Terms & Conditions - Pebbles Adventure Travel

BOOKING CONDITIONS & TERMS OF BUSINESS

These terms of business and booking conditions set out the terms and conditions of the agreement between you and either Pebbles Travel Ltd, (referred to as 'PT', ‘we', ‘us' or ‘our') if we are acting as Principal or with an Organiser where we are acting as Agent. In all cases PT sell accommodation, transport, attraction or travel/tourism services (your "holiday") either as Principal or Agent. Your legal relationship with either PT or the Organiser is determined by:

Package Organised By PT

If you book a holiday through us that is packaged by us and includes flight/s then once this package has been confirmed we will accept responsibility for it in accordance with these booking conditions as an Organiser (Principal) under the Package Travel Regulations Act 1992. In this case your holiday is financially protected through our Bond with ATOL where PT is acting as Principal. 

Tour Operators Package

If you book a holiday through us that is packaged by another Organiser and includes flights then we act as Agent to that Organiser.  In this case your holiday is financially protected through their Bond with ATOL where PT is acting as an agent.  If you book a holiday through us that is packaged by another Organiser but does not include flights then we act as Agent to that Organiser. In this case your holiday is financially protected through their Bond or other financial security measures with ABTA, AITO or an Insurance company.

Package Definition

A ‘Package' is a combination of at least two out of a) transport, b) accommodation or c) other tourist service (not ancillary to any transport or accommodation and forming a significant part of the arrangements) where booked through us at the same time, for which payment is made to us and which lasts at least 24 hours or includes overnight accommodation.

Single Travel Component

Where you purchase separate components at separate prices then these do not constitute a Package e.g accommodation only, and there is no requirement for financial protection but PT may be either Principal or Agent. You will be made aware of this and the Terms and Conditions provided to you will confirm this.

Bookings For No Frills/Budget Airlines

The booking service we provide to you for standalone no frills/budget airlines is a different service to our standard agency service.  In this case we purchase such tickets on your behalf directly from the airline where the contract is made between you and the airline and we are acting as agent to you, not the airline.  We will email you the itinerary/confirmation we receive from them. You are subject to their terms and conditions which are available from their websites and we will charge you for any relevant charges or fees they impose on us at any time with regard to the booking made.

In all cases where we act as an agent (we act as agent to ATOL holders) we accept no responsibility for the acts or omissions of the principal or for the services provided by the principal. The principal's Terms & Conditions will apply to your booking and we advise you to read these carefully as they do contain important information about your booking. Please ask us for copies of these if you do not have them.

PT Acting As Agent

These are the terms on which we will make a booking for your travel or holiday requirements. When making your booking we will arrange for you to enter into a contract with the principal (tour operator/airline/cruise company or other supplier) named on your receipt. As agent we accept no responsibility for the acts or omissions of the principal or for the services provided by the principal. The principal's Terms & Conditions will apply to your booking and we advise you to read these carefully as they do contain important information about your booking. Please ask us for copies of these if you do not have them. Our Terms of Business are governed by English Law and the jurisdiction of the English Courts.

When a booking is made the main details will be read back to you. Once you have confirmed these details we will proceed to confirm the booking with the principal. A contract will exist as soon as payment is received by us. Please check that all names, dates and timings are correct on receipt of all documents and advise us of any errors immediately. Any changes to these details will incur the charges stated below. Please ensure that the names given are the same as in the relevant passport.

The booking information that you provide to us will be passed on only to the relevant suppliers of your travel arrangements or other persons necessary for the provision of your travel arrangements. The information may therefore be provided to public authorities such as customs or immigration if required by them, or as required by law. This applies to any sensitive information that you give to us such as details of any disabilities, or dietary and religious requirements. Certain information may also be passed on to security or credit checking companies. If you are travelling to the United States, the US Customs and Border Protection will receive this information for the purposes of preventing and combating terrorism and other transnational serious crimes.

