How we work

Rickshaw is an independent travel company based on Brighton, UK. We were created by seasoned travellers with the aim of creating hassle-free, tailor-made adventures to our favourite parts of the world – adventures that show you the hidden gems as well as the famous highlights, and adventures that do something positive for the places you visit.

We do what we can to avoid mass-market tourism wherever possible, prioritising locally-owned hotels, locally-based drivers and guides, and choosing experiences that aren’t just enjoyable, but show you something genuine about the place, its people and its nature.

We hire specialists who have been to the destinations they work on and we make sure they get out there regularly, so you can be sure that the person you speak to has the first-hand experience needed to help plan your perfect holiday.

Every itinerary, bite-sized trip, activity and accommodation on our website has been hand-picked for the experience it offers you, and everything has been tested out first-hand by our international team (you’ll see lots of them in the pictures!). We also check up on things regularly to make sure standards are maintained, and that safety and sustainability is kept up to scratch.

Ours is not super-high-end luxury travel. We prioritise comfort and character over star ratings (although we do have some lovely upgrade options…). You can take a look at some of our accommodation here.

It’s not fully-escorted group travel either – our holidays are private and tailor-made. We sometimes refer to our holidays as semi-independent, meaning we’ll look after all the important bits but leave you time to enjoy the places you go in your own way too.

Once your travel specialist has received your request or talked things through on the phone, you’ll usually receive a detailed itinerary and quote within 1 working day. Prices will be held for 10 working days* as standard, so you’ll have time to read things through and discuss with your travel partners.

If you want to change anything about your holiday, just get back to your specialist and they can amend your itinerary and quote as needed. They’ll keep working with you until things are just how you want them.

*we can also book your international flights for you, but most airlines will only allow us to hold seats and prices for a day or two.

When you’re happy with everything, your travel specialist will send a booking form for you to complete. Any international flights will need to be paid for upfront, and for your in-destination arrangements the standard deposit will be 10% (with the remaining balance due 40 days before departure).

There are occasions where we’ll ask for a higher deposit amount, for example;

• Your itinerary includes certain high-demand or non-refundable elements, such as the Inca Trail, domestic flights, rail journeys etc.
• You’re booking less than 40 days before departure. In this case, we’ll ask for 50% upfront and the rest once everything is confirmed.

 

Once your deposit has been received, your travel specialist will set about confirming your transport, tours, accommodation bookings and all other aspects of your holiday. The time this takes varies between destinations and seasons, but typically it’ll take 1-3 weeks. We’ll be in touch to let you know once it’s all sorted.

You can see our full booking conditions here.

Once everything is confirmed for your holiday, we’ll e-mail you all the documents you’ll need while you’re away. These include travel vouchers, contact details for our local partners in your destination, and lots of helpful info to help you prepare for your trip.

And don’t forget, your travel specialist is available by phone or e-mail if you have any questions before you go. We’ll also try to contact you a week or so before your departure date, just to check that you’re ready and have everything you need.

Our holidays begin with a friendly face to pick you up from the airport, and you’ll usually meet our local partners early on too – they’re available 24/7 throughout your journey, just in case you have any problems or questions while you’re away. The documents and vouchers you’ll have been sent are designed to make things as easy as possible for you, and the various guides, drivers and hotels will be expecting your arrival as you go along.

Once you’re on your travels, we’ll leave you to enjoy yourselves! Our local partners are there if you need them, and might contact you at points if something changes (e.g. a tour start time). Otherwise, you’ll be left to experience your destination and whatever unexpected treats it throws your way.

You’ll also have access to a virtual assistant called Tess – a clever little bit of tech you can communicate with from anywhere via Whatsapp. Tess is there to answer questions and offer recommendations about where to eat, what to see, and whatever other questions come to mind. Tess is entirely optional, but our travellers seem to love her!

Sadly, all good holidays must come to an end! Once you’ve had a few days to settle back into normal life, your travel specialist will be in touch to see how it all went. It’s a cliché, but your feedback is genuinely very important to us – we’d love to know which parts of your holiday your enjoyed the most, and what (if anything!) could be improved.

We also really appreciate when our customers leave us a review. A lot of our success is down to good reviews and word of mouth. You’ll be sent a link to leave your feedback on our Trustpilot profile.

If you loved your holiday and want to see more of the world with Rickshaw, we have plenty of other destinations to explore! We love nothing more than when one of our customers comes back for a second (or tenth!) trip with us, and to say thank you we’ll always include a little treat like a free hotel upgrade or tour.

Also, if you think your friends or family would also enjoy a Rickshaw holiday, you can recommend them using our refer a friend scheme for an extra little reward.