Guidelines for the Organisation of Tours 10/2025

Guidelines for the Organisation of Tours – 7^th October 2025

 With new members joining the Club, and the Committee, and with members taking on responsibility for organising tours for the first time, these guidelines have been updated, incorporating Club policy and experience in organising previous tours and are intended to assist.

It should be emphasized that some of the guidance given below is mandatory (and this is marked with an asterisk), while others (particularly where the words “where possible” are used) are “guidelines”. However, if organisers of tours or events wish to depart from any of the guidelines, this should be discussed with and approved by the Committee in advance.

Theme and Objective (*)

1. Successful tours tend to be ones that have a clearly identified purpose and objective. This may be a simple celebration of something like the anniversary of an event of importance for Rolls-Royce, or it may simply be to explore a specific part of the country or to reach a particular destination.
2. On longer tours, try to plan for some event or visit that will stand out as a highlight of the tour that people remember and tell other members about to encourage them to participate in the tour.
3. Where there is a theme or a clear objective to the tour, inform participants about why they are going to certain places and what is significant about the day’s run.

Organisation (*)

4. The organiser of a tour (the “Tour Organiser”) may involve other members or may subcontract the organisation of a tour to a third party, such as a travel agent. This must be agreed by the Chairman before the organisation and planning begins. Where the Tour Organiser manages the process alone or where there is more than one person involved and/or where part, or all, of the organisation is subcontracted, the Club will regard the main Tour Organiser as wholly responsible for the arrangements, budgeting and financial outcome of the tour, as well as its overall success and enjoyment by members.
5. However, the ethos of 20-Ghost Club tours is such that the Tour Organiser should not subcontract the entirety of organising a tour to a third party agent but should determine routes and select hotels which might be recommended by an agent. The personal involvement by a member of the Club in organising tours and other events is a key success factor.
6. The Tour Organiser should keep the Committee informed, at its regular meetings, of plans, progress and outcome of tours for which he/she is responsible.

Choice of routes

7. Where possible, routes should combine a blend of attractive countryside (rivers, hills etc) with attractive places to visit (castles, museums, cities and towns).
8. Motorways or their equivalent should be avoided whenever possible, even when longer daily distances are planned. Where possible use A roads or Route National for longer distances and minor roads (D and C) when exploring to provide variety. Motorways may be used where it is necessary to get through either a very dreary industrial region or around a large town or city.
9. Except in the case of motoring reenactments, where the original route is to be followed faithfully, or where long distances need to be covered to accomplish the objectives of a tour, daily mileage should be kept to an average of no more than 100 miles per day to facilitate late starts, stops for sightseeing, opportunities for fettling cars etc.
10. Where possible, on longer tours, a day or a half day free should be periodically built into the programme to allow time for sightseeing and fettling cars etc.
11. On major tours, consideration should be given as to how participants can arrange for their cars to be driven, or transported, to both the start and end points of the tour so as to reduce the distance that the participants will have to drive to reach the start or end points and, where needed, make arrangements for members to arrive and depart on either side of the start and finish dates. The Tour Organiser should ensure that the price for transport is not included in the price of the tour but as a separate item to be funded by each participant.

Choice of hotels

12. Where possible, on longer tours, hotels should be varied as to price, location and style, to provide a variety of interest.
13. On longer tours, two or even three night stops are preferred to a succession of one night stops, which should be avoided where possible. As far as possible an even standard of rooms should be given and care taken to ensure that if one couple has a poor room at one hotel then they should have a better one at the next. Alternatively, where there are different categories of rooms (eg superior rooms, as well as standard rooms, and suites) then the price charged for tours should vary and reflect these different categories.
14. All participants on a tour should be housed in the same hotel. It is recognised that this may not always be possible.
15. Where possible, dinners should be arranged at hotels, or within walking distance of hotels, where the touring party is staying.
16. Dinners should typically be three courses. Care needs to be taken on longer tours to ensure there is a variety of food and where appropriate food of the region should be offered. Wines should preferably be included in the price of the tour, and, where appropriate, wines of the region should be considered.
17. Special events such as visits to particularly interesting places or special lunches or dinners may be included in the tour, but these should have some relevance to the tour. Unless the tour is a specialist tour such as the Irish Georgian, it is recommended that formal guided visits to places of interest are limited to a maximum of one or two per day.
18. Give particular attention to parking in the hotels at the start and end points of the tour so that those members who have towed their cars to the start have a place to park their tow car and trailer if need be.

