Booking Terms and Conditions

If you have booked your holiday before the 14th of June 2023, please contact our team for a copy of the pertinent booking conditions.

These Booking Conditions, together with our Privacy Policy and where your tour is booked via our website, together with any other written information we brought to your attention, form the basis of your contract with Go Travelling Limited trading as On The Go Tours, Registered Office: 4th Floor, Office 19, 3 Shortlands, Hammersmith, London W6 8DA, Company No: 03890079 (“we”, “us”, “our”). In these Booking Conditions references to "you" and "your" include the first named person on the booking and all persons on whose behalf a booking is made or any other person to whom a booking is added or transferred.

By making a booking, the first named person on the booking (“Lead Name”) agrees on behalf of themselves and all persons detailed on the booking that:

1. he/she has read these Booking Conditions and has the authority to and does agree to be bound by them;
2. he/she consents to our use of personal data in accordance with our Privacy Policy and is authorised on behalf of all persons named on the booking to disclose their personal details to us, including where applicable special categories of data (such as information on health conditions or disabilities and dietary requirements);
3. he/she is over 18 years of age and where placing an order for services with age restrictions declares that he/she and all members of the party are of the appropriate age to purchase those services;
4. he/she accepts financial responsibility for payment of the booking on behalf of all persons detailed on the booking; and
5. he/she has read and reviewed in full the Trip Notes, Tailor-made Itinerary and Invoice/s prior to securing a reservation with payment and is satisfied that the information contained therein;
   1. is suitable for all members of the traveling party with regards to fitness and any medical needs. Please refer to our Tour Suitability Form; and
   2. includes the required services (i.e. the correct hotel and preferred hotel rating, sites to be visited and transportation etc.) for all members of the booking traveling party.

1. Jurisdiction and Supplier Conditions

These Booking Conditions and any agreement to which they apply are governed in all respects by English law. We both agree that any dispute, claim or other matter which arises between us out of or in connection with your contract or booking will be dealt with by the Courts of England and Wales only.

All participants in tours operated by us are expected to obey the laws and regulations of the countries visited and any failure to do so may relieve us of all obligations that we may otherwise have to you.

Many of the services which make up your tour are provided by independent suppliers. Those suppliers provide these services in accordance with their own terms and conditions which will form part of your contract with us. Some of these terms and conditions may limit or exclude the supplier's liability to you, usually in accordance with applicable International Conventions.

The specific itinerary, inclusions and additional information related to a holiday is detailed in the tour Trip Notes. The trip notes are the singular document that accounts for what will be provided on the holiday. If you participate in an activity not specifically detailed as included (or where you sign a waiver to negate an inclusion, i.e. for boating trips in South East Asia, Latin America or other) in the tour/ holiday operated by us, you (i) accept all responsibility for taking part in such an activity and (ii) accept that no further services will be provided by us, with the exception of inclusion waiver activities.

2. ABTOT

The Association of Bonded Travel Organisers Trust Limited (ABTOT) provides financial protection under The Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 for Go Travelling Limited t/as On The Go Tours, membership 5548, and in the event of their insolvency, protection is provided for Non-flight packages sold to UK Customers only.

ABTOT cover provides for a refund in the event you have not yet travelled or repatriation if transportation was included in your package.

In the unlikely event that you require assistance whilst abroad due to our financial failure, please call our 24/7 helpline on 01702 811397 and advise you are a customer of an ABTOT protected travel company.

You can access The Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 here: www.legislation.gov.uk.

You can find out more about ABTOT here: www.abtot.com

3. Acknowledgement of Risk and Behaviour

The tours operated or supplied by us have been designed to provide participants with an exposure to the true nature of the environment visited and therefore involve an element of potential risk and exposure to potential hazards over and above those associated with normal ’package’ holidays.

Our holidays are adventurous by nature and require some level of active participation. You accept that the holiday may include travel to remote areas, within developing countries, where events are less predictable than is usually the case in, for example, Western Europe or North America. Many of the places visited do not have the same quality of emergency health and safety services you may be used to. This unpredictability means that the itineraries should be seen as statements of intent, rather than as contractual obligations. A variety of factors, including weather, transport difficulties and political instability, might require changes in any itinerary. Only rarely will such changes be significant, and every reasonable effort will be made to minimise the effects of the enforced changes.

