Leisuretime FAQs

The Leisuretime brand and certain other assets were acquired by The Group Travel Company Ltd, trading as Toureasy, in March 2022. The Group Travel Company Ltd is an independent business led by industry veteran Sean Taggart who also owns the business along with a small group of private investor friends with more than 150 years of industry experience between them.

Leisuretime is the trading name for The Group Travel Company Ltd which has its registered office in Swindon. We operate with a team of remote workers located across England and Wales. This not only keeps our costs low so that we can keep our prices low, but also contributes towards our sustainability commitment.

Leisuretime by Toureasy fully protects all customer money for all holidays and short breaks, so that in the unlikely event of our failure, you will be refunded in full. For more information on how we protect your money, please click HERE.

We need an e-mail address to be able to send you booking and other documents. If you have not got your own e-mail address perhaps you can ask a friend or family member to help you with this? We may be able to post a confirmation to you if not, though an additional cost may apply.

Anybody and everybody. There is no typical Leisuretime customer. If you love holidays and enjoy sharing your experiences and making new friends, then you’re likely to be in very good company.

It means you travel on the same coach from the moment you are picked up until you are dropped off back home. We generally don’t ask you and your bags to change coaches at any point (those changes are referred to as interchanges by other companies). Occasionally a change of coach may be required for operational reasons, but we will always let you know in advance if this required.

In our opinion, direct travel is a quicker and easier way to get away and return from your trip. Not only do coach interchanges for multiple tours require you to change vehicles which can be a hassle, but you are also at risk from further delays waiting for customers to arrive on other ‘feeder’ services, particularly where there is more than one feeder service.

Where shown, Early Bird Discounts/Savings apply only to adult prices and cannot be combined with any other offers or discounts. There are only a limited number of seats available at Early Bird prices and Leisuretime by Toureasy reserves the right to withdraw or amend these prices/savings at any time..

Please tell us straight away if you are unhappy with any aspect of your Leisuretime experience. The quicker you tell us, the quicker we can try and fix things. This is especially true if you are unhappy with anything once on tour as our opportunities to put things right once you return are much more limited. Please follow this link to see how best to contact us.

That is fabulous news and makes us all smile! If you want to help us, then please follow us on Facebook and Instagram and tell your friends and families all about us. Leaving reviews through Google or Trustpilot is also a fantastic way of telling people how you feel about us and our tours. Your feedback will also be shared with our coach operator suppliers and may be included for publication on their website.

We can offer you really affordable trips because we don’t spend money on things that we don’t think actually add to your holiday experience (like an office for us, for example) and we are very good at keeping our actual operating costs as low as possible without compromising on service or quality.

Yes. We do not sell optional extras.

Of course not. We include excursions and activities that we think our customers will enjoy, but it is your holiday to enjoy as you wish. If you would rather do your own thing then that is perfectly fine. We just want you to have a lovely holiday.

You are free to make any arrangements you want but we cannot be responsible for any aspect of activities or excursions that you arrange yourself nor can we provide additional transfer services, etc.

You will only have to pay for meals, drinks and other extras not included in your holiday package.

A self-drive option conflicts with Protecting our Planet, so this may not be available. Please call us to discuss further.

Occasionally, we do have to ask you to change your holiday. This could be because we haven’t sold enough seats on that particular holiday to meet our minimum cost and/or sustainability requirements or because of issues related to the supplier or holiday destination itself which we think will impact your holiday experience.

Where we ask you change your holiday because we don’t have enough people booked on your trip, this request is driven by two factors. Firstly, one of the ways we keep our prices low is by running relatively full coaches and whilst we will often operate tours with fewer people on them than we would like, we can’t let our average drop too low. Secondly, our commitment to sustainability means that we would always prefer to send out 1 coach with 40 people on it than 2 coaches with 20.

You will be asked to choose from one of three options:

• accept the alternative holiday offered, or
• a voucher for future travel, or
• a cash refund of all monies paid and cancel your booking with us

Yes, you can transfer your booking to another person entirely free of charge up until 72 hours prior to tour departure.

The majority of our trips will operate in all weather conditions. However, due to unforeseen, major adverse weather conditions a holiday or day trip may be cancelled at short notice. If this should happen, customers will be contacted as soon as possible. A substitute trip of equivalent value may be offered. No Cash refunds will be offered.

Customers across South Wales and a large part of South West England can now join our trips from our convenient local departure points. Our intention is to expand our pick-up network across the country, so please sign up for our e-mail updates and we’ll make sure you’re the first to know when we’re coming.

