Getting Ready For Your Boating Holiday

Escape the everyday and enjoy the freedom and a unique adventure at your own pace with our incredible boating holidays from our partners Le Boat. A boating holiday lets you peacefully meander away from the crowds and discover hidden gems. Take the plunge and discover that new passion in the most unexpected of places. Don’t worry if you haven’t gone on a boating holiday before, we have put together a comprehensive guide on everything you need to know ahead of your boating holiday, which covers every aspect of a boating holiday before you even set off, meaning no experience or licence is required!

1. Take out personal travel insurance

Travel Insurance is an important part of every holiday and we strongly recommend that you take out adequate cover, preferably from the moment of booking to ensure cancellation is covered. Cover should be obtained whether holidaying abroad or at home. Nearly all insurers have stopped insuring for coronavirus-related claims in general (i.e. cancellation, repatriation, etc), although some are still offering cover for coronavirus-related emergency medical treatment abroad. It might pay to shop around if you want this additional peace of mind.

2. Complete a Guest Information Form

MANDATORY ACTION

There’s some important information about you and your crew that we must know before you arrive. This allows us to prepare your boat and ensures you a safe, smooth and timely check-in, especially important right now as we observe strict social distancing measures at our bases. It is vital this online form is completed at least 72 hours before your departure. This is a mandatory requirement and you will not be allowed to board your boat if not completed.

Please note: you must nominate a Captain and 2nd-in-charge and indicate on the form who you have chosen. These people will be in charge of your boat while cruising and responsible for the safety of everyone on board.

COMPLETE FORM NOW

3. Plan your travel to the base

Select your start base from our list of bases for more information about:

NEW base opening times
Your base address and contact details
Directions & travel advice
Parking
Local taxi transfers information (if arriving by plane or train)
Car transfers (for those doing a one-way cruise)
Facilities at your base and close by

View our start base locations now by clicking here.

4. Add optional holiday extras

We offer a range of optional extras to make your holiday more comfortable, easy and enjoyable. Most extras can be purchased at the base, although to reduce the risk of infection, only card payments can be accepted. However, to guarantee availability and to take advantage of reduced rates, we advise you pre-book them before you travel.

Extras include bike hire, groceries, gas barbecues, stand-up paddleboards, early check-in and late check-out. Plus, with one of our new Extras Bundles, you can fix the price of fuel by pre-paying your engine hours.

IN THE WEEK BEFORE YOU TRAVEL

5. Make sure you’re Covid compliant

It is your responsibility to check and conform to any relevant guidance and measures that are in force to help keep you, our other customers and our team safe. These may include government travel restrictions that prevent you and your party from being able to go on your original cruise as planned.

If you are travelling internationally, please ensure you keep checking the latest government travel advice to confirm there are no specific travel restrictions or self-isolation requirements, which are confirmed to be in place on the date of your departure. You can also visit Travel Aware, which contains up-to-date advice on staying safe and healthy abroad, from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and National Travel Health Network and Centre.

Regardless of where you are travelling from, you should also keep checking the latest local advice and guidelines for the country you are cruising in. There may be requirements you need to prepare for or restrictions that prevent you and your party from going on your cruise together. Le Boat has also implemented special measures and procedures in accordance with government guidelines and it is your responsibility to familiarise yourself with these measures.

If you are affected by any Covid19-related restrictions and you are unable to go on your cruise as booked, don’t worry as the Le Boat Go Boating with Confidence Policy will apply.

6. Watch the safety video

MANDATORY ACTION

We take your safety very seriously and ALL members of your party must watch the Le Boat safety video below.

Due to social distancing measures, we are no longer able to gather large groups to watch this video at our bases, so it is compulsory that everyone watches the video before you arrive, otherwise you will not be able to board your boat.

You will be asked to sign to confirm this as part of your pre-departure briefing. We thank you in advance for your understanding and help.

7. The base team will call you

We can help to prevent the spread of coronavirus by reducing the time you need to spend in reception. As such, the base team will call you 48-72hrs prior to your departure so that they can:

discuss and confirm your planned arrival time with you – where possible we will try to stagger arrivals to reduce the number of guests on-site at any one time and make it easier for everyone to observe social distancing.
obtain any missing details about you and your party.
take a pre-authorisation from your credit card over the phone for your security deposit and payment for your engine hours deposit. See compulsory costs for more details.
answer any final questions you might have.

8. Join ‘Arrival and Area Briefing’ Video

We have prepared a video, specific to your booked base and cruising area, for you to watch at home in the weeks prior to your departure. The video will give you a better understanding of what to expect when you arrive at our base. This means we can check you in much quicker and reduce the time you spend in reception.

We will also tell you how to read the waterways maps and charts you’ll be provided with and we’ll tell you about the most popular cruising routes and itinerary suggestions so you can start to plan and get exciting about your boating holiday. We’ll send you a pre-departure email approximately two weeks prior to your departure which will contain the video link you need.