Financial responsibility for and protection against loss (*)

19. In recent years, some hotels have sought to protect themselves by requesting large deposits when contracting to provide accommodation. In some instances, in order to secure group bookings, the Club has been required to make payments over a year in advance and increased length of stays are now more prevalent leading to large deposits being made which are at risk in the event of a hotel’s financial failure.
20. In organising tours for members, the Club is acting as agent for the participants. Thus, the liability for loss of a deposit resulting from any hotel failure lies with the participants, not the Club. All participants to be made specifically aware of this when applying to join a tour.
21. To mitigate the likelihood of a loss arising from the financial failure of a hotel, the following has been agreed.
    1. In the absence of a Third Party insurance solution being available to the Club a “-Tour Reserve Fund” has been established, amounting to £60,000, funded directly from donations from participants and surpluses arising on tours. The total amount in the fund will be reviewed annually by the Committee but, as a minimum, it should be sufficient to cover the highest cost of a single hotel on a tour, typically £60,000.
    2. Further measures to mitigate a loss arising from the financial failure of a hotel might include the retention of a travel agent (for example with travel industry bonding) to make hotel and travel bookings.
22. Where a tour incurs a loss due to the financial failure of a hotel, then the Tour Organiser shall seek to cover that loss by adopting the following procedure:
    1. Agree with the administrator or subsequent owner of the hotel that the deposit paid shall be used to provide accommodation at that hotel on the tour, as envisaged.
    2. Use any surplus arising on the tour arising from the 10% built into the budgeted price.
    3. Request participants to make a reasonable and limited contribution.
    4. If the above is not sufficient, subject to the Committee’s Board approval, the Retained Earnings of the Club (including the Tour Reserve Fund) could be utilised.

Non-eligible cars

23. The 20-Ghost Club was formed to “encourage the restoration, maintenance and use by its members of pre-1945 Rolls-Royce cars in their original condition or as close thereto as modern materials and equipment allow.”
24. The Club organises tours on which members may participate in an eligible car (namely a Rolls-Royce car manufactured before 1945).
25. There may, inevitably, be occasions where a member applies to join a tour with an eligible car but, at the last moment, finds that the car (or the driver) is not able to participate. In such rare and exceptional circumstances, the member (or partner) may drive another car and participate in the tour but only after agreement by the Tour Organiser who should confirm this with the Chairman.
26. On occasions, a member (eg a spouse or partner) with an ineligible car joins a tour to accompany a member with an eligible car. This is quite normal practice, but the ineligible car should not participate in the tour, unless prior approval (which will rarely be given) has been obtained from the Tour Organiser and the Chairman.
27. The Club also organises one-day events, for example around an annual lunch. Members are encouraged to participate using eligible cars. However, in the interest of collegiality and friendship, if participation is only possible by a member using a non-eligible car, then the member will be permitted to drive such a car to the event, provided that the car does not form part of any line-up of eligible cars and is parked well away from other eligible cars. Any non-eligible car should not be listed or illustrated in the Club’s magazine or on the Club’s website
28. From time to time, the Club organises events with other old car clubs. In such instances, both eligible and non-eligible cars will participate.

Engineering support

29. On recent, longer tours, engineering support has been available. This provides invaluable assistance to participants in the event of mechanical problems, some of which can be resolved relatively quickly by a qualified and experienced engineer.
30. Where it is decided to provide technical support, the Club will pay 100% of the engineer’s hotel and travel expenses. In some situations, an engineer is prepared to join the tour as a holiday, in which case a small per diem rate might be added. However, in other situations, eg as on the periodic Alpine Tours, a larger fee may be required to be paid to the company providing the engineer(s). The total cost of providing engineering support (hotel, travel and any fee) should be included in the budgeted costs and reflected in the price of the tour (less an estimate of revenue likely to be earned from significant repair over and above roadside assistance – see below). The total gross cost of providing engineering support (as calculated above, before deducting additional revenue) should be divided by the number of days and hours, in order to arrive at an average hourly rate. Where an engineer provides assistance to a participant in the nature of immediate breakdown support (as might be provided by the AA or RAC) then that support shall be provided free, as part of the price paid to join the tour. Where an engineer provides assistance in the nature of remedial repair, over and above roadside assistance of a maximum of two hours per car per tour, then the participant should be charged at the above average hourly rate (plus he/she must pay for all parts etc). The Club will receive (and keep) all such revenue to offset the total gross cost of the engineer joining the tour.
31. If the engineer is prepared to join a tour for a small per diem payment, with his/her hotel and restaurants bills paid, this can significantly reduce the shared, average cost to each participant (eg to a contribution of approximately £200 per car for a two week tour). In such cases, where the (unpaid) engineer spends more than two hours working on a car, then it is reasonable for the engineer to be reimbursed at his/her normal hourly rate for the repair.
32. Where the Club invites an engineer to join a tour, the main priority will be to assist participants with immediate breakdown support rather than significant remedial repair, which might be undertaken by the engineer if time permits.

