Customer support

The party leader must be at least 18 and must be authorised to make the booking on the basis of these Booking Conditions and the Essential Information contained in the brochure by all persons named on the booking. By confirming the booking, the party leader agrees that he/she is so authorised. The party leader is responsible for making all payments due to us.

The relevant deposit per person or full payment if booking within ten weeks of departure will be taken at the time of booking. If you wish to purchase the insurance policy we offer, all applicable insurance premiums must also be paid at the time of booking (please see clause 11).

Each booking must be accompanied by a deposit payment. In most cases we will charge the following deposit (per person) at the time you book your holiday:

European Flight - £100

European Coach;
8 days and over - £100
7 days and under - £75

Worldwide - £200

River Cruise - £175

European Rail - £100

Worldwide Rail - £200

Motor Racing - £175

Ocean Cruises - £200

On some holidays we may charge a slightly higher deposit to cover any costs we have to pay immediately to secure your booking with our suppliers. This will be mentioned at the time of booking.

Subject to availability and receipt of all appropriate payments we will then confirm your holiday by issuing a Confirmation invoice which will be sent to the party leader (usually within 5 days of your booking). A binding contract comes into place 14 days after we have sent you this invoice. The only exceptions to this are for holidays involving cruises, low cost airlines and for bookings made within eight weeks of departure. In these instances a binding contract comes into place when you pay a deposit (or the full balance for late bookings) and we will then issue a confirmation invoice. If you have not received a confirmation invoice within seven days of booking your holiday please contact us immediately. If we are unable to confirm your booking we will immediately refund any payments you have made to us. Please check the Confirmation Invoice carefully as soon as you receive it. Contact us immediately if any information that appears on the confirmation or any other document appears to be incorrect or incomplete, as it may not be possible to make changes later. We regret we cannot accept any responsibility if you do not tell us about any mistake in any documents within ten days of our sending it out (five days for tickets). We will do our best to rectify any mistake notified to us outside these time limits but you must meet any costs involved in doing so. The only exception to this requirement to meet any costs is where the mistake was made by us and there is good reason why you did not tell us about it within these time limits.

Flights with low cost airlines (for example, but not limited to Easyjet, Thomsonfly, Monarch, Jet2 and bmibaby) – where you ask us to book flights for you with one of the above airlines, we may ask you to pay the full airfare and any associated charges at the point of booking, in addition to the normal deposit payable on the holiday.

The balance of your holiday cost must in most cases be received by us no less than ten weeks before departure. The date for final payment is shown on the Confirmation Invoice. No reminder will be sent. If, for any reason, payment is not received in full by the due date, we are entitled to assume that you wish to cancel your booking and will retain the deposit paid. If we do not cancel straightaway because you promise to make payment but you still fail to do so, you must pay the cancellation charges shown in clause 3 depending on the date we reasonably treat your booking as cancelled.

Please note: A 2% handling fee will be charged on any payment made by credit/charge card.

If you wish to cancel your booking after it has been confirmed you must telephone our Customer Services Department without delay and confirm the cancellation. As we incur costs from the time we confirm your booking and may be unable to resell your holiday, the following cancellation charges will be payable.

If a low cost flight was paid for separately in addition to your deposit at the time of booking, the cost of the flight is non refundable in the event of cancellation.

Please note: If you have taken our Holiday Insurance cover you may be able to claim a refund of the cancellation fee if the reason for cancellation falls within the terms of the policy although the insurance excess will not be repayable.

Claims must be made direct to the insurance company concerned.

Where any cancellation reduces the number of full paying party members below the number which the price, number of free places and/or any concessions agreed for your booking were based, we will recalculate these items and re-invoice you accordingly.

If you wish to change any details of your booking we will always do our best to help. We reserve the right, however, to make a non-refundable administration charge of £10 per person. If you wish to change to another holiday or tour this will be treated as a cancellation by you of your original booking and the cancellation charges set out in clause 3 will be chargeable. If the changes you wish to make to your holiday incur costs or charges from our suppliers, then you will have to pay these to change your booking, along with the administration charge described above. For example, changes to low cost airline flights or cruise bookings normally involve either an additional fee or sometimes the need to make a new booking which has to be paid for again. As most airlines do not permit name changes after tickets have been issued for any reason, these charges are likely to be the full cost of the flight.

