| Booking Terms & Conditions |
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Please note we are using Australian and
Bookings and deposits Please complete the attached Connecting Cultures booking and make sure you list what tours or events you want to participate in. We are happy to accept a provisional booking by email using our online booking form or by phone, and your booking is confirmed with a receipt once you have signed the form and sent us the required deposit.
Balance of payment on the tours is due anywhere between 45 – 60 days prior to the tour or event commencing. Go to our website to see the deposit and balance of payment requirements for the tour or event you and your group are interested in. Connecting Cultures reserves the right to cancel any booking for which the full payment is not received by the payment in full booking date on each tour and event.
On confirmation of your booking we issue you an invoice and a contract will then come into existence between you and Connecting Cultures. We understand that you the customer has read, understood and agrees to be bound by the terms and conditions contained within in the Connecting Culture brochure. If you are booking for any other person you confirm that you have their authority to do so as their agent and will be responsible for all full costs of or arising out of the booking and for the behavior of such person.
You want to change your booking If, after confirmation has been issued, you wish to change to another tour or event in the 2009/2010 schedule, please notify us in writing and we will do our best to accommodate your request. A minimum charge of the originally booked tour price will be levied if this is within 30 days of departure to cover costs. Amendment to confirmed and deposited itineraries - $25 per change Amendments within 30 days of departure - $50 per change Transferring between tours (outside of 60 days) - $100 per person
Transfer fees must be paid at the time of change.
In the event that you, or any member of your party on whose behalf you have signed the booking form, has to cancel their booking, the reservation may be transferred to another person, provided it is more than 30 days before the departure date of the tour and subject to completion of a new booking form.
In ALL other circumstances the following charges are applicable (calculated on the day on which written notification is received in our office). (unless otherwise stated on the tour or event brochure)
We advise our customers to take out insurance against irrecoverable cancellation costs at the time of paying your deposit. Please see the comments below under the heading "INSURANCE".
Connecting Cultures changes to the tour booking Occasionally minor changes may become necessary and you will of course be advised at the earliest possible date. When a major change occurs (i.e. change to advertised itinerary or standard of accommodation) you will have the choice of either accepting the change of arrangements, transferring your booking to another available tour, or canceling your holiday and receiving a full refund.
Also, it should be noted that any activities not covered by the specific tour are at the cost and risk of the party concerned.
Connecting Cultures canceling tours Firstly, we will offer an alternative tour and if this costs less, refund you the difference. Secondly, if this is not acceptable, we will refund your deposit and any other money paid to Connecting Cultures for the tour. We shall inform you in writing of the cancellation of your tour at least 60 days before the departure date we will pay you compensation of $100 per person within your booking for any inconvenience caused, unless in the event of "force majeure" or Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade travel advice. "Force majeure" includes but is not limited to war, threat of war, riot, civil strife, industrial dispute, terrorist activity, natural or nuclear disaster, fire, adverse weather, delayed travel arrangements and matters beyond our control.
Passports and Visas All participants are responsible for, and must be in possession of, a full passport valid for 6 months beyond the end of the tour. Additionally you are responsible for obtaining any visas or vaccination certificates necessary for the tour. We will send you details of these requirements with the "Practical Information before you go" notes.
At the time of making a booking you are given a Medical Information Form and are asked to list any pre-existing condition that may affects your fitness to travel, or any medical dietary requirement. All clients should visit their Doctor for these aforementioned purposes, and/or to confirm that they are physically able to undertake the day-to-day requirements of the tour. Should any ailments either exist at the time of booking, or arise before their departure the client must inform Connecting Cultures of these by completing a Medical Information Form.
Your enjoyment and safety We want to ensure that you and your group have an enjoyable time and to make sure that you remain safe. As with all tours there is an element of risk, whether visiting a wildlife park walking along a bush trail or crossing the road! Our clients are expected to obey all reasonable commands of the tour manager to ensure their safety. We reserve the right to decline to accept, or retain as a guest (client) anyone unable or unwilling to behave in a manner conducive to the satisfactory running of the tour and the enjoyment of the other tour participants, or whose conduct may prejudice the reputation of Connecting Cultures with our suppliers or hotel owners. We shall be under no liability for any costs incurred by such a guest as a result of our doing so.
Limitation of Liability Connecting Cultures takes all reasonable steps to ensure that the suppliers of services provided on tours are of an acceptable standard. However, in any event, the liability to you and the remainder of the party within your booking for any loss or damage that you or they may suffer is limited to the price of the tour. This excludes liability for death or personal injury. Any loss which you or any member in your party suffer because of failures of transport operators or providers of hotel accommodation is limited to the amount you can recover from them under the laws of the your country, the country in which they operate, or under any applicable international convention such as (without limitation), the Warsaw Convention 1929 (amended by the Hague Protocol 1955), the Berne Convention 1961, the Paris Convention 1962, the Geneva Convention 1973 and the Athens Convention 1974, whichever is applicable.
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