Brighton woman has dream holiday to Peru cancelled by Exoticca

Vanessa Woodley spent over £2,000 on a far-flung getaway to Peru and was due to jet out this week after making her final payment in June.

But her once-in-a-lifetime trip collapsed before her eyes after her tour organiser cancelled the booking as they could not find her payment – despite her having proof of the bank transfer.

Vanessa, 67, said: “I booked the holiday in February and paid through three instalments.

“It’s somewhere I’ve always wanted to go. This was going to be my last big trip.

“Life doesn’t finish when you retire and this was to show that you can still have adventures after you retire.

Vanessa has travelled to almost every corner of the world (Image: Supplied)

Vanessa, who lives in Roedean Road, Brighton, said she has travelled to more than 50 countries and had incredible experiences including swimming with elephants in Malaysia.

She booked her 11-day adventure to Peru in February through Exoticca, an online travel agency.

The holiday included flights, hotels and excursions including trips to Machu Picchu and stays in Cuzco and Lima.

Vanessa swimming with elephants near Kuala Lumpur (Image: Supplied)

Vanessa said she had been talking non-stop about the holiday with friends and had even joined a gym to prepare for the altitude in the South American country.

She said she had travelled to almost every other continent and heading to Peru would tick South America off her bucket list.

But, having made the final payment on June 1, Exoticca said they could not find the payment and subsequently cancelled the trip in July.

Vanessa was due to jet off this week (Image: Andrew Gardner / The Argus)

In her conversations with the travel company, Vanessa sent proof from her bank that the final instalment had been transferred to their bank account.

But when she spoke to customer services she was told that "despite the proof of payment you provided, we were unable to verify the payment in our system".

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Exoticca now said they will refund Vanessa the £2,199 she paid for the trip and gave her extra money back in vouchers to use with the site. 

Vanessa's back-and-forth with the company comes as she is still set to head to Turkey with Exoticca on a separate trip in October.

The Exoticca homepage (Image: Exoticca)

Exoticca describes itself as an “affordable online tour operator” advertising trips to Botswana, Jordan, Cambodia and other far-flung destinations.

A spokeswoman for Exoticca said: "We were extremely sorry to hear about the mix-up with Ms Woodley’s booking.

"Unfortunately, her trip to Peru was cancelled as we were unable to locate the final payment in time. Once the payment was confirmed, we attempted to reinstate the booking, but it was too late to arrange the necessary travel documents.

"We have since provided Ms. Woodley with a full credit and additional compensation. We deeply regret the inconvenience and are committed to ensuring her upcoming trip with us in October is a smooth and enjoyable experience."