If you or any member of your party is unable to travel for any reason, you may transfer that person’s place on the booking or the whole booking to someone else/other people suggested by you and acceptable to us providing you meet the following requirements:

1. Please contact us as soon as possible, and provide us with the name(s) of the replacement passengers and who they will be replacing from the booking. We can only transfer customers up to 14 days before departure, subject to availability.
2. At the time of making the transfer, you must pay the administration charge and, if applicable the costs and charges detailed above in this section.
3. Any person travelling in place of anyone who was originally due to travel must agree to these Booking Conditions and any other requirements which may apply to the holiday before the transfer can be finalised. If the full price should have been paid when the transfer is requested but hasn’t been, this must also be paid before the transfer can be made.
4. Name changes are subject to confirmation of availability from suppliers.

A confirmed booking for one person does not necessarily imply availability for another.

Prices shown in our brochures are believed correct at the time of publication (January 2010). We reserve the right to change prices from time to time. Accordingly, it is possible that when you book your holiday the actual price may have gone up or down. If the price of your holiday has changed, the correct price will be confirmed at the time of booking. We reserve the right to correct errors at any time prior to the price being confirmed at the time of booking.

We guarantee that absolutely no surcharge will be added to the price of the holidays in our brochures once your booking has been confirmed irrespective of any subsequent fluctuation in currency exchange rates or increases in international air fares or increases in other costs associated with the holidays. In return for this guarantee and its risk to us we shall not be able to make any refunds in the event of favourable exchange rate variations or other decreases in costs. For bookings made within the balance due date and prior to confirming your holiday we reserve the right to notify you of any increases to your holiday price as a result of any additional costs we may be charged.

Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the brochure and prices at the time of printing regrettably errors do occur. You must therefore ensure you check the details of your chosen holiday with us at the time of booking.

If you find the same holiday offered by one our competitors at a lower price within seven days of booking with us, our ‘price match’ will apply. By the same, we mean another holiday which:

• Departs on the same date and from the same airport
• Visits the same destination/s
• Has the same duration (ie number of nights)
• Offers the same number of included excursions
• Features accommodation of equivalent standard and board basis

Holiday Availability

All holidays featured in our brochures are subject to availability.

We start planning the holidays we offer many months in advance. Occasionally we have to make changes to and correct errors in brochures and other details both before and after bookings have been confirmed and cancel confirmed bookings. Usually any change to the content of the holiday is made as a result of our becoming dissatisfied with the service provided by a supplier such as the hotel or airline and thus the changes are made to maintain the quality of your holiday at the best possible level.

Most changes are minor but occasionally we have to make a significant change. The following are examples of significant changes when made before you go on holiday:

• A change in the time you are due to leave the UK to go on holiday or the time you are due to come back to the UK after your holiday of more than 12 hours.
• A change of UK airport from the one you were due to fly to or from, except where the change is between London airports (Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted or Luton) or where the new airport is within 50 miles of the original airport.
• A change of the main resort you were due to stay in.
• A change of your accommodation so that you have to stay somewhere of a lower standard than the accommodation you originally booked for a significant part of your holiday.
• A change of cabin accommodation to a significantly lesser grade.
• If we have to tell you that you will not be able to use the only advertised swimming pool at your accommodation (or all advertised swimming pools if there is more than one) for the whole or a large part of your holiday.
• Where you are taking a tour, a major change to the itinerary.

Please note: We do not classify a change of air or sea port as a significant change where coach transfers between a UK town and the relevant air/sea port are included in the holiday cost.

We do not classify the changing of your Eurostar departure point from London Waterloo to London St Pancras as a significant change. A change of flight from direct to indirect is not classified as a major change.

Very occasionally there is insufficient demand for a particular holiday. At any time up to the balance due date we reserve the right to cancel the holiday and offer you the choice of one of options (i) and (ii) below should the number of passengers booked be insufficient to operate the tour.