If you travel outside the European Economic Area, controls on data protection may not be as strong as the legal requirements in this country. If we cannot pass this information to the relevant suppliers, whether in the EEA or not, we will be unable to provide your booking.  In making this booking, you consent to this information being passed on to the relevant persons. Full details of our data protection policy are available upon request.

In some cases in order to process and/or complete a booking we have to send you the Principal's Booking Form and you must sign this and return it to us whereupon the booking is then completed.  This Booking Form must be signed by you (lead passenger or booking name) and returned to us immediately or the booking will be taken as cancelled by you and the cancellation charges will apply and you may lose up to 100% of the holiday cost/travel arrangements.

Payment

You will be required to pay a deposit or make full payment for your booking at the time of booking. Where you only pay a deposit you must pay the full balance by the balance due date notified to you. If full payment is not received by the balance due date, we will notify the principal who may cancel your booking and charge the cancellation fees set out in their Terms and Conditions.

Cancellation and Amendment

Any cancellation or amendment request must be sent to us in writing and will not take effect until received by us. If you cancel or amend your booking the principal may charge the cancellation or amendment charge shown in their Terms and Conditions (which may be 100% of the cost of the travel arrangements) and you must pay us the cancellation or amendment charge stated below.

Insurance

Many principals require you to take out travel insurance as a condition of booking with them. In any event, we strongly advise that you take out a policy of insurance in order to cover you and your party against the cost of cancellation by you; the cost of assistance (including repatriation) in the event of accident or illness; loss of baggage and money; and other expenses. If we have issued your policy please check it carefully to ensure that all the details are correct and that all relevant information has been provided by you (eg. pre-existing medical conditions). Failure to disclose relevant information will affect your insurance.

Delivery of Documents

All documents (eg. invoices/tickets/Insurance policies) will be sent to you by First or Second Class post. Once documents leave our offices we will not be responsible for their loss unless such loss is due to our negligence. If tickets or other documents need to be reissued all costs must be paid by you. You can ask for delivery by other means subject to the charges stated below.

Passports, Visas & Health

We can provide general information about the passport and visa requirements for your holiday. Your specific passport and visa requirements, and other immigration requirements are your responsibility and you should confirm these with the relevant Embassies and/or Consulates. Neither we nor the principal accept any responsibility if you cannot travel because you have not complied with any passport, visa or immigration requirements. Most countries now require passports to be valid for at least 6 months after your return date.

Please take special note that for all air travel within the British Isles, airlines require photographic identification of a specific type. Please ask us for full details.

We can provide general information about any health formalities required for your holiday but you should check with your own doctor for your specific circumstances.

Final Travel Arrangements

Please ensure that all your travel, passport, visa and insurance documents are in order and that you arrive in plenty of time for checking in at the airport. It may be necessary to reconfirm your flight with the airline prior to departure. Please ask us for details at least 72 hours before your outbound flight. You should take a note of any reference number or contact name when reconfirming. If you fail to reconfirm you may be refused permission to board the aircraft and you are unlikely to receive any refund.

Complaints

Any dissatisfaction regarding your travel or holiday arrangements must be reported to the principal or their local supplier or agent immediately. If you fail to follow this procedure there will be less opportunity to investigate and rectify your complaint. The amount of compensation you may be entitled to may be reduced or you may not receive any at all depending upon the circumstances.

Liability

To the extent permitted by law, we cannot accept responsibility for any personal injury, illness or death. Any claim for damages for personal injury, illness or death arising out of your Holiday at the Principal must be brought directly against the Principal concerned and not against or through us.  Further we cannot accept responsibility for any damage, loss, delay or inconvenience caused by circumstances beyond our reasonable control including force majeure. Force Majeure: This means unusual or unforeseeable circumstances beyond our or the principal's control. These can include but not limited to, for example, war, riot, industrial dispute, terrorist activity and its consequences, natural or nuclear disaster, fire, adverse weather conditions.

