Booking conditions

About these conditions

These conditions, together with your written quotation and your booking confirmation, make up the agreement between you and us when you book a trip. "We" and "us" means the company named at the end of this page. "You" means everyone named on the booking.

Every trip we arrange is planned for you individually, so the details that change from trip to trip (the price, the deposit, when the balance is due and the cancellation charges) are set out in your quotation and your confirmation. Please read those alongside these conditions. If anything in your confirmation differs from these conditions, your confirmation applies.

These conditions cover bookings. Using this website is covered by our separate website terms of use.

Quotes and prices

We do not publish prices on this website. Once you tell us what you have in mind, your specialist prepares a written quotation for your dates, rooms, flights and group.

A quotation shows what is included and how long it is valid for. Until you book, nothing is held for you, and prices and availability can change. Flight fares in particular can change by the hour. We will always confirm the price in writing before you pay anything.

Making a booking

The person who makes the booking (the lead traveller) must be at least 18 and must have the agreement of everyone on the booking to accept these conditions on their behalf. The lead traveller is responsible for making payments and for passing on information we send.

Your booking is confirmed, and a contract between us exists, when we have received your deposit and sent you a written confirmation. Please check the confirmation as soon as it arrives. The names on it must match each traveller's passport exactly. Tell us straight away if anything is wrong, because some suppliers charge to correct a name.

Deposits and paying the balance

To book, you pay the deposit shown in your quotation. Some arrangements, such as certain flights or hotels at busy times, must be paid for in full when you book, and your quotation will say so.

The balance is due by the date shown in your confirmation. If we do not receive it by then, we may treat the booking as cancelled by you and apply the cancellation charges described below. If you book after the balance date, you pay the full price when you book.

We do not add a surcharge for paying by debit or credit card.

What kind of booking you have made

How the law protects you depends on what you book, and your confirmation says which applies.

• A package holiday is two or more types of travel service, such as a flight and a hotel, sold together for one trip. Packages are covered by the Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018, and we are responsible for the proper performance of every part of the package.
• A single service, such as a hotel stay on its own, is arranged by us as agent for the supplier. Your contract for that service is with the supplier, and their terms apply.
• A linked travel arrangement can arise if you book one service with us and then, within 24 hours, book another for the same trip through a link we give you. If this applies, we will tell you before you book.

Suppliers' own terms

Airlines, hotels, cruise lines and other suppliers have their own terms, which also apply to your arrangements. They may cover things such as baggage allowances, check-in times, children's ages and deposits. We will point out the terms that matter for your trip, and send copies on request.

Airlines' responsibility to passengers is also governed by international conventions, including the Montreal Convention, and by UK rules on delays, cancellations and denied boarding. Where those rules give you a right to compensation or care, the claim is usually against the airline, and we will help you make it.

Financial protection

The money you pay for a package holiday is protected, as the 2018 Regulations require, so that you receive a refund, or are brought home, if the company responsible for your package becomes insolvent. Your confirmation explains exactly how your booking is protected and who to contact.

Changes you ask for

If you want to change your booking after it is confirmed, tell us in writing. We will do our best to help, but we cannot guarantee a change will be possible. Where it is, we will tell you the cost before we make it. The cost may include any charge made by the supplier, and the difference in price for the new arrangements. Some changes, such as to flight names or dates once tickets are issued, are treated by the supplier as a cancellation and a new booking.

If you have booked a package and one of you cannot travel, you may transfer that place to someone who meets all the conditions of the booking, as long as you tell us in writing at least seven days before departure. You and the new traveller are both responsible for paying the balance and any costs of the transfer, which we will tell you in advance.

If you cancel

You can cancel at any time by writing to us. The cancellation takes effect on the day we receive it.

Because we pay suppliers in advance to secure your arrangements, cancelling will normally cost you money. The cancellation charges for your trip are set out in your confirmation and increase as the departure date gets closer. They reflect what the suppliers charge us and our own costs, and are never more than a reasonable estimate of our losses. Your travel insurance may cover cancellation charges if you cancel for a reason your policy includes.

For a package, you can cancel without paying a charge if unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances at or near your destination, such as a natural disaster or serious unrest, significantly affect the package or getting you there. A decision by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office to advise against all travel, or all but essential travel, to your destination is an example.