No compensation or refund of any expenses you have incurred will be payable in these circumstances. We will not cancel your holiday within eight weeks of departure unless we are forced to do so as a result of circumstances outside our control (force majeure) as defined below or where you have failed to comply with any requirement of these booking conditions entitling us to cancel such as paying on time.

If we have to make a significant change or cancel, we will tell you as soon as possible. If there is time to do so before departure, we will offer you the choice of one of the following three options;

1. You may accept the change (for significant changes).
2. Alternatively, we may be able to offer you an alternative holiday of equivalent standard (providing one is available) for which you will not be asked to pay any more than the cost of the original holiday. On rare occasions we may not be able to offer a reasonable alternative because one may not be available.If this holiday is in fact cheaper we will refund the price difference. If you do not wish to accept the alternative holidays we specifically offer you, you may purchase any of our then available holidays, paying or receiving a refund as applicable, in respect of any price difference.
3. You may cancel your holiday/accept the cancellation in which case you will receive a full and quick refund of all monies you have paid to us.

Please note: The above options are not available where any change made is a minor one.

If we have to make a significant change or cancel before departure, we will, as a minimum, where compensation is due, pay you the compensation payments set out in the table below depending on the circumstances and when the significant change or cancellation is notified to you, subject to the following exceptions. Compensation will not be payable and no liability beyond offering the above mentioned choices can be accepted where we are forced to make a change as a result of unusual or unforeseeable circumstances beyond our control, the consequences of which we could not have avoided with all due care or we have to cancel because the minimum number of bookings necessary for us to operate your holiday has not been reached (see above). No compensation will be payable and the above options will not be offered where you have failed to comply with any requirement of these Booking Conditions entitling us to cancel (such as paying on time).

Our liability for significant changes and cancellations is limited to offering you the above mentioned options and, where applicable, compensation payments. No compensation is payable for minor changes.

Very rarely, we may be forced to change or terminate your holiday after departure but before the scheduled end of your time away as a result of ‘force majeure’ (see below). This is extremely unlikely but if this situation does occur, we regret we will be unable to make any refunds (unless we obtain any refunds from our suppliers), pay you any compensation or meet any costs or expenses incurred by you as a result. If, after departure, we are unable to provide a significant proportion of the services we had agreed to provide as part of our contract with you, we will do our very best to make suitable alternative arrangements. If we cannot do so or you refuse to accept these for good reasons, we will arrange to fly you back to your UK departure airport (if the arrangements we agreed to provide included flights) or to transport you to the point our contracted services commenced (if elsewhere than your hotel) as soon as we reasonably can.

Force Majeure

Except where otherwise expressly stated in these Booking Conditions, we regret we cannot accept liability or pay any compensation where the performance or prompt performance of our contractual obligations is prevented, or affected by, or you otherwise suffer any damage or loss (as more fully described in clause 7) as a result of force majeure. In these Booking Conditions, ‘force majeure’ means any event which we or the supplier of the service(s) in question could not, even with all due care, foresee or avoid. Such events may include war or threat of war, riot, civil strife, terrorist activity, industrial dispute, natural or nuclear disaster, technical problems with transport, closure of airports or ports, changes of schedules by airlines, adverse weather conditions, fire and all similar events outside our control.

In addition for the safety of all passengers, the crew, our employees and subcontractors, the ship or other transport or third parties we reserve the right to cancel, postpone, curtail or alter (without prior notice) your cruise or holiday, in whole or part, in the event of threatened force majeure.

(1) Subject to clause 6 we promise to make sure that the holiday arrangements we have agreed to make, perform or provide as applicable as part of our contract with you are made, performed or provided with reasonable skill and care. This means that, subject to these Booking Conditions, we will accept responsibility if, for example, you suffer death or personal injury or your contracted holiday arrangements are not provided as promised or prove deficient as a result of the failure of ourselves, our employees, agents or suppliers to use reasonable skill and care in making, performing or providing, as applicable, your contracted holiday arrangements. Please note it is your responsibility to show that reasonable skill and care has not been used if you wish to make a claim against us. In addition, we will only be responsible for what our employees, agents and suppliers do or do not do if they were at the time acting within the course of their employment (for employees) or carrying out work we had asked them to do (for agents and suppliers).

