News & Updates

Coronavirus update

UK holidays and also holidays to Europe are all going ahead as scheduled

Please follow this link for a full update      Covid 19 update

Please be patient when contacting us,  we are a small company of only two staff

Kind regards

Jilly & Debbie

Booking Your Flight

Please always try to book your flight through a website or agent who are ABTA and ATOL members and pay with a credit card..Book a flight with a COVID guarantee who will refund you if the holiday does not go ahead. (such as Easyjet)

See our flight button

Brexit - travel rules have changed.

Click here for information on travel to EU countries

Travel Insurance

Always make certain that you have insurance cover as soon as you book your holiday or flight. If you do not have an annual travel insurance policy you can take out cover just for the dates of your holiday at any point prior to the holiday taking place. The Post Office Travel Insurance includes cover fro Covid.

Taking out cover straight away ensures that should anything unexpected happen that is covered by the insurance policy  you can make a claim . Travel insurance policies vary enormously ALWAYS read the small print

Brexit and how it affects your travel

Passport You will now need at least three months validity left on your passport when travelling to an EU country and probably 6 months for further afield. Be especially careful if you renewed your passport early last time you renewed as this does not include the extra time on your passport between the actual renewal date and the date it was due for renewal. Follow this link, click on the country you are travelling to and then click on Entry Requirements http://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice

The European Health Insurance Card (EHIC)  which gave free, or reduced rate, healthcare when visiting the EU has been replaced with the UK Global Healthcare Insurance Card (GHIC).

This is free of charge, visit nhs.uk.ghic to obtain yours. You can continue to use your old EHIC until it expires. Neither of these cards covers Liechtenstein, Iceland, Norway and Switzerland. Do not forget to take out additional travel insurance as these cards do not cover all costs should you become sick or injured when in an EU country.
Remember that the GHIC is not an alternative to travel insurance. It will not cover any private medical healthcare or costs, such being flown back to the UK, or lost or stolen property.

Updates - flight delays


My flight has been delayed. Can I get compensation?

Check the Citizens advice website for detailed information by following this link

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/holiday-cancellations-and-compensation/if-your-flights-delayed-or-cancelled/

Also read the following

Airlines don't have to pay out for delays caused by snow because weather is classified as an "extraordinary circumstance" – though some airlines may issue a refund at their discretion. For those of you flying to India you are almost certainly on a non EU airline so contact them direct to see exactly what you are entitled to.

According to Which magazine you can challenge your airline if you don't agree there were extraordinary circumstances – for example, if you are told you can't fly due to the snow, but other flights are departing. "Airlines may stretch the definition of extraordinary circumstances further than they should."

Which Magazine  states:-

If the delay is not caused by extraordinary circumstances you will be entitled to compensation under EU rules, but only if you are flying with an airline based in the EU or with a non-EU-based airline flying from an EU airport, and only if the delay is for two hours or more. If you are flying somewhere else or with a non-EU-based airline not flying from the EU you'll have to check that carrier's terms and conditions.

If you are delayed for two hours or more you are entitled to: two free phone calls, faxes or e-mails; free food and drinks; and free hotel accommodation if you need to stay overnight.

If your flight arrives at its destination three hours or more late you will receive compensation of between €250 and €600, depending on how far your flight takes you. So you'll get €250 if your three hour-delayed flight travels 1,500km or less (ie, London to Amsterdam), but €600 if your plane is delayed by four hours or more and travels at least 3,500km (ie, London to Sydney).

My flight has been cancelled. Will I get my money back?

If your flight is cancelled you should be offered either a refund or an alternative flight to your original destination.

For compensation you will have to look to the EU rules again, though if the delay is caused by snow – and thus an extraordinary circumstance – you might not get anything. If you are covered by EU regulations you will be entitled to travel assistance (such as help with rebooking for a later date) as well as meals and accommodation etc. Check the official EU website for more on your rights.

Call to book: 01273 564230

Welcome to Free Spirit Travel, UK's leading provider of yoga holidays

Bella Somerville

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Bella Somerville

Bella’s yogic path has led her from a tea estate in Sri Lanka where she was born and where she spent her early years surrounded by eastern philosophies and spiritual practices, to the present day as an adopted ‘Brightonian’, coming to this vibrant city to visit friends in between her travels, and never leaving.

She experienced her first yoga class in 2000 and she’s not looked back since, subsequently spending the last 17 years dedicating herself to developing her spiritual practice both on and off the mat.