9. Start packing

Things to take with you:

Face masks – government advice about wearing face masks varies by country, and local advice may require you to wear one while in our reception areas. Shops and eateries may impose their own stipulations as well and so you may wish to bring a face mask for everyone in your group. At the very least though, your nominated Captain and 2nd-in-charge will be required to wear a mask during a pre-departure briefing where social distancing measures will be difficult to maintain.
Hand sanitiser – for when you’re out and about
Bedding is provided, but if you are driving to base, you are welcome to bring your own bedding if you would prefer.
Credit/debit cards – to make any payments required at base. To reduce the risk of infection, only card payments can be accepted. (Visa or Mastercard please.)
Soft bags which can fold away are much better than suitcases as boats have limited storage space
Non-slip rubber-soled shoes
Leather or gardening gloves are useful when holding the ropes in the locks. (Available to purchase at the base)
Binoculars for bird and wildlife watching
A flashlight* for walking along towpaths at night
Comfortable clothes to suit all weather conditions
Suncream, sun hats** and sunglasses are essential – you can burn easily by the water
Mosquito repellent
Large beach towels for sunbathing
Toilet paper and toiletries
Bathroom soap and shampoo
Kitchen rubbish/waste bags
Worktop and dish cleaning products*
Food, snacks, salt & pepper and drinks*

*If you can’t or don’t want to bring your own provisions, we offer 2 kinds of grocery packs, as well as an Eco-Pack with ecological cleaning & washing product. You can also rent a LED lantern.

Visit Holiday Extras for more details.

What’s already on board:

Hand soap – you should wash your hands regularly.
Linen – washed at high temperature and left on board your boat. Beds will not be made to reduce contact by our team.
Duvets and pillows.
Small bathroom towels and tea towels (not beach towels) – washed at high temperature, sealed in plastic bags and left on board.
Fridge (with a small freezer compartment for ice), burners and gas oven. The size of the fridge depends on the boat model, please refer to boat feature specifics located on individual boating pages for more technical details.
Kitchen utensils, cutlery, pots and pans.
Electronics and power: All boats have a 12-volt power socket (as you would use in a car) which can be used to plug in your adapter lead for a mobile phone or any other low-power equipment. Some models also have 110/210V/220V plug sockets (you will need a plug adaptor suitable for the country you are visiting). On most boats, these sockets only provide power when cruising or when ‘hooked up’ to a shore power supply. Our new Horizon boats also have USB sockets in the saloon and all cabins.

Download a detailed inventory of equipment supplied on all our boating holidays

Check out the equipment and features specific to your boat model

10. Is anyone displaying symptoms?

For the safety of our customers and base team, no member of your party should travel to our base if they are displaying symptoms of coronavirus. For more on this and for details about our flexible rebooking terms, which would apply in these circumstances, visit our Coronavirus FAQs.

Stay safe abroad

The Foreign & Commonwealth Office and National Travel Health Network and Centre offer the following advice on staying safe and healthy abroad. For the latest travel advice from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) including security and local laws, plus passport and visa information check travelaware.campaign.gov.uk and follow @fcdotraveladvice on Twitter and Facebook.com/fcdotravel.

Travel advice:

Take out appropriate travel insurance before travelling and make sure it covers you for all the activities you want to do.
If you are travelling within Europe, ensure you have a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) that hasn’t expired and understand what it covers -you still need full travel insurance though! For your free EHIC card visit www.nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/healthcare-abroad/apply-for-a-free-ehic-european-health-insurance-card
Learn about the laws, customs and entry requirements of the country you’re visiting and understand how they differ from home, check www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice.
Check your passport is valid, fill out the emergency details, look after it while travelling and keep it in a safe place.
Make sure you have all the necessary visas. For example, you may need to apply for an Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) online to visit Canada.
Make copies of important travel documents, take a picture or make copies and store them securely using a secure data storage site.
Research vaccinations or any other medical requirements for your destination, and if necessary, visit a travel health clinic before you travel. For medical advice visit travelhealthpro.org.uk.
Tell your friends or family about your travel plans and where you’re going and leave emergency contact details.
Take enough money with you and have access to emergency funds. Ensure you take the contact details of the local British Consulate in case of emergencies – www.gov.uk/government/world/embassies.

Plan your itinerary

Some people like to plan in advance, others like to see what takes their fancy when they get there. Either way, to make the most of your holiday, you may find the following planning tips useful…

	Our partners at Le Boat have produced a region guide that you can download for each of our cruising areas to give you an overview of all the stops and things to do along the waterway. Use it to help you plan your time. These guides are also provided on board.
	Approximate cruising times between stops can be found in our region guides.
	Take a look at our navigation restrictions page to keep up to date with the cruising conditions across all of our regions.
	Don’t take on too much. An average of three to four hours of cruising time each day is a nice pace. Any more than this and you’ll begin to tire and you might miss out on all there is to do and see. Of course you still need to ensure you arrive at your end base on time!
	Build plenty of ‘wiggle’ room into your plan. Life on the water is slow-paced and you may be unexpectedly held up at locks. Or you may want to stay a little longer in a particular place.
	Find out what time locks are open and be mindful that they close over lunch in some regions. As such, you may want to be moored up during these times or in a stretch that has no locks. In some regions locks close on public holidays or have reduced hours outside of peak season. Hours of operation and closure days are listed in our region guides.
	Call ahead to check if attractions are open, or to make restaurant reservations. However, be prepared to alter your plans – your progress along the waterway can sometimes take longer than expected.
	Remember to allow enough time to get to the end base you’ve booked. Unless you have booked a late check-out, you need to be back by 9 am. In some regions locks don’t open until this time, so make sure there are none left to pass through by the time they close the previous day.