BOOKING CONDITIONS PRE 17 December 2023
Booking Conditions
YOUR CONTRACT IS WITH Our Local Tour, 160 Kemp House, City Road, London EC1V 2NX, Registered in England no. 14337314
Your Holiday Contract
When you make a booking you guarantee that you have the authority to accept and do accept on behalf of your party the terms of these booking conditions. A contract will exist as soon as we issue our confirmation invoice. This contract is made on the terms of these booking conditions, which are governed by English Law, and the jurisdiction of the English Courts.
If you had not seen these terms and conditions when you made your booking and you are not happy to proceed with the booking now that you have seen them please return all documentation to us or to your travel agent, within 7 days of receiving these booking conditions. Your booking will be cancelled and your monies will be returned in full, provided you have not commenced your travel. This clause does not apply if your booking was made within 10 weeks of travel or include any flight reservations which are subject to the individual airlines own cancellation conditions.
Financial Protection
We are members of the Travel Trust Association and hold membership number X0250. This ensures that in the event of our failure your money will be protected; for information on the Travel Trust Association please see http://www.traveltrust.co.uk. The flights we provide are supplied by other ATOL holders and are protected by their bonds. For further information, visit the ATOL website at www.atol.org.uk
Booking Procedure
Once you have received our full confirmation and request for payment please complete the Booking Form / Passenger Information Form online or you can send it to us by post. When you make your booking we will ask for a minimum deposit of £350 per person or 10% of the total cost, whichever is greater. The balance of the price of your travel arrangements must be paid at least 6 weeks before your departure date. If the balance is not paid in time, we shall reserve the right to cancel your travel arrangements. If the balance is not paid in time we shall retain your deposit. Unless otherwise advised payments for flights are non-refundable and dates of travel will be fixed and non-changeable. It essential that travel insurance is taken at the time of booking to cover possible cancellation.
Tour Prices
We reserve the right to alter the prices of any of the holidays shown in our brochure. You will be advised of the current price of the holiday that you wish to book before your contract is confirmed. Changes in transportation costs, including the cost of fuel, taxes or fees chargeable for services such as landing taxes or embarkation or disembarkation fees at ports and airports and exchange rates mean that the price of your travel arrangements may change after you have booked. However there will be no change within 30 days of your departure. We will absorb and you will not be charged for any increase equivalent to 2% of the price of your travel arrangements, which excludes insurance premiums and any amendment charges. You will be charged for the amount over and above that. If this means that you have to pay an increase of more than 8% of the price of your travel arrangements, you will have the option of accepting a change to another holiday if we are able to offer one (we will refund any price difference if the alternative is of a lower value) or cancelling and receiving a full refund of all monies paid, except for any amendment charges. Should you decide to cancel you must do so within 14 days from the date on your final invoice. We will consider an appropriate refund of insurance premiums paid if you can show that you are unable to transfer or reuse your policy. Prices shown are per person and are based on TWO persons sharing a twin room. Kindly note that double bedded rooms cannot be guaranteed, although requests will be noted at the time of booking. Furthermore, some hotels have several different room types. We regret that on group tours, we are unable to pre-allocate a particular room type and in order that we accommodate the entire group, some clients may be given a superior room type without additional charge. In such cases this will always be done in the fairest way possible. We thank you in advance for your understanding.
Group Size
Unless otherwise stated our tours are based on a minimum of between 2 to 4 clients and a maximum of 12. In the event that we are unable to operate the tour on this basis, you will be advised at the earliest opportunity and always no less than 1 month before departure. At that time you will be offered one of the following options:
Travel as planned, but at an additional supplement, payable per person. The cost of this supplement will vary depending on the itinerary and number of confirmed clients
The same tour but for a different date. Alternatively a different tour, for another destination and date
A full refund of all monies paid to the Company.
We will at times guarantee a tour for departure with no clients confirmed as a commercial decision based on historical booking figures. When we guarantee a tour, this will operate whatever the client numbers booked on that departure.
Alterations By You
If, after our confirmation invoice has been issued, you wish to change your travel arrangements in any way, we will do our utmost to make these changes but it may not always be possible. Any request for changes to be made must be in writing from the person who made the booking or your travel agent. You will be asked to pay an administration charge of £75.00 and any further cost we incur in making this alteration. You should be aware that these costs could increase the closer to the departure date that changes are made and you should contact us as soon as possible. Note: Certain travel arrangements may not be changeable after a reservation has been made and any alteration request could incur a cancellation charge of up to 100% of that part of the arrangements.
For alterations within 10 weeks of departure Cancellation Charges will apply.
Alteration By Us
As we plan your holiday arrangements many months in advance we may occasionally have to make changes or cancel your booking and we reserve the right to do so at any time.
