Help/FAQs

Yes it is free. You can simply browse the site at leisure, or if you wish to make bookings online you can register your details with us.

Simply click “Register” at the top of the home page and enter your details. If you register your details online we will also send you occasional newsletters with updates about Art History in Focus news, tours and events. Registering also enables you to book online.

Easy – just log into your account and click “My Account”. You’ll see your account and booking details and if you need to alter anything just click “Change Account Details”.

To edit any of your membership details or change your password, just log in by clicking the link in the top right hand corner of the home page (LOG IN) and entering your email and password. Then click “Change Account Details”. (Please note this is a membership account only, we do not store any financial information or card details if you pay for anything online.)

We recommend that you register the details of anyone living at the same address who already joins you (or may wish to join you) on trips and events, as this will enable you to enjoy benefits such as a more rapid accumulation of points on our  loyalty scheme, or the possibility of applying for joint subscription to Friends of Art History in Focus (available to two people living at the same address).

However, it is the primary account holder’s email and password that must be used if you wish to make bookings online or make changes to your account. It is only the primary account holder who receives confirmations of bookings and emails about their account.

The other member will receive newsletters if their email address is registered. However, they will not be able to use their own email address to log into the site or make bookings and should use the details of the primary account holder if they wish to do so.

If you wish to change the primary and secondary account holder around, please log in and go to the Change Account Details page.

We recommend that you make your password memorable, using the “Change Account Details” page. In the event that you lose or forget your password, please follow this link. The site will send you an email with your new password details. In the case where there is a joint membership an email will be sent to both primary and secondary account holders letting them both know the current username (i.e. the primary email address) and password.

The system will automatically generate your new password which will be a mixture of random characters so when logging in the best thing to do is Copy and Paste the password . When logged in you can then alter it to something easier to remember.

Do check your junk box in case any of our emails get caught as spam, and add us as a “safe” contact to minimise the chances of this happening

You can always request a new password if you are having problems logging in (see above), alternatively try clearing out your browser cache which should resolve the problem or try using a different browser eg Google Chrome or Mozilla.

Just click the “unsubscribe” link in the Art History in Focus newsletter or select the “No” option on the Change Account Details page when asked if you wish to receive newsletters.

First of all you need to register your details on the website, register. Then just click the BOOK THIS COURSE button on the page relating to the event you are interested in and follow the instructions.

Instructions can be found in the Participation section on the event webpage. We also recommend downloading and consulting this document which will help you if you are new to Zoom.

Registration details are sent approximately 24 hours in advance of each event. After registering you will receive the Zoom login link immediately both on your screen and via email. Do check your junk box by logging directly into your email server, in case any of our emails get caught as spam, and add us as a “safe” contact to minimise the chances of this happening. You will also get a reminder 1 hour before the event starts.

You can always check the status of your bookings by logging in to the website and checking under ‘my account’. With regards to the receipt, it is possible it has made its way to your spam folder. Do check your junk box by logging directly into your email server and add us to your list of safe senders.

Yes. If you are not able to watch the lecture at the time it is live streamed, you can still book online. You will be contacted after the lecture has been broadcast with instructions on how to access the recorded lecture. You do not need to advise us if you can’t participate live, don’t worry!

Very occasionally we are not permitted to record events for copyright purposes, so do check that a recording is available before booking. If it is not, this will be clearly indicated.

With pleasure. However the participation fee shown per event is per person, so if making bookings for a number of people please provide their email addresses when booking them as separate participants. They can then log in on a different device – our events are interactive so you would need to be logged into difference devices. However if you wish to watch and participate on the same device you are most welcome to do so, however please book and pay for 2 people, thank you.

There is no password for webinars. Please just refer to the instructions sent in your registration email or the Participation section of the event online if in difficulty.

Yes, as long as you have registered. You will receive an email approximately 24-48 hours in advance of the event you have booked, asking you to register. After registering you will receive the Zoom login link immediately both on your screen and by email, as well as a reminder with the Zoom link 1 hour before the event.

We are sorry but bookings generally close the day before the scheduled event, for administration reasons.

This might be your internet connection, try turning your router on and off again and then log back into the webinar, or click the Refresh icon. Ensure you have the latest version of Zoom downloaded. You will need a good Wifi connection to watch both live events and recordings. If your connection is slow this may cause the sound and/or image to buffer, We would recommend checking your internet connection and ensuring you have at least the following speeds: 3.8Mbps/3.0Mbps (upload/download).

