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2022 Brochure Launch

Created: 16 September 2021

New tours, re-runs of cancelled debut rail holidays and many firm train travel favourites all feature in the new ‘Rail Holidays of the World’ 2022 Brochure.

Specialist rail tour operator Ffestiniog Travel is steaming ahead with plans to get travellers back on the touring train by offering 43 escorted tours over the next 15 months! It is hoped they will inspire a renewed sense of wanderlust among those keen to explore the world by train.

Says Maria Cook, General Manager: “It has been a very challenging 15 months due to the COVID pandemic, but we remain optimistic that our new escorted tour programme will run and appeal to existing and new customers. Many of our travellers, disappointed by ongoing tour cancellations, have rolled their bookings over to our 2022 departures. Our swift response to fully refunding customers when tours were cancelled has given them the confidence to book with us again.

“We are limiting numbers on each tour to a maximum of just 29 travellers, but it is worth emphasising that an average Ffestiniog Travel escorted tour size is usually around 16 passengers. We therefore encourage people to book early to avoid disappointment. In the event of us cancelling tours due to resurgence in COVID, customers will be fully reimbursed swiftly as per our refund policy. If a tour proves to be popular and becomes over-subscribed we will endeavour to arrange another departure

“As a small independent tour operator we can be flexible and adjust to an ever changing landscape. Smaller tour numbers also allow a level of flexibility within the holiday - our tour leaders are experienced and will adapt to each group of travellers according to its needs, including helping travellers make the best of any free time. On a Ffestiniog Travel escorted tour you can enjoy a private holiday within the security of a group!”

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Which? has rated us Green for Covid flexibility in the Which? HolidayChecker.

Created: 05 August 2021

Rail tour operator Ffestiniog Travel is delighted to have achieved ‘Green’ status on the Which? HolidayChecker. The consumer champion has published its own tool enabling travellers to check out the holiday companies with the best COVID-19 flexible booking arrangements.

Which? compared holiday providers’ Covid travel cancellation and refund policies to create the Holiday Checker. Those offering the best flexible booking options which didn’t leave customers out of pocket if circumstances changed were given a ‘Green’ rating – others were awarded ‘Amber’ and those deemed the worst were put on the ‘Red’ rating

Maria Cook, Ffestiniog Travel General Manager commented: “As a small, specialist independent tour operator we are delighted to firstly be acknowledged and secondly to achieve a good ‘Green’ rating for our COVID booking and refund policy.

“We have always put our customers first and despite the difficulties encountered by the pandemic we were able to do the right thing by our travellers and refund them fully in a matter of days when a rail tour was cancelled due to COVID. It is an approach that has resulted in customers booking with us again on our 2022 tours confident that should we cancel their money is safe.”

 

Ffestiniog Travel suspends all holidays through to June 30th

Created: 19 March 2020

In response to the worldwide COVID-19 outbreak, Ffestiniog Travel has cancelled all holidays until the end of July 2020.

Please read below for the reasons for this decision in a letter from General Manager Maria Cook. Ffestiniog Travel will help all customers to rebook as soon as the situation returns to normal. In the meantime, Ffestiniog Travel is reaching out to all affected customers and dealing with the cancellations effectively and sympathetically.

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Stay On-Trend This Year and Keep Tours ‘Small and Traditional’

Created: 02 March 2020

From wellness holidays to micro-cations, most of the major travel trends for mature, more discerning travellers emerging in 2020 are underpinned by a common theme: sustainability and growing eco-awareness. For progressive tour operators, this means offering smaller sized tour groups and keeping itineraries and experiences traditional, giving their travellers authentic experiences they can not only savour but also feel good about, both during and after their adventure.

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Poland Rail Tour Visits Auschwitz-Birkenau on 75th Anniversary Year

Created: 03 February 2020

The 15-day rail odyssey includes an afternoon at Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest concentration camp in occupied Europe during 1940-1945. With the liberation taking place in January 1945, 75 years ago, visiting the Memorial in commemoration for those lost in the Holocaust is of particular interest for travellers this year.

Poland: Steam, Trams & History, from £2,420pp, also includes time in Aachen, Szczecin, Wolsztyn, Leszno, Warsaw, Easter Sunday in UNESCO Krakow, and Berlin, and excursions to the Warsaw Railway Museum, the Wieliczka Salt Mine, and the Berlin Technology Museum. A key highlight of the trip is the 4-day award-winning Wolsztyn Steam Experience. Maria Cook, General Manager of Ffestiniog Travel said “we are also pleased to announce today’s news that all customers joining the tour on April 1 2020 will be able to enjoy a day travelling by scheduled steam, as these are expected to cease from May 2020 onwards. Additionally, a limited number of footplate rides are available to book on a first-come first-served basis, at no extra charge. This is the last time the footplate rides will be available”.

The escorted tour itinerary includes outbound rail, a 4-day tour with the Wolsztyn Experience, 14-nights hotel accommodation with breakfast, internal travel as per the itinerary, excursions as per the itinerary, and the services of a tour leader throughout.

 

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Why Choose Ffestiniog Travel?

  • UK's first rail tour operator to run an overseas escorted rail holiday in 1974
  • Created for people who love rail holidays and exploring the world’s heritage railways
  • Dedicated rail holiday specialist - great destinations, sightseeing and unparalled railway content
  • Train ticket supplier for worldwide rail operators - we can plan and arrange your rail journey to anywhere
  • Knowledge of the world’s rail routes makes us leading specialists in escorted and Tailor Made rail holidays
  • Over 60% of our existing rail tour travellers return to holiday with us year after year
  • Committed to supporting rail travel and heritage railways around the world
  • Our profits support the continued preservation of the famous Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland Railways
  • Small, dedicated rail holiday travel team offering an award winning personal service

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