Just an FYI. I’ve traveled with them a couple of times and found them to be a solid value.
I looked at their website this morning and it just says the company shut down as of yesterday.
Posted by
Rancho Mirage, California
2 posts
We had a safari booked with them this summer for our 40th wedding anniversary and had just booked the flights today when I literally accidentally clicked on a tab on their website and saw that they were no longer in business.
Sure would have been nice to have had a heads-up about this! Fortunately we found out within the 24-hours we have to cancel our [rather pricey] flights. Update: Turns out they had sent a notification email from "[email protected]" on the day they shut down (1/31/2024) but only "[email protected]" was being allowed through our spam filter.
Very sad. They had a pretty decent reputation and we really liked the Kenya+Tanzania safari we had signed up for. Not sure if we'll ever get the deposit back. Uggh.
Posted by
Edmonds, WA 🌨 ☂
12129 posts
Important Information for Travelers with Outstanding Credits
If you have an outstanding credit with smarTours, you may be eligible to submit a claim through the USTOA $1 Million Travelers Assistance Program, which provides financial protection for travelers affected by the closure of a USTOA Active Member.
To file a claim, please follow these steps:
Visit the USTOA website: www.ustoa.com
Download the Claim Form from the USTOA claims section.
Submit the completed form via:
Email: [email protected]
Mail: USTOA Executive Office, 345 Seventh Ave., Suite 1801, New York, NY 10001
Phone Support: 212-599-6599
Claims must be filed within 90 days of this notice. Coverage applies to deposits and payments made prior to or within seven days following this official notification.
Posted by
near San Francisco
5610 posts
Not sure if we'll ever get the deposit back.
Perhaps you paid your deposit with a credit card that has travel insurance? If so, the travel supplier going out of business is likely to be a covered reason for making a claim.
Posted by
Rancho Mirage, California
2 posts
Thanks, CWsocial! We've never had a tour cancelled before and we do hope you are correct that the credit card should cover it.
Looks like we will have to try the credit card route first anyway.
From the new smarTours page on USTOA site (https://ustoa.com/travelers-assistance/smartours):
"Please note that passengers who are eligible and entitled to reimbursement from other sources, such as credit card consumer protection insurance, credit card chargebacks or other travel insurance benefits, are not eligible for reimbursement from the USTOA $1 Million Travelers Assistance Program."
Posted by
Green Bay
21417 posts
Sounds like one less spam email in my inbox every week. I guess I was smart to delete them.
Posted by
1 posts
I've been on 7 Smartours trips since 2014, Thailand, South Africa, Japan, Croatia, Spain, Portugal and Egypt/Jordan. I am so sad they are going out of business. More often than not, we had great tour guides. Hotels in Egypt/Jordan were beautiful and in convenient locations. The reason we like tour groups is we love traveling with a group of people. I was in the midst of choosing a trip for this fall and now I don't know where to start. I'm sorry for being insensitive to those who have trips already planned and/or paid for that will struggle to get your money back. I hope you are made whole by the insurance. I'd love to hear what tour company you would suggest that is on a par, pricewise, and hopefully quality with SmarTours.