In terms of recordings, our system automatically sends recordings to people who have booked but been unable to watch live – you will receive it automatically soon after the event finishes (please allow 1-2 hours).

No. Our system automatically sends recordings to people who have been unable to log-in live, so there is no need to notify us.

Unfortunately we can only provide recordings to those who purchased a ticket before booking has closed.

Unfortunately once a recording has expired we cannot retrieve the file or extend the viewing window

Viewing Zoom recordings works best when using Google Chrome – if you are using an Ipad and encounter difficulties this is probably because the default browser for IPad is Safari which is not always compatible with Zoom.

If you encounter any difficulties, please always try watching the recording link on a different device (eg a laptop rather than an iPad) or using a different website browser (eg Chrome rather than Safari, as an example).

Make sure your Zoom is updated to the latest version.

You will need a good Wifi connection to watch both live events and recordings. If your connection is slow this may cause the sound and/or image to buffer, We would recommend checking your internet connection and ensuring you have at least the following speeds: 3.8Mbps/3.0Mbps (upload/download).

If you have difficulties viewing recordings it may well be due to a Browser Cache issue on your device. Your web browser (eg Mozilla/Chrome/Safari) will save some information from websites in its cache and cookies. Clearing these will fix certain problems, like loading or formatting issues. Follow this advice to fix the problem:

• Please clear your Zoom browser cache/cookies by following the advice in this link (you will need to identify which browser you are using first) – https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/7970865190285-Clearing-Zoom-cache-and-cookies
• Then copy/paste the recording link again and it should work fine.

Please refer to the event which you have booked. Occasionally we are not permitted to record events but generally speaking you will always have at least 2 days to watch on catch up if a recording is available.

The option to watch on catch up is available only for those who have been unable to watch live. Unfortunately, we do not have the capacity to send recordings to those who did watch live.

We regret that we are unable to provide technical support, but we have a document containing useful information in case you need help troubleshooting – just click here. 

First of all log in using your account details, then go to the event or tour which you would like to book. Click on the Booking button to the right of the screen which relates to the event, and you will be taken through a very simple process, after which you will receive a confirmation email.

No, there is no limit. We have an online transaction limit of 2 places per tour and 4 per study day but if you want to book more spaces it’s easy – just go back into the system and book again until you have as many places as you require

There is a limit for Friends of Art History in Focus however during the priority booking period. Priority spaces are limited to two spaces per tour, and four spaces per study day, course or event per membership (both individual and joint), although after the priority period Friends can book more if they wish.

You can pay online for all our events and tours online by either credit/debit card or with a PayPal account if you have one.

All payments via our site including credit/debit card bookings are processed via a secure payment system called PayPal. We do not store credit card details nor do we share such details with any third parties.  For more information on Paypal see the subscription section below.

You can book and pay for an event online for a friend using your log in details – just enter their details in the relevant “participant details” boxes when requested. However only the person who has made the booking (i.e. yourself) receives the confirmation and system emails with regard to this booking.

If you wish to arrange a gift subscription for a friend then please contact us.

All our lectures, courses and online events can only be booked online. However overseas and UK holidays can be booked using a manual booking form which you can complete and send to us by post.

Do check your junk box in case any of our emails get caught as spam, and add us as a “safe” contact to minimise the chances of this happening.

This is essential information required for the administration of any tour booking either online or manual, but please note that it is securely stored and never passed to third parties other than for the purpose of carrying out your booking (for example, sending rooming lists to hotels or passenger lists to airlines). Advanced Passenger Information is required by airlines so we need this to book flights for you, but this is information that we only store for a short period before the departure. We will therefore require you to fill this information in each time you book a new tour. Art History in Focus takes the privacy of its customers very seriously – for more information see our downloadable privacy policy in the terms and conditions.

If you book online then you will receive acknowledgement by email that the process has been made. However it will take a few days for the payment to go through and the booking accepted. We will write to you once more to confirm when the booking has been accepted and card debited, but please don’t worry if you don’t hear from us straight away as it takes a few working days. Please keep the email as a receipt of your purchase.

If you have not received anything please check your junk box as it may have been caught by a spam filter on your computer.

If you book using a manual booking form we will write to you via email with a confirmation, but if you have not heard from us after 14 days please contact us as we may not have received the form.

