FAQs

We know you have lots of questions. We love questions! Here are some of the most popular ones to help you get started.

General questions

YES! 

In fact, most U.Travellers are travelling on their own. They choose a group trip to meet other like-minded travellers in a safe and affordable environment. We do also welcome friend groups and couples.

The majority of those that choose to travel with U. are between 18 and 26 years old. You must be 18 to travel with us as we will go to places where alcohol is served and you therefore need to be legally allowed to go into those places.

However, we will never discriminate against anyone based on age and if you older than 26 and would like to travel with us it is no problem we will welcome you.

If a U.Trip is not right for you remember we have loads of other trips for different ages with our partners.

Everybody! 

U. Trip are made of people from all over the world. This is a central part of our ethos – that you are travelling to meet new people, experience new cultures, and make life-long friends. You can expect to meet travellers from the UK, Ireland, Scandinavia, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, France, Australia, New Zealand and the USA. 

We keep our group sizes small so that you have the best opportunity for cultural interaction and immersion. We are not just a big tour company passing through – we want you to be actively involved in the communities we visit and people you meet.

The group size varies by destination and the types of transport we use. Generally you can expect to travel with between 8 and 22 people.

It varies from person to person and on the destination as to how much you are likely to spend.

We usually budget on £25 per day for meals and drinks.  Remembering that we will provide meals when there is no cheap or self-catering alternatives.

Activities can be a strain on a budget and this is why we include more than any other company as part of our trips. We do not want a situation where some travellers can afford to do things and others can not. If there are paid optional experiences we always offer free ones that are equally cool.

All accommodation, transport and guiding is included in all trips. We aim to include at least the activities mentioned in the “inclusions” tab under each trip although these can often be changed by our guides because of the weather, itinerary variations or due to supplier changes. 

It is a U. goal to include much more than any other travel option. Some of the activities and experiences we have developed could never be experienced by yourself. As well, we do not want situations where some travellers can afford to do activities and some can’t and therefore left out. Hence why our trips are jam-packed with included adventures. If there is an optional extra activity we will always have amazing free alternatives.

No, flights are not included unless we actually state this in the itinerary. Usually we include domestic flights if they are part of the trip.. 

A U. Team member can book flights for you that will match your trip dates. Please note that when we give you a quote for a flight they need to be booked immediately. Flight prices can change by the hour so you need to lock in that price when it is quoted.

We will send you an email with your flight tickets with details. Things like special meals or assistance requests need to done directly with the airline – unfortunately, they will not take these sorts of instructions from agents like us.

You are also welcome to book flights yourselves. If you are purchasing flights on your own, you should arrive no later than 12pm on the first day. 

You can book your flights as soon as we have confirmed the trip and dates. We recommend booking your flights 4-6 months in advance to get the best option. The cost of flights varies with the time of booking. The closer you are to the travel date usually the more expensive. If you are worried about changing dates then you can always pay a bit more in your flights to have flexible date changes available.

Before your trip

We encourage everyone to travel with a backpack. We use public transport to get around where possible, there are often rough paths or cobblestones (which make pulling a suitcase difficult), and sometimes the hostels or hotels we stay in don’t have lifts.

Generally a backpack is much easier to carry and get around fast. We recommend that you use a backpack that can hold around 60-70 litres.

We suggest that you only pack clothes as if you were travelling for two weeks – even if you are travelling for longer. You simply can’t fit clothes for several months in one bag. Instead, you can always wash you clothes while travelling. Once you have booked your trip, you will receive a packing list designed for your trip.  

Great tips:

  • Leave your white clothes at home – it is easier to wash colours
  • Bring some clothes you won’t miss if you loose them.
  • Many things can often be bought at your destination (sometimes even cheaper than home), so you don’t need to fill your backpack  with toiletries and lots and lots of clothes.
  • Wash you clothes in the shower. This is one of our favourite trael hacks – get in the shower fully clothed and as you take your clothes off wash them thoroughly with the soap.

Yes, you can. It’s a great idea to have a small backpack to carry with you during the day for warm clothes, sunscreen, camera and water.

