Booking Conditions
All contracts for these tours are made with Specialtours
Limited of 2 Chester Row, London SW1W 9JH registered in
England No. 898869, ATOL 0715, and are subject to these
booking conditions.
TRANSFER OR CANCELLATION BY YOU
If you wish to transfer to another tour, your deposit may
only be offset against a tour taken in the same calendar
year. We reserve the right to charge any additional costs
incurred as a result of the transfer.
If you have to cancel your place on a tour please telephone
us. All cancellations should be confirmed in writing, signed
by the person who signed the booking form, and acknowledged
by us. If you cancel, your deposit is not refundable. If
the balance is not paid by the due date we reserve the right
to cancel your booking and levy cancellation charges equivalent
to 50% of the cost of the tour.
After the balance has been paid, Specialtours will make
refunds as follows:
Notice of Cancellation Before Departure
|
Proportion of Tour Cost Refundable |
 |
|
56-28 days |
50% |
|
|
27-15 days |
25% |
|
|
14-30 days |
15% |
No refunds will normally be made for cancellations received
thereafter.
PRICES
Although it is unlikely, we reserve the right to revise
our prices due to dramatic fluctuation of currency rates
or increased costs from our suppliers, at any time before
you book. If we do, you will be told before you commit yourself.
As soon as you have paid your deposit and your place on
the tour has been confirmed by us we guarantee that the
price of the tour will not be subject to any surcharges,
except those resulting from increases in fuel prices, UK
or Foreign government action, such as increases in taxes,
and/or adverse exchange rate variations. Any surcharge will
only be imposed after an amount equivalent to 2% of the
tour price has been absorbed by Specialtours.
You will be entitled to cancel your place on the tour with
a full refund of all money paid in the event of a price
surcharge of more than 10%. Should you decide to cancel
you must do so in writing within 7 days of the issue date
of the surcharge invoice. We guarantee not to impose any
surcharge within 6 weeks of the tour departure, provided
you have made full payment.
CHANGES BY SPECIALTOURS
We are occasionally obliged to make alterations to tour
programmes, and reserve the right to do so. If the airline
routing has been changed or any significant variation made
to the advertised arrangements after your place has been
confirmed you will be informed and you will be entitled
to cancel and receive a full and prompt refund of all monies
that you have paid.
TOUR CANCELLATION
Specialtours will endeavour to operate all the tours as
advertised. The usual number of participants is 15-20 (maximum
28): should the minimum number not be reached, the tour
is liable to be cancelled and everyone booked will be advised
not later than eight weeks before the departure date. In
the event of circumstances outside Specialtours’ control
resulting in the tour being cancelled, the maximum possible
notice will be given. If your tour has to be cancelled by
Specialtours, for any reason, all amounts paid will be refunded.
INSURANCE
It is a condition of booking that all clients are properly
insured.
OUR LIABILITY
We do not own or manage the aircraft, accommodation or
other facilities that form part of the tours advertised
in this brochure. However, if any part of the tour is not
provided to a reasonable standard we will pay you appropriate
compensation as we accept responsibility for our employees,
agents, suppliers and sub-contractors whilst acting within
the course of their employment. This liability is restricted
to matters not involving injury, illness or death and is
limited to twice the cost of the tour of the claimant. Transportation
on aircraft, coaches, trains or ships is subject to the
conditions of carriage of the carrier, some of which may
limit or exclude liability. In the case of carriage by air
or sea our liability is limited by the appropriate international
conventions. If you or any member of your party suffers
death, illness or injury as a result of any failure to perform
or improper performance of any part of our contract with
you, we will accept responsibility (providing that the employee,
agent, supplier or sub-contractor responsible was acting
within the course of their employment) unless the failure
to perform or improper performance was attributable to (i)
your own acts and/or omissions; or (ii) those of a third
party not connected with the provision of your tour and
which was unforeseeable or unavoidable; or (iii) an event
which neither we nor the supplier of the service in question
could have foreseen or prevented even with all due care.
