Booking Conditions

In This document the word ‘Organiser‘ means the person who arranges your transport, accommodation etc and who offers it as a holiday. ‘Consumer‘ means you, the person who buys or agrees to buy the holiday or any person on whose behalf you agree to purchase the holiday and who is listed on the booking form or any other person to whom you transfer a holiday, which you have bought. The contract and all matters arising in respect hereof shall be subject to Irish law, unless we agree otherwise in writing. The relevant Legislation is the Package Holiday and Travel Trade Act, 1995.

1. Payment/Contract

Bookings can be made by credit card via the website www.tourtheages.com or by telephone. Bookings are made by paying in full, i.e. €450. The contract between us arises when we have sent an email or other written notice confirming receipt of your payment. You have undertaken to pay for the Tour you have booked and we have undertaken to provide you with the Tour we describe in the brochure and website. If you make a booking on behalf of others as well as yourself, we shall take it that you have the authority of each of those other people to enter into that contract and that you and they have agreed to be jointly and severally liable to us. If we are unable to accept your booking, we will of course return your payment to you immediately.

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2. Insurance

The price of your ticket does not cover your travel insurance. We strongly recommend that you take out comprehensive insurance cover for cancellation, medical expenses, personal accident, personal baggage, money and public liability before you travel. We accept no responsibility for the theft, loss or damage to personal belongings from at any time during the duration of your tour. You should not travel against medical advice. You should organise your insurance immediately on booking so as to be covered in case of the ill health of yourself, a close relative or your travelling companion.

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3. Alteration by the Consumer

If you wish to make any changes to the tour arrangements, we will do our best to accommodate you. Any change is subject to availability and also to payment of an administration fee of €30 per person and any associated costs of the change imposed by our suppliers. A request for alteration must generally be in writing by email.

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4. Alterations by the Organiser

If as a result of force majeure (that is any event which the Organiser or any supplier of services could not, with all due care, foresee or avoid such as closure of course due to bereavement, or weather or course condition, war or threat of war, civil strife, industrial dispute, natural or nuclear disaster, fire, adverse weather conditions and other similar events outside our control or that of our suppliers) the Organiser is forced to alter, amend, curtail, change or cancel the holiday the consumer cannot maintain a claim for compensation. Where the Organiser has specified a minimum number of bookings required for a programme of holidays, the Organiser’s obligation to provide that program shall be contingent on receiving and maintaining that minimum number of bookings. Where the minimum number of bookings is not received up to two weeks prior to the departure date the Organiser can amend or cancel or curtail the relevant program. The Organiser undertakes that in the event of having to alter accommodation they will provide a level of service comparable or better at no extra cost. If prior to departure date, the Organiser alters/changes/curtails etc. the tour which results in more than 28 hours change in the date of departure or a change in the hotel or other type of accommodation offered or some other change which fundamentally alters the holiday, the Organiser shall, if practicable, offer an alternative comparable holiday. The consumer must accept the offer of an alternative holiday within seven days or be subject to refunds as per cancellation conditions. The consumer should be aware that some suppliers i.e. hotels and bus companies, impose cancellation fees/restrictions etc., which are outside the control of, and for which, the Organiser will not be held liable.

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5. If you have to cancel

If you have to cancel your booking or if any member of your party on whose behalf you have booked has to cancel their booking, we must be informed in a letter or email from the person who made the booking. The cancellation only takes effect from the date at which the notification reaches our office. A charge will be made which varies with the amount of time between the Organiser receiving your written cancellation and the tour departure date. The charges made are as follows:

• More than 28 days prior to departure: none
• 15-28 days prior to departure: 35% of tour cost
• 7-14 days prior to departure: 75% of tour cost
• Under 7 days prior to departure: 100% of tour cost

(If the reasons for your cancellation are covered by your insurance policy, you will of course be able to claim under it.)

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6. Transfer of Bookings

If you are unavoidably prevented from taking your holiday you may, provided that this is not less than 10 days before departure, find another person to take your place. This right of transfer is subject to a fee of €50. You, as transferor of the holiday, and the transferee shall be jointly and separately liable to Tour the Ages for the payment of the balance due, together with all additional charges of whatever sort imposed by the suppliers providing the component parts of your holiday.

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7. If the Organiser has to cancel

If the Organiser has to cancel your holiday before the date of departure, you will receive a refund of all monies paid. In addition, in appropriate cases, and where such cancellation is not due to underbooking or force majeure as defined below, we will pay you compensation commensurate with your inconvenience. Underbooking is the situation in which the minimum number of bookings required to run a tour is not met. Force majeure is unusual and unforeseeable circumstances beyond our control, the consequences of which neither we nor our suppliers could avoid, examples of which are war or threat of war, riots, civil strife, terrorist activity, Infectious outbreaks causing restrictions in travel e.g. Foot and Mouth