"What if I cannot travel?" is one of the first questions every South African asks before paying a deposit on a European journey, and it is a fair one. Visa rejections happen. Family emergencies happen. Work plans change. So here is exactly where you stand, before you pay rather than after.
Our first move is always a date change, not a cancellation
If something comes up, tell us the moment you know. Our first instinct, and the thing we will push hardest for, is to move you to another departure rather than cancel you. A date change preserves far more of what you have paid than a cancellation does, and where the operator can accommodate it we will make that case for you.
We will not promise you an outcome we cannot guarantee, because a promise that fails is worse than a straight answer. What we can tell you honestly is that early is where the room to move lives. The further out you are, the more we can usually do. So the single most useful thing you can do is pick up your phone the day you suspect there is a problem, not the week before you fly.
The cancellation scale, in full
If a cancellation is genuinely the only option, these are the terms, and they apply from the moment you book:
- More than 75 days before departure: the deposit is forfeited.
- 75 to 46 days before departure: 75% of the journey is charged.
- 45 to 31 days before departure: 90% is charged.
- 30 days or fewer: 100% is charged.
The R3,000 per person deposit is not returned in any of those cases, and neither is the 3% online processing charged on it, which makes the deposit R3,090 in total. There is no free-cancellation window and we will never pretend there is one.
Your booking confirmation lists the exact figures that apply to your journey and departure date. Read it when it arrives, and keep it somewhere you can find it.
Where comprehensive travel insurance actually saves you
This is the single biggest reason every booking should sit on top of comprehensive travel insurance from a South African provider. The scale above is the contract. What you can actually recover when life goes sideways depends on your policy, and a good one costs a fraction of what it protects.
A solid cancellation-and-curtailment policy typically covers:
- Visa rejection, provided you have the consulate's denial letter.
- Serious illness or injury that prevents travel, with medical documentation.
- Death of a close family member.
- Major events outside your control, such as jury duty or a military call-up.
- Flight cancellations that make the journey unreachable.
- Some natural-disaster scenarios at home or at the destination.
What it almost never covers: changing your mind, finding something cheaper, or an employer refusing leave. Those land you on the scale above. Buy the cover the same week you pay the deposit, not the month before you fly, because most policies only cover events that arise after the policy starts.
The visa rejection scenario, specifically
A Schengen refusal is the most common reason we see for a booking having to change. Two things matter here. First, your travel insurance is the route that actually recovers your money, so choose a policy that names visa rejection explicitly. Second, send us the official consulate denial letter the day it lands, and we will put your case to the operator ourselves and tell you plainly what comes back. What we will not do is promise a refund the contract does not give us, because that would be a false comfort at the worst possible moment.
Give yourself time on the visa. Our 2026 Schengen visa guide walks through the process, and starting early is the cheapest insurance there is.
How to reach us if something changes
WhatsApp 082 497 2238 or email gowithme@tour2gether.net the moment you know there is a problem. We answer within a business day, Mon to Fri, 8am to 5pm SAST. Bring:
- Your booking reference, which is on every confirmation we send.
- The reason for the change. Informally is fine for a date change, formal documentation is needed for an insurance claim.
- Your preferred new departure date if you are moving, or your bank details if you are cancelling.
You will get a real person, not a form. That is the whole point of booking with people rather than a checkout.
Read next
What is in the price · The 2026 Schengen visa guide · Browse journeys
