Handmade Travel Ltd: terms and conditions

Terms and Conditions

FINANCIAL SECURITY

Your contract will be with Handmade Travel Ltd.

YOUR HOLIDAY CONTRACT

Bookings must be made in writing on our Booking Request Form and accompanied by the appropriate deposit, and the contract between us will be created when we send written confirmation in the form of our tour confirmation and invoice. Cancellations must also be in writing.

WARRANTY

When making this booking, you warrant that you have the authority to enter into this contract on behalf of all other members of your party and that you are responsible for ensuring due payment of all monies payable in respect of this booking, in the event of default by any member of the party.

MINIMUM NUMBERS

All tours have been based upon a minimum number of passengers travelling together, and in the unlikely event that this number is not reached, we reserve the right to cancel the tour, offer an alternative date, offer the same date with any relevant supplement or refund all monies paid. We will advise the passenger no later than 12 weeks prior to departure if the minimum numbers required for a tour have not been achieved. Under no circumstances will we cancel the holiday after the date when payment of the balance price has become due unless for reasons of force majeure or non payment of the balance by yourself or any member of your party.

PRICES

The price of your holiday is subject to surcharges or reductions for currency fluctuation, increases in scheduled airfares, fuel prices etc and even this case, we will absorb an amount equivalent to 2% of the holiday price which excludes insurance premium and increases as a result of Government action and any amendment charges. Only amount in excess of this 2% will be surcharged but where a surcharge is more than 10% of the holiday price, you will be entitled to cancel your holiday with a full refund of all money paid except for any premium paid to us for holiday insurance and amendment charges. Should you decide to cancel because of this, you must exercise your right to do so within 14 days from the issue date printed on the invoice. Prices are in pounds sterling.

PAYMENT

An initial non-returndable deposit of £200 per person is payable on booking. Additional deposits may also be required to hold “other facilities” arrangements such as hotels, car-hire, cruises and tours - all payment details will be advised at time of booking. If you are booking within 12 weeks of departure, you must pay the full amount at the time of booking. If you book earlier and send a deposit payment then we must receive full payment at least 12 weeks before your departure date. If you do not pay in time then your holiday may be cancelled and cancellation charges will be due.

REROUTING

As a general rule, airline tickets cannot be rerouted or transferred to another airline. All flights must be used in sequence, as booked. Failure to do so may result in cancellation of all remaining sectors and restrict any possible refund.

PASSPORT AND VISA REQUIREMENTS

Please ensure that you are fully aware of all passport and visa requirements and that you allow adequate time to obtain them. We recommend that you travel with a passport that has a minimum validity of 6 months remaining at all times. This is an immigration requirement for many countries and airlines. Please check with your travel consultant if you will not have the recommended validity whilst travelling. Passports should be Machine Readable for travel to/via the USA. Please call our visa service if you are unsure if your passport is Machine Readable. Trailfinders offers a UK passport renewal service along with a visa service for many countries. Call 0845 05 05 905 for
more details. Visa requirements are only noted for those countries listed on your itinerary. If you intend visiting or transiting through other countries, please ensure you are fully aware of all relevant visa and passport requirements.

AIRLINE PASSENGER INFORMATION

Please note that airlines are now required by laws introduced in the United States and other countries to give border control agencies access to passenger data. Accordingly any information that the airline holds about you and your travel arrangements may be disclosed to the customs and immigration authorities of any country on your itinerary. Please contact your travel consultant if you require further information.

PRE-TRAVEL ADVICE

The Foreign & Commonwealth Travel Advice Unit may have issued information about your holiday destination. You are advised to check this information, shortly before departure on the internet at www.fco.gov.uk. Alternatively, you can contact the Foreign Office Travel Advice Line on 0845 850 2829.

HEALTH

It is advised to check with your doctor before departure for any inoculations etc required. ‘Health Advice for Travellers’ issued by the Department of Health is sent with your Booking Confirmation.