You agree to accept the authority and decisions of our employees, tour leaders, and agents whilst on tour with us. Our customers are expected to conduct themselves in an orderly and acceptable manner and not to disrupt the enjoyment of others. If in our opinion or in the opinion of any hotel manager or any other person in authority, your behaviour or that of any member of your party is causing or is likely to cause damage, distress, danger or annoyance to any other customers or any third party, we reserve the right to terminate your booking with us immediately. In the event of such termination our liability to you and/or your party will cease and you and/or your party will be required to leave your accommodation or other arrangements immediately. We will have no further obligations to you and/or your party. No refunds for lost accommodation or any other arrangements will be made, and we will not pay any expenses or costs incurred as a result of termination under these circumstances. You and/or your party may also be required to pay for loss and/or damage caused by your actions, and we will hold you and each member of your party jointly and individually liable for any damage or losses caused. Full payment for any such damage or losses must be paid directly to the hotel manager or other supplier prior to departure. If you fail to make payment, you will be responsible for meeting any claims (including legal costs) subsequently made against us as a result of your actions together with all costs we incur in pursuing any claim against you.

We cannot be held responsible for the actions or behaviour of other guests or individuals who have no connection with your booking arrangements or with us.

All bookings are accepted on the understanding that you appreciate such risks and hazards and that you undertake all tours at your own volition. No liability can be accepted for the results of changes or delays, irrespective of how they are caused.

Local laws relating to the wearing of seatbelt may be non-existent or not enforced in some countries and therefore local people largely choose not to wear them. For this reason, local service providers may or may not have seatbelts in vehicles or they may be hidden between seats or underneath protective seat covers. Customers acknowledge that seatbelts may not be available and therefore travel at their own risk. It is expected that where seatbelts are available customers must use them and remain seated at all times while the vehicle is moving.

Travel insurers may not cover specific activities within their standard insurance policies. It is your responsibility to check your insurer policy inclusions and you accept full responsibility for obtaining fully comprehensive travel insurance for all activities as outlined within our documentation or for any service you may arrange locally whilst on holiday with us.

We use information from the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and reports from our own contacts in assessing whether the itinerary should operate. However, it is also your own responsibility to acquaint yourself with all relevant travel information, including applicable health risks, and the nature of your itinerary. You acknowledge that your decision to travel is made in light of consideration of this information and you accept that you are aware of the personal risks attendant upon such travel. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we accept no liability in relation to these additional risks.

4. Accuracy and Pricing

We endeavour to ensure that all the information and prices both on our website and in any advertising material that we publish are accurate, however occasionally changes and errors occur, and we reserve the right to correct prices and other details in such circumstances. You must check the current price and all other details relating to the arrangements that you wish to book before you make your booking.

We reserve the right to amend the price of unsold tours at any time and correct errors in the prices of confirmed tours.

1. Are applicable to new bookings only, made during the promotional period and discounts will not be offered to confirmed bookings retrospectively.
2. Cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer and/or discount.
3. Exclude single supplements, pre or post accommodation and tour add-ons.

On The Go Tours reserves the right to withdraw any offer at any time.

5. Booking and Paying for your Arrangements

A booking is secured with us when making full payment for your reservation, or when a non-refundable minimum deposit of GBP300 (or equivalent) per person is paid. Some exceptions may apply to deposits for bookings secured with our third-party operators. You will be notified when making your reservation of the exact non-refundable deposit amount and this will be reconfirmed on your invoice.

Our trips are guaranteed for departure once the minimum participant numbers for the respective tour have been met. The minimum group size is specifically stated on the trip page of our website, and subject to reasonable itinerary changes as described in these Booking Conditions. If the minimum group size is not met within 60 days of travel, options will be presented in accordance with clause 13 below; “If We Change or Cancel your Package Booking”.

We advise against booking flights and other associated services until such time that your tour is guaranteed for departure.

We reserve the right to impose surcharges due to unfavourable changes in exchange rates, increases in airfares or other transportation costs, increases in local operator costs, taxes, or if government action should require us to do so. In such instances we will be responsible for any amount up to 2% of the trip price and you will be responsible for the balance. If any surcharge results in an increase of more than 10% of the trip price you may cancel the booking within 14 days of notification of the surcharge and obtain a full refund.

Day Tours require full payment at the time of booking, unless booked alongside a multi-day tour, and are not eligible for refunds unless otherwise specified.