Changes. If we make a major change to your holiday, we will inform you or your travel agent as soon as reasonably possible if there is time before your departure. You will have the choice of either accepting the change of arrangements, accepting an offer of alternative travel arrangements of comparable standard from us if available (we will refund any price difference if the alternative is of a lower value), or cancelling your holiday and receiving a full refund of all monies paid. In some cases we will also pay compensation of £75.00 per person. These options don’t apply for minor changes. Examples of minor changes include alteration of your outward/return flights by less than 12 hours, changes to aircraft type, change of accommodation to another of the same or higher standard, change of tour route and order, changes of carriers.
Cancellation. We will not cancel your travel arrangements except for reasons of force majeure or failure by you to pay the final balance. We may cancel your holiday if the minimum number of clients required for a particular travel arrangement is not reached as explained under ‘6. Group size’. If your holiday is cancelled you can either have a refund of all monies paid or accept an offer of alternative travel arrangements of comparable standard from us, if available (we will refund any price difference if the alternative is of a lower value). In some cases we will pay compensation (see below).
Insurance. If we cancel or make a major change and you accept a refund, we will consider an appropriate refund of your travel insurance premiums if you can show that you are unable to transfer or reuse your policy.
Compensation. If we cancel or make a major change we will pay compensation of £75.00 except where the major change or cancellation arises due to reasons of force majeure. The compensation that we offer does not exclude you from claiming more if you are entitled to do so.
Force Majeure. We will not pay you compensation if we have to cancel or change your travel arrangements in any way because of unusual or unforeseeable circumstances beyond our control. These can include, for example, the threat of war, riot, industrial dispute, terrorist activity and its consequences, natural or nuclear disaster, fire, adverse weather conditions, epidemics and pandemics, unavoidable technical problems with transport.
Cancellation By You
You, or any member of your party, may cancel your travel arrangements at any time. Written notification from the person who made the booking or your travel agent must be received at our offices. If written notification of cancellation is received more than 6 weeks before departure only your deposit will be forfeited, together with the cost of any flight(s), which are always non-refundable and non-changeable. Cancelling less than 6 weeks before departure the following cancellation charges will be applied:
42 to 21 days 60% of final invoice together with the cost of any flight(s), which are always non-refundable and non-changeable.
20 to 8 days 80% of final invoice together with the cost of any flight(s), which are always non-refundable and non-changeable.
Within 7 days 100% of final invoice together with the cost of any flight(s), which are always non-refundable and non-changeable.
Note: If the reason for your cancellation is covered under the terms of your insurance policy, you may be able to reclaim these charges.
Part cancellation of a booking may result in additional costs being payable by the remaining members of your party. This includes additional tour costs and single supplements.
Our Responsibility for your Holiday
Your booking is accepted on the understanding that you realise the potential risks and hazards that can be involved in adventure travel of this kind, including injury, loss or damage to property, discomfort and inconvenience. We will also accept your booking on the understanding that you realise the safety facilities in the developing world – in the vehicles, on the roads and at the tourist sites – often do not match ours in the west. Where the client does not suffer personal injury, the Company accepts liability should any part of the tour arrangements booked with Company not be supplied as described in the itinerary. However we do not accept liability for compensation should there be no fault on the part of the Company or its suppliers and the reason for the failure in the tour arrangements was the client’s fault, the actions of someone unconnected with the tour arrangements or could not have been foreseen or avoided by the Company or its suppliers even if due care had been exercised. Where the client does suffer personal injury or death as a result of an activity forming part of the tour arrangements booked with the Company, the same rules shall apply. Our responsibility does not start until you meet the group or our overseas representative at the designated start point overseas; usually the airport in the city at the start of the trip. We are not responsible for any additional expenses incurred by you in getting to the meeting point. If the contract we have with you is not performed or is improperly performed as a result of failures attributable to a third party unconnected with the provision of the services, or as a result of failures due to unusual and unforeseeable circumstances beyond our control, the consequences of which could not have been avoided even if all due care had been exercised, or an event which we or our suppliers, even with all due care, could not foresee or forestall, and you suffer an injury or other material loss, we will offer you such prompt assistance as is reasonable in the circumstances. Under EU law (Regulation 261/2004) you have rights in some circumstances to refunds and/or compensation from your airline in cases of denied boarding, cancellation or delay to flights. Full details will be publicised at EU airports and available from airlines. However reimbursement in such cases will not automatically entitle you to a refund of your holiday cost from us. Your right to a refund and/or compensation from us is set out in clause 8. If any payments to you are due from us, any payment made to you by the airline will be deducted.
Insurance
We strongly recommend that you take out your own insurance once you have paid your deposit. Adequate insurance must be in place before participating in a tour, which must include cover for medical expenses and repatriation costs should you become too ill to continue your trip.
Passport, Visa and Immigration Requirements
Your specific passport and visa requirements, and other immigration requirements are your responsibility and you should confirm these with the relevant Embassies and/or Consulates. We do not accept any responsibility if you cannot travel because you have not complied with any passport, visa or immigration requirements.