BEHAVIOUR

If, in the opinion of your tour manager or Handmade Travel representative, your behaviour or the behaviour of anyone in your touring party is such that it impairs the enjoyment or upsets other clients or disrupts the tour party, in the first instance you will be given a warning but if the unacceptable behaviour persists, we reserve the right to terminate all holiday arrangements immediately without refund.

all due care. These circumstances include (without limit to this definition) war or threat of war, riot, civil strife, industrial dispute, terrorist activity, natural or nuclear disaster, fire, adverse weather conditions and cancellation or postponement of sports tournaments and/or individual matches.

OUR LIABILITY TO YOU

We accept responsibility for the acts and/or omissions of our employees, agents, sub-contractors and suppliers. We also accept responsibility should the service which we provide prove deficient or are not of reasonable standards except in respect of death, bodily injury or illness caused to you and/or any other named person on the Booking Request Form except as provided below. We accept responsibility for the negligent acts and/or omissions of our
employees or agents and suppliers and sub-contractors, servants and/or agents of same while acting within the scope of, or in the course of their employment (other than air and sea carriers performing any domestic internal or international carriage or whatsoever kind) in respect of claims arising as a result of death, bodily injury or illness caused to you and/or any other of the named persons in the booking. Claims under this paragraph shall be subject to English law in respect of any question of liability or quantum, and all proceedings shall be within the exclusive domain of English courts. Where the service in question consists of carriage by air or sea, we limit our obligations and liabilities in the manner provided by international conventions in respect of air or sea. Cancellation or curtailment of a major sporting fixture is an extremely unusual occurrence and totally beyond our control and we accept no responsibility to refund or compensate for changes to a tour for reasons beyond our control. Every effort will be made to offer alternative arrangements and in the unlikely event of cancellation any refund obtained for any of the services will of course be refunded to the client.

BROCHURE PRESENTATION

All information published in the brochure has been compiled from up-to-date details and we have taken the utmost care to ensure fact and accuracy. There may be occasions when an advertised facility is either modified or not available. Such situations may be dictated by local circumstances necessary for maintenance (swimming pools for example), unsuitable weather, fuel shortages, accidental damage to accommodation or other circumstances totally beyond our control. If we are advised of this, we will inform you as soon as possible. This brochure is issued on our responsibility and does not commit any airlines mentioned therein. Whilst all reasonable efforts will be made to comply with your requirements, we cannot guarantee that any special requirement concerning accommodation or facilities will be available and any such request by you does not form part of the contract. Unfortunately, it is inevitable that some of the prices or details within this brochure may have changed since the brochure was printed. You will be informed about any changes to any part of the relevant details within this brochure when you book as part of our commitment to quality customer service.

YOUR HOLIDAY INSURANCE

We strongly recommend that you take our holiday insurance or arrange a policy yourself providing comparable or greater cover under all sections as that provided by our special holiday insurance. We recommend our insurance as providing adequate cover for normal requirements, but it is your responsibility to arrange additional cover exceeding the maximum amounts payable under our policy if required. If you decide to decline our insurance cover please sign the declaration on the Booking Request Form at the time of booking.

TOTAL PAYMENT PROTECTION (topp) POLICY COVER:

In compliance with The Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018, an insurance policy has been arranged with Travel & General Insurance Services Limited (t&g), to protect customers’ prepayments in the unlikely event of our financial failure, and paid in respect of:
• Non-Flight Packages sold by the Policyholder as principal to the contract for:
• a refund of such prepayments if customers have not yet travelled, or
• making arrangements to enable the holiday to continue if customers have already travelled
• repatriation of customers as may be applicable, subject to the terms of the insurance policy.

Customers’ prepayments are protected by a topp policy.

In the unlikely event of financial failure please contact the claims helpline on 01702 811397.

A copy of the policy is available on request.

This policy is provided by Travel & General Insurance Services Limited (t&g), registered number 02527363 and underwritten by Accelerant Insurance Europe SA (Accelerant), an insurance company, which is authorised and regulated by the National Bank of Belgium and regulated by the Financial Services and Markets Authority (Ref. 3193) acting in the UK under the Freedom of services.

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 that you provide such as name, address and 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 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. Your data controller is Handmade Travel. You are entitled to a copy of your information held by us. If you would like to see this please contact us.