Well, that depends on how many of you there are but if you have at least 25 people in your party, then there are deals to be done! For smaller groups of 12+ we might be able to offer a dedicated pick up point and priority seating, but that will depend on the trip and where you are based. Please call us on 0292 025 7777 or follow this link for more information on how we can help you enjoy a great break away together – with zero impact on our planet!

Again, that depends on how many people there are in your party. If you have at least 30 people in your group, then we can probably arrange to pick you up from anywhere in the UK! If you have more than 40, we definitely can!

At the moment we do not work through travel agents, but we may do so in the future. Please check back for more details and in the meantime, we would be more than happy to speak to you and try to help.

Yes! Our knowledgeable team would love to speak to you. Please call us anytime during our opening hours, which are shown on our website homepage.

You can book online through our secure website 7 days a week, 24 hours a day. If you’d prefer to speak to one of our team members, then please call us on 02920 257777. Please note our calls are sometimes recorded for training purposes.

We accept payment by debit card, as well as Visa and Mastercard credit cards. We also accept payment by bank transfer. I am afraid we do not accept payment by American Express, cheque or cash. We do not charge any fees for card or bank transfer payments.

The balance is due 6 weeks prior to tour departure or on confirmation if you book fewer than 6 weeks before travel. This extends to 8 weeks before departure if you are travelling on one of our European holidays.

You can make your balance payment online by credit or debit card, organise a bank transfer or speak to one of our team members and they can take payment by credit or debit card over the phone.

All our pick-up points are shown here, but please check back regularly as we will be expanding to other locations over the coming months.

Trip itineraries are published on our website.

You can see them in your MyLeisuretime section on our website. All you need is your MyLeisuretime login details.

In many cases yes, but it does depend on the age of the children. Children under 12 are generally not accepted on our European holidays.

Unless you are booking a family break, we do not feel that our tours are suitable for children younger than 6 years of age. If you are travelling with a younger child let us know so we can check the child seat and seat belt requirements. In any case, once a child gets to their 13th birthday, they pay adult price. You will also need to have two full fare paying passengers in a room to qualify for a child discount.

Any person under 18 years of age travelling with Leisuretime must be accompanied by a responsible adult, parent, or guardian (aged at least 18 years old).

That depends on the age and size of your child. Please just let us know when you book, and we’ll let you know.

Unfortunately not. We will carry official assistance dogs but please call us first to double check so we can ensure your holiday is as enjoyable as possible for both you and your four-legged companion.

You can request your preferred seating at the time of booking, but this cannot be guaranteed although we will always do our best to accommodate your preferences. Coach seating requests are usually dealt with on a first come first served basis, so the earlier you book the better chance you have of securing your preferred seats. That means we cannot accept bookings that are made on the condition of being sat in specific seats. We reserve the right to change your seats for operational reasons if required. These changes are rare and will not constitute a ‘major’ change to your booking.

Yes, many of our coaches will have air conditioning, but not all. Those that do not will have forced air cooling/heating as an alternative.

Many of our coaches will have toilet facilities, but not all. It will often depend on the length of your journey. Your driver will make frequent comfort stops in all cases and onboard toilets are generally provided as a back-up should you get caught short.

You are welcome to bring cold food, snacks, and non-alcoholic beverages onto the coach. We regret that you cannot consume hot food or alcohol onboard.

Per person: 1 piece of hand luggage to take on board the coach with you, and 1 suitcase (weighing not more than 18kg) which will go into the luggage hold. We recommend that you label your luggage clearly and as with all personal items, it is your responsibility to ensure your suitcase is on board the coach.

We recommend travel insurance for all of our holidays although it is only mandatory if you are travelling to destinations outside the UK. Please follow this link for more information on the insurance provided by Leisuretime.

Our hotels will always try and accommodate your dietary requirements. Please let us know at the time of booking and we will pass your request on to them. We cannot guarantee they can meet all of your requirements, but they will always do their best. If you have an allergy that could result in harm to yourself, then you must tell us at the time of booking.

Some tours and/or excursions may not be suitable for users of wheelchairs, scooters, and other mobility aids or for those with walking difficulties. If in doubt, please check with our customer service team at the time of booking.

