Most enquiries fail for the same reason: they arrive as a question about a destination when the real answer depends on dates, numbers and who is travelling. The contact page exists to collect the four facts that shape everything else, so the first reply is already specific to your group rather than a generic outline you have read somewhere else.
What to Include
Four things, in this order:
- Departure window. Rough dates are enough at the start. If the school calendar fixes your week or your organisation books a fiscal year ahead, say that too.
- Headcount and ages. Students, adults or a mix, plus the number of adults travelling as supervisors. Include mobility requirements now rather than later, because they change the route and not only the rooms.
- Origin. The airport or city you would leave from, and whether you need the group to travel together on the outbound leg.
- Budget band. A range per person is fine. There is no judgment attached to a low number, and a realistic band saves everyone two weeks of back and forth.
Anything else, such as a theme, a subject the trip has to support, a supplier you already work with, or a date that cannot move, belongs in the same message. Short messages with those four facts get longer, better answers than long messages without them.
What Happens Next
I read the enquiry and reply with one of three responses: a route that fits, a route that fits with a change to the dates, or an honest note that the request is outside what I handle. If it is the first or the second, the reply includes a sample day by day plan, a night count, and the transfer hours so you can see where the time goes before any money is discussed.
From there the work moves in stages. Questions and adjustments first, a costed version once the route is stable, then contracts and deposits. Suppliers get confirmed only after you have accepted a plan, which is deliberate: holding space too early costs money, and confirming too late costs rooms.
Response time is usually within two working days, longer in August and in the two weeks before a departure season opens. If your deadline is closer than that, put the date in the subject line and I will tell you straight away whether it is achievable.
If You Are Not Ready to Book
Plenty of messages come from people who are still building a case for a committee, a board or a department head. That is a normal stage, and asking for the sample plan is a legitimate use of this page. Tell me the route you are considering and the decision you need to make, and I will send the material that supports it, including the parts that argue against a tight schedule.
The only enquiries I cannot answer are those with no group attached. If you are looking for a single seat on an existing departure, the programme pages list the fixed date options first, and those are handled directly by the operator running them.