(2) We will not be responsible for any injury, illness, death, loss (for example loss of enjoyment), damage, expense, cost or other sum or claim of any description whatsoever which results from any of the following: – the act(s) and/or omission(s) of the person(s) affected or any member(s) of their party or the act(s) and/or omission(s) of a third party not connected with the provision of your holiday and which were unforeseeable or unavoidable or ‘force majeure’ as defined in clause 6 above.

(3) Please note, we cannot accept responsibility for any services which do not form part of our contract. This includes, for example, any additional services or facilities which your hotel or any other supplier agrees to provide for you where the services or facilities are not advertised in our brochure and we have not agreed to arrange them and any excursion you purchase in resort. Please also see clause 10 below. In addition, regardless of any wording used by us on our website, in any of our brochures or elsewhere, we only promise to use reasonable skill and care as set out above and we do not have any greater or different liability to you.

(4) The promises we make to you about the services we have agreed to provide or arrange as part of our contract – and the laws and regulations of the country in which your claim or complaint occurred – will be used as the basis for deciding whether the services in question had been properly provided. If the particular services which gave rise to the claim or complaint complied with local laws and regulations applicable to those services at the time, the services will be treated as having been properly provided. This will be the case even if the services did not comply with the laws and regulations of the UK which would have applied had those services been provided in the UK. The exception to this is where the claim or complaint concerns the absence of a safety feature which might lead a reasonable holidaymaker to refuse to take the holiday in question.

(5) As set out in these Booking Conditions we limit the maximum amount we may have to pay you for any claims you may make against us. Where we are found liable for loss of and/or damage to any luggage or personal possessions (including money), the maximum amount we will have to pay you is £1,500 per person affected unless a lower limitation applies to your claim under this clause or clause 7(6) below.

For all other claims which do not involve death or personal injury, if we are found liable to you on any basis the maximum amount we will have to pay you is twice the price (excluding insurance premiums and amendment charges) paid by or on behalf of the person(s) affected in total unless a lower limitation applies to your claim under clause 7(6) below. This maximum amount will only be payable where everything has gone wrong and you have not received any benefit at all from your holiday.

(6) The provisions of the Convention relating to the Carriage of Passengers and their luggage by sea 1974 (’The Athens Convention’) apply to your cruise as well as the process of getting on and/or off the ship. For any claim involving death or personal injury or delay of or loss of or damage to luggage the only liability we have to you is in accordance with The Athens Convention. This means you are not entitled to make any claim against us which is not expressly permitted by The Athens Convention or which is in excess of the limits provided by The Athens Convention. Any claims covered under The Athens Convention must be made within the time limits set out in The Athens Convention.

The Athens Convention limits the maximum amount we as the carrier have to pay if found liable in the event of death or personal injury. This limit for UK carriers is presently approximately £250,000 per person. The Athens Convention also limits the maximum amount we as the carrier have to pay if found liable in the event of or loss or damage to luggage and also makes provision for valuables. Under the Convention a presumption is made that your luggage is delivered to you undamaged unless you give written notice to us within 15 days in cases where damage is not apparent at the point of disembarkation or re-delivery or the time when it should have been re-delivered or where damage is apparent before or at the time of disembarkation or re-delivery. If you can prove that the damage, delay or loss was our fault or the fault of the supplier of a service that we agreed to arrange as part of your holiday, we will compensate you for the loss or damage you can prove you have suffered as a result, subject to and in accordance with The Athens Convention. However, the maximum we will have to pay you for any damage, delay or loss in these circumstances is the maximum which is payable in respect of cabin luggage under The Athens Convention (currently approximately £750 per guest per cruise holiday). Once on board ship, all valuable and important items should be deposited with the purser or in the mini-safe in your cabin (if available). You are also strongly advised to take out appropriate and adequate insurance to protect such items. We cannot accept any responsibility or liability for any valuable or important items, which are not deposited with the purser for safekeeping. For items which are so deposited, the maximum we will pay you if any item(s) is lost or damaged (for any reason) whilst deposited is the maximum which is payable under The Athens Convention in this situation (currently approximately £1,000 per guest, per cruise).