Transporting Participating Cars to and from Events

33. It has long been customary for members to have their cars transported to the start of an event and then have it collected at the end. Members should notify the Tour Organiser of this so that the necessary arrangements can be made for the parking of the transport vehicles and their cars until the owner’s arrival.
34. Increasingly, where the start of an event is a considerable distance from home, some owners tow their cars on a trailer to the start of the event. Where participants wish to do so:
35. a) they must notify the Tour Organiser when booking the event that they will be towing their car to the start and from the finish
36. b) Tow-cars and trailers should either be left at the start point or separate arrangements should be made to collect the car and move it to the hotel at the finish
37. c) No provision will be made for tow-cars and trailers at hotels other than at the start and finish and tow-cars and trailers should not accompany cars during the tour
38. d) It is expected that all participating cars will drive the full route on the road.
39. On all events where there is a likelihood of cars being transported to the start by owners, the following note should be entered on the flyer;
40. “Should members wish to transport their car to the start or from the finish, they should notify the Tour Organiser when booking. Note however that tow-cars & trailers are not allowed to follow the route and no parking for them will be provided at intermediate hotels”.

Budgeting (*)

37. The Tour Organiser shall prepare a budget, showing a detailed analysis of all costs.
38. Before the price is agreed for each tour, the Tour Organiser shall discuss and agree the budget and the price of the tour with the Treasurer.
39. The budget shall include an item of cost for insurance, being a contribution to the cost of the Club’s travel and medical insurance cover. This shall be priced into each budget on the basis of £2 per car or per couple (whichever in the greater) per day of the event/tour.
40. The price of each tour shall be arrived at with the objective of making a surplus of 2½% on total costs in order to cover the club’s general administration costs. It is prudent practice to plan for a larger surplus when budgeting as there are often unfortunate surprises. A further 10% surplus should be built into the price of a tour to allow for contingencies The price of each tour shall be discussed with the Chairman and the Treasurer.
41. To encourage members to arrange longer tours, which require recces, the Tour Organizer will be reimbursed by the Club for reasonable direct costs which will be recovered in the costing of the price of each tour and therefore paid by the participants of that tour. There should therefore be no net cost to the Club, and each organiser is expected to use discretion and keep these costs to a minimum. As required, this may include:
    1. Flights (with budget airlines where possible) and airport parking
    2. Hotels (B&B only)
    3. Transport – taxis, trains, car hire, fuel & tolls
    4. For use of own car – direct costs of fuel, tolls etc
42. The cost of lunches and dinners on recces is not reimbursable, but a per diem amount of £200 is allowable for each couple engaged on a recce, in addition to reimbursement of the cost of flights, hotels and transport.
43. The total amount of recce costs may not exceed 5% of the cost of the tour without specific authority from the Chairman or the Treasurer. 5% for recce costs might be costed into any foreign tour.
44. For example, a 14 night tour at £7,000 per couple for 25 cars would have a total cost of £175,000. 5% of this = £8,750, which equates to £625 per night.
45. Reimbursement of costs for recces for shorter (eg weekend) tours, where there is just one hotel involved, will normally be confined to one night in a hotel and petrol costs and should be discussed and agreed with the Treasurer in advance.

Receipt of deposits from participants

46. Members should be asked for a deposit at the time of completing the booking form on a flyer for the tour/event. Deposits may be made either by cheque to the event organiser or by bank transfer to one of the Club’s bank accounts. If the latter, the booking form should state that the Tour Organiser and the Treasurer should be informed so that the payment can be tracked. It will be easier for the Treasurer to identify payments for specific events if the amount of the deposit is a unique number, eg £1,300 or £65. Transfers should be referenced with a participant’s last name and the title of the event.
47. The Club’s bank details are as follows:

–  Pounds Sterling to Lloyds Bank, Carfax, Oxford, sort code 30-96-35, account No 00066803;

IBAN:  GB69 LOYD 3096 3500 0668 03; BIC: LOYDGB21023

–  Euros to C Hoare & Co, 37 Fleet Street, London EC4P 4DQ.

IBAN: GB88 HOAB 1599 0027 4873 80; BIC:  HOABGB2L

–  US dollar payments are $xxxx to C Hoare & Co, 37 Fleet Street, London EC4P 4DQ.

IBAN:  GB62 HOAB 1599 0027 4874 60; BIC: HAOBGB2L

–  PayPal – [email protected]

48. Members paying from bank accounts in other currencies outside the UK should add an amount to the funds remitted to cover bank charges, which can be between £10 and £20 per transaction. This requirement should be included in flyers and in requests for funds to be transmitted.