Age & Health requirements
A minimum age of 18 applies to many of our group tours. Please check with your consultant or agent at the time of enquiry. For the majority of our trips we have no upper age limit though we remind you that our trips can be physically demanding and passengers must ensure that they are suitably fit to allow full participation.
Our small group adventures bring together people of all ages. It is very important you are aware that an average level of fitness and mobility is required to undertake our easiest programs. Travellers must be able to walk without the aid of another person, climb 3-4 flights of stairs, step on and off small boats, and carry their own luggage at a minimum. Travellers with a pre-existing medical condition are required to complete a short medical questionnaire, which must be signed by their GP / physician. This is to ensure that travellers have the necessary fitness and mobility to comfortably complete their chosen trip. While our tour leaders work hard to ensure that all our travellers are catered for equally, it is not their responsibility to help individuals who cannot complete the day’s activities unaided. Please refer to the fitness ratings in the tour dossier document for more information.
If you or any member of your party has any medical condition or disability which may affect your holiday or has any special requirements as a result of any medical condition or disability (including any which affect the booking process), please tell us before you confirm your booking so that we can assist you in considering the suitability of the arrangements and/or making the booking. In any event, you must give us full details in writing at the time of booking and whenever any change in the condition or disability occurs. You must also promptly advise us if any medical condition or disability which may affect your holiday develops after your booking has been confirmed.
If we reasonably feel unable to properly accommodate the particular needs of the person concerned, we must reserve the right to decline their reservation or, if full details are not given at the time of booking or the condition / disability develops after booking, cancel when we become aware of these details. Our Local Tour Ltd reserves the right at any time to require the Client to produce a doctor’s / physicians certificate certifying that the Client is fit to participate in the tour.
We are able to provide details on mandatory health requirements; however, we are not medical experts. It is your responsibility to ensure that you obtain proper and detailed medical advice at least two months prior to travel for the latest health requirements and recommendations for your destination.
Tour participation and client responsibility
You agree to accept the authority and decisions of our employees, tour leaders and agents whilst on tour with us. If in the opinion of any such person(s) or any other person in a position of authority (such as, for example, an airline pilot or hotel manager), your health, level of fitness or conduct at any time before or during a tour is endangering or appears likely to endanger your health or wellbeing or any third party (including any other clients of the Company) or the safe, comfortable or happy progress of the tour, you may be excluded from all or part of the tour without refund or recompense. Where you are excluded, we will have no further responsibility towards you (including any return travel arrangements) and we will not meet any expenses or costs incurred as a result of the exclusion. In the case of ill health, we may make such arrangements we see fit and recover the costs thereof from you. If you commit an illegal act (including, for example, causing any damage) you may be excluded from the tour and we shall cease to have responsibility to/for you as above. No refund will be given for any unused services. When you book with us, you accept responsibility for any damage or loss caused by you or any member of your party. Full payment for any such damage or loss (reasonably estimated if not precisely known) must be made direct to the accommodation owner or manager or other supplier or to us as soon as possible. If the actual cost of the loss or damage exceeds the amount paid where estimated, you must pay the difference once known. If the actual cost is less than the amount paid, the difference will be refunded. You will also be responsible for meeting any claims subsequently made against us and all costs incurred by us (including our own and the other party’s full legal costs) as a result of your actions. You should ensure you have appropriate travel insurance to protect you if this situation arises.
Please note, that if requested we do not provide client details to other clients on the same tour before or after departure.
If you have any medical condition or disability which may affect your active participation in your tour or the tour arrangements of any other person or have any special requirements as a result of any medical condition or disability (including any which affect the booking process), please tell us before you confirm your booking so that we can assist you in considering the suitability of the proposed tour and/or making the booking. In any event, you must give us full details at the time of booking and whenever any change in the condition or disability occurs. You must also promptly advise us if any medical condition or disability which may affect your active participation in your tour or the tour arrangements of any other person develops after your booking has been confirmed.
If You Have A Complaint
If you have a complaint about any of your tour arrangements, you must tell our relevant local supplier at the time. In the event that your complaint cannot be resolved by our local representative at the time, please contact our U.K. office directly. You may contact our office by telephone and outside of our normal opening hours calls and messages are monitored on a regular basis. Alternatively, we can be contacted by email. Contact details are provided on your tour voucher.
It is only if we and the supplier know about problems that there will be the opportunity to put things right. If you don’t complain on the spot this may affect your ability to claim compensation. If your complaint is not resolved on the spot or by contacting our office directly at the time, then you should notify us in writing within 28 days of the end of your trip by writing to our Customer Services Department at Our Local Tour, 160 Kemp House, City Road, London EC1V 2NX giving your booking reference and all other relevant information.
If you fail to follow this simple procedure we will have been deprived of the opportunity to investigate and rectify your complaint whilst you were in the destination and this may affect your rights under this contract.