She is registered with Yoga Alliance UK having completed her training with Allie Hill and teaches full-time in Brighton and the Sussex area where she is a popular instructor within the local community. She has taught at the Brighton Yoga Festival for the last 2 years as well as regularly donating her teaching skills to charities and local events.

    

Bella teaches hatha and vinyasa flow, as well as more meditative yin and restorative practices.

Her classes are creative and playful with an emphasis on strengthening the body, calming the mind and staying centred because as she says: “nothing is more precious than being in this present moment, fully alive, fully aware”.  

Her teaching is compassionate and honest, always inviting students to be curious in their practice, weaving inspirational quotes and yogic texts into her classes, yet always relating to the bigger picture by encouraging students to be in harmony with themselves not just on their mats but also in their lives.

Added to this is her contagious energy and deep passion for sharing the benefits of yoga with all ability levels, no matter what age, size or experience so students leave her classes feeling inspired and alive!

 

About the Kerala Retreat

India is the home of yoga and what better place to experience this spiritual practice than in the tropical warmth of Kerala in early April. It seems natural that we associate feeling warm with a sense of well-being and relaxation, and when the body is warm, the muscles and connective tissue become more elastic allowing you to go deeper into a yoga pose as the body opens and becomes more flexible.

This retreat is open to all levels as modifications and variations will be given throughout so beginners as well as those with a more skilled practice will be safely challenged.

Each class will be an eclectic hatha experience, with a focus on the fundamentals of a structurally sound yoga practice. Precise alignment in standing, seated and reclined poses are woven together by a slow flow, and each session focuses on a unique foundational movement pattern and is sequenced to steadily build those movement patterns into more challenging asana.

The morning classes will start with centering and pranayama (breath work) to cleanse, ground and energise us, before moving into a deeper, invigorating combination of hatha and vinyasa flow yoga. With a sense of playfulness and exploration, each student on their individual level will work on improving flexibility, strength, stamina and balance, delving deeper into postures empowered by their breath.

The late afternoon sessions will be a yin-yang practice, a more explorative and workshop-style class, bringing into balance the passive and active aspects of yoga with energising yet restorative asana, holding postures longer to allow a deeper release both in the mind and body.

Bella makes an ideal host for our retreat to Kerala having travelled extensively in India, and through her upbringing feels naturally at home on the subcontinent. A great listener, with an infectious laugh, and zest for life, she intends her retreats to be fun and uplifting, a chance to make new friends and discover the amazing culture of India, and above all, a transformative yoga journey into the self, by the self, for the self.

 

“The Yoga retreat in Turkey with Bella was an incredible experience and I am still buzzing from it!  The hotel staff were all so professional and kind, everything was at hand, the food, pool, and all the facilities, just superb. What made the holiday sublime, however, was the incredible yoga we shared.
Bella set such an inclusive tone where all levels were able to access the practice in their own way. The excursions were wonderful and I still smile when I remember swimming next to the waterfall after our into the mountains. I would recommend Free Spirit with Bella to anyone who is a seasoned yogi or even a complete beginner.  Bella is a very special teacher indeed and her experience in running retreats certainly shows.  The sense of warmth and cohesion in the group was something very special.  I will be booking again, of this I am certain. Thank you for some very special memories as well as the fantastic yoga.”

Mary-Lou - September 2022

 

I just wanted to let you know what a wonderful Yoga holiday I had with Bella in Ischia. Her yoga as always was inventive, stimulating and sensitive to all the Yogi's on the holiday. Her passion to make the holiday (we call it a holiday rather than a retreat!) a wonderful experience for all of us, was embraced by open arms by the Yogi's. The group bonded extremely well and we spent most of the time in each other's company. The hotel with Michele as our main point of contact was perfect for this week - he looked after us very well.  The food (delicious), accommodation (simple but clean) and surrounds ...breath taking ... were a delight Thank you!

Lisa Baderoon - September 2017

 

Dear Bella, Thank you so much for such a positive and uplifting experience in Kovalam, and for your wise counsel. I have not felt so calm and relaxed for a very long time. I feel so very privileged to have been part of this retreat, meeting such a great group of people and the yoga. I already knew you were a good yoga teacher but the thought and planning which you had clearly put into each session was exceptional! Thank you and love,

Alison McMillan-Puri - Palm Tree Kerala April 2017