Refund of deposits to participants (*)

49. Deposits paid by members to participate on tours are non-refundable. There are, however, occasions when, through illness or a delay in a car’s restoration or a car not being roadworthy, members have to withdraw from an event having paid one or more deposits. If another member is able to take the place of a member who has withdrawn or if hotel bookings can be cancelled, then all amounts paid will be returned to the member who has to withdraw, if the Club is not out of pocket and does not make a loss on the tour (after including the mandatory surplus of 2½%. Refunds will not be made until after the tour has finished but may be made earlier, at the discretion of the Tour Organiser, in consultation with the Chairman or Treasurer.
50. If no substitute comes forward and the withdrawal is for medical reasons then the member is expected to claim any loss against the member’s insurance policy. If this is not possible, then a claim may be made through the Club’s insurance policy, and the Company Secretary will assist with this. If the withdrawal is for other reasons then a refund will only be made if another member is available as a substitute. [Note: The Committee has rarely experienced a member being out of pocket as a result of withdrawal from a tour through medical or other reasons, since tours often have a wait list and/or claims for withdrawal have been made via an insurance policy].

Communication to members (*)

51. Communication to members about events is via
    1. News & Record, which will give the nature and date of events, with the Tour Organiser’s name and contact details
    2. The Club’s website, which will give the nature and date of each event, with the Tour Organiser’s name and contact details, together with an e-version (pdf) of each event and a booking form
    3. E-mail, with details of the nature and date of each event, with the Tour Organiser’s name and contact details, together with an e-version (pdf) of each event and a booking form.
52. The Tour Organiser should prepare a flyer for the event, when the details of the tour and the price are agreed, and send the flyer to the Chairman, for review, who will forward the agreed flyer onto the Editor of News & Record and the Webmaster. See attached example.
53. Bookings by members should be collected by the Tour Organiser and forwarded to the Treasurer. Deposits should be paid to the Treasurer. It is, however, the responsibility of the Tour Organiser to collect all funds from members participating in events and tours.

Hotel and other reservations (*)

54. It is the responsibility of the Tour Organiser to make hotel and other reservations. Requests from hotels and restaurants for deposits should be forwarded to the Treasurer. Payment in full for reservations will be made by the Treasurer close to the commencement date of each tour or event (as a guideline this will never be more than three months before the tour begins).
55. Where possible, Tour Organisers should undertake a credit assessment of hotels so that the Club does not suffer by paying a deposit to a hotel that becomes insolvent before the tour begins.
56. Each hotel should be made aware, by the Tour Organiser, that the Club will not pay for extras incurred by participants (drinks, laundry, telephone etc) and hotels should be asked to take credit card details or imprints when guests check in on arrival. This policy should also be made clear in any joining instructions prepared for participants so that the Tour Organiser and the Club’s Treasurer do not have to chase funds after the end of a tour.
57. It is also helpful to hotels, and certainly speeds the check-in process, if a rooming list is sent in advance to hotels with details of participants and, if the tour is abroad, passport numbers and dates of birth.
58. It has become common practice, on longer tours, for the order of names on rooming lists to be rotated so that participants can benefit from the variety of rooms at certain hotels where there is no standard configuration. Alternatively different prices should be charged to participants to reflect the different categories of rooms and suites.

Guests on tours (*)

59. A tour is normally priced for two people sharing a room, travelling in one club qualifying car. A member may bring additional family members or a guest co-driver who is not a member to travel with them on a tour, but all payments must be made by the member. Any additional room requirements will be subject to availability on request to the tour organiser. If a tour is not over-subscribed, it may be possible to bring additional guests to travel in the car for the duration of the tour and participate at dinners etc, subject to prior approval from the tour organiser and the same rules will apply. Additional guests travelling in their own car will not be permitted to join a tour.
60. Members may invite up to two guests to join the group for a limited number of individual days/evenings on a tour, subject to prior agreement being obtained from the tour organiser. The member will be responsible for paying the total cost of guests attending any events or meals etc. To preserve the cohesiveness of the group, the number of guests allowed will be strictly limited. However, application to bring other guests and family members must be made several months in advance, and never at the last minute, and must receive approval from the tour organiser. Further, payment for guests must be paid in advance.

Insurance

61. The club takes out annual insurance to cover third party liabilities, particularly arising on tours and to cover tour organisers. It is a condition of our insurance that this only covers our members and their companions.

Financial reporting (*)

62. At the end of each tour, the Tour Organiser shall work with the Treasurer to prepare an account of the final costs and revenues of each tour, and the net result shall be reported to the Chairman – and afterwards to the Committee.