Full payment is required at time of booking for 2-for-1 deals or 50% discount promotions, thereafter the booking is non-refundable/non-changeable. Occasionally other deals may have the same conditions, and we will notify you at the time of booking if this is the case. A 2-for-1 deal applies when 2 travellers book the same tour on the same date and share a room. If one of the sharing travellers can no longer travel or is a no-show on arrival, the remaining passenger will be required to either share with another solo traveller of the same sex on the tour, if available, or pay the single supplement.

At the time of booking, we strongly recommend you obtain travel insurance to cover against unforeseen events.

We reserve the right to return your payment and decline to issue a booking confirmation at our absolute discretion. A binding contract will come into existence between you and us as soon as we have received payment and issued to you in writing a booking confirmation that will confirm the details of your booking and will be sent to you or your travel agent.

Do not book flights until you have received a personalised confirmation email from our reservations team which will be within 24 hours of receiving your online booking. We endeavour to display accurate availability on our website, though on rare occasions online bookings are made concurrently with others and our website can not reflect this information.

The balance of the cost of your arrangements (including any applicable surcharge) is due not less than 60 days prior to scheduled departure (unless otherwise specified prior to payment). If, after we have given notice of a missed balance payment, we do not receive this balance in full and on time, we reserve the right to treat your booking as cancelled by you in which case the cancellation charges set out below will become payable.

For many of our tours sightseeing entrance fees, group tip kitty and local payments are obligatory, payable upon commencement of your tour. All prices listed are per person and details of these costs are noted in the Excluded Section of our tour itinerary/trip notes.

Monies paid to an agent acting on our behalf, for tours operated by us, are held by the agent on our behalf.

Online bookings: Auto-generated e-mails are sent immediately after payment is made to confirm payment has been received. Online bookings are not confirmed until a personalised e-mail detailing that a booking is confirmed is sent by a member our reservation team.

1. Are applicable to new bookings only, made during the promotional period and discounts will not be offered to confirmed bookings retrospectively.
2. Cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer and/or discount.
3. Exclude single supplements, pre or post accommodation and tour add-ons.

Free cancellation and amendments are available on selected tours when the booking is confirmed and paid at least seven days before the final balance of the reservation is due OR when a shorter promotion period is indicated by your reservations consultant at the time of booking. During this 7-day period, any monies paid to us remain fully refundable in the event of cancellation and standard amendment fees will be waived. Should you opt to change your tour, travel dates or destination, the pertinent costs of your new booking arrangements will be calculated and advised accordingly.

Best price guarantee - if you find the equivalent tour for less, we'll beat it.*

The tour you find with another provider should be like-for-like, for example being in the same region and of the same duration, including the same transport type, group size, hotel quality, number of meals provided, sights visited, and entrance fees and airport transfers where applicable. This offer applies to genuine written quotes from registered travel businesses and websites, and should reflect availability for the general public on the selected tour. Prices available due to membership of a group or corporate entity or subscription to a closed group are excluded. The currency quoted should directly match the traveller’s origin, and only quotes in major currencies will be accepted. The written cost must reflect the date it was advertised and the final price including all taxes, surcharges and booking / service fees. Your consultant will need to confirm that the price is genuine, available and able to be booked by the general public when you present it to us. If it is, we will revise the price of your tour accordingly.

6. Travel Credits

Lifetime Credits are available to all Signature Tour bookings. In the event of a cancellation more than 60 days in advance of travel, funds will be held on file and can be put towards payment of a new group tour or tailor-made holiday.

Credits are fully transferable to friends or family on receipt of an authorizing letter from the original lead passenger and can be put toward payment of a new, future tour of equal or greater value than the original. Lifetime Credits are only available for travellers that are genuinely unable to travel and are not redeemable if a discount or promotion is offered after a booking has been confirmed, Ie; Travellers cannot utilise the Lifetime Credit to defer their current booking in order to secure a promotional price. Credits cannot be used to rebook the same tour on the same departure date. Credits are non-redeemable for Local Payment components.

Sale or promotional prices are applicable to new bookings only made during the promotional period and discounts will not be offered to confirmed bookings.

Future Travel Credits

Where a Travel Credit has been extended, these entitle you to re-book a holiday for a future date or destination or transfer the funds to family or friends by the expiry date listed.

