safe travel
A Message from Your Trusted Holiday Provider
With the unfortunate news that yet another travel company offering bridge holidays has recently collapsed, we wanted to offer some reassurance and guidance. As a company that has traded successfully for more than 30 years—and weathered the challenges of the recent pandemic—we continue to comply fully with UK holiday regulations while strengthening our reputation in the process.
At Bridge Overseas Ltd and Guaranteed Events Ltd, we are proud to operate independently. Both companies are owned and managed day-to-day by THE OWNER. We have no shareholders pushing for annual dividends and no larger corporation telling us how to run our business. We hold our own ATOL licence and TTA bonding, enabling us to book flights and package holidays, and to act as both a travel agent and a tour operator, always in full compliance with UK holiday regulations.
UK Holidays
We have introduced a new and unique booking system that allows you to pay a small upfront deposit, with the remaining balance due only when your holiday begins. This gives us the flexibility to make last-minute changes or refunds—something that is often necessary with UK holidays. As we prefer not to charge you for last-minute cancellations, and can usually resell your booking at short notice, this system allows us to make any required amendments easily and cost-effectively.
Overseas Holidays
For our overseas holidays, all payments are held in a TTA Trust Account, giving you 100% protection against third-party failure. A deposit is required to confirm your booking; once this has been paid, your holiday price is secured and cannot increase. Your balance is not due until 49 days before your holiday begins, and this is also held securely in trust.
Our Ethos
Our approach is simple: we aim to look after our clients in all circumstances and to deliver great-value, fun and friendly holidays—without premium prices.
How to Check If a Holiday Company is Safe
Having an ATOL or ABTA licence or being part of an industry bonding scheme doesn’t necessarily mean a travel company is financially secure. Both large and small operators can face bankruptcy, so it’s worth doing some basic common sense checks before you book your holiday.
Here are some simple ways to assess whether a travel company is trustworthy:
1 Check their social media presence.
Are they regularly updating their Facebook, Instagram, or X accounts? A current and active social media presence often reflects an engaged and operational business.2 Look at their Google rating.
Do they have recent reviews on Google? How many reviews have they had and when was the last one? If not, ask yourself why. Google reviews is completely FREE to use and open to the public. negative reviews cannot easily be removed, even if they are false. So some companies do not like this and prefer to use paid for review services, where it is much easier to filter out poor feedback. Be cautious if you only see glowing testimonials on their own website.3 How long have they been trading?
You can easily check this by searching their company name on Companies House. Or you can search the company director names to see how many companies they are currently or have been involved with. A long list of directorships with closed companies in many cases is not a good sign. Some companies will say they have been in the business for many years but have moved from one failed company to the next.4 Can you easily find their contact details and office address?
A reputable firm should make it easy to find their physical address, landline number, and customer service email.5 Ask for a credit report
A trustworthy company should be happy to provide this, though you can also get one yourself through a credit reference agency (usually for a fee of around £25). Keep in mind that companies which survived the pandemic may have slightly lower than expected scores – this isn’t necessarily a red flag.6 Paying Deposits
Some companies let you pay a small deposit upfront and the balance closer to the departure date. This reduces your financial risk and shows the company has the resources to operate without needing all the money immediately up front. Be wary of large upfront deposits.
Ask why they need a significant sum straight away, could it be a sign they’re short on cash?7 Have they recently changed names or merged with another company ?
Frequent name changes or mergers might suggest financial instability or poor management. You can track this history via Companies House for free.8 Ask around
Word of mouth still matters. Have friends, family, or colleagues had good experiences with the company? If they had a bad experience how was it dealt with.9 Table numbers
Most bridge holiday companies use Bridgewebs so you can see yoUR scores etc, and this is a good way of seeing the table numbers and how well the company is doing.
10 Customer Care
Every business needs to turn a profit, but do they seem genuinely committed to customer care – or are they only in it for the money? Do they keep your deposit if you have to cancel ? do they try to resell your booking ? Look for signs of long-term customer relationships and quality service.
11 Pay by credit card
If you're being asked for up-front payments and deposits, pay by credit card, this will give you some insurance cover if a company fails to deliver your holiday.