Booking Conditions

 This website was published in October 2006. The holidays featured are operated by  Quintessential Travel Ltd(the Company) which is registered in England under company No. 5899685. The following conditions, together with the information set out in the relevant brochure descriptions will form part of your contract with the Company.

 1. BOOKING YOUR HOLIDAY

To secure your booking you should complete and sign the Booking Form and forward to the Company together with the relevant payment (see Section 2 below). A contract will exist when we issue our confirmation invoice. Special requests should be indicated on the booking form. The Company will try and arrange for special requests to be met but these cannot be guaranteed. The Company will not be liable if any special request is not met. If you arrange your holiday direct with the Company all correspondence will be forwarded to the lead passenger on the booking form unless otherwise stipulated. If your booking is made through a travel agent all communications by the Company will be made to that address.

 2. PAYMENTS

A deposit of 10% of the holiday cost - subject to a minimum of £150 per person and a maximum of £1,500 per booking - plus insurance premium if applicable, is payable together with a completed and signed booking form. Upon receipt of this the Company will forward our confirmation invoice and
payment of the balance is due no later than 8 weeks before departure. If the booking is made within 8 weeks of departure, full payment is required at the time of booking. If the holiday is made through a travel agent, all monies paid by the client to the travel agent, under or in contemplation of a contract with Quintessential Travel Ltd are held by the travel agent as an agent of Quintessential Travel Ltd. If payment is not received on the due date the holiday or travel arrangements will be liable to cancellation which will lead to loss of deposit. Tickets and other documents will normally be forwarded 10-14 days before date of departure.

 3. PRICE POLICY

Prices on this website were calculated on the basis of known costs as at 02 September using the exchange rates as advertised in the Financial Times on 26 July 2006. The price of unsold holidays may be increased or decreased at any time. The price of your holiday will be confirmed on booking. When you have booked your holiday and paid your deposit or the full amount if you book within eight weeks of departure, the price of your holiday as shown on your confirmation invoice is guaranteed and will not be subject to any changes or surcharges unless you elect to change the confirmed booking (see Clause 5). At no time is the Company liable to give a breakdown of costs due to the nature of the holiday  bought by the client. Due to the financial commitments being made by the above Company we regret we are not able to make reductions in holiday prices should the £ strengthen. Those holidays which have not been completed within those date bands detailed within the relevant price panels will be subject to an applicable reduction or increase.

4. CANCELLATION BY YOU

Any cancellation by the client must be advised in writing to the Company (signed by the same person who signed the booking form). Cancellation will only come into effect on the day written advice is received by the Company. Recorded or Special Delivery is strongly recommended. Upon receipt the following charges (excluding insurance premiums and amendments charges paid) will be payable by the client, depending upon the number of days prior to departure

Days prior to departure date when written advice of cancellation received

 

 % of holiday payable

Up to 56 Days prior

deposit forfeit

55-43 Days prior

30%

42-27 Days prior

60%

26-14 Days prior

75%

13- 3 Days prior

90%

2-0 Days prior

100%

Due to some airline and hotel requirements during peak periods various cancellation charges may  apply - the rates above will not be applicable. The charges will be advised at the time of booking.

 5. CHANGES MADE TO A CONFIRMED BOOKING

This facility is available and an administration fee of £40.00 (plus communication charges) per alteration will be charged. Alteration of a booking within 8 weeks of departure date may incur additional costs.

 PLEASE NOTE: Most flight tickets cannot be changed without payment of cancellation charges and/or the cost of a replacement ticket.

 6. ALTERATION TO A CONFIRMED BOOKING WHILST ABROAD

We regret that no credit or refund is possible for any unused services provided in the cost of your holiday. If you decide to alter your travel arrangements whilst abroad this is your own responsibility and Quintessential Travel Ltd or the Company's Agents are not responsible for any extras or difficulties that may arise with onward travel as a result of such alterations. No credit or refund is possible for any lost, mislaid, stolen or destroyed documents which could be the subject of a claim on your own insurance.

7. CANCELLATION OR ALTERATION BY US

We reserve the right to cancel your holiday at any time. In the event of the Company having to alter, amend or cancel the holiday on or before the date when the balance of payment becomes due, you will be offered a choice of an alternative holiday of at least comparable standard if available and if this is not acceptable, a full refund of all monies received by the Company will be due. In the unlikely event that we have to cancel or materially alter a holiday after the due date (always providing that the balance has been paid) but more than 14 days before the intended date of departure,  compensation of £10 per person per affected day will be paid to the client or £20 per person per affected day in the event of cancellation or material alteration within 14 days of the intended  departure date. Circumstances amounting to “force majeure” include any event which we or the supplier of the services in question could not, even with all due care, foresee or avoid such as war or threat of war, civil strife, riot, terrorist activity, industrial dispute, natural or nuclear disaster, fire, sickness, bad weather, the acts of any Government or public authority and all similar events which are beyond our control. It is regretted that under such circumstances there will be no compensation payable. Please note, we are reliant on information provided by the Foreign Office.

