Booking Conditions

Your booking is through Specialist Travel Consortium Ltd. Your contract is with Specialist Travel Consortium Ltd. Once you have decided on the holiday you require please carefully read the following conditions. They will form part of your agreement with Specialist Travel Consortium Ltd.

1.PAYMENT AND CONFIRMATION

• a) On receipt of your completed booking form and the applicable payment, Specialist Travel Consortium Ltd. will issue a confirmation invoice, and it is at this stage that a binding contract comes into existence between you and Specialist Travel Consortium Ltd. Please note though, that if you book a tailor-made itinerary your accommodation, travel etc. will only be requested by us once your booking form has been received. Your confirmation invoice, in this instance, will indicate your requested package cost and you will be advised of any accommodation, travel etc. which are still on request and not confirmed at the time the confirmation invoice is issued.

• b) We will endeavour to obtain final confirmation of all your holiday components as soon as possible. If a particular hotel or similar cannot be confirmed you will be offered an alternative, or, failing that a refund.

• c) It is your responsibility to check the confirmation invoice carefully and advise Specialist Travel Consortium Ltd immediately in the event of any error.

• d) The balance of your holiday cost is payable not less than 10 weeks prior to departure. If the full balance is not received on time Specialist Travel Consortium Ltd. will treat the booking as cancelled by you and will levy the cancellation charges set out in clause (6). If you book within 10 weeks of departure, full payment will be due with your completed Booking Form.

• e) Travel documents will normally be sent 10 days before departure.

2.SPECIAL REQUESTS

Special requests for flight seats, room allocation, diet considerations etc. must be made in writing at the time of booking. Every effort will be made to ensure that these requests are fulfilled, but they cannot be guaranteed.

3.ALTERATION BY YOU

• a) If you wish to make any amendments to your holiday after the confirmation invoice has been issued, you must inform us in writing and we will do our best to implement your request. In the event that we are able to do so, fax charges and other expenses will be payable by you together with an amendment fee of £35 per alteration per booking. However, if you change your booking less than eight weeks before departure this will be treated as a cancellation and a new booking and you will be liable for the cancellation charges set out in clause (6).

• b) If you wish to change any aspect of your holiday after it has commenced, our agents will do their best to help, subject to you being responsible for any cancellation/amendment charges. All such charges are payable locally.

4) ALTERATION BY US
If we are your Booking Agent, your contract with our suppliers may allow them to change your booking details. Where this occurs, we will ensure that you are promptly notified of any significant changes, but accept no liability for the changes or costs incurred which may result. For all other arrangements, we hope that we will not have to make any change to your holiday but, because our holidays are planned many months in advance, we sometimes do need to make changes.

We reserve the right to do this at any time.

We will let you or your travel agent know about any important changes when you book. If you have already booked, we will let you know as soon as we can, if there is time before your departure. Occasionally, we have to make major changes to the travel or accommodation making up your holiday with us. If we tell you about any of these changes after we have confirmed your holiday booking, you may either: – accept the new arrangements offered by us; or – accept a replacement holiday from us of equivalent or closely similar standard and price, if one is available; or – cancel your holiday with us and receive a full refund of all monies paid. Either way, we will pay you compensation, using the Compensation table shown, unless the change is for reasons beyond our control (see below) and we will always refund the difference in price if the replacement holiday is of a lower standard and price. Major changes for which we will always pay compensation, using the scale shown, may include the following changes: a significant change of destination; a change in accommodation to that of a lower category. These changes are only examples and there may be other significant changes which constitute major changes. This standard payment will not affect your statutory or other legal rights. We will only make one payment for each full-fare-paying adult in the holiday booking. Any children not paying the full adult fare will receive 50% of these amounts.

Cash refund per person:

• More than 56 days before departure date NIL

• 56-28 days before departure date £10

• 27-14 days before departure date £20

• 13 days or less before departure date £30

Clearly such refunds do not apply to changes caused by reason of civil strife, riots, war, threat of war, natural disaster, industrial action, technical problems affecting transport, terrorist activity, closure of airports or similar events beyond our control.

5.GROUP HOLIDAYS

Some of our holidays are based on a minimum number of participants and in the unlikely event that these numbers are not reached we reserve the right to cancel the holiday and refund all payments made. Holidays will not be cancelled due to lack of numbers later than 8 weeks before departure

6.CANCELLATION BY YOU

You, or any member of your party, may cancel your holiday at any time providing that the cancellation is made by the person signing the booking form and is communicated to us in writing. As this incurs administrative costs, we will retain your deposit and apply cancellation charges as shown below. Furthermore, insurance premiums are not refundable

Note: If the reason for cancellation is covered under the terms of your insurance policy, you will be able to reclaim these charges, less excesses and insurance premiums.

7.CANCELLATION BY US

We try never to cancel a holiday, but must reserve the right to do so. In particular, we will cancel your holiday if you fail to make any payments by the due date.

If we cancel your holiday for any other reason we will inform you as soon as practicable and you will have the option of choosing an alternative holiday of a comparable standard, if available, or receiving a prompt refund of all monies paid. In addition, unless the cancellation has been caused by force majeure or low bookings (defined in clause 5 above)  we will pay you the compensation amounts set out in the table in clause 4. If cancellation is because of low bookings you will be notified at least 8 weeks before departure. The only circumstance in which a holiday will be cancelled less than 30 days before departure is where it is cancelled by reason of force.