When you travel with us, we will carry your wheelchair, or one mobility item, in addition to your normal luggage allowance. Your mobility aid cannot weigh more than 30kgs in total and must be collapsible. Due to health and Safety regulations our drivers cannot lift scooters on and off the coach. If an electric scooter is required, it is your responsibility to dismantle it and be able to lift on and off the coach without assistance. You must pre-book these with us at the time of your booking to ensure we have the capacity to accommodate them. We recommend your mobility items are fully insured as we do not accept responsibility or liability for loss or damage to any of your mobility items. If you are planning to take an electric scooter, it is essential that you let our customer service team know at the time of booking as these are generally restricted to one per tour. We reserve the right to refuse to carry any mobility items that are not pre-booked. No refunds or compensation with be provided in these circumstances.

In any event, we can only carry mobility aids with non-spillable or dry cell batteries, and mobility aids with lithium-ion batteries. You will need to ensure that:

• 1. Battery terminals must be protected from short circuits e.g., enclosed in a battery container
• 2. Battery must be securely attached to the wheelchair or mobility aid
• 3. Electrical circuits must be isolated, so there is no chance of the device being operated by accident. If this is not possible – and as a last resort – you’ll need to disconnect the battery cables and the battery terminals must be insulated to prevent short circuits
• 4. You carry the instruction manual with you

We are sorry, but even if your mobility aid is accepted on the coach, we cannot guarantee that you will be able to use your electric scooter/wheelchair etc. inside hotels, attractions, or other premises. There will usually be a place for you to store and charge them if required. We cannot guarantee that your mobility item will give you unaided access to any premises or places that we visit. If you have any specific needs or questions, please check with us before booking.

From time to time we may take photographs or shoot videos for promotional purposes whilst you are on tour. If you do not wish to appear in these, please make it known to your driver.

Exact definitions of sustainability vary, but at Leisuretime we refer to ourselves as a sustainable travel company for the following reasons.

• 1. We remove all the harmful carbon emitted by both our trips and our business operations through high quality, verified carbon offsets. That is why we define our business as carbon neutral.
• 2. We work with our team members and industry partners to help them limit or reduce their emissions over time.
• 3. As a business we aim to have a positive impact on the society that we live in and that includes offering our team great working conditions and participating in activities above and beyond our core business operations where they align with our vision and values.

We are a socially responsible business and aim to meet our own needs without compromising the lives of those that come after us. That is why we refer to Leisuretime as a sustainable travel company.

Offsetting all of the emissions from our tours and business operations means that Leisuretime can deliver on its sustainability commitment from day one. It gives our customers confidence that their holiday with us is really giving the planet a break too.

We work with Carbon Footprint to identify and capture all of the relevant emissions data for each tour and use this to calculate the total carbon emissions on each holiday. Our calculations are independently audited by Carbon Footprint on a regular basis to make sure we are doing things right.

All the high-quality projects we invest in use Certified Emission Reductions (CERs), Gold Standard CERs, Gold Standard Verified Emission Reductions, and Verified Carbon Standard certified credits. All of our projects meet the stringent requirements of the Quality Assurance Standard for Carbon Offsetting.

Beyond that we choose projects that strike a personal chord with us, or our customers and we really like projects that have a wider community benefit in addition to their environmental benefits.

Good question. Planting trees is an excellent way to combat climate change, but it takes 30-40 years for new trees to grow to a point where they are really making an impact. In the short term, stopping or slowing the removal of trees that are already fully grown (deforestation) and helping people across the world switch to more sustainable forms of energy will have a much bigger impact.

For that reason, we are planting trees as part of an offsetting programme, but the majority of our offsets are aimed at stopping further short-term damage to our beautiful planet.

Yes. All our emissions are externally audited and matched to the offsets we purchase.

No. We do not believe that protecting our planet should be an optional extra. But neither do we believe that it ought to be costly. So, we are committed to both delivering on our great value-for-money prices and combatting climate change. Contributing to the latter comes at no additional cost to you.

No. Whilst there is a cost to us to offset the carbon emitted on our tours and through our business operations, we are doing things a little differently from other operators and that saves us money elsewhere. So, your holiday with Leisuretime will never cost more because we offset your carbon emissions.

In our experience, every supplier is at a different stage in their sustainability journey.

All of our vehicle suppliers must commit to agreed minimum environmental standards both for the coach itself and how it is operated whilst on tour with us. As far as our hotel and attraction partners are concerned, we work with them to understand their carbon footprint and to support their own actions to reduce emissions.

Travelling on a modern touring coach is the most environmentally friendly way to travel by any form of diesel or petrol fuelled transport. Click here for more information on how coaches compare with travel by plane, car, and rail.

We would if we could! Whilst electric buses are starting to be rolled out across the country, the long distances that touring coaches cover means that, unfortunately, coaches that use electric or hydrogen power are not yet available, although they certainly will be some day. We’ll keep you posted!