Nirvana Europe

Do you provide a fixed package for a fixed duration?

Absolutely not. We bend over backwards to provide exactly what the client wants. Usually we work around a core period, say Thursday out, Monday back for a European event, but we will flex wherever possible to the requirements of the individual.

Does that include extended stays?

Yes, of course. When we went to the Gold Coast in 2009, a large proportion of our clients had extended stays. The only thing to be clear about is that obviously our event staff are unable to stay on indefinitely for a small number of people and if you have an extended stay we will have to arrange your ground support through a local third party agency.

Do your staff travel to every event?

It depends upon the size of the traveling party. Obviously it is not economic to send staff to look after a very small traveling group, but if we say that the group will be hosted, then it will be. As a general rule, if the traveling group is about 25 or more, then we will accompany them. If the group is smaller, then we will arrange for airport transfers etc, to be delivered by a local company. In these cases, we use a local company that we know well and have complete confidence in.

Are your prices comparable with a high street travel agency?

Not always, but it is important to make sure you are comparing like with like. We are a specialist sports travel company. We understand, for example, if you are a cyclist or a triathlete/duathlete, about transferring your bike from the airport to the hotel and on to the event site. A normal holiday company may not have the ability to do this. We will be able to respond to some extent to your event specific questions, because we are a sports orientated company and we will be there at the event with you to help in any way we can.

In many cases however, duathlon and triathlon events are held in obscure locations that are not supported by high street travel agents.

How long will I have to wait for my transfer when I arrive at an overseas airport?

We always do everything possible to be there, at the arrivals gate when you arrive and get you into a vehicle and heading for your hotel as quickly as possible. There are times, however, when the event location can be hours away from the airport and if a number of flights are arriving in a fairly short space of time, it is logical to cluster coach transfers. In Debrecen, in 2005, for instance, for a duathlon event, the journey by road from Budapest Airport was virtually 4 hours. Clearly once the coach goes it doesn't come back for 8 hours!!! We can fill in around this with self drive vehicles, but each round trip is still 8 hours!! More vehicles/coaches? Yes, but there is a cost implication to this. Flight delays can also impact upon this. We always make sure that traveling clients have the mobile telephone number of our event staff, so that they can always get in touch.

Can I do it cheaper if I make the arrangements myself?

As our MD always says, you can always cook your own dinner cheaper than eating in a restaurant, but is the whole experience as pleasurable? There are other more fundamental issues. If you book your own flights and accommodation separately, you will have absolutely no ATOL cover, if an airline or a hotel go out of business and the Civil Aviation Authority booklet on this subject is quite compelling.

Many of our clients tell us how comforting it is to come through the arrivals door and see the familiar Nirvana event staff in their high visibility orange shirts, waiting to greet them and facilitate the transfer to the hotel.

How long will I be at the airport before my return flight?

We would normally work to 2 hours for scheduled carrier, 1.5 hours for budgets and 3 hours for long haul. Again, the clustering principle applies. If the airport is 30 minutes away, no problem. If it is, say 2 hours away, the obviously it will take us 4 hours to get from the hotel to the airport and back to the hotel, so sometimes we have to group flights together with some people having a longer wait at the airport. We always try to manage this, however, within the bounds of what is reasonable but possible.

Do you provide travel insurance?

Yes of course and we would always advise you to take out travel insurance, but you are under absolutely no pressure to take the insurance we offer

Shouldn't your bulk buying power mean you can always compete on price?

Bulk buying only produces savings where suppliers are in strong competition. Airline fares, for example are driven up by sophisticated demand models that recognise a pattern of booking. Similarly hotels in the prime locations for an event recognise their advantages. Simple economics, when demand outstrips supply, prices go up.

Will the flight ticket I buy from you include free bike carriage?

We are very much in the hands of individual airlines on this. Where we have a group contract we try and establish this in the price. Some airlines will, some won`t. Some destinations, however, have so many departure options and departure times that a group contract is not viable. What we do undertake to do, is to get it included wherever possible, but always s to make it plain to you whether bike carriage is, or is not included.

Will your event staff always be around and available at the event?

As much as possible, yes, but there is a huge workload in getting up to 400 clients into a location. We can meet up to 12 flights over the course of a day (and night!!) and very often if we`re not in the hotel, we`re behind a steering wheel. We do try and make ourselves as visible as possible, as often as possible, around the location. Airport duties take preference, however.