How we work

From request to departure

1. You write to us on WhatsApp, Telegram or by email. The contact page lists what to include.
2. A person from our team replies the same working day, and asks questions if something in the request is unclear.
3. Within 24 hours we send a proposal with the program, the price and the terms.
4. You confirm, and pay our deposit as described in the proposal. For groups and agencies, the terms and payment schedule are in the proposal.
5. We book the providers and send you their details.
6. During the trip you have one contact on our team, who coordinates the providers and handles changes.

Hours and response times

We work from 8:00 to 20:00 Rio de Janeiro time. You can write at any hour; messages that arrive after 20:00 are answered the next morning. A person replies the same working day, and the proposal follows within 24 hours of the request.

During a trip, write to your contact on our team about anything that concerns the services: a late flight, a change of plan, a problem with a vehicle. In an emergency, call the Brazilian emergency numbers first (they are listed on the contact page), then let us know.

What a proposal includes

• The program, day by day for a trip or step by step for a single service.
• What each service includes and what it does not.
• Vehicles, and the capacity of each one.
• The languages the guides work in.
• The price, the amount of our deposit, and how and when the rest is paid.
• How to pay the deposit.
• Cancellation and change terms.

Deposit and payment

There is no online payment on this site. When you book, you pay Vela Brasil a deposit that equals our fee for the booking; the proposal states the amount and the payment method. You pay the rest of the price to the provider, as the proposal describes.

Cancellations and changes for individual services

Groups and travel agencies

For groups and agencies, the terms and payment are set out in the proposal, and you pay nothing before you confirm. The proposal states the deposit, the payment schedule and the cancellation terms for that specific program. For New Year’s Eve and Carnival, our deposit is non-refundable once the booking is confirmed.

If a provider fails

If a guide, driver or other provider cannot deliver a confirmed service, we look for a replacement of the same kind. If we cannot find one, we refund our deposit in full. The same applies when the failure is ours.

How we vet providers

Before a provider works with our clients, we look at:

• the Cadastur registry, for providers who are required to be listed in it;
• reviews from their past clients;
• their portfolio: past programs, photos, vehicles;
• the languages a guide works in;
• a test service, done before the first booking with our clients.

Cadastur is the register of tourism service providers kept by Brazil’s Ministry of Tourism. Registration is free. It is mandatory for travel agencies, tourist transport companies and accommodation, among other categories, and tour guides need it to work legally.

What data we share with providers

We share only what a provider needs to deliver the service, and only after you confirm the booking. For a transfer, that usually means the name of the group or its leader, the number of people, flight numbers and times, pickup addresses and luggage. For a guide, it means the group size, the language, meeting points and any needs that affect the program, such as limited mobility. We do not pass on your payment details or documents that the service does not need.

Our fee

The price in the proposal already includes our fee. The deposit you pay us equals that fee, and the provider receives the rest.