Where any claim or part of a claim (including those involving death or personal injury) concerns or is based on any travel arrangements (including the process of getting on and/or off the transport concerned) provided by any air, sea, rail or road carrier or any stay in a hotel, the maximum amount of compensation we will have to pay you will be limited. The most we will have to pay you for that claim or that part of a claim if we are found liable to you on any basis is the most the carrier or hotel keeper concerned would have to pay under the International Convention or regulation which applies to the travel arrangements or hotel stay in question (for example, the Warsaw Convention as amended or unamended and the Montreal Convention for international travel by air and/or for airlines with an operating licence granted by an EU country, the EC Regulation on Air Carrier Liability No 889/2002 for national and international travel by air, the Athens Convention for international travel by sea and the Berne Convention for international travel by rail).

Please note: Where a carrier or hotel would not be obliged to make any payment to you under the applicable International Convention or Regulation in respect of a claim or part of a claim, we similarly are not obliged to make a payment to you for that claim or part of the claim. Please also note that each convention specifies the limits for making claims, which may be as little as one year from the date of the relevant incident arising. When making any payment, we are entitled to deduct any money which you have received or are entitled to receive from the transport provider or hotelier for the complaint or claim in question. Copies of the applicable International Conventions and Regulations are available from us on request.

Please note: The sums payable under the applicable International Convention or Regulation may well be less than a court would otherwise award to a person suffering any such loss not arising out of the travel arrangements referred to above. You may therefore wish to consider insuring for the possibility of such unfortunate events but in doing so should be careful to note any limitations and restrictions contained in the insurance policies.

(7) Please note, we cannot accept any liability for any damage, loss, expense or other sum(s) of any description (1) which on the basis of the information given to us by you concerning your booking prior to our accepting it, we could not have foreseen you would suffer or incur if we breached our contract with you or (2) which did not result from any breach of contract or other fault by ourselves or our employees or, where we are responsible for them, our suppliers. Additionally we cannot accept liability for any business losses.

(8) You must provide ourselves and our insurers with all assistance we may reasonably require. You must also tell us and the supplier concerned about your claim or complaint as set out in clause 9 below. If asked to do so, you must transfer to us or our insurers any rights you have against the supplier or whoever else is responsible for your claim or complaint (if the person concerned is under 18, their parent or guardian must do so). You must also agree to cooperate fully with us and our insurers if we or our insurers want to enforce any rights which are transferred.

We both agree that English Law (and no other) will apply to your contract and to any dispute, claim or other matter of any description which arises between us (except as set out below). We both also agree that any dispute, claim or other matter of any description (and whether or not involving any personal injury) which arises between us must be dealt with under the ABTA Arbitration Scheme (if the Scheme is available for the claim in question – see clause 9) or by the Courts of England and Wales only unless, in the case of Court proceedings, you live in Scotland or Northern Ireland. In this case, proceedings must either be brought in the Courts of your home country or those of England and Wales. If proceedings are brought in Scotland or Northern Ireland, you may choose to have your contract and any dispute, claim or other matter of any description which arises between us governed by the law of Scotland/Northern Ireland as applicable (but if you do not so choose, English law will apply).

In the unlikely event that you feel dissatisfaction with any aspect of your holiday arrangements we ask you to bring this to the attention of our Tour Manager or representative at the time so that the matter may be resolved right away. Until we know about a problem or complaint, we cannot begin to resolve it. If the matter cannot be put right on the spot you must ask our Tour Manager or representative for a Complaint Registration Form, which you must then complete in his or her presence. One copy will be given to you and the other copy sent to head office. If you remain dissatisfied, you must write to us within 28 days of return from your holiday quoting your booking reference number. Any complaint concerned with the arrangements for your holiday will be dealt with carefully and fairly by our staff. Disputes arising out of, or in connection with this contract that cannot be amicably settled may be referred to arbitration administered independently by the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. The scheme provides for a simple and inexpensive method of arbitration on documents alone with restricted liability on the customer in respect of costs. Full details will be provided on request or can be obtained from the ABTA website (www.abta.com). This scheme does not apply to claims for an amount greater than £5,000 per person. There is also a limit of £25,000 per booking. Neither does it apply to claims that are solely in respect of physical injury or illness or their consequences. The Scheme can however deal with compensation claims, which include an element of minor injury or illness subject to a limit of £1,000 on the amount the arbitrator can award per person in respect of this element. The application for arbitration and statement of claim must be received by the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators within nine months of the date of return from the holiday. Outside this time limit arbitration under the Scheme may still be available if we agree, although the ABTA Code does not require such agreement.

