Adventure travel specialist Travel the Unknown, named as the Best Small Escorted Tour Adventure Holiday Company in the 2018 British Travel Awards, has ceased trading.

All bookings have been cancelled .

The London-based business didn’t renew its ATOL at the end of March so bookings and payments for flight-based packages after 30 April are not ATOL protected.

The Civil Aviation Authority is advising travel agents holding customers’ payments not to refund them until they’ve received instructions from the Air Travel Trust.

“Travel agents will be individually contacted by the CAA with specific instructions for these bookings,” it said.

Travel the Unknown said its non-flight packages are protected by insurance arranged through James Hallam.

The company offered small group and tailormade tours to Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America and the Balkans. It also traded under the brand Trip Feast.

Herron Fisher has been appointed as liquidator, which will be contacting customers directly.

A message on the company’s website, reads: “From all of us at Travel The Unknown we would like to thank all of our customers for their business over the years and for giving us the opportunity to be involved in something which hopefully gave you many happy memories as they did us.

“We would also like to say a huge thank you to our partners who have worked with us in providing the experiences which brought so many smiles and fulfilled so many travel aspirations.

“Whilst we did our best to help as many of you travel virtually while borders were closed, sadly Covid-19 has brought our business to an abrupt halt. The duration of the pandemic to date, as well as the uncertain forecast in regard to international travel, has led to this very difficult decision.

“We are grateful to those clients who chose to postpone their trips and are sorry to those of you whose trips we could not fulfil. However, due to the lack of bookings and departures over the past 18 months and a gradually worsening financial position, combined with working in a complex supply chain and an extremely challenging business environment for travel companies, we were sadly left with no choice.

“We wish you all the best for the future and many happy travels into the Unknown when the time allows again.”