Booking Conditions Flight Inclusive Tours
Be aware that our online Terms and Conditions for Canada & Alaska and Over Land Only Tours differ from those shown below.
View our Canada and Alaska online terms and conditions »
View our European River Cruises online terms and conditions »
View our Over Land Only Tours online terms and conditions »
Please ensure you are aware of our terms and conditions.
Australian Pacific Touring's fair trading contract with you. It is our intention to set out clearly and simply the responsibilities which we at Australian Pacific Touring (UK) Ltd. (herein referred to as APT) have to you and which you, in turn, have to us when a contract is made between us. A contract will exist as soon as we issue a confirmation invoice in response to your booking and subsequent deposit paid. On our part we have obligations to provide you with the tour you have booked on the terms clearly stated below and within this brochure. Your contract is entered into with APT (UK) Ltd.
Booking your holiday
A £200 per person price deposit per person, per tour is required at time of booking. Some seasonal special offers may require an additional deposit, which will be advised at the time of reservation. Balance is required 8 weeks before departure. Where connecting air, rail or boat travel is included, we will confirm the correct fare at time of paying balance. If booking is made within 8 weeks of departure, full payment is required at time of booking. Your booking is taken to be confirmed and accepted in respect of all persons travelling when we issue a confirmation invoice. All correspondence and communications will be sent to the address of the first person listed in booking file unless you specify otherwise. Balance of all payments is required at least 8 weeks prior to departure from your country of origin. Children under 7 years of age are not recommended to participate in an escorted coach tour. Children under 18 years of age must be accompanied by an adult.
Your holiday price
All prices advertised are quoted in UK£ based on land content and economy class travel with selected airlines. The prices in this brochure are based upon * £1 UK =AUS$2.38 and NZ£2.98 the rates of exchange of the Australian and New Zealand Dollar as supplied by the Financial Times 'Guide to World Currencies' as at August 2007. The tour price will be confirmed to you at the time of booking for travel 1 January 2008 to 30 April 2009. Tour prices will be confirmed at time of booking, If however it is different to what you had expected then you do not have to proceed with the booking Twin Share prices are per person unless otherwise stated. APT (UK) Ltd. reserves the right to adjust the published price should this become necessary due to adverse exchange rate variations.(*see rate note above) any increase in transportation costs or newly introduced government taxes. Even in this case we will absorb an amount equivalent to 2% of the holiday price which excludes insurance premiums and any amendment fees. Only amounts in excess of this 2% will be surcharged but where a surcharge is payable there will be an administration charge of £1. If this means paying more than 10% of the holiday price, you will be entitled to cancel your holiday and receive a full refund of all monies paid to us. 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 confirmation.
In return for this commitment, we are unable to refund you for exchange rate movements that would otherwise reduce your holiday price.
Fuel surcharges are included in the cost. However airlines may also impose additional airport charges, fuel surcharges, foreign or local taxes at any time which we will pass onto you. Provided the final invoice is paid within the time specified no further cost increases will be passed on.
Validity
The itineraries and fares are effective from August 2007 or as shown on individual pages. Departures after 30 April 2009 are listed as a guide only and should be checked prior to making holiday arrangements.
If You Cancel Your Booking
If, after we have accepted your booking, you find it necessary to cancel or if you do not pay the balance at least eight weeks before departure, the deposits paid will be forfeited. A cancellation can only be accepted in writing from the person who made the booking. The cancellation will be effective from the date on which it is received at our offices. Cancellations received after full payment has been made will incur higher charges, to offset expenses and losses:
More than 56 days prior to departure - Deposits forfeited
55-43 days prior to departure - 30% of tour price
42-29 days prior to departure - 65%of tour price
28-15 days prior to departure - 90% of tour price
14 days or less 100% of tour price
All cancellations are subject to a minimum per person loss of deposit. If the reason for your cancellation falls within the terms of your insurance cover, you may be able to claim a refund of your cancellation charges from the insurance company.
If You Decide to Change Your Booking
Should you wish to change your tour arrangements in any way after we have accepted your booking, we shall endeavour to meet your wishes, but a handling fee of £25 per person will be charged to cover administration costs if documentation has already been issued.