Our Tour Managers and representatives are instructed not to accept bookings for any additional activities other than those approved by us. Any advice or assistance on additional activities they may offer as a result of a request by you or any member of your party does not imply that the activity has been sold by the Tour Manager or representative or that they have acted on our behalf.

We consider adequate travel insurance to be essential, especially for holidays outside the UK. It is therefore a condition of booking that you are adequately insured when travelling abroad. Details of the policy we offer are shown elsewhere. If you decide not to purchase this insurance we may require you to give us details of who your travel insurance is with. If you purchase an alternative policy you must ensure that any alternative policy offers at least as comprehensive cover as the policy we offer. Please read your policy details carefully and take them with you on holiday. It is your responsibility to ensure that the insurance cover you purchase is adequate for your particular needs. You shall be responsible for indemnifying us in full in respect of any costs that we incur as a result of your failure to have adequate and comprehensive travel insurance.

If you have any special requests such as low floor accommodation, adjacent rooms etc, you must advise us of these at the time of booking. Special diets can be requested on scheduled flights, but regrettably no such arrangements can be guaranteed during the tour itself.

Although we cannot guarantee that your requests will be met, we will certainly pass on your requests to the supplier concerned. Confirmation that a special request has been noted or passed on to the supplier or the inclusion of the special request on your confirmation invoice or any other documentation is not confirmation that the request will be met. Unless and until specifically confirmed, all special requests are subject to availability.

We regret we cannot accept any conditional bookings, i.e. any booking that is specified to be conditional on the fulfilment of a particular request. All such bookings will be treated as ‘standard’ bookings subject to the above provisions on special requests.

Information regarding passport, visa and health requirements applicable to British Citizens for the holidays we offer are shown in our brochure. Requirements may change and you must check the up-to-date position in good time before departure.

It is your responsibility to ensure you are in possession of all necessary travel and health documents before departure. All costs incurred in obtaining such documentation must be paid by you. We regret we cannot accept liability if you are refused entry on to any transport or into any country due to failure on your part to carry correct documentation. If you or any member of your party is not a British Citizen or holds a non-British passport, you must check passport and visa requirements with the Embassy or Consulate of the country(ies) to or through which you are intending to travel. If failure to have any necessary travel or other documents results in fines, surcharges or other financial penalty being imposed on us, you will be responsible for reimbursing us accordingly. Information on health is contained in the Department of Health leaflet T6 (Health Advice for Travellers) available from your local Department of Health office and most Post Offices. For holidays in the EEA you should obtain an EHIC (European Health Insurance Card) prior to departure. NB this card has replaced the E111 form, which is no longer valid.

Please note – Please note the entry requirements for British Citizens may differ to those for British Subjects, British Dependant Territories Citizens, British Nationals (Overseas Citizens), British Protected Persons or any other British passports. Please check your passport carefully and if you are not specifically a British Citizen you must check passport and visa requirements with the Embassy or Consulate of the country(ies) you are travelling to or through.

Not all countries have health and safety standards as stringent as those in the UK. For example, accommodation may not have the separate fire escapes, alarms, detection, fire and smoke control measures that we take for granted at home.

Please note: The requirements and standards of the country apply to any services provided and not those of the UK.

Children under six months of age and women who will be more than 28 weeks pregnant at the conclusion of the holiday are not permitted on board our cruise ship and regretfully we cannot take bookings for such persons.

We reserve the right for ourselves, our servants, agents, subcontractors and the cruise ship’s owners, operators and managers to inspect and search all passengers including you and any member of your party, your or their cabin and/or luggage to ensure the safety and security of all other passengers and crew. For this reason, you must allow any inspection or search to take place when requested.

