About us
Our Story
The Latin America Travel Company is an independent and family run UK based tour operator dedicated to providing the very best quality, private and bespoke trips to Latin America. We pride ourselves on our personal service and the quality of the experience we provide. With The Latin America Travel Company no two trips are the same and we ensure each itinerary is perfectly paced and designed to suit you.
Our motivation for starting this company is based on a lifelong passion and fascination with Latin America. Everyone at The Latin America Travel Company has either lived, worked, or travelled extensively in the destinations we offer and continue to be intimately involved with the region. Our goal is to ensure your holiday to Latin America is truly a trip of a lifetime. We connect you to the culture of the places you visit through authentic, personalised experiences whilst staying in some of the most unique and inspirational accommodation.
We believe what sets us apart is our attention to detail and our ability to organise specialist and unique experiences for our customers. We have become known for our excellent standard of customer service and indepth knowledge. We take the time to listen to you and design an itinerary based around your interests and individual tastes. We will never try to sell you a trip we don’t believe is right for you.
Whether you are interested in history, culture, wildlife, trekking, archeology, gastronomy, beautiful landscapes, bustling cities, or you just want to relax on a picture perfect beach, Latin America has something to offer every interest. It is a diverse continent that inspires travel and discovery and we very much look forward to sharing our experience, knowledge and enthusiasm and creating your perfect Latin America trip.
Our Service
We offer a fully tailored service from start to finish. The travel consultant with whom you first talk to will be your personal point of contact throughout the booking process. We will carry out a full consultation with you to make sure we have a good idea of what you are looking to get out of your trip. Whether it be a honeymoon, a birthday celebration, an anniversary, a family holiday or just an excuse to get away, we will make sure you have the most memorable and enjoyable experience possible.
Our Style
Bespoke, custom, personalised and fully tailor made in a nutshell. We understand that what makes your trip extra special is unique to you and your interests. Our trips are not off-the-shelf and can be fully customised to match your particular requirements. We pride ourselves on being able to offer an extremely wide variety of unique, private experiences whether you are interested in fine dining, remote active adventures or cultural encounters. Just speak to one of our specialists to start designing your unique trip.
Our Hotel Collection
We have carefully hand-picked and reviewed all the hotels in our hotel collection. All the properties we feature have been visited either by one of our team here in London or one of our representatives on the ground in Latin America. We have fantastic relationships with our hotels and have stayed in many of them ourselves. We promote small, boutique, character accommodation and focus on the most inspiring, exclusive, spectacular and unique properties available across the continent. We take pride in sourcing the hidden gems that are otherwise difficult to find and are constantly engaged in finding new and exciting accommodations to add to our collection.
Why Us?
Of course, we are convinced that we can provide you with an unbeatable experience in Latin America and by the end of your holiday we believe you will agree. However, in the meantime below are some good reasons why to book with us to get you started!
Security and peace of mind
You are completely financially protected through our ABTA membership and ATOL bonding so you can book with confidence
We are independent
As a family run company your business is important to us so we go to greater lengths to ensure you have the best possible experience
Truly tailor made
Tell us your wish list and we’ll create a bespoke itinerary just for you
Unique experiences
We pride ourselves on offering something that little bit different to other companies with our range of exclusive and unique experiences
Flexibility
We understand no two trips are the same and design a bespoke itinerary to meet your specific needs fully tailored to your particular tastes and requirements
Honest and upfront
We don’t work to sales targets or for commission but solely in your interest. There are no hidden costs on our trips and we give open and impartial advice
24 hour emergency assistance
All our trips come with 24 hour emergency assistance so you are looked after from start to finish
Our trip guidebook
For each of our customers we publish a bespoke, 150+ page personalised Trip Guidebook
Passion and expertise
Our team live and breathe Latin America and are eager to share their wealth of specialist and first-hand knowledge
Attention to detail
We will not cut corners and take the time to make sure your itinerary is perfectly suited to you
We give back
We are committed to responsible travel and contribute to charitable projects across Latin America
Responsible Travel
At the Latin America Travel Company we are passionate about responsible tourism and understand the importance of having a positive impact on the countries and communities we do business with. As a business we work to ensure that our contribution to the local economies, environment, wildlife, and people that we work with is a truly positive one. We only work with local guides and drivers and promote and recommend independent, locally owned hotels, lodges and guest houses that share our values.