 8.PRICES

Prices are based upon the rates of exchange at the time of booking. Prices are subject to variation if there is an increase due to government action, a change in exchange rates or increases in transportation costs or fuel prices. Any increase in the holiday price will be notified to you at least eight weeks prior to departure. Specialist Travel Consortium Ltd. will in any event absorb such part of the surcharge as is equivalent to 2% of the holiday price. If surcharges exceed 10% of the original holiday price you may exercise the option to cancel your holiday arrangements. If you settle the final balance of the holiday price by the due date we will absorb any price increases after that date. In return for this commitment, we are unable to make any refund or reduce any other costs should the value of the pound increase against the currencies used. Our financial year begins on 1 May and ends 30 April.

9.YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES

• a) Passports: A full passport (valid for at least 6 months beyond the end of your holiday) is required for travel.

• b) Visas: (Where applicable) Visas are issued in the UK. Non-UK passport holders must contact us for possible supplementary charges. We accept no responsibility for passengers refused entry due to wrong documents.

You should allow an average of 4 weeks to obtain your visa.

• c) Health: You should consult your doctor on current recommendations before you depart. Health requirements for your holiday destination are available from the Department of Health by ringing 0800 555 777 for their ‘Travellers Guide to Health’ (T4) leaflet. It is your responsibility to ensure that you obtain all recommended inoculations, take all recommended medication and follow all medical advice in relation to your holiday.

• d) Transportation: It is your responsibility to ensure that you arrive in good time to board all flights or other method of transportation. To assist you we will notify you of the times by which you should arrive at all points of departure. If you miss a flight or other transportation we will try to arrange alternative transportation, but reserve the right to recover from you any costs we incur in making such arrangements.

• e) Insurance:It is a condition that you and your party obtain suitable Travel Insurance, from a reputable provider, which must at least include the following: –

  • Emergency Medical Expenses including, amongst other costs; ambulance charges and repatriation

  • Cancellation of your trip or Curtailment cutting short your trip

  • Personal Liability to include, amongst other liabilities; damage caused by your (or your party’s) negligence to the property in which you are staying and may not include a clause which restricts actions being taken against a travelling companion other than family and must include contractual liability of the party leader for the actions of his party

  • Travel and transfer delays which must include amongst other costs; additional costs incurred in the event of a delay

  • The policy must include the activities you are likely to do and in particular skiing and snowboarding on and off piste with or without a guide

  • The policy must cover the period from the date of booking to the last day of your trip and may not have a clause allowing the insurer to cancel the policy nor vary the terms usually following medical reasons unless there has been individual underwriting with specific terms.

  Note:- There are of course other sections to a Travel Insurance policy such as Baggage and ski equipment, Legal Expenses, Personal Accident and so on

  In the event that you fail to obtain suitable Travel Insurance we shall not be liable for any costs incurred or claims made against us due to your failure to comply with this term.

  Specialist Travel Consortium Ltd recommends the Michael Pettifer Insurance Brokers Limited t/as MPI Brokers, who are Authorised and Regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. You can visit mpi brokers website for a competitive quote at https://retail.mpibrokers.com/stc

10.OUR RESPONSIBILITIES

We accept responsibility for the acts and/or omissions of our employees, agents and suppliers while acting within the scope of or in the course of their employment, agency or contract of supply and we also accept responsibility for any deficiencies in the services to reach a reasonable standard.

However, we do not accept responsibility in respect of death, bodily injury or illness of, or to the signatory to the contract and/or any other named person on the booking form, except when caused by the negligent acts and/or omissions of our employees, agents, suppliers or subcontractors while acting within the scope of or in the course of their employment, agency, contract or supply or sub-contract. We shall afford every assistance to a client who through misadventure suffers illness, personal injury or death during the period of the holiday arising out of an activity which neither forms part of the foreign inclusive holiday arrangement nor forms part of an excursion offered through us. Such assistance shall take the form of advice. Guidance and initial financial assistance where appropriate, up to a limit of £5,000 per booking form.

Nothing in this clause shall apply where the services in question consist of carriage by air or sea, where our obligations and liabilities are limited in the manner provided by international conventions in respect of air and sea carriers.

11.COMPLAINTS

If you have a problem during your holiday, it is a legal requirement that you inform the relevant supplier (e.g. hotel) and where available our local agent who will endeavour to put things right. If your complaint cannot be completely resolved locally, you must obtain written confirmation from our agent and/or the supplier of the complaint lodged. Please follow this up within 28 days of your return home by writing to us giving your original invoice number and all other relevant information. It is therefore a condition of the contract that you communicate any problem to the supplier of the services in question and where available to our agent (contact details provided with travel documents) whilst in the resort and obtain written confirmation of the complaint lodged. If you fail to follow this simple procedure we cannot accept responsibility as we have been deprived of the opportunity to investigate and rectify the problem.

12.GENERAL HOLIDAY PRICE EXCLUSIONS

• 1) The cost of personal items such as laundry; drinks with meals or otherwise; incidentals etc.

• 2) Airport security charges if levied by an airport to cover the cost of security arrangements.

• 3) Optional excursions.

• 4) Transport between your home and airport/port/station.

• 5) Gratuities for services provided on a personal basis.

• 6) Meals other than those specified.

• 7) Optional extras linked to late bookings, amendments etc, as stated in our booking conditions.

13.EXCURSIONS / REPRESENTATIVES and AGENTS

• a) Excursions only form part of your holiday arrangements if they are described or purchased before departure.

• b) Our acceptance of liability for the acts of our representatives or agents in clause 10 above is only binding if our representatives or agents are acting with our authority and/or performing their duties as described in this brochure. This excludes for example any social contact that you may have with them.

14. HOLIDAY COVER

Specialist Travel Consortium Ltd is a member of the Travel Trust Association Ltd. Our membership number is U8955.

15.LEGAL JURISDICTION

The Laws of England shall apply in all respects and the Courts of England shall have sole jurisdiction.