the check-in time is 2 hours before your flight, for Long Haul destinations you should allow 3 hours for check-in.

Travelling by Eurostar

• Travelling by Eurostar: Check-in time is 45 minutes before departure. However we recommend you arrive 1 hour before your departure.

• Most holidays allocate seats via a seat rotation system.
• Some shorter tours have a free-seating policy is in operation.
• Our coaches may not have toilet facilities on board, or may not be available for use. 
  • We will always have a comfort stop usually every two hours. 
  • If you need to take a comfort break we will endeavour to stop at suitable area if it is possible.
• Legal requirements regarding the use of seatbelts on coaches vary from country to country. We believe the safety of our guests is paramount, so we ask that you always use the seatbelt fitted.

• Flights for a small selection of our holidays are booked on an individual basis. 
• Once you have submitted your booking online or over the phone, our flights department book the flights and confirm your booking. 
• If your booking is impacted by flight costs being higher than anticipated, our dedicated sales team will contact you to advise of this.
• No payment will be taken until we confirm your booking.

• Occasionally we may have to change the running order of the holiday itinerary. 
• This may happen on short notice, and could be due to several reasons such as; public holidays, festivals, weather, traffic conditions or other operational reasons.
• On the rare occasions this may happen we will advise you as soon as possible and act in your best interest to ensure your holiday enjoyment is not compromised.

• We believe age is just a number, and so do the people who travel with us! 
• Age composition on our holidays varies, and your holiday may be shared with travellers in their 30s right up to those in their 80s, or even beyond. 
• What unites all our guests is their adventurous spirit, insatiable curiosity and desire to not just see, but explore the world with like-minded travellers.

• Our Travel Concierge service can organise door-to-door transfers, additional nights at an airport or destination, departures from regional airports and more.
• Riviera Travel have teamed up with Holiday Extras to offer you great prices on fast track, airport lounges, airport hotels and parking. Visit www.rivieraextras.co.uk or call 0871 360 1018 and cite the code V4744 for more information.

• Our sales advisors are happy to provide advice on weather in our destinations. 
• However, weather patterns are becoming less predictable, and we cannot be held responsible for any disruption to your holiday itinerary due to bad or unseasonal weather conditions or pay compensation/refunds for any alternative arrangements or property damage.
• Contact us for more details.

• It is important that you have adequate travel insurance, to ensure you are protected before you travel and whilst you are away on holiday. 
• Should you require a quote for your Travel Insurance, we can refer you to Holiday Extras. For more information on Holiday Extras or to obtain a quote, you can:
  • Go to their website www.rivieraextras.co.uk, or
  • Call them on 0800 083 6658 and quote code V4744 to speak to a friendly advisor