At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Heart of Travel immediately suspended all travel-related activities and tourism services in all of our Latin American destinations. We resumed small private group activities in Guatemala on a case-by-case basis, in April 2021 and have slowly returned to our normal operations offering both group and private tours in all of our destinations, including Cuba and Spain. While we are so grateful to be traveling again, health and safety continue to be our top priority. We understand that COVID-19 requires an additional consideration when traveling and we will do all that we can to keep travelers, guides, drivers and local communities safe and healthy. Likewise, we want to offer you the greatest flexibility possible when booking your travel. Please continue reading to learn more about our cancellation and refund policy as well as our COVID-19 protocols.  

Due to COVID-19, trips remain tentative and are subject to cancellation or postponement in the event travel to the destination is no longer feasible or considered to be a safe or responsible option for either or both our travelers are the communities in our destination countries. Heart of Travel has created a new more flexible refund policy to make signing up for a trip a risk-free decision in the event of a cancellation or postponement.

You can review the new policy below:

In the event, a Heart of Travel trip is not canceled but you have chosen not to join the trip for whatever reason, including COVID-19, the following policy will apply:

• Cancellation 121 days or more before the trip start date: Fully refundable 
• Cancellation 91 days or more before the trip start date: Loss of deposit, the rest of the trip payment is fully refundable. 
• Cancellation 60 – 90 days before the trip start date: 50% Refundable 
• Cancellation 59 or fewer days before the trip’s start date: No refunds guaranteed however, you could apply 60% of your payment towards a future trip to the same destination or 45% towards a Heart of Travel trip to an alternate destination. 

In the event, a Heart of Travel trip is not possible due to COVID-19 (be it due to border closures or because we’ve determined the trip is not in the best interest of travelers and/or employees) we will notify participants immediately of the cancellation or postponement of the trip.

In the event, the trip is canceled less than 59 days prior to the start date the trip will not be refundable but rather postponed. Likewise, you can receive a full 100% credit for the amount paid, good towards any other Heart of Travel trip to any destination at any time.

If the trip is canceled with 60 days of notice or more, travelers will have the option to receive a full refund, join the trip at the postponed date or transfer the amount paid to an alternative trip

Every travel destination we work in is a little bit different and government policies can challenge quickly and constantly. Therefore, while we will be providing you with regular updates on policies and protocols in your travel destination in the months leading up to our trip, it is ultimately your responsibility to understand and comply with the regulations in the country you’re traveling to. Heart of Travel does not directly require travelers to be vaccinated or produce a negative test, but most of our travel destinations do require one, if not both. 

Mask wearing is also to be determined by local regulations. For reference, most of our destinations only require mask usage in indoor spaces with larger groups of people or on shared transportation. 

100% of Heart of Travel’s full time staff is fully vaccinated. 

95% + of Heart of Travel travelers are fully vaccinated, based on travelers from 2021- 22.  

Heart of Travel does not require a negative test before starting a tour. We will, however, request you take a test if you display symptoms or have any other reason to suspect you might have COVID-19. We will supply you with one free rapid test.

In the event that a client contracts COVID-19 while on a tour, or begins to develop symptoms, our current policy (subject to change) is as followed:

• If an individual on a Heart of Travel tour begins to display symptoms of COVID-19, the individual will be asked to self test. If the results of the test are positive, the client will be asked to immediately isolate from the rest of the group. This includes, but is not limited to, booking new accommodation where a client is able to self isolate, booking private transportation if needed, as well as cost of any additional tests needed. We will provide you with one free test, and can sell you additional tests at $12 per test. We know that it’s fairly easy to get free self-test in the United States. If possible, we encourage you to bring some with you since self-tests are not free, nor as accessible, in many Latin American countries. 
• In the event that a client is in need of medical care, Heart of Travel will assist in arranging medical care, as well as any needed transportation, medicine, food or other items. However, Heart of Travel is not responsible for any costs that may occur. Any additional costs incurred by an individual who falls sick on a tour will be covered by the client, not Heart of Travel. Because of this, we highly recommend purchasing trip insurance before any travel. Please check with your travel insurance provider prior to travel to become familiar with their protocols and coverage. We recommend shopping policies with our partner Insured Nomads
 

**Please note that all COVID-19 policies are subject to change, and Heart of Travel staff may take any additional steps necessary to keep the group safe and healthy.