The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 states:

• “The Act makes it unlawful for a service provider to discriminate against a disabled person by refusing to provide any service which it provides to members of the public.”

(It is our interpretation that) this law applies to services provided in the UK and not those provided overseas. However, we believe in trying to make our holidays as accessible to as many people as possible. If you tell us before you book of any special needs or medical conditions you have, we will do all we can to accommodate you.

This includes making any reasonable adjustments to the holiday itself. If your or any member of your party’s situation changes after you have booked you must let us know straight away.

Examples of reasonable adjustments we might make include (but are not limited to):

• Providing relevant sections of our brochures in large print
• Reserving the front seat of the coach for those with specific mobility difficulties
• Providing individual transport for someone with mobility difficulties where a coach cannot reach a hotel

Whilst we will endeavour to make any reasonable adjustments to the holiday itself, sometimes this may not be possible. Examples where we might not be able to make a reasonable adjustment include:

• Providing wheelchair access ramps to overseas hotels in remote locations
• Our staff pushing a customer in a wheelchair throughout the duration of the holiday

It is your responsibility to tell us before you book whether you have any special needs or medical conditions, which might affect your ability to take part on our holidays. A reasonable level of fitness is required for our holidays as some walking can be involved. If you are in any doubt about the suitability of any of our holidays please just ask. Where we can we will make any reasonable adjustments - where we cannot make such adjustments we may have to refuse your booking.

It is our intention to try and make our holidays as accessible to as many people as we can, especially those with disabilities. We cannot do this if you don’t tell us of your needs so please mention any relevant information to us before you book. We will assume, unless you tell us otherwise, that all members of the party are in a good state of health to participate in the holiday.

If you do not tell us about any special needs or medical conditions, and we find ourselves in the position where you are at your UK departure point or on holiday and unable to participate fully, then we reserve the right to:

• Organise extra assistance or make any adjustments so you can continue with the holiday, and pass on the costs of doing this to you.
• Arrange your return to the UK, and pass on the costs of doing this to you.

We very much hope that all our customers will be completely open, honest and upfront with us so the above situation does not occur. However, we do reserve the right to take action in the interests of your health and safety and the health and safety of our staff and other customers should we need to.

In accordance with EU Directive (EC) No 2111/2005 Article 9, we are required to bring to your attention the existence of a ‘Community list’ which contains details of air carriers that are subject to an operating ban with the EU Community. The Community list is available for inspection at http://europa.eu.int/comm/transport/air/safety/flywell_en.htm.

In accordance with EU Regulations we are required to advise you of the actual carrier(s) (or, if the actual carrier(s) is not known, the likely carrier(s)) that will operate your flight(s) at the time of booking. Where we are only able to inform you of the likely carrier(s) at the time of booking, we shall inform you of the identity of the actual carrier(s) as soon as we become aware of this. Any change to the operating carrier(s) after your booking has been confirmed will be notified to you as soon as possible.

We are not always in a position at the time of booking to confirm the aircraft type and flight timings which will be used in connection with your flight. The flight timings and types of aircraft shown in our brochure and detailed on your Confirmation Invoice are for guidance only and are subject to alteration and confirmation. The latest timings will be shown on your tickets which will be despatched to you approximately two weeks before departure. You must accordingly check your tickets very carefully immediately on receipt to ensure you have the correct flight times. It is possible that flight times may be changed even after tickets have been despatched – we will contact you as soon as possible if this occurs.

Any change in the identity of the carrier, flight timings, and/or aircraft type will not entitle you to cancel or change to other arrangements without paying our normal charges except where specified in these conditions.

If the carrier with whom you have a confirmed reservation becomes subject to an operating ban as above as a result of which we/the carrier are unable to offer you a suitable alternative the provisions of clause 6 (Changes and cancellation by us) will apply.