Amendments or Cancellation by Australian Pacific Touring
It is unlikely that we will have to make any changes to your tour, but it must be remembered that we plan the arrangements many months in advance, and sometimes,changes may be needed and we reserve the right to make them whenever it is necessary. Most of these changes are minor. If a change becomes necessary, we will inform you unless the change significantly alters the holiday,compensation will not be payable. As is normally the case with group tours, a minimum number of bookings is required in order for a tour to be financially viable and to have a pleasant group atmosphere.In the event that adequate numbers cannot be achieved, it may be necessary for APT (UK) Ltd. to cancel a scheduled departure and to offer the nearest possible alternative (or, of course, a full refund of the money paid). Generally,such tours detailed in this brochure will operate provided that we have achieved the minimum number of fully paid adult bookings. The date on which the decision is made about whether a tour will operate is no later than 8 weeks before the scheduled departure date.
Australian Pacific Touring Liability Although APT has no direct control over the services provided to you by independent suppliers, we do promise to make sure that all parts of the holiday we have agreed to arrange, perform or provide as part of our contract rearranged, performed or provided with reasonable skill and care. APT also accepts responsibility if you or any person named on your booking suffers bodily injury,illness or death due to a negligent act and/or omission of our employees or agents, or our suppliers (as applicable)while arranging, performing or providing the service in question. Any such claims must be made in writing within28 days following completion of the holiday and must prove that reasonable skill and care was not used.APT will not, however, be responsible for any injury,illness, death, loss (for example, loss of enjoyment),damage, expense, cost or other sum or claim of any description whatsoever which results from any of the following:
- the fault of the person(s) affected or any member(s) of their party; or
- fault of a third party not connected with the provision of your holiday which we could have predicted or avoided;or
- an event or circumstances which we or the supplier of the service(s) in question could not have predicted or avoided even after taking all reasonable care (see forcemeat); or
- the fault of anyone who is not carrying out work for us(generally or in particular) at the time.
Flights
Flight timings are set by the airline and subject to air traffic control restrictions, weather conditions etc. We cannot guarantee that flights will leave on the times shown on our literature or on tickets and can not be held liable for any delay that may be incurred.
Liability of Air Carriers
Any flights included in your tour price will be subject to the General Conditions of Carriage and Conditions of the Contract of the airline (s) concerned, to which your attention will be drawn on the ticket. In addition such flights will be subject to international law which amongst other things, limits the airline's liability to passengers in respect of death or bodily injury, delay and loss or damage to baggage. Any claims resulting for air carriage should be directed to the carrier concerned.
Special Requests
Special requests should be advised at the time of booking or made in writing to APT. We will try to arrange for special requests to be met, but cannot guarantee that they will, nor will we be responsible if any special request is not met. Due to the nature of some regional areas in Australia, some destinations may lack even the simplest facilities for the disabled.
Not included in your tour price
Gratuities to your tour director and driver, meals and drinks apart from those specified in each tour, sightseeing unless specified, laundry, passport and visa fees, and items of a personal nature.
Exclusion of Liability
Health and Medical Conditions:
If you, or any member of your party have a medical condition or disability which may affect your holiday, we ask that you please tell us before you confirm your holiday booking so we are able to advise as to the suitability of your chosen arrangements. In any event,you must provide us with full details in writing at the time of booking. If we reasonably feel we are unable to properly accommodate particular needs of the person concerned, we reserve the right to decline the booking or ask for the person to be accompanied by a person who disable to provide full assistance to them throughout their tour.
No passenger will be permitted to embark or continue on the tour while their mental or physical condition is, in the opinion of any representative of the company, such as to render them incapable of caring for themselves, or whereby they become objectionable to other passengers,or they become a hazard to themselves or other passengers. The company will not be responsible for expenses resulting in such persons being precluded from completing the tour for any reason.
Itineraries
The information contained within this website is, to the best of our knowledge correct at the time of going online. Our descriptions often refer to 'other activities' and/or excursions which are available to you and recognised by APT. These excursions/activities are however, neither operated or controlled in any way by APT and do not form part of your contract arrangements with us, even in the event of us recommending particular operators or activities, or organising and booking these on your behalf. Accordingly, we regret APT cannot accept any liability in relation to these outside activities and excursions.
If You Have a Complaint
If a problem occurs during your tour then, in your own best interests, you should tell a representative so that steps can be taken to resolve the matter on the spot, there and then. If you remain dissatisfied, any complaint must be made in writing to us within 28 days. Maximum compensation will only be considered where everything has gone wrong and you have not received any benefit at all from your holiday. Any disputes arising out of, or in connection with this contract which cannot be amicably settled may be referred to arbitration, under a special scheme arranged by the Association of British Travel Agents. Full details will be provided upon request or can be obtained on the ABTA website (www.abta.com). The scheme does not apply for amounts greater than £5,000per person. Neither does it apply to claims which are in respect of physical injury or illness or their consequences.