We take every reasonable care to ensure the information we provide is accurate and we do not accept liability for any errors and omissions and reserve the right to change information, details and descriptions of holidays. We endeavour to correct errors and omissions as quickly as practicable after being notified of them. We are not liable for any direct, indirect or consequential loss arising out of any Holidays purchased with a Principal through us.

Service Charges

In certain circumstances we apply a service charge for the services we provide - these include but are not limited to:

Pebbles Priority Club

We operate a Priority Club which offers certain benefits to members.  Benefits are printed and available upon request. We reserve the right to amend or change such benefits or withdraw the operation/benefits of the Club at any time.  Lifetime membership means the lifetime we operate the membership.

PT Acting As Organiser or Principal

1. PT holds an Air Travel Organiser's Licence ( ATOL), licence No: 9806 and is fully bonded in accordance with the EC Directive on Package Travel, Package Holidays and Package Tours.

2. PT's Terms of Business are governed by English Law and the jurisdiction of the English Courts.

3. A booking will be taken as complete once PT receives a signed Booking Form from the Client (referred to hereinafter as "the Client", "you", "they" and/or "your") with the required deposit - or full payment if that is due. If the holiday is full then the Client's Booking will not be processed and you will be informed of such.  If there is availability then you will be sent a confirmation and payments taken. Any cancellation by you at this stage will result in cancellation charges as shown in these terms. The Client accepts that once the Booking Form has been sent to PT that they have read and understand the below booking conditions.

4. After the Client's deposit has been taken the balance is due 2 months or 60 days prior to departure and at times there may be a further interim deposit due (of the same amount as the first deposit) and the Client will be notified of such prior to booking. Any deposits are non-refundable and once the Client's deposits are paid, should you wish to cancel at any time thereafter, cancellation charges will apply as shown in these terms of business.

5. PT do not offer travel insurance and it is very strongly advised that you have adequate cancellation and travel insurance in place (please also see clause 17 of these terms) from the time of booking and you will need full insurance cover for your holiday/trip.

6. Should PT not receive a deposit or balance payment from you by the specified date, PT reserve the right to cancel your booking and your deposits will be forfeited and cancellation charges applied.

7. PT reserves the right to cancel a holiday in any circumstances but will not cancel a holiday less than 8 weeks before departure except for force majeure, consolidation or the client's failure to pay the final balance. Unless the client fails to pay the final balance, the Company, upon cancellation, will return all monies paid not including visa, vaccination or associated costs, or offer an alternative holiday of comparable standard.

8. Should you wish to cancel any holiday this must be done by the lead passenger - stated at time of booking and on booking form - and you must notify PT in writing. Cancellation charges are calculated from the day written notice is received by PT and are as follows (time before departure): More than 8 weeks before departure - retention by PT of all deposits; 6-8 weeks 30% of total holiday cost; 4-6 weeks 60% of total holiday cost; 2-4 weeks 80% of total holiday cost; less than 2 weeks 100% of total holiday cost. Where the time overlaps into another period the higher percentage will be taken and charged.

9. If you amend or change your booking PT will charge an administration fee of £25 per booking plus any additional costs incurred will be charged if a confirmed booking is changed or transferred to a different departure date or tour, up to 8 weeks prior to departure. Thereafter all changes will be treated as cancellations and subject to the cancellation charges shown in these terms.

10. If you join the holiday outside of the UK - at the arrival point or where the holiday starts - then it is your responsibility to ensure you arrive at the correct time at any meeting points. PT have no responsibility to you until you join at the appropriate time and place as given to you by PT.  Should you not meet at the appropriate time and place then your booking will be treated as cancelled and there will be no refunds made to you.

11. PT cannot be held responsible for any missed connecting transport that was booked independently of PT and be aware that PT may at times for operating reasons adjust departure and arrival dates and times.