At your request, future travel credits may be used to book a replacement reservation. Once a replacement reservation is secured by our Team, you will receive a written confirmation. As soon as a confirmation is sent by us, your booking will become a “new” reservation, and will be subject to the standard terms and conditions which are applicable from the date of the new confirmation. Please familiarise yourself with these conditions before securing your new booking, as some information may have been updated since your original booking was secured.

The maximum value of our credit to you equates to the original amount paid to us for the booking plus any deferral incentive offered. If any unrecoverable costs apply to the original payment, you will be notified of these when the credit is linked to your booking. Should the credit note be cancelled by us, the maximum refund value is as per the original amount paid to us, less any unrecoverable costs.

The credit note or voucher will be allocated to the replacement booking, with any additional funds being retained on file for future use. Partial refunds do not apply.

7. Special Requests

Any special requests must be advised to us at the time of booking e.g. diet, room location, room type i.e. twin/double, a particular facility at a hotel etc. i.e. swimming pool, gym, etc. You also need to confirm your requests in writing. Whilst every effort will be made by us to try and arrange your reasonable special requests, we cannot guarantee that they will be fulfilled. The fact that a special request has been noted on your confirmation itinerary or any other documentation or that it has been passed on to the supplier is not confirmation that the request will be met. Failure to meet any special request will not be a breach of contract on our part and we do not accept bookings that are conditional upon any special request being met.

8. Age, Fitness and Medical Conditions

We want to ensure that you and all persons in your booking party enjoy their holiday to the fullest. It is in the interests of all members of the group that everyone is capable of fully participating in the activities of the tour. We ask that you carefully consider whether you are physically and mentally able to complete the itinerary you have chosen, recognising that on many trips you will be required to carry your own bags, make use of public transport, walk at a moderate pace, and be able to look after yourself without your guide's supervision - both in scheduled free time and during included activities and meals.

To help ascertain if a tour or private itinerary is suitable, persons indicated below are often required to complete our Tour Suitability Form within 14 days of making a booking.

Some tour ranges are operated by our trusted local partners, who have their own stipulations for participants. You will be notified at the time of booking if these differ from the below.

• Persons with pre-existing medical conditions:

  Any person who requires regular care by a doctor or any person with medical or other circumstances we should be aware of. If you feel you need to provide us with additional details, please attach additional pages. Once we have received your completed form, we may request further information or confirmation from your doctor that you are capable of the requirements of the tour/ holiday.

• Persons travelling to Sub Sahara Africa aged 65 or over by the tour start date:

  Once we have received your completed form, we may request further information or confirmation from your doctor that you are capable of the requirements of the tour/ holiday. .

• Persons aged 70 or over by the tour start date:

  Once we have received your completed form, we may request further information or confirmation from your doctor that you are capable of the requirements of the tour/ holiday.

• Persons aged 75 or over by the tour start date:

  It is a requirement that a signed doctor's letter be provided with your completed form - to confirm that you are able to undertake your chosen tour.

We may need to discuss the itinerary and your fitness and health with you prior to travelling or require you to produce a doctor’s certificate certifying that you are fit to participate. However, you are also responsible for assessing whether a Tour/Tailored arrangement are suitable for you. We will not and do not provide medical advice. It is your responsibility to assess the risks and requirements of each aspect of the itinerary based on your own unique circumstances, limitations, fitness level and medical requirements.

If joining a group tour is not practical, we may be able to provide the holiday on a private basis (with associated costs). Many travellers have been able to enjoy our group tours by travelling with a friend or companion who can assist with their specific needs.

Acting reasonably, if we are unable to properly accommodate the needs of the person(s) concerned, we will refund all monies paid to us. If in the opinion of our team, the health or conduct of a traveller before or after the departure appears likely to endanger the safe, comfortable, or happy progress of the tour, the traveller may be excluded from all or part of the tour, in which case all monies paid will be forfeited and we will not be liable to pay any compensation whatsoever to that traveller. To ensure that this is never necessary, please make sure that you have understood the level of fitness and ability required to complete the tour on which you are booking. It is your responsibility to let us know if you have any concerns related to this subject. If you have any medical condition or disability which may affect your trip arrangements in any way, you must provide us with full details at the time of booking.

Where we accept your booking, you must make arrangements for the provision of any medication or other treatment required during the holiday. Some countries impose restrictions on certain types of medications and may also limit the amount of medication which may be brought through customs, so we recommend that this is checked prior to travel.

