Hi - I was (and still am) thinking about booking the South America trip in October. However I wondered how near to Rio or to our hotels the recent mudslides were and whether October is a risky time of year to travel to Rio? In other words - not wanting to sound harsh, but will or could this affect our holiday in October?

Hi Caroline

The hotel we use in Rio is in the heart of the city, not far from the Copacabana Beach. The tragic mudslides of recent weeks mainly took place in hilly towns north-east of Rio, so there is no reason to think that this holiday will be affected.

You can rest assured that if we felt you were in any danger we would make the appropriate changes to the holiday and let you know as soon as possible.

Kind regards,

Olly, your editor