NB. If your flight is cancelled or delayed, your flight ticket is downgraded or boarding is denied by your airline in circumstances which would entitle you to claim compensation against the airline under EC Regulation No 261/2004 – the Denied Boarding Regulations 2004, you must pursue the airline for the compensation due to you. All sums you receive or are entitled to receive from the airline concerned by virtue of these Regulations represent the full amount of your entitlement to compensation or any other payment arising from such cancellation, delay, downgrading or denied boarding. This includes any disappointment, distress, inconvenience or effect on any other arrangements. The fact a delay may entitle you to cancel your flight does not automatically entitle you to cancel any other arrangements even where those arrangements have been made in conjunction with your flight. We have no liability to make any payment to you in relation to the Denied Boarding Regulations or in respect of any flight cancellation or delay, downgrading of any flight ticket or denial of any boarding as the full amount of your entitlement to any compensation or other payment (as dealt with above) is covered by the airline’s obligations under the Denied Boarding Regulations. If, for any reason, you do not claim against the airline and make a claim for compensation from us, you must, at the time of payment of any compensation to you, make a complete assignment to us of the rights you have against the airline in relation to the claim that gives rise to that compensation payment. If your airline does not comply with these rules you should complain to the Air Transport Users’ Council on 020 7240 6061 www.auc.org.uk.

We will state at the time of booking the planned method of crossing the channel, by either ferry or Euro tunnel. Due to circumstances beyond our control (such as, but not limited to, bad weather or strike action) how you cross the channel may change, and no refund or compensation will be due if we do this.

Many of the services that make up your holiday are provided by independent suppliers. Those suppliers provide these services in accordance with their own terms and conditions. Some of these terms and conditions may limit or exclude the supplier’s liability to you, usually in accordance with applicable International Conventions – see clause 7(6). Copies of the relevant parts of these terms and conditions are available on request from ourselves or the supplier concerned.

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 must be paid direct at the time to the accommodation owner or manager or other supplier. If you fail to do so, you will be responsible for meeting any claims subsequently made against us (together with our own and the other party’s full legal costs) as a result of your actions.

We expect all clients to have consideration for other people. If in our reasonable opinion or in the reasonable opinion of any other person in authority, you or any member of your party behaves in such a way as to cause or be likely to cause danger, upset or distress to any third party or damage to property, we are entitled, without prior notice, to terminate the holiday of the person(s) concerned. In this situation, the person(s) concerned will be required to leave the accommodation or other service. We will have no further responsibility toward such person(s) including any return travel arrangements.

No refunds will be made and we will not pay any expenses or costs incurred as a result of the termination.

A. Athena Cruises, Serenade I and Heinrich Heine River Cruises:

• We reserve the absolute right (on behalf of the ship’s owner) to exclusively determine how the ship is operated, for example with regard to navigation, piloting, alternative or supplementary uses and repairs and to make decisions with regard to ensuring and enhancing the safety, well-being and interests of other passengers and crew on board
• You will be required to pay for any damage you do to the ship and to fixtures and fittings
• You may not bring any birds, animals, dangerous goods, illegal substances or other similar articles on board the ship. Should you be found to have done so, then the Captain or his/her appointed servant or agent will be entitled to confiscate such articles and hold you under citizen’s arrest until police officers arrive
• There are many signs, notices and announcements on board the ship that give information, instructions, prohibitions and so on. You must comply with all such communications for your safety and well being and that of your fellow passengers and the crew
• We reserve the right to claim from you any sums which we pay to any other passenger or other third parties where such payment was made as a result of your actions or inactions

B. You must observe the requirements of any relevant rail and air carriers on the routing and timing of your journeys.

C. You must carry your passports and supporting documents with you at all times during your air and/or rail journeys.

When you buy an ATOL protected air package from Travelsphere you will receive a Confirmation Invoice from us confirming your arrangements and your protection under our Air Travel Organiser’s Licence number 1091. The sum of £2.50 per person will be added to your holiday price and shown as a separate item on your Confirmation Invoice to cover the cost of the ATOL Protection Charge (APC). This sum is passed to the CAA to provide you with ATOL protection for your holiday. In the unlikely event of insolvency, the CAA will ensure that you are not stranded abroad and will arrange to refund any money you have paid to us for an advance booking. For further information visit the ATOL website at www.atol.org.uk

However we are also a member of the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA number V5874). If your holiday does not include flights, ABTA will protect your holiday in the same way.