Although no upper-age limit applies on our tours, no unaccompanied minors (i.e. those under 18 years of age) can be accepted on tours operated by us. Children between 5 and 18 years of age may travel on select family or private tours provided that they are accompanied by a parent or a guardian who accepts full responsibility for them. Children over 15 years of age may travel on select group tours provided that they are accompanied by a parent or a guardian who accepts full responsibility for them and subject, in all cases, to our ultimate discretion.

If your chosen holiday includes a cruise including sailing by Felucca or other or excursion or transfer by boat of any sort you must make it known at the time of booking if you or any member of your party is unable to swim. This will not prevent that person from participating in the tour but will enable us to take additional precautions for that person’s safety at such times as may be appropriate. Where the tour includes an overnight stay onboard a felucca, clients who are unable to swim are still able to undertake this tour though will need to book the Nile cruise upgrade for this particular leg of the journey.

9. Passport, Visa and Immigration Formalities

It is your responsibility to check and fulfil the passport, visa, health and immigration requirements applicable to your itinerary. We are only able to provide general information about this as it will differ from traveller to traveller. You must check requirements for your own specific circumstances with the relevant Embassies and/or Consulates and your own doctor as applicable. Requirements do change, please ensure your information is up to date.

Up to date travel advice can be obtained from the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), visit https://www.gov.uk/travelaware.

You are responsible for making yourself aware of Foreign Office advice in regard to the safety of the countries and areas in which you will be travelling and to make your decisions accordingly. Advice from a Foreign Office to avoid or leave a particular country may constitute Force Majeure.

Most countries now require passports to be valid for at least 6 months after your return date. If your passport is in its final year, you should check with the Embassy of the country you are visiting. Upon entry, some Countries may also ask to see a copy of your full itinerary, flight tickets, and travel insurance. Additionally, proof of sufficient funds for the entire journey can be requested. Special conditions apply for travel to the USA, and all passengers must have individual machine readable passports.

You will be solely responsible for any cost, loss, or damage which you incur as a result of a failure to obtain all necessary passports, visas and/or vaccinations. We do not accept any responsibility if you cannot travel or incur any other loss because you have not complied with any passport, visa, immigration requirements or health formalities (including vaccinations). You agree to reimburse us in relation to any fines or other losses which we incur as a result of your failure to comply with any passport, visa, immigration requirements or health formalities.

In some countries, departure taxes for flights, visas and hotels, must be paid locally and these are payable to the Government of the country departed. We do not offer a refund for these taxes, and they will not be listed on any documentation received from us.

A number of Governments are introducing new requirements for air carriers to provide personal information about all travellers on their aircraft to the Authorities. The data will be collected either at the airport when you check in or in some circumstances when, or after you make your booking. Where we collect this data, we will treat it in accordance with our privacy policy.

10. Insurance

You MUST take out adequate and suitable travel insurance in order to take part in a tour organised by us and this is a condition of your contract with us. You are wholly responsible for arranging your own insurance. We reserve the right to request a copy of your insurance policy and/or a receipt showing payment of the premium, although we will not check this policy for suitability, and it will remain your responsibility at all times to ensure that you’re adequately insured.

You should ensure that there are no exclusion clauses limiting protection for the type of activities you will be undertaking during your tour. You should also ensure that your insurance policy will cover you for any independent arrangements, excursions or other activities that you may book to take part in during your holiday and which do not form part of your booking or contract with us. You should satisfy yourself that any travel insurance arranged is what you require and should arrange supplementary insurance if needed. It will remain your responsibility at all times to ensure that you’re adequately insured both prior to and during your holiday. We recommend you take out insurance as soon as your booking is confirmed. You are strongly advised to insure yourself against any possible risk that may occur and in particular to ensure that you have sufficient insurance in respect of dependent relatives and force majeure events. You are required to carry proof of insurance with you. A suitable insurance policy should also provide adequate cover for medical expenses arising through illness or accident prior to or during the holiday and loss of holiday monies through cancellation and curtailment of the holiday for insurable reasons. You must be satisfied that your insurance fully covers all your personal requirements including pre-existing medical conditions.

We reserve the right to cancel the booking, without any liability for refunds, of any customer who cannot satisfy us that they have purchased suitable travel insurance in accordance with this clause. Furthermore, if you choose to travel with inadequate insurance cover, we will not be liable for any losses howsoever arising, in respect of which insurance cover would otherwise have been available.