TRAVEL DOCUMENTS
Participants should be in possession of a valid 10 year
UK passport for all overseas tours, with at least 6 months’
validity remaining after the date of return. If you do not
hold a British passport, please tell us when you book. Details
of any visa requirements will be advised in good time. The
current visa costs, where applicable for UK residents, have
been included in the tour price.
ACCURACY OF BROCHURE
Great care has been taken to ensure that descriptions,
information and prices are accurate at the time of publication.
Nevertheless, there may be times when a publicised facility
or visit is withdrawn as a result of factors beyond our
control. We will always endeavour to find a satisfactory
replacement. Occasionally an advertised lecturer may be
obliged to cancel and we reserve the right to provide an
alternative. The tour descriptions are based on the planned
day-to-day programme and the overnight stays are listed
in chronological order. However it will be appreciated that
arrangements for some private visits cannot always be confirmed
until a few weeks before the tour and consequently the planned
programme may be altered. A detailed itinerary will be sent
to all participants before the balance of the tour price
is due for settlement. We therefore reserve the right to
alter the content of the tours at any time but wherever
possible we will advise you of such changes prior to departure.
BOOKING ALTERATION
If you need to alter your booking, please let us know your
wishes in writing and we will do our best to help. There
will be an administration fee of £30 per person per
booking as well as any extra costs that your changes incur.
FLIGHT DETAILS
Air travel where provided is by scheduled airlines. All
flights use London Heathrow or Gatwick Airport. The latest
information on flight timings and aircraft types is available
on request from Specialtours.
ACCOMMODATION
In all our chosen hotels, we reserve bedrooms with private
facilities (bath or shower and wc). The following is an
explanation of the categories used in the tour descriptions:
- Superior: Hotels rated 5-star or equivalent by the local
tourist board and superior 4-star hotels, especially those
of historical interest.
- First class: Hotels rated 4-star by the local tourist
board and/or described as offering ‘top class comfort’
in the Michelin guide.
- Comfortable: Hotels rated 3-star by the local tourist
board and/or described as ‘comfortable’ or
‘very comfortable’ in the Michelin guide.
- Simple: The best available hotels, offering adequate
accommodation. Classification of hotels has been adjusted
where, in the judgment of Specialtours, they have been
over or under-rated.
FITNESS
Please note that the very nature of the sightseeing programmes,
and the inaccessibility of many town centres to coaches,
means that a considerable amount of walking is unavoidable
on most tours. We regret that we must stress that our tours
are not suitable for people who have difficulty in walking
or in keeping pace with a group or who may require wheelchair
assistance at any time. If you are in doubt about the suitability
of a tour because of an illness or disability, please make
this known to us before you book and we shall try to advise
you. Specialtours reserves the right to decline a reservation
without necessarily giving a reason.
HEALTH PRECAUTIONS
At the time of going to press, there were no obligatory
health requirements for any of the destinations in this
brochure. Immunisation against Hepatitis A, Diphtheria and
Tetanus is recommended for Macedonia, Russia and Turkey
. Immunisation against Hepatitis A, Diphtheria, Tetanus
and Typhoid is recommended for Cambodia and for Cuba. We
strongly recommend that you consult your own G.P. for advice
in good time before departure. Please note that some destinations
are relatively undeveloped and hygiene and safety standards
will vary accordingly. If your tour takes place within the
EU, you may wish to apply for an EHIC health card which
is available from the Post Office.
LUGGAGE
The free allowance is normally one suitcase per person
not exceeding 23kg in weight and one item of hand luggage
per person. Porterage is included where practicable.
FINAL NOTE
The day-to-day organisation of the tour
is undertaken by our tour organisers or leaders who endeavour
to ensure the smooth running of all arrangements. Specialtours
does everything reasonably possible to ensure the well-being
of those who entrust themselves to its care. Should any
aspect be regarded as less than satisfactory, participants
are asked to bring this to the attention of the office or
tour staff at the time and certainly within 28 days. |