  • Plug converter. Plugs are different in nearly all regions. A multi-country plug is the best option to cover all bases
  • It is always a good idea to bring a power banks to use when you are on day trips or far from a power outlet. Note power banks must be carried in your hand luggage on flights. 
  • A drink bottle. Your guide will give you advice on drinking water. But, to save continually buying horrible plastic bottles we strongly encourage you to bring a water bottle.

YES!!!

Many countries will not let you into the country without travel insurance. Plus, we require that you have comprehensive travel insurance to travel on all our trips. If you do not have insurance you can find more information on the travel insurance we can provide here.

It depends on where you are travelling. We recommend you ask your doctor. 

When you book your trip, we will send you an invoice for a deposit, to secure your place on your desired trip. The deposit is only 20% of the total amount and includes climate compensation, and travel insurance (if you have chosen it through us). 

Cancellation insurance and flights must be paid in full at the time of booking.

Your balance for the the trip itself must be paid at least 60 days before departure. You can continue to add extra days, optional activities etc after this time of course.

If you are booking a trip departing in less than 60 days you will need to pay for the entire trip when you book. 

Depending on your destination, visas usually need to be applied for at home, before departure. In some cases visas can be applied for at the airport when you arrive at your destination.

You can read more on your Ministry of Foreign Affairs website, where you can see which visa and permits are required for each country.

Your passport must be valid for at least 3 months before your departure. Many countries require passports to be valid for 6 months after your return, so check your passport well in advance.

It is recommended to be at the airport about 3 hours before departure when travelling outside Europe and across continents. This will give you enough time to check in your luggage, get through security and find your gate.

If you book flights through us, you will get your tickets by email, where you can see departure time and which company. You can only see which gate you are going to when you are at the airport. 

It is often possible to upgrade to a private room, but it depends on the trip and where we are staying. Not all hostels offer private rooms, so please contact us to know your options. It is much better to talk to a U. Team member about this before you travel than trying to do it with your guide once you are out there.

The meals we include on all our trips are most likely to be local food. This is part of the joy of travelling – you get to explore different local cuisines. Most countries can handle different dietary restrictions, but we do advise you to also be prepared for the worst. By this we mean, if you are vegetarian for example, you might want to stock up on some alternative snacks you can put into your backpack whenever we go past supermarkets or convenience stores – just in case you end up somewhere that can’t accommodation your requests.

If you do have any dietary restrictions, then please let us know and we will inform our guides beforehand so they can help prepare also. 

During your trip

The easiest way to get to your first hostel, is by using public transport. Your U.Team will help you with recommendations for your destination. In some areas we can also arrange a pre-booked transfer.

You will meet the group at the hostel you are all staying at for the first few days. Here, you will also be met by you local U.Guide who will be travelling with you.

We always stay in local hostels that are popular with backpackers. Staying with others is part of the experience of backpacking the world. 

In most places you can pay with credit card – but sometimes you need some cash. There is usually ATMs everywhere but we advise that you bring around £200 initially with you from home and change some of that at the airport to get you started as a back stop.

We can never entirely promise how the weather will turn out on your trip. We always aim to plan the trips when the weather is warm, sunny and dry. But always make sure to bring clothes for all weather. 

Well interesting question! In places like Switzerland – that is easy, 11 o’clock. But in places like Thailand and Indonesia our answer is to be patient, flexible, relax – it will happen. In places like Fiji, let’s call it island time and leave it there. 

The important thing is enjoy the journey, don’t panic, just be flexible and things eventually fall into place.

Well, that depends on where you are travelling!  The world is big, so just lean back and enjoy your trip! 

We all deal with jetlag differently, our trick is to find your nearest bar and have a drink or two 😉 

Tipping is not a requirement at most destinations, but if you’ve been given extra good service by a waiter or guide it’s good manners to tip a little and they’ll certainly appreciate it. Our U.Guide will give you more information if tipping is customary in particular situations (climbing Mount Kilimajaro for example).

After your trip

Yes, you can. We try and design trips and schedule departures so that they can be combined. We pick trips that are most popular as combined destinations and give deals on buying more than one trip. Quite often you will find that a lot of your fellow travellers are doing two or three trips in one-go. We have planned accommodation and flights to make this all possible and easy.