12. You acknowledge and accept when booking with PT that due to this type of holiday travel arrangements, itineraries may be changed at any time and that you accept PT has no liability or responsibility to you for this, however caused. You will be notified of any such changes and any cancellation by you due to this will result in cancellation charges being made to you as set out in these terms. Such changes may be but are not limited to; changes in accommodation, arrival and departure points, accommodation types, transport, change of leader and itinerary. Any such changes may also be made at anytime due to but not limited to; adverse weather conditions, illness to client or leader or illness of any member of the holiday or changes imposed by transport operators, accommodation or ground handling operators. Any extra costs that the customer has to bear as a result of this are the total responsibility of the customer.

13. Clients agree to accept the authority and decisions of the employees, tour leaders and agents of PT whilst on holiday with PT. If in the opinion of such persons the health, level of fitness or conduct of a client at any time before or after departure appears likely to endanger the safe, comfortable or happy progress of a tour the client may be excluded from all or part of the tour without refund or recompense. In the case of ill-health the Company may make such arrangements as it sees fit and recover the costs thereof from the client. If a client commits an illegal act the client may be excluded from the tour and the Company shall cease to have responsibility to/for them. If you are affected by a condition, medical or otherwise, that might affect you or affect other people's enjoyment or active participation of the tour, you must advise us at the time of booking. No refund will be given for any unused services.

14. Should the Client have any complaint about the holiday or PT then the Client must make it known at the earliest opportunity to the leader and/or local representative. It is only if PT are made aware of any problems or complaint that they can try and resolve it at that time. Failure to complain at the time ‘on the spot' will result in the client's ability to claim compensation from the Company being extinguished or at least reduced.  PT must be given the opportunity to deal with a problem at or soon after its conception.

15. The Client accepts that there are risks, hazards and dangers involved in adventure travel, trekking, walking and climbing, which the Client must accept at their own risk and volition. PT will not be liable for any illness, injury or death sustained during the holiday or expedition, or course, nor will it be liable for any uninsured losses of your property. Further, PT accepts no liability for any act or action as a result of force majeure which includes but is not limited to; strikes, industrial action, wars, riots, sickness, quarantine, government intervention, weather conditions, or other untoward occurrences.

16. Air travel that forms part of any holiday is subject to the conditions as stipulated by the airline concerned and liability is limited in accordance with International Convention. The timings of air, sea, road or rail departures are estimates only. PT cannot accept any liability for any delay in your transportation from or to the UK whether the cancellation or delay is caused by adverse weather conditions, rescheduling by a transport supplier, airline, airport authority and/or action by air traffic controllers, mechanical breakdown or industrial action. Where long flight delays result in lost holiday time, no refunds are given by hotels or suppliers.

17. The Client accepts that it is a condition of booking that the Client is adequately covered by insurance, which must cover the cost of helicopter rescue, repatriation and evacuation if the Client becomes too ill to continue. The Client must provide the valid policy schedule or copy of to PT and failure to do this will result in the cancellation of the holiday for the Client with no refund being made.

18. PT reserves the right to vary the price of your holiday in relation to changes in transport costs, including the cost of fuel, dues, taxes, changes in currency rates or fees chargeable for services such as landing taxes or embarkation or disembarkation fees at ports or airports, government action such as increases in VAT or any other government imposed increase or the exchange rates applied to the particular package. Should these surcharges exceed 10% of the total cost of your holiday then you may cancel your booking without cancellation charges.

19. Clients are responsible for arranging, and must be in possession of, a valid passport and any visas and vaccination certificates required for the whole of their holiday/journey. Information about these matters or related items (climate, clothing, baggage, personal gear etc) is given in good faith but without responsibility on the part of the PT. UK and Non-UK Nationals should consult their own government for advice on travel to the destination country and all countries transited en route.

20. PT accept no liability for errors, omissions or inaccuracies in on-line and off-line material, promotions or brochures and cannot be held responsible for any inaccuracies, errors or omissions.