Frequently Asked Questions

UK garden holidays generally depart from London, with additional pick-ups depending on the route of the coach, while holidays to Scotland depart from Glasgow, Edinburgh and Perth, with Dundee, Inverness and Aberdeen sometimes included. All Eurostar holidays depart from London St. Pancras and flight-inclusive holidays depart from one or more of the main London airports, with regional flights often available at a supplement. You’ll find the full list of departure points for the holiday you’re interested in on our website. Departure and return times are also given but please note these are approximate and for guidance only. Actual departure times are confirmed with your joining instructions which are sent out around ten days prior to departure and these may vary from those shown on the website.

All holidays are given an activity level based on factors that include distance and terrain walked, time spent travelling on the coach, and so on. These can be seen on each holiday’s page on our website.

On the vast majority of our holidays, all featured visits and excursions are included. On certain holidays, particularly cruises, some of the excursions may be optional giving you the flexibility to do your own thing, with prices starting from as little as $30pp.

Seats can be requested in any part of the coach. For example, if you have limited mobility or sight, or suffer from travel sickness, you can request seats at the front of the coach, or you may prefer to sit on one particular side of the coach.  Please get in touch with our friendly team to discuss any requirements you may have. There’s no fixed limit for luggage, but we generally say one large suitcase to go in the luggage compartment and a smaller bag that you can take onto the coach with you. For flight-inclusive holidays, a luggage allowance of at least 20kg is included as standard.

Of course we can help with connecting rail travel, domestic flight or additional transport to get you to and from your pick-up point and help organise pre- or post-tour nights if required – please contact our reservation team for a quote.

Certainly. Whether you wish to fly out early or stay a few days later, arrange a connecting flight or depart from a local airport, these can all be arranged if possible - do give our team a call to discuss your requirements.

You will receive detailed joining instructions around 10 days prior to you departure, but you are of course welcome to contact us at any time should you have any queries.

Yes, we do – tailored to your exact requirements! Find out more about this by contacting our team.

Travel insurance is required for all overseas holidays and is also strongly recommended for UK holidays – primarily to protect yourself against cancellation charges should you be unable to travel. Please note that Brightwater Holidays no longer sells travel insurance so it is your own responsibility to purchase appropriate cover.

As we move into 2022 we very much hope that we will see a return to normal travel conditions without the need for masks, testing or social distancing. However, rest assured that we will follow whatever regulations or guidelines are in place at the time of travel. Please refer to our website for the most up to date information.

All our tours are fully bonded and protected via the Civil Aviation Authority’s ATOL scheme (flight-based holidays) or through ABTOT (for holidays that don’t include flights).