11. If You Change or Cancel Your Package Booking

Changes:

Any changes to a confirmed Package Booking (for example, hotel, passenger names but NOT departure dates) must be requested in writing by the person signing the booking form. In making a change, any increase in tour price and/or applicable fees at time of rebooking will be passed to the traveller, who may also incur an administration fee of £50 (or equivalent) per change.

A change of departure date must be requested in writing and must be accompanied by an administration fee, unless the request is made within the standard cancellation period of your booking, in which case this will be treated as a cancellation of your booking and the cancellation fees will be applied as detailed below.

All amendments charges are not refundable in any circumstances. Whilst every reasonable effort will be made to accommodate changes and additional requests, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to meet your requested change. Where we are unable to assist you and you do not wish to proceed with the original booking, we will treat this as a cancellation by you. A cancellation fee may be payable in accordance with our standard cancellation policy.

If you or any member of your party is prevented from travelling on their Package holiday, that person may transfer their place to someone else, subject to the following conditions:

1. that person is introduced by you and satisfies all the conditions applicable to the holiday;
2. you pay any outstanding balance payment, as you and the transferee remain jointly and severally liable for payment of all sums; and
3. the transferee agrees to these booking conditions and all other terms of the contract between us.

If you are unable to find a replacement, standard cancellation charges will apply in order to cover our estimated costs. Otherwise, no refunds will be given for passengers not travelling or for unused services.

Please Note:

We do not provide the option to deviate from the arrangements which form part of a group tour, except where free time is listed. If you do make independent travel arrangements during a group tour, the remainder of your tour and any other services forming part of your booking with us can be forfeited. Our liability to you and/or your party will cease at this point in time, with no recourse for refund or compensation.

Certain arrangements (such as flight and/or train tickets) may not be amended or transferred after they have been confirmed and any alteration could incur a cancellation charge of up to 100% of that part of the arrangements.

Changes cannot be made to confirmed 2-for-1 bookings as 100% cancellation fees will apply. Occasionally other deals may have the same conditions, and we will notify you at the time of booking if this is the case.

Cancellations:

A notice of cancellation will only take effect from the date on which we receive this request in writing. Since we incur costs in cancelling your arrangements, cancellation charges will be applied as shown below calculated from the day when written notice is received by us. However, in addition to the charges shown below, flight and/or train tickets may be non-refundable.

Day Tours require full payment at the time of booking, unless booked alongside a multi-day tour, and are not eligible for refunds unless otherwise specified.

Where possible, we will deduct the cancellation charge(s) from any monies you have already paid to us. Should one or more member of a party cancel, it may increase the per person holiday price of those still travelling and you will be liable to pay this increase.

12. Delays, Missed Arrangements and Curtailment

If you or any member of your party misses your flight or other transport arrangement, it is cancelled or you are subject to a delay of over 3 hours for any reason, you must contact us, the airline, and your insurer or other transport supplier concerned immediately.

A delay or cancellation to your flight does not automatically entitle you to cancel any other arrangements even where those arrangements have been made in conjunction with your flight.

The carrier(s), flight timings and types of aircraft shown in our brochure or on our website and detailed on your confirmation invoice are for guidance only.

Our advertising material is our responsibility, as your tour operator. It is not issued on behalf of, and does not commit the airlines mentioned herein or any airline whose services are used in the course of your travel arrangements.

If you cut short your holiday and return home early in circumstances where you have no reasonable cause for complaint about the standard of the travel services provided, we will not offer you any refund for that part of your tour not completed or be liable for any associated costs you may incur. Depending on the circumstances, your travel insurance may offer cover for curtailment. It is your responsibility to contact your insurer at this time for their instruction and to obtain any receipts locally that are required for your claim.

13. If We Change or Cancel your Package Booking

We aim to operate all tours as advertised but as we plan the tours many months in advance, we may need to make changes or cancel your booking and we reserve the right to do so at any time.

We will not cancel your travel arrangements less than 60 days before your departure date, except for reasons of force majeure, low numbers or failure by you to pay the final balance by the applicable due date. We may cancel your tour after this date if, e.g., the minimum number of clients required for a particular travel arrangement is not reached.