Deposits cannot be refunded or transferred because there are set costs that we incur on each tour: flight and hotel deposits, for example, have to be paid up to a year in advance of every departure.

If you have booked a tour online and paid a deposit through Paypal, the system will retain your booking and allow you to pay the outstanding balance online. Log into your Paypal account and you will see a button saying “Pay Balance” for the tour which you have booked. Simply follow the instructions and your final payment will be processed. Please ensure that this reaches us before the deadline. Alternatively, the final balance can be settled by cheque.

For legal reasons, we need to receive your cancellation either in writing or by email to [email protected]. Please see the individual terms and conditions for cancelling events and tours – you can download these online. Basic terms and conditions for cancelling study days and courses are also outlined on each event page. We regret we are unable to offer refunds for online events but don’t worry if you are not able to attend, as we will send you a recording link.

There are lots of exciting reasons to subscribe as a Friend and these can be found on the Friend of Art History in Focus page. It’s definitely value for money, as you get a number of free events each year plus a chance to win some fabulous gifts in our prize draws, and there is a period in which Friends have priority booking on all new tours and events. Our tours often sell out very quickly, so this way you’ll have first right of refusal on the places.

Go to the relevant page on the website and simply click “subscribe”, and you will be taken through a simple process. As subscription is a recurring annual payment, you will need a Paypal account which is very easy to set up, so that you can monitor these payments. Paypal is a secure third-party payment provider – please scroll down for more questions about Paypal.

To use PayPal to pay for your subscription, simply select the PayPal option on the subscription set-up screen. You will be required to log in to your PayPal account and agree to the Terms of Service. If you do not have a PayPal account, you will have the option to create one. Any charges made using PayPal or any other payment method can be viewed by logging into your PayPal account.

If you ever come on tours and events with a partner or friend living at the same address it would be worth having a joint subscription. This means that you will both have invitations to the free Friends’ study day, the prize draws, the Friends’ lunch and other benefits. Unfortunately joint membership is not available to people living at different addresses. Also, a joint subscription entitles you to a saving of £29!

Subscribing to our Friends’ programme online will give you immediate online access to priority booking for new events and tours. You will see that booking for some events is blocked until a certain date, but if you are a Friend and logged in, this automatically disappears and you have full access to all online booking.

It is also possible to subscribe to the Friends’ programme using a manual booking form – your subscription would begin as soon as we receive and process payment.

Make sure you are logged into the website using your email and password.

Please let us know if you would like to cancel your account and we can arrange this for you. You can also do this by logging into your Paypal account and cancelling the subscription – your Friend benefits will run until the end of the subscription year but will not automatically renew. Please let us know if you are cancelling your subscription via Paypal yourself, so that we also have a record for our files.

Your subscription will be automatically renewed at the end of the year and your card will be automatically debited via Paypal, but we will write to you in advance of this happening, in case you wish to update your card details, or change your mind and cancel

When we write to you before your subscription is about to renew, you should check that your card details are up to date by going into your PayPal account. If you do not have sufficient funds available in your PayPal account or if the card details are incorrect, your recurring PayPal payment will not work and your Friend of Art History in Focus subscription will not be renewed.

PayPal is a third-party payment provider, and can be used to make payments online and also set up a recurring payment for Friend of Art History in Focus subscriptions. Whilst our tour and event bookings can be made by using a payment card, you will however need a PayPal account to set up a Friend of Art History in Focus subscription. It is very easy to set up an account – having an account enables you to manage your subscription easily, and it is also useful for making secure payments online with other companies and suppliers.

If you are unable to log in to PayPal to complete your payment transaction you will need to either contact PayPal directly or visit their website to recover or modify your login information. Please contact Paypal if you have any questions regarding your account. Any questions about adding funds, transferring funds, or checking available funds on your PayPal account need to be directed to PayPal support. We cannot assist with PayPal account enquiries of any kind.

If you wish to arrange a gift subscription then please contact us at [email protected].

This is our way of saying thank you to you for booking tours with us. If you book four overseas trips then we will send you a case of wine, and of course if you book two holidays with a partner or friend at the same address you will receive the gift after just two tours!

Of course, just let us know and we will do this for you.

We are always delighted to receive your photos of trips and events so please do send these to us and we will upload them if we can.

You can enlarge the font size by clicking the VIEW icon on the toolbar at the top of the page on your computer. Scroll down to Zoom and press ZOOM IN as many times as you like to increase the size.