Consumer Protection
THE AIR HOLIDAYS ON THIS WEBSITE ARE ATOL PROTECTED
The company holds an Air Organisers Licence granted by the civil aviation authority. Our ATOL number is ATOL 6781. In the unlikely event of insolvency the CAA will ensure that you are not stranded abroad. For further information please visit www.atol.org.uk
Australian Pacific Touring (UK) Ltd. Australia Pacific Touring Ltd is also a Member of ABTA with membership number V9080. ABTA protects consumer payments.This protection follows the guidelines of the latest European legislation and complies fully with all legal requirements within the U.K.
For further information about ABTA, the Code of Conduct and the arbitration scheme available to you if you have a complaint, please contact ABTA, 68-71 Newman Street London W1T 3AHTel: 020 7637 2444 or www.abta.com
Insurance
Passengers are recommended to ensure that they organise comprehensive travel insurance cover before departure. APT offer a comprehensive policy that includes cancellation cover, medical expenses and repatriation cover, as well as other elements. These include:
- Policy limits/cover:
- Cancellation £7,000
- Medical & Repatriation £5,000,000
- Curtailment & Hospital Benefit £7,000
- Luggage £2,000
- Luggage Delay £150
- Personal Liability £2,000,000
- Personal Accident £15,000
- Legal Expenses £25,000
- Loss of Passport £200
- Delayed Departure £60
- Missed Departure £500
Passports
A full passport is required. In the case of British citizens, this means a 10 year British Passport and not a Visitor's Passport.
Travel Documents
Please ensure you carefully read your confirmation invoice, tickets and all other documents we send to you as soon as you receive them, and contact us, if any information appears to be incorrect. We regret that we cannot accept any liability if we are not notified of any inaccuracy in any document within 14 days of us sending to you. While we will do our best to rectify any changes made outside this time, it is your responsibility for any additional costs which may be involved, except in the case of an error made by APT and where there is reason for you not contacting us within the specified time. Each passenger is responsible for ensuring that all necessary travel documents (eg. passports, visas, vaccination certificates etc.) are valid and effective. We strongly recommend that you verify current information with there levant Foreign office.
Visas
At the time of going to press, British Passport holders are required to have visas for a visit to Australia. Please check with the relevant Foreign office or airline if you are stopping over in other countries en route or if you are holding other than a British Passport.
Security
We take the safety and security of our guest extremely seriously. If the Foreign Office advises that people should not travel to a certain region or country, then we would act on this. We therefore reserve the right to cancel any part of your itinerary that visits this region or country.We strongly recommend that you consult the Foreign Commonwealth office before booking your holiday on www.fco.gov.uk/knowbeforeyougo
Force Majeure
Compensation will not be payable if we are forced to cancel or change your travel arrangements in any way for reasons of war, threat of war, riot, civil strife, industrial dispute, terrorist activity, natural or nuclear disaster, fire, adverse weather conditions or other circumstances amounting to force majeure. World weather is becoming more erratic and unpredictable and we cannot be held responsible for disruption to your holiday due to bad or unusual weather conditions.
Data Protection
Please be assured that we have measures in place to protect the personal booking information held by us. However, in order to make your booking and ensure that your travel arrangements run smoothly, we will provide your personal information, as well as the personal information you provide in relation to all persons who's travel arrangements have been made by you, to suppliers and carriers that might be located outside the UK and or the EEC to enable the operation of the services requested by you. If you request specific arrangements for example but not limited to, special dietary, religious or disability requirements, which constitute sensitive information, the relevant data will be passed on to the suppliers and carriers to enable provision of services. In addition such information may also be provided to public authorities such as customs or immigration if required by them, or as required by law.
Smoking
Government regulations forbid smoking inside tourist coaches and aircraft within Australia. Smokers will find that the frequent stops we make provide opportunities to smoke. Requests for smoking/non-smoking rooms will be passed on to hotels but cannot be guaranteed.
Seat allocation on coach tours
To ensure all passengers enjoy forward facing and window seating, we have incorporated a daily seat rotation system during the tour.
Luggage Limits
Each passenger is entitled to take one piece of luggage, maximum weight of all baggage is 20kg (44lbs) on board the coach.
Clothing
You will find that casual clothing of all types is the most comfortable. Lightweight drip-dry clothing is ideal, although some warmer clothing for evenings will be handy. Most Australian hotels provide washing and drying facilities.
Unused Services
No refunds can be given for unused or partially used services during the tour programme.
