Entries by Alan (41)
The point of no return
It has not been an easy process coming to the decision to book - not only is there the financial expense (especially with the ongoing cost of renovating my new house) but there are concerns as to the health of my father who having suffered from Parkinson's disease for over 20 years is now very frail and in poor health.
To the hardened trekkers amongst you I probably sound like I am making a mountain out of a molehill, but this trip is probably the maddest holiday that I have considered so far and that includes me previously having cycled from one end of the UK to the other - the famous Lands End to John "O" Groats (though riding 1070 miles in 10 days probably does not qualify as a holiday, more like a endurance event).
My online diary reflects only a small part of the research that I have undertaken around not only the location of the holiday, but also the equipment and the realities of camping "wild". There are still areas I need to research.
However time is running out and decision by KE Adventure on whether the trip is to run is rapidly approaching, so I have taken the decision to go and made a booking. I have paid the £200 deposit, with the full balance payable 2 months prior to the start of the holiday, that is the end of this month.
Having finally made my decision and booked, my greatest fear now is that the holiday will not meet its minimum booking requirement of 6 people and not run. I'm unsure what I will do should such a situation arise as I have been unsuccessful in locating any other holiday that remotely appeals.
I'll let you know more once I have had an update from Tim Nicholl at KE. Keep those fingers crossed!
Alan
Following up on my booking of the holiday I have received a rather unsettling response to my update request to Tim at KE.
Decision on a go/no go is now apparently taken one month before the due date (previously advised 2 months) and I am now informed that there are two "provisional" bookings whereas previously I was advised that there were "two bookings and two others very interested".
I have queried these inconsistencies. Given that a decision to proceed may now be made as late as the end of June I have also queried whether it is equitable to expect me to pay in full (due 2 months before departure) when a decision to run the trip has not been taken.
I suspect also that flights may become more expensive the nearer to departure date the reservations are made. This is a concern as according to the terms and conditions of the holiday, if the prices increase by more than 2% I have to cover the additional cost up to a maximum of 10% at which point I have a rather disagreeable option to cancel and obtain a refund or bite the bullet and pay.
Finally I'm a bit nervous about obtaining all the kit I need in under a month. It leaves little time if I need non standard sizes etc that have to be specially ordered (I'm 6ft 4)
Let's see what he has to say.
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