Changes and cancellations by us

We plan well in advance, so occasionally something has to change. Most changes are minor, such as a change of flight time by a few hours or a switch to a hotel of the same standard, and we will tell you about them as soon as we can.

If we have to make a significant change to a package before you travel, such as a change of destination, of departure airport, or of accommodation to a lower standard, we will tell you promptly and give you a choice:

• accept the change, with a price reduction if the change means a lower standard or cost
• accept a comparable alternative trip, if we can offer one
• cancel and receive a full refund of what you have paid

We may also need to cancel a package, for example because of unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances. If we do, we will refund everything you have paid within 14 days.

Price changes after booking

Once your package is confirmed, we will not increase its price except for changes in the cost of transport fuel, in taxes or fees set by third parties (such as airport or tourist taxes), or in exchange rates. If an increase is needed, we will tell you in writing at least 20 days before departure and explain how we have worked it out. If the increase is more than 8 percent of the package price, you may cancel and receive a full refund. If those costs fall, we will pass on the reduction, less our reasonable administration costs.

Passports, visas and health

It is your responsibility to make sure that every traveller has a valid passport, any visa or travel authorisation they need, and meets the entry rules of every country on the itinerary, including those you pass through. Entry rules change, and they can depend on nationality. Check the FCDO travel advice (opens in a new tab) for each country before you book and again before you travel.

For vaccinations and health advice, see TravelHealthPro (opens in a new tab) and speak to your GP or a travel clinic in good time.

If you are refused boarding or entry because you do not have the right documents, we cannot be responsible for the costs.

Travel insurance

We strongly recommend that everyone travelling has travel insurance in place from the day you book. Your policy should cover cancellation, medical treatment and repatriation, and any activities you plan to do. If you travel without suitable insurance, you will be responsible for any costs it would have covered.

Special requests, health and accessibility

Please tell us about any special request, medical condition, disability or reduced mobility before you book, so that we can check the arrangements are suitable. We will pass requests to suppliers, but unless your confirmation says a request is guaranteed, we cannot promise it will be met.

Some trips and activities need a reasonable level of fitness. If you are unsure whether a trip suits you, ask your specialist.

While you are away

If something is not as it should be during your trip, tell the supplier and us straight away, using the contact details in your travel documents, so that we have the chance to put it right. If you do not tell us at the time, it may be difficult to resolve later, and it may affect any claim you make.

If you are in difficulty during a package, for example because of illness or a travel disruption, we will give you appropriate help, including information about health services, local authorities and consular assistance, and help to make alternative arrangements. We may charge a reasonable fee if the difficulty was caused deliberately or carelessly by you.

Suppliers may refuse service to anyone whose behaviour puts others at risk or causes serious disruption. If that happens, we will not be responsible for the cost of getting home, and no refund will be due.

Our responsibility to you

For a package, we are responsible for making sure that every part of it is provided as described. If any part is not, and that is not your fault, we will put it right, reduce the price or pay you appropriate compensation, as the 2018 Regulations provide.

We are not responsible where a problem is caused by you or someone on your booking, by a third party unconnected with the package whose actions could not have been foreseen or avoided, or by unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances.

Where the travel service concerned is governed by an international convention, such as the Montreal Convention for air travel, our liability is limited in the same way the convention limits the supplier's. For other losses that do not involve death or personal injury, our liability is limited as the 2018 Regulations allow.

Nothing in these conditions limits our liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, or any other liability that cannot be limited by law.

For services we arrange as agent, our responsibility is to make the booking with care and to pass on payments and information correctly. The supplier is responsible for providing the service.

Complaints

If you have a complaint, please tell the supplier and us while you are away, as described above. If it is not resolved, write to us within 28 days of your return, with your booking reference and the details. We will acknowledge your complaint promptly and reply in full as soon as we can.

If we cannot resolve your complaint between us, we will tell you in writing whether an alternative dispute resolution scheme is available.

Your personal information

We use the information you give us to arrange your trip, and share it with the suppliers who provide it, as described in our privacy notice.

Law and courts

These conditions and any dispute about them are governed by the law of England and Wales. Disputes may be heard by the courts of England and Wales, or, if you live in Scotland or Northern Ireland, by the courts of the country where you live.