Coronavirus: Updates on our Tours
Updated: 21st March 2020
- A message from Kenneth Hart
- Our 2020 Tours
- Updates on Oktoberfest & Stuttgart Beer Festival
- Some Useful links
A message from Kenneth Hart, Chief Swagman & founder
Given the widespread media coverage of the coronavirus, it’s no surprise COVID-19 is on every traveller’s mind right now.
While our team at Thirsty Swagman know a lot about travel, we aren’t medical experts and are not equipped to answer health-related questions specific to the COVID-19 outbreak. Given the continually changing nature of the situation, we ask that you visit the World Health Organization Website for the latest information.
Please, please don’t get your info from people’s social media posts. It boggles my mind what is being posted as “facts”.
When I started Thirsty Swagman in 2007, it combined a passion for travel and beer, something I wanted to share with others. Few things unite people like raising a glass with thirsty friends in some new, exciting destination.
It is now a fact that the travel industry will go through unprecedented change in the next months. What is happening in the world right now is not only a defining moment for the travel industry, it’s a time for our world to come together and do right by each other.
I want to ask all of us, during this tough time, to remember all of the fantastic people who are part of this amazing industry. The airline crews, the hotel staff, the tour operators, the local guides and people they collaborate with in-destination, and of course, the people you meet along the way. All of whom create the moments we go on to share with our loved ones.
We are doing everything we can to get through this and come out stronger.
Whether it’s next week, in a month or a year, we will travel again, and when we do we will raise a drink again. Together.
We will continue to follow advice from government advisories and remain in touch with all our suppliers such as hotels and bus companies. If we receive any information that affects our tours or destinations, our guests will be contacted, and this page will be updated.
Our 2020 Tours
At this stage we intend to run our tours if the Oktoberfest & Stuttgart festivals go ahead.
If these events are cancelled or we cannot proceed with our tours, our customers will be given the option to have their deposit credited toward another tour or re-book their tour for next year at 2020 rates.
Please visit our full terms & conditions here: https://www.thirstyswagman.com/terms-conditions/
Our next tours & packages are to Oktoberfest in Munich, which begins on 19th September 2020. As of writing of this notice this is more than 6 months away and construction of the beer tents (yes, they really do build them and take them down every year!) will not begin until July. It is extremely unlikely that the city of Munich would make any decision on the 2020 festival before June / July.
The Stuttgart Beer Festival begins on 25th September 2020 and as of today it remains scheduled to go ahead.
Updates on Oktoberfest & Stuttgart Beer Festival
Local news from Germany about the 2020 festivals. Please use Google Translate for English where applicable.
- 26th March 2020 – Article in TZ.de about plans to make decision end of May / beginning June about 2020 Oktoberfest
- 21st March 2020 – Article in TZ.de about Munich Springfest and Oktoberfest
- 20th March 2020 – Article in Rollingpin.at about preparations for Oktoberfest in Munich.
- 19th March 2020 – Article in Merkur.de about Oktoberfest in Munich and comments from the festival organisers.
Some useful links
Most countries’ governments provide their own travel advice, see below for links to some of the larger ones.
If you are travelling in the next few days or weeks we strongly recommend you consult your local advisory for advice, as entry screening measures and requirements are changing frequently.
- Australia: Smart Traveller
- Canada: Travel Advice and Advisories
- New Zealand: SafeTravel
- United Kingdom: Foreign Travel Advice
- United States: US Department of State – Bureau of Consular Affairs
- World Health Organization (WHO)
Travel Insurance
Thirsty Swagman requires that all passengers have travel insurance covering all applicable dates of travel. We also strongly recommend that you consider trip cancellation or interruption coverage to protect your travel investment. If you have any questions specific to COVID-19 coverage, please speak to your insurance provider as to whether they cover this.
If you’re planning on travelling in the near future or have not yet arranged travel insurance, it’s important to understand that your travel insurance may not cover any changes or cancellations due to the coronavirus. For more detailed information, please refer to this article:
