FlexDeposit is a policy you automatically get once you’ve paid a deposit on any Contiki trip 7 days or longer. It means that if you need to cancel or change your trip for any reason you won’t lose the deposit paid, as long as it is at least 60 days before your trip departure. Your deposit will remain secure until you’re ready to use it on new trip dates or on a different trip.

FlexDeposit can be used up until your 36th birthday, after which time it can then be transferred for use with any other travel brand within The Travel Corporation family of brands. It can also be gifted to a friend within 5 years of the original booking date.

Contiki’s Gold Seal Protection (GSP) plan costs only R1 250 per person.

Your GSP plan is available only upon paying your deposit and cannot be added later. GSP gives you additional peace of mind should your travel plans change and includes:

Pre-Departure Cancellation: GSP allows you to cancel your Contiki trip for any reason without penalty prior to 30 days from your South African departure date (or 30 days prior to your trip departure if travelling in South Africa).

If no Force Majeure Event* has occurred when you cancel, Contiki will refund the value of your trip pre-payment**; or

If a Force Majeure Event* does occur, causing you to cancel, the Contiki trip pre-payment ** will be converted to a Future Travel Credit (FTC) of the same value. The FTC may be redeemed against the cost of a new trip provided by Contiki or one of our Travel Corporation sister brands, departing at any time within 24 months of your cancellation but is not redeemable for cash. If the new trip or departure is more expensive than the FTC, you are responsible for the price difference; if the new trip or departure is less expensive than the FTC, a new FTC will be issued for the difference.

The Gold Seal Protection Plan does not cover airline travel costs and any related cancellation or rebooking costs before departing South Africa. We recommend you take out comprehensive travel insurance covering the value of your airfares should you cancel your trip. We are happy to help you with arranging travel insurance.

Please note that the Gold Seal Protection plan cost is not refundable for any reason. Travel Agent fees and cancellation costs may apply.

During Your Trip: Should your holiday be interrupted, and you leave during the trip due to personal illness or injury; or be required to return to South Africa because of the serious injury, illness, or death of an immediate family member^:

(a) Contiki will refund you R750 per person/ per day for the unused portion of the holiday. Please note that in some cases, hotels require a 1-night cancellation fee.

(b) Contiki will cover the cost of airline travel for earlier or later return to South Africa, in the same class of air travel on the first available flight, provided you booked the original return air tickets through Contiki from South Africa.A medical certificate is required to qualify for this trip interruption and return flight security provision.

*Force Majeure Event – means any event or circumstance beyond Contiki’s control, including but not limited to an act of God (such as earthquake, flood, fire, explosion, landslide, lightning, the action of the elements, a force of nature, washout, typhoon, hurricane, tsunami, storm or storm warning or natural disaster). As well as industrial disputes, work ban or other labour dispute or difficulty; acts of terrorism, political unrest, war or threat of war, riots, or civil strife; closure of airports or ports; pandemic, epidemic, or health risk; governmental and administrative actions (including the closure of borders and travel warning and restrictions).

**Contiki trip pre-payment – means all monies paid to Contiki in respect of land arrangements only.

^Immediate Family – means a parent, sibling, or child.