Our Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic

We understand that you may have questions about how your fishing plans will be affected by the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. Safety is our top priority and we want to make sure the fishing experiences offered through FishingBooker don’t put you at risk.

The global effect of COVID-19 is changing every day, which can make it difficult to plan and organize activities such as charter fishing. However, getting out on the water with a small group of friends and family can be a good option for people who would like to relax responsibly this year.

With this in mind, we answered some frequently asked questions about the coronavirus that we hope you will find useful.

What safety measures can I take when preparing for a fishing trip?

We recommend that you check travel restrictions carefully before booking a trip, as well as taking appropriate health and safety precautions.

When fishing, remember to maintain social distancing and to regularly disinfect your hands and equipment. The following safety guidelines will help you prepare to go out on the water:

Can I reschedule my trip to a later date?

The coronavirus pandemic has hit charter operators hard. At the same time, fishermen across the world are facing uncertainty with their travel plans. So, if you can’t go on your trip, we always recommend rescheduling it to a later date to support the rest of the fishing community.

Both captains and customers can ask to reschedule by requesting a change to an upcoming booking. In order for these changes to go ahead, the other party must also agree to the change. It’s always a good idea to keep in touch over Instant Messaging for the best chance of your request being accepted.

What happens if I need to cancel my trip due to the coronavirus?

If you can’t make your trip due to travel restrictions or if you or someone you have been in contact with is infected with COVID-19, you may be eligible for free cancellation under our Extenuating Circumstances Policy.

Important notice as of June 16 2020: Our previous COVID-19 extenuating circumstances policy offered no-questions-asked cancellations to trips booked before March 15 that took place before June 15 in affected areas. This is no longer in effect. However, trips that cannot take place due to illness or newly-imposed travel restrictions may be covered by our regular extenuating circumstances policy.

Please consider travel restrictions caused by coronavirus when booking your trip. You may not be entitled to a refund due to not being able to travel if restrictions were in place at the time you made your booking.

How do I file an extenuating circumstances claim?

Go to your Bookings page and choose to cancel the trip in question.

Choose the “Extenuating Circumstances” option under "Reason" and input the reason why you are canceling the trip, mentioning why you are eligible according to this policy, being as specific as possible.

In order to review your cancellation request under the extenuating circumstances policy, we may contact you to provide us with supporting documentation.

Supporting documentation required from anglers:

In order to support your claim for an extenuating circumstance cancellation, we may ask you for the following documentation:

If you’re coming from a severely affected area and traveling by plane, train, bus, or any other form of public transport, we may ask for an image of the ticket.
If you’re traveling by car, we may ask for proof that you’re currently located in the severely affected area.
If your fishing trip will take place in a severely affected area as defined by the WHO, you don’t need to submit any documentation.

Other: If you can’t complete your trip due to official travel restrictions, medical or disease control reasons, or your flight or ground transportation was canceled by the provider, we may need confirmation of the cancellation or official proof that you’re restricted from traveling.

Supporting documentation required from captains:

In order to support your claim for an extenuating circumstance cancellation, we may ask you for the following documentation:

If your listing is located in a severely affected area as defined by the WHO, you don’t need to submit supporting documentation.
If your guest is coming from a severely affected area we need proof that the guest is currently located in the severely affected area (see above).

Other: If you can’t complete a trip due to official travel restrictions, medical or disease control reasons, or your flight or ground transportation was canceled by the provider, we may need confirmation of the cancellation or official proof that your movement is restricted.

We advise all captains and anglers to stay safe and informed and to check travel restrictions before booking a fishing trip.