BOOKING TERMS & CONDITIONS
Please read our booking terms & conditions carefully in order to get an understanding of yours and our rights and obligations, which are set our hereunder.
Confirming a booking
In order to confirm a tour with us, you must complete a booking form and pay a deposit of £400 per person. Please note that depending on your chosen arrangements (flights or any other services requiring a higher payment) the deposit may be higher, and this will be advised to you at the time of confirmation. On receipt of the booking form and payment, a receipt will be emailed over to you, by which we will enter into a contractual agreement.
The balance payment for your tour must be received by us no later than 10 weeks prior to your departure date (or earlier for any cruises or rail journeys). The balance due date will be shown on your confirmation invoice.
Forfeiture of reservations
All final balances must be paid by the date given on your invoice. If they are not paid we reserve the right, which may be exercised without any notice to the passenger whatsoever, to cancel the reservation and retain any balances.
Information provided in the booking form
Information given in the Booking form is accepted by the Company as being correct unless subsequently amended in writing. We therefore do not accept any responsibility whatsoever, for any inconvenience or financial loss caused by wrong information being supplied to the company.
Change to requested travel arrangements
All requests by passengers to alter the booking or travel arrangements must be made in writing. Should a firm booking already be held, an admin fee of £50 per booking will be applicable. There may be additional costs incurred on account of any fare difference for flights or availability of accommodation or any other services.
Surcharges
The price of your holiday is subject to surcharges in the event of currency fluctuation, increase in fuel costs and taxes and levies imposed by governments or third parties, all of which are beyond our control. In such cases, we will help by absorbing an amount equivalent to 4% of the holiday price. Any amount in excess of 4% will have to be borne by you. If the amount to be paid by you exceeds 8% of the tour price you will be entitled to cancel your tour and receive a full refund with the exception of any non refundable costs already paid to suppliers (towards issuing flight & rail tickets, or a deposit for a cruise or hotel). Alternatively, you can use the refundable monies to book another tour from us.
No surcharge will be levied once you have paid for your holiday in full, 70 days prior to departure.
Jurisdiction
All agreements between the traveller and us shall be governed by English Law and within the exclusive jurisdiction of English Courts.
Payments
You can pay by electronic bank transfer. Deposits and final balances paid by Credit Cards may be subject to a service fee. Payments made by cheque require 7 working days for clearance.
FINANCIAL PROTECTION
ATOL
The air holidays and flights booked are ATOL protected by the Civil Aviation Authority. ATOL Protection extends primarily to customers who book and pay in the United Kingdom.
As Booking Agents for airlines, we act only as Agents for the Principals actually providing the relevant services and we shall not be liable for any act or default on the part of the airlines or Principals. Passengers are booked and tickets or coupons are issued or obtained by us subject to the conditions, regulations and terms of the Carriers and/or Principals concerned.
Travel Trust Association
The Travel Trust Association exists in order to protect you, the customer, with 100 percent financial protection and has been doing so for over fifteen years. This means that every penny that you pay for your tour is protected by the Travel Trust Association. Hence you can book your holiday secure in the knowledge that Travel Trust Association will protect you in the unlikely event of Trotting Soles Travel Ltd becoming insolvent.
Insurance
It is a booking condition of all UK based tour operators that you have adequate travel insurance. Passengers must take out travel insurance soon as their holiday booking is confirmed with us. Neither we nor any of our suppliers shall be liable or responsible for any loss, damage, and injury, especially if it is as a result of ‘force majeure’ conditions. Such events may include political disputes, war, riots, terrorist activity, border closures, government intervention, natural disasters, fire or explosion, acts of God and other similar events outside our or our local supplier’s control. In the case that you decline insurance you may be asked to sign an indemnity form, or provide details of alternative cover.
PASSPORTS, VISAS AND HEALTH CERTIFICATES
Passengers must be in possession of a valid passport and necessary visa(s) and health certificates. In case of passengers being refused entry by any immigration or other authority all repatriation costs are to be borne by the passenger. It is your responsibility to ensure you are aware of all recommended vaccinations and health precautions well before departing on your holiday. We recommend contacting your GP for more information. General information is also available on https://www.masta-travel-health.com
CANCELLATIONS
Cancellation by You
Passengers should assume that all bookings made are sold on a totally non-refundable basis unless otherwise advised by us. All cancellations by a client must be in writing. If a client cancels a booking the deposit will be retained by us as fee to cover expenses, but clients are liable for all expenses and liabilities incurred by us if these exceed the deposit.
More than 70 days prior to departure – loss of deposit
70 -51 days before departure – 50% of tour cost
50-31 days before departure – 80% of tour cost
Less than 30 days – 100% of tour cost
Flight payments are non-refundable.
Depending on the reason for cancellation, you may be able to reclaim these cancellation charges from your travel insurance under the terms of your policy. Claims must be made directly to the insurance company concerned.
Cancellation by us
We reserve the right to cancel or make changes to your trip if faced with compelling circumstances beyond our control. In such a case, you will be offered a full refund subject to when you are notified of the cancellation. Please be aware that this does not apply to any flights already issued, where any refunds/vouchers/alternative will be as per the airline policy.
Trip Curtailment/Repatriation
If you are forced to return home early, we cannot refund the cost of any travel arrangements you have not used. We will assist you in organising your travel back to your home country but you will have to bear any extra costs for the revised arrangements. You may be able to reclaim these charges from your travel insurance under the terms of your policy. Claims must be made directly to the insurance company concerned.
Claims
In the event of a claim, our maximum liability is restricted to the total amount paid to us by the claimant less any expenses incurred.
DATA PROTECTION POLICY
In order to process your booking and to ensure that your travel arrangements run smoothly and meet your requirements we need to use the information you provide such as name, address, any special needs/dietary requirements etc.
We take full responsibility for ensuring that proper security measures are in place to protect your information. We must pass the information on to the relevant suppliers of your travel arrangements such as your tour operator, airlines, hotels, transport companies etc. The information may also be provided to security or credit checking companies, public authorities such as customs/immigration if required by them, or as required by law.
Additionally, where your holiday is outside the European Economic Area (EEA), controls on data protection in your destination may not be as strong as the legal requirements in this country. We will not however, pass any information onto any person not responsible for part of your travel arrangements. This applies to any sensitive information that you give to us such as details of any disabilities, or dietary/religious requirements. (If we cannot pass this information to the relevant suppliers, whether in the EEA or not, we cannot provide your booking. In making this booking, you consent to this information being passed on to the relevant persons.)
Usually your tour operator or other principal will pass this information onto their suppliers once we have provided it to them. The tour operator or other principals use of your information is subject to their policy.
TRAVEL ADVICE
The UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office regularly updates travel information on its website www.fco.gov.uk. US citizens must check State Department advice on www. travel.state.gov/destination. Citizens of other countries should check their government’s relevant advice.
For information on health requirements, go to the Department of Health’s website at www.dh.gov.uk
