We’re members of the Travel Trust Association

When travelling with Earth Trip you also have the assurance of 100% financial protection thanks to our membership with the Travel Trust Association.

The Travel Trust Association, or TTA, offers a comprehensive system of financial protection for customers booking travel through its members, which include travel agents and tour operators. This scheme is designed to provide 100% financial security for all customer money.

The protection is built on a two-pronged approach:

1. The Independent Trust Account

The foundation of the TTA system is the requirement for all member companies to operate a dedicated Trust Account.

  • Fund Separation: All payments made by a customer are immediately deposited into this Trust Account. This means the customer’s funds are legally separated from the travel company’s own business finances, effectively ring-fencing the money.
  • Trustee Oversight: The account is supervised by an appointed, independent Trustee, who is a professional like a chartered accountant or a solicitor.
  • Dual Control: Money can only be released from the Trust Account if authorisation is given by both the TTA member and the independent Trustee.
  • Strict Release Conditions: Funds are only released to pay suppliers for the specific services booked for the customer’s holiday or upon the customer’s safe return. This prevents the travel company from using customer funds for day-to-day operating costs.
  • Insolvency Security: If the TTA member were to become insolvent, the customer’s money is safe in the protected Trust Account. These funds can then be used by the TTA to ensure the holiday proceeds as planned, or, if that is not possible, to issue a full refund to the customer.

2. The Financial Guarantee

In addition to the protection provided by the Trust Account, the TTA offers a further financial guarantee to ensure total consumer confidence.

  • Coverage for Loss: The TTA guarantees the financial obligations of its members up to a maximum amount per passenger (commonly $\text{£11,000}$).
  • Fraud Protection: This guarantee acts as a final safety net. In the unlikely event that a customer’s money is not available from the Trust Account due to fraud or dishonesty, the TTA guarantee is used to cover the loss and reimburse the customer.
  • Stand Alone Safe Seat Plan: This financial protection is often formalised through an insurance policy, which protects any money that may not be available in the Trust Account for any reason, completing the 100% protection guarantee.

For flight-inclusive packages, TTA members ensure compliance with the law, typically by having ATOL protection in place for the flight component, providing protection against being stranded abroad and ensuring a refund or repatriation.

By combining the segregated funds in the Trust Account with the ultimate financial guarantee, the Travel Trust Association provides a comprehensive and secure method of protecting every penny a customer pays for their travel arrangements.

Your Holiday Has Full Financial Protection

Our customers have the assurance of 100% financial protection thanks to our membership with the Travel Trust Association. Every penny that you pay Earth Trip (formally Polanka Travel) is protected by the Travel Trust Membership number TTA Q059X. Travel Trust Association is equivalent to other travel associations like ABTA.

When you will book your holiday with us, we will issue you a Travel Trust Association certificate and ATOL certificate for the flights booked with Earth Trip. In addition, “Earth Trip Limited” are registered with Companies House.

 

What does it mean if a company is a member of the Travel Trust Association?

It means that you can book your holiday secure in the knowledge that the Travel Trust Association will protect you in the unlikely event of a member becoming insolvent.

Should a member of the Travel Trust Association for any reason financially fail or cease trading, the Travel Trust Association will liaise with the suppliers and Tour Operators to ensure that your holiday goes ahead unaffected. If for any reason this is not possible, TTA will administer a claim for a refund of money that you have paid to Earth Trip for your holiday.

 

How does the Travel Trust Association provide 100% financial protection for me?

Every Travel Trust Association member deposits your money into the Trust Account. A Trust Account is a bank account designated to hold the customer’s money.

Your money remains in the Trust Account and is supervised by an appointed trustee who is either a banker, chartered or certified accountant or a solicitor. Both the Travel Trust Association members and the trustee are required to authorise payments from the trust account.

In addition to being held in trust, you also have a financial guarantee from the Travel Trust Association.

TTA will guarantee the financial obligation of its members up to a maximum any one passenger of £11,000. So if you paid £2,000 we guarantee we will reimburse the loss of the £2,000, where it is not available for you from the Trust Account.

Therefore, the Trust Account plus the guarantee will ensure that all the money which you have paid is safely protected and available to reimburse the money paid. When you make a booking, you will be supplied with a guarantee certificate – you can see the terms of our guarantee on our website www.traveltrust.co.uk/guarantee.

Should the TTA member become insolvent, in most instances your money will still be held within the TTA member’s Trust Account by the designated Trustee, and available to pay for your holiday. If because of fraud or dishonesty the money is not there, then the guarantee is available to reimburse your loss. In some cases your holiday may continue as the providers or suppliers have already been paid. Where you have only paid a deposit and still have an outstanding balance, your holiday may be unaffected and by paying the balance your holiday will continue as planned. Where possible, attempts will be made to ensure that you can carry on with your original holiday arrangements.

 

What happens when something goes wrong?

A travel company enters into an Event of Default once they have ceased to be a member of the Travel Trust Association. It is a standard term used by the Travel Trust Association when a company is no longer a member of the Travel Trust Association for any reason.

If you have booked with a Travel Trust Association member who has entered into an Event of Default, do not panic! The Travel Trust Association provides total financial protection.

TTA expect clients to travel as planned. TTA shall be liaising with suppliers and tour operators to ensure that your holiday/trip goes ahead unaffected.

If for any reason this is not possible, TTA will be administering a claim for a refund of money that you had paid to Earth Trip for your holiday.

 

Have A Question About Financial Protection?

If you’ve got a question about financial protection, what is covered by the TTA and how Earth Trip protect your finances, try our FAQs.

View FAQs

Who are the Travel Trust Association?

The Travel Trust Association is a travel trade association. Their members consist of travel agents, tour operators and travel organisers.

The Travel Trust Association exists in order to protect you, the customer, with 100% financial protection and has been doing so for over 20 years. This means that every penny that you pay is protected by the Travel Trust Association.

 

Why book with Earth Trip

Tried & Tested

  • In-depth Knowledge
  • Friendly & Personalised Service
  • Expertise
  • Responsible Tourism Advocate
  • 100% tailor-made holidays
  • Local Support 24 hrs
  • Passionate and Creative
  • Fully Flexible
  • Full Financial Protection

Unsure Where To Start?

Let’s talk about your Earth Trip

Our travel specialists are seasoned explorers with deep local insights. Whether it’s uncovering hidden gems or planning immersive cultural experiences, we design trips that go beyond the ordinary. Get in touch today!

Request A Video Meeting