 8. OUR RESPONSIBILITIES

The Company applies all reasonable checks to ensure that those involved in the preparation and provision of your holiday maintain the appropriate standards. The descriptions, information and opinions in this brochure by the Company in respect of airlines, hotels and other suppliers whose services are used are given in good faith, based on the latest information at the time of printing. The Company accepts responsibility for acts/and or omissions of all those in our employment and all those acting as agents. In addition the Company accepts responsibility if you suffer death or personal injury as a direct result of the holiday arrangements failing to be as described and of a reasonable standard. However the Company will not accept responsibility if there has been no fault on the part of the Company or its suppliers and the loss, death or personal injury suffered is  attributable to your own acts or omission, to the acts or omissions of a third party not involved with providing the services which make up your holiday or to the unusual or unforeseeable ircumstances whose consequences could not have been avoided or anticipated. If any client suffers death, illness or injury whilst overseas arising out of activity which does not form part of the inclusive holiday arrangements or excursion arranged through us, we shall, at our discretion offer assistance, provided we are advised of the incident within 90 days of the occurrence. Where legal action is contemplated, our authority must be obtained prior to commencement of proceedings and be subject to your undertaking to assign any costs recovered or any benefits received under an appropriate insurance policy to ourselves. All assistance is provided subject to a maximum total cost to ourselves of £5000 per booking form. All responsibilities and obligations in respect of carriage by air and sea are limited in the manner provided in the relevant International Conventions. Copies of the relevant International Conventions and the Conditions of Carriage of the Carrier are  available on request from this office.

9. RESPONSIBILITY OF THE CLIENT

Any passports, visas, health certificates, International Driving Licences and other travel documents  required for the holiday must be obtained by the client, whose responsibility it remains to ensure that these are all in order and to meet any additional costs incurred (whether by the client or by the Company on the clients behalf) as a result of failure to comply with such requirements. You are responsible to arrive at stated departure times and places and any loss or damage which you suffer through failure to do so lies with you. The Company has no liability whatsoever to you through your failure to do so. The Foreign & Commonwealth Advice Unit may have issued information about your holiday destination. You are advised to check this information on BBC2 (Ceefax) page 470 onwards or on the Internet under the address http://www.fco.gov.uk/. Alternatively, you can contact the ABTA information Department on 0901 2015050 (calls charged at 50p min).

12. C 10. AIRPORT DELAYS

We use the schedule services of the world’s major international airlines. These are rarely subject to lengthy delays. In the unlikely event that this does happen, arrangements for meals, overnight accommodation, etc. should be met by your airline. Conditions of carriage are available on request.

 11. COMPLAINTS

Most problems can be sorted out straight away if we know about them. If you have a complaint you  must report it immediately and directly to the supplier (eg. Hotel Manager), or the emergency contact numbers provided with your travel documents. If you fail to follow this procedure, this may affect your rights under this contract, as we have been deprived of the opportunity to investigate and rectify the problem. If the problem cannot be resolved locally and you wish to complain, full details must be received in writing to: Customer Relations Department, Quintessential Travel Ltd, Enterprise House,197-201 Church Road,Hove,Sussex,BN3 2AH, within 28 days of return. Should we be unable to resolve your complaint amicably, the matter may (if the client so wishes) be referred to Arbitration under a special scheme which, though devised by arrangement with the Association of British Travel Agents, is administered quite independently by the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. The scheme provides a simple and inexpensive method of Arbitrations on documents alone with restricted liability on the customer in respect of costs. The scheme applies to claims for an amount no greater than £5,000 per person or £25,000 per booking form.

 CONSUMER PROTECTION

The air holidays in this brochure are ATOL Protected, since we hold an Air Travel Organiser’s Licence granted by the Civil Aviation Authority. Our ATOL number is ATOL…9455     . In the unlikely event of our 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... In order to ensure that the monies you pay for your holiday are protected, we will issue a confirmation invoice showing the details of the services you have booked including the price and the amount of money paid by you. You should check these details carefully and contact us immediately if there are any discrepancies.

 13. INSURANCE

We believe it is essential to take out travel insurance when you go on holiday. Quintessential Travel Ltd has arranged a comprehensive scheme with Essential Insurance Services Limted, A detailed copy of the cover will be forwarded with your confirmation invoice. A specimen policy is also available on request should you require further information before you book. If you decide to take your own insurance, we insist that you take comparable cover and details must be advised on the booking form.

14 Please also see our privacy policy link