Will the Iran-Israel Conflict Affect Ride Expeditions Tours?
If you are wondering whether the Iran-Israel conflict could affect your Ride Expeditions trip, here is the straight answer. Right now, our destinations are not affected, but wider travel disruption can influence flights, routing and insurance, so this page explains exactly how we assess the situation and what happens if plans change.
Last Updated 31 March 2026
What does the Iran-Israel conflict mean for your trip?
The honest answer is that nobody knows exactly how events like this will unfold. There is no crystal ball, and we can’t pretend otherwise. What we can do is be transparent about what we believe this means for our tours right now, how we make decisions, and where you stand if plans need to change.
Are Ride Expeditions destinations affected?
At the moment, no.
Thankfully, all of our touring destinations are a long way from the areas directly affected by the conflict. As things stand today, our tours are not being impacted. Of course, world events can shift quickly, and travel is often affected by things that happen far away from the final destination itself. So while we are not concerned about our destinations right now, we are keeping a close eye on the wider picture, just as we always do.
What about flights?
Right now, flight prices for most of our destinations appear to be broadly stable. That may change, of course. Airfares can react quickly to uncertainty, and nobody can say with confidence what they will do next.
Our general advice would be simple: if you are planning to come, it is probably sensible to lock flights in sooner rather than later. One other point worth mentioning: depending on where you are flying from, some of our destinations can be reached via routes through the Middle East. But those are not the only options. In many cases, there are plenty of alternative routings available for anyone who would rather avoid relying on those routes.
So at the moment, the main possible knock-on effect for most travellers is more likely to be around airline routing and pricing than the destination itself.
What happens if Ride Expeditions cancels a tour?
If we are unable to run a tour, and we make the decision to cancel it, we will always offer you a choice of:
- a full refund, or
- a transfer to a different tour or date
That part is straightforward.
If a tour cannot go ahead because conditions mean it should not, or because it is no longer practical for us to operate it properly, we will not leave you in limbo.
What if I cancel but the tour still runs?
If the tour can run as planned, but you choose not to travel, then our standard terms and conditions apply.
That said, the real-world version is usually more flexible than the legal version. Those terms are there to protect the business when needed, but in practice, we almost always try to work out the fairest possible solution, rider-to-rider, case-by-case. What we can offer usually depends on practical factors such as:
- how close to departure you cancel
- how many suppliers have already been paid
- how many riders are booked on the tour
- whether your booking was part of the minimum numbers needed for the trip to run
- how flexible our suppliers are able to be
So yes, formally, our standard terms apply. But wherever we can, we will always try to find the fairest practical outcome.
In reality, that very often means offering a full credit to move to another tour.
Do I need travel insurance right now?
If there is one thing we would strongly recommend, it is this: Get your travel insurance as soon as you book. Not a few weeks later. Not once your flights are sorted…but as soon as you commit to the tour.
And where available, we strongly recommend adding Cancel For Any Reason (CFAR) cover. Yes, it costs a bit more, but it can make a huge difference in situations like this. A strong policy can help protect not just the tour cost, but flights and other trip expenses too. It may also give you options in situations that standard policies often exclude, including cancelling for reasons such as concern over travelling. That said, insurance wording typically varies extensively by country, provider, and policy, so it is always worth checking the small print carefully – especially around conflict, disruption, cancellation, and when CFAR cover must be added.
Will our tour price change if costs go up?
No.
Once you have booked, your tour price is locked in. Even if fuel prices rise sharply or our costs increase in the destination, we will not come back and ask you to pay more. That is our risk, not yours.
In what situations might we cancel a tour?
We do not cancel lightly. It is always a last resort.
There are a few reasons why a tour might not go ahead.
1. Low numbers
This is one of the more common reasons, although even then, it is still rare. Less than 5% of tours that already have guests booked end up being cancelled for this reason.
In most cases, we will still run a tour with low numbers. We would genuinely rather take a small hit than disappoint people who have booked time off, flights, and everything else that goes with a big trip.
That said, there is, of course, a limit. Our tours carry significant fixed costs, and sometimes it simply is not possible to make the numbers work responsibly.
So the short version is this: we lean strongly toward making tours happen, even with small groups, and cancellation for low numbers is very much a last resort.
2. Official travel advice
Another reason we may cancel is if UK Foreign Office advice changes in a meaningful way, for example, to advise against all but essential travel to a destination.
We take that seriously. If official FCDO travel guidance for our destinations changes materially, we will review the trip immediately and make a clear decision based on safety, practicality, and what we believe is the right thing to do.
3. Weather or road conditions
This is less common, but it is always a possibility.
We have never had to cancel a tour outright because of weather or road conditions, but we have had to adjust routes and reroute itineraries in the past when roads were closed or conditions changed unexpectedly. If conditions were severe enough that we felt the trip could not run safely or properly, then yes, we would cancel. Safety comes first.
What are we monitoring?
We are not guessing, and we are not relying on headlines alone.
When we assess a trip, we look at things like:
- official government travel advice
- airline routing and wider travel disruption
- local conditions in the destination itself
- feedback from people on the ground
- weather and road conditions where relevant
That does not give anyone a crystal ball, but it does mean decisions are made carefully and based on real information.
How will we communicate if anything changes?
If anything materially changes for a destination or a tour, we will contact booked guests directly and quickly with a clear update.
Equally important, you do not need to sit quietly and wonder. Please do feel free to reach out to us any time if you want to talk something through. And, if you would prefer a direct conversation, you are very welcome to book a call with Ride Expeditions’ owner, Toby.
A straightforward chat is worth far more than twenty minutes of doom-scrolling.
Where we stand today
As things stand today, our position is straightforward:
- our destinations are not affected
- flights are currently stable for most tours
- alternative flight routings exist for those who prefer not to travel via the Middle East
- while we are operating at the moment, we are monitoring the situation closely
- and we will always aim to be upfront early, rather than reassuring late
We know that trips like these involve real money, real planning, and a lot of trust. We do not take that lightly.
So while we cannot promise certainty, we can promise that we will be honest with you, sensible in our decision-making, and fair in how we handle things if circumstances change.
We think that is the best way to do this – and the only honest one.