Handmade Travel Ltd logo topp protected logo

FLIGHT TIMINGS

The flight timings in this brochure although correct at the time of going to press can be subject to alteration by the various foreign and UK Airport Scheduling Committees or for operational reasons. Clients are advised that they must adhere to the timings as set down in the final documentation.

SIMPLE DISPUTES PROCEDURE

In the unlikely event of a complaint whilst on holiday, you must tell your Tour Manager or representative who will try and solve the problem on the spot. If the complaint cannot be resolved there and then, you must send a written complaint to reach us within 28 days of the end of your holiday in order that we may investigate fully. Disputes arising out of, or in connection with, this contract which cannot be amicably settled, may if you do so wish be referred to arbitration under a special Scheme which, though devised by arrangements with the Association of British Travel Agents, is administered quite independently by the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. The scheme (details of which will be supplied on request) provides for a simple and inexpensive method of arbitration on documents alone with restricted liability on the client in respect of costs.

The 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 Request Form. Neither does it apply to claims which are solely or mainly in respect of physical injury or illness or the consequences of such injury or illness. The rules of the Scheme provide that the application for the arbitration must be made within nine months of the date of return from the holiday but in special circumstances it may be still offered outside this period.

ROOM SHARING

If you are travelling solo and opt for us to find you a room sharer(s),you will be notified of the availability of a sharer(s) and at the time thefinal balance is due.

CHANGES BY YOU

If you wish to amend or transfer the booking in any way, you must make your request in writing as soon as possible. Once your Booking Confirmation has been received the following mandatory amendment charges apply plus any additional cost incurred from our suppliers:

Period after receipt of Amendment Booking Confirmation
charge pp
0-14 days after Nil
14 days onwards £100

Changing dates or numbers travelling are major changes which may have to be treated as cancellations and subsequent re-bookings. Any amendments made within 12 weeks of travel are strongly discouraged and may be treated as a cancellation and charges may be levied as below.

CANCELLATION BY YOU

Cancellations must be made in writing by the person who completed/ signed the Booking Request Form and sent by recorded delivery post. A cancellation is not effective until the Company receives the letter. You will receive a cancellation invoice from us within two weeks of receipt of your cancellation.

Period before departure date (From the date letter received) Cancellation charge expressed as % total
holiday cost
Before 56 days Deposit only
55-29 days 50%
28-15 days 90%
14 days-departure date or after 100%

Whilst any cancellation within 12 weeks of departure renders the client liable for cancellation in excess of deposit payment, the Company will make efforts to resell the seat(s) to help clients. This however is a service and not an undertaking and in any event the deposit will be forfeited. Clients are urged to insure against cancellation.

CHANGES BY US

It is unlikely that we will have to make changes to your holiday, but we do plan the arrangements many months in advance and sometimes we may need to make changes which we reserve the right to do at any time. Most are very minor but where they are major (eg change of airport, resort area, or time of departure or return by more than 12 hours, or offering accommodation of a lower rating) we will inform you or your travel agent when you book or as soon as possible if you have already booked. If a MAJOR change becomes necessary you have the following options:
1. Accept the alternative offered, together with compensation which may apply (on the scale shown below) if full payment has been received by us.
2. Choose another of our tours at brochure price, together with compensation which may apply (on the scale shown below) if full payment has been received by us.
3. Cancel your holiday in which case a full refund of all monies paid to us will be made although no compensation will be payable.

Period before scheduled departure within which a major change is notified to you/your travel agent Compensation
Per person
Before 56 days Nil
55-29 days £10
28-15 days £20
14-0 days £30

The above payments of compensation are not payable where any change to or cancellation of the tour/holiday has been caused by unforeseeable or unusual and unforeseeable circumstances outside our control and which were unavoidable even if we had exercised

PO Box 1037, Ipswich, IP1 9XT
Tel: 07919051601 www.handmade-travel.com
Registered in England Number 05625673 Registered Office: 4/ 5 The Cedars, Apex 12, Old Ipswich Road, Colchester, Essex. CO7 7QR