“Ultimately, we believe our style of responsible travel, facilitating interaction with local people, supporting community owned businesses and charities, recommending ethically managed accommodation and contributing to conservation initiatives means a better, more fulfilling and more authentic experience for our customers.”
We choose to work with a wide variety of ethical businesses who are directly supporting threatened environments and fragile eco-systems. In many of our destinations the lodges and tours we provide are having a direct impact on the conservation and protection of endangered wildlife and important natural habitats. We ask all our partners to provide us with a full report on their environmental and sustainability practices and only work with service providers who meet our strict criteria.
Here in London we donate a portion of the profits from each booking to the LATA foundation which goes towards the fantastic and inspiring work they do in funding small community projects throughout Latin America that work to improve the lives of the underprivileged. Beyond just a simple donation, our staff are active volunteers for the LATA Foundation helping to raise funds by running events and securing corporate donations. We are also involved with the team that implements and manages the various charitable projects that the foundation supports. This gives us a great sense of pride to be actively involved in the promotion of ethical, sustainable, responsible and community led tourism in Latin America.
Additionally we encourage our customers to contribute to the local economy by purchasing local handicrafts, visiting local markets and eating in local restaurants. With every booking we prepare a personalised Trip Guidebook which has many recommendations about how our customers can benefit the local economy and travel more responsibly. We can also advise on how to offset carbon emissions caused by air travel.
Tourism has a huge part to play in the economies of the destinations we offer and so the livelihoods of the local people. Ultimately, we believe our style of responsible travel, facilitating interaction with local people, supporting community owned businesses and charities, recommending ethically managed accommodation and contributing to conservation initiatives means a better, more fulfilling and more authentic experience for our customers.
Book with confidence
A trip to Latin America can be an expensive purchase so it is vitally important to know that all monies paid to any tour operator you use are properly protected, secure and fully refundable in the event that the tour operator should cease trading.
In accordance with “The UK Package Travel, Package Holidays and Package Tours Regulations 1992” all clients booking with Headseast Ltd, trading as “The Latin America Travel Company”, are fully protected for both the deposit and full balance of all monies paid to us arising from cancellation or curtailment of your travel arrangements in the unlikely event of our insolvency.
If you are booking a holiday that includes flights they must, by UK law, be protected by the ATOL scheme which is operated by the Civil Aviation Authority. If your booking includes flights booked by us then we will send you an ATOL certificate at the time of booking. Our ATOL number is 10287 which you can verify by clicking here.
If your holiday does not include any flights booked by us then it will not be protected by ATOL, but your trip will still be fully insured by IPP – International Passenger Protection. This means that, as with the ATOL scheme, you would received a full refund of any monies paid to us in the unlikely event of our insolvency.
We are also proud to be members of ABTA – The Association of British Travel Agents – who regulate the industry and provide additional protection for consumers. ABTA has strict criteria for membership regarding company management, finance and quality control. We work closely with ABTA to ensure we adhere to their high professional standards and that all the holidays we sell are properly financially protected. Our ABTA membership number is Y1699, please click here to verify.
The Latin America Travel Company is a trading name for the UK registered company HeadsEast registration number: 6717612
Frequently Asked Questions
We are here to answer any and all questions you have about your trip to Latin America. We want our clients to be as informed as possible about their trip so that you book a trip right for you and get the most out of it. Below are some common questions but please do not hesitate to contact us with any more you might have!
How far in advance do I need to book?
Year on year Latin America is becoming increasingly popular. We are now finding that hotels are filling up further in advance than ever before. Most of the hotels we choose to work with are the smaller, boutique hotels which tend to have fewer rooms. This means it is important to book early to avoid disappointment. If you are doing the Inca Trail you will need a permit which are limited to 500 a day (these are not required if you are just visiting Machu Picchu). The permits for the Inca Trail sell out very quickly so arrangements need to be made well in advance. Generally for the best availability we recommend booking any trip with us between 6 months to a year in advance.
Do I need a visa?
For UK nationals no visas are required for any of the destinations we offer. UK nationals will be granted entry as tourists and will be allowed to stay for up to 3 months (6 months for Peru). You will need to fill out a landing card on the aeroplane and keep it with you for when you depart. You may also be asked to show your airline tickets as proof of return or onward travel. For US nationals there are no visas required for stays of no longer than 90 days in Costa Rica, Ecuador & Galapagos, Peru, Chile and Argentina. US nationals do, however, require a tourist visa to visit Brazil which must be obtained in advance from the Brazilian embassy. For other all other passport holders please check entry requirements with the consulate.
Is it safe to book with you?
In a word, Yes! We are members of ABTA and ATOL bonded so any payments made to us are fully protected in the unlikely event of our financial failure. Our ABTA membership number is Y1699 and our ATOL license number is 10287. We are also full members of LATA, the authoritative professional body for the Latin America travel industry in the UK.
Do you have financial protection?
Yes! We are ATOL Bonded so any payments made to us are fully protected in the unlikely event of our insolvency. We also have ABTA and LATA membership for your peace of mind. Our ABTA membership number is Y1699, our ATOL license number is 10287 and our LATA membership number is
Is Latin America safe?
Yes! Over the last ten years crime has dramatically fallen all over Latin America and none of our clients have ever experienced any problems. There is no reason why you should not feel as safe if not safer than if travelling in your home country. This applies to men or women traveling alone and exercising reasonable common sense.
What happens once we make a booking?
On taking a booking we will start to make all the arrangements for your trip. This usually takes about 48 hours due to the time difference with Latin America. Once we have confirmed your itinerary, we will ask you for a deposit which is usually 20% of the total booking cost (depending on the itinerary) with the final balance payment due 60 days before your departure date. Then, one month before your trip starts we will send you our fully published and comprehensive Trip Guidebook tailored to your specific trip with us.
Will my phone work?
Your mobile phone will only work in Central and South America if it is a quad band phone. Quad band refers to a mobile phone that is compatible with the four mobile phone frequencies used throughout the globe. Most modern smart phones are quad band. To check if your mobile is quad band just ask your provider.
How much money will I need to take with me?
When booking with us the bulk of your costs are already included as we take care to make sure you are not stung with any hidden costs on arrival. So you will only be spending on day to day expenses such as additional meals, drinks, souvenirs and any entrance fees or additional activities on free days. Once you book with us we will send you our comprehensive Trip Guidebook which has a section on money and currency for the destination or destinations you will be visiting. This will also include an indicative cost for everyday items and a guide on how to budget for the trip.
Do you cater for vegetarians?
Yes! Although most countries in Latin America have very meat and fish heavy diets all the hotels and lodges you will be visiting will cater for vegetarians and other dietary requirements. In the bigger cities you will also be able to find a variety of restaurants including vegetarian. Just let us know in advance and we will make sure you are catered for.
Why should we book a trip with you?
As a small, family run and independent business we take great pride in what we do and our attention to detail. Unlike other companies, we only offer the destinations we know and focus on providing you the best possible travel experience. Your payments to us are 100% financially protected and we also provide you with 24 hour emergency contact numbers so you are looked after throughout your trip. For more reasons please see the ‘why us?’ tab above.
What vaccinations do I need?
With all destinations we recommend that you confirm with your doctor that all primary courses and boosters are up to date as recommended for life in Britain. A yellow fever certificate is not required for entry to Argentina, Brazil, Chile or Peru, but there are some areas of those countries where there is a risk of yellow fever and a vaccination is recommended. Please consult with your doctor as to whether you need the yellow fever vaccination for your particular itinerary. A yellow fever vaccination certificate is only required on entry for Costa Rica, Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands if you are arriving from a country that has a risk of yellow fever. Malaria is classed as low to no risk in Argentina, Chile, Galapagos Islands and Costa Rica and antimalarials are not usually advised. Most of Peru, Ecuador, and Brazil is also low to no risk except in the Amazon jungle regions where antimalarials are usually advised. We recommend you make an appointment with your doctor 6-8 weeks before your departure who will be able to assess your particular health risks according to your medical history and recommend antimalarial medicine if necessary. For more detailed information you can also consult the NHS Fit For Travel website.
Is there anything else I should be asking?
Almost certainly! We fully expect you will have many more questions and we are here to answer them so please do not hesitate to contact us – that is what we are here for!
“For me Latin America has been a lifelong passion. At The Latin America Travel Company our aim is to provide you with a highly personalised, unique and rewarding experience of this fascinating continent.”
John Stanley – Founder