If we have to make a significant change or cancel, we will tell you as soon as possible and at least one of the following options will be made available to you:

1. accepting the changed arrangements; or
2. having a refund of all monies paid (less any unrecoverable costs if the cancellation is due to external events outside our reasonable control); or
3. accepting an offer of alternative travel arrangements of a comparable or higher standard from us, if available (at no extra cost); or
4. accepting an offer of alternative arrangements of a lower standard, with a refund of the price difference between the original arrangements and the alternative arrangements.

*IMPORTANT NOTE: We will not pay you compensation in the following circumstances:

1. where we make an insignificant change;
2. where we make a significant change or cancel your arrangements more than 42 days before departure;
3. where you accept an offer of alternative travel arrangements;
4. where we have to cancel your arrangements as a result of your failure to make full payment on time;
5. where we are forced to cancel or change your arrangements due to Force Majeure.

In the event of unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances resulting in a change to your stay (or where we become unable to provide a significant portion of the booked arrangements after your journey has commenced), alternative arrangements can occasionally be made by re-purposing the monies paid to us (less any cancellation or change fees which have already been applied). Where substitute arrangements are of a lower standard, an appropriate refund will be granted.

In the event of unforeseen circumstances or extensions to your stay, direct assistance can be offered by us until the date of completion of your original travel arrangements made with us. Any additional expenses incurred during this time, or relief required after this time would need to be addressed with your personal travel insurance provider.

For the purposes of this clause, “unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances” mean warfare, acts of terrorism, significant risks to human health (such as the outbreak of serious disease at the travel destination) or natural disasters such as floods, earthquakes or weather conditions which make it impossible to travel safely back to your departure point. Decisive action will be taken by us in such cases, when travel advice is changed or updated by the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).

14. Force Majeure

Except where otherwise expressly stated in these Booking Conditions we are not obliged to provide a full refund (partial refunds may be given after deducting unrecoverable costs such as deposits, flight tickets, train tickets, park fees, wildlife permits, visa letters and other) or pay you compensation if our contractual obligations to you are affected by “Force Majeure”. For the purposes of these Booking Conditions, Force Majeure means any event beyond our or our supplier’s control, the consequences of which could not have been avoided even if all reasonable measures had been taken. Examples include warfare and acts of terrorism (and threat thereof), civil strife, significant risks to human health such as the outbreak of serious disease or natural disasters such as floods, earthquakes or weather conditions which make it impossible to travel safely to the travel destination or remain at the travel destination, the act of any government or other national or local authority including port or river authorities, industrial dispute, labour strikes, lock closure, natural or nuclear disaster, fire, chemical or biological disaster, unavoidable technical problems with transport and all similar events outside our or the supplier(s) control. Check with your travel insurance provider as you may be able to reclaim these costs.

15. Assistance and Complaints

We make every effort to ensure that your tour arrangements run smoothly but if you do have any problems during your holiday, please inform your tour guide/leader/hotel manager immediately.

If, whilst you are on holiday, you find yourself in difficulty for any reason, we will offer you such prompt assistance as is appropriate in the circumstances. In particular, we will provide you with appropriate information on health services, local authorities and consular assistance, and assistance with distance communications and finding alternative travel arrangements. Where you require assistance which is not owing to any failure by us, our employees or sub-contractors we will not be liable for the costs of any alternative travel arrangements or other such assistance you require. Any supplier, airline or other transport supplier may however pay for or provide refreshments and/or appropriate accommodation and you should make a claim directly to them. Subject to the other terms of these Booking Conditions, we will not be liable for any costs, fees or charges you incur in the above circumstances, if you fail to obtain our prior authorisation before making your own travel arrangements. Furthermore, we reserve the right to charge you a fee for our assistance in the event that the difficulty is caused intentionally by you or a member of your party, or otherwise through your or your party’s negligence.

If, the tour guide/leader is unavailable, please contact our local team (24hr contact details are listed on your Voucher). If the matter is still unresolved by our local team, please contact your booking consultant or our office, (note there may be a delayed reply based on time zones).

If you wish to complain after completion of your holiday, you must send formal written notice of your complaint to our Customer Care Team, in your own words, within 30 days of the end date of your holiday with us and provide in the letter your booking reference, tour name and start date and all other relevant information to your grievance. Please keep your letter concise and to the point, this will assist us to quickly identify your concerns and speed up our response to you. We will reply to your grievance within 28 days of its receipt.

Please note that privacy laws exclude us from commenting on any members not within your own booking party.

Failure to inform your guide or local team at the time, or follow the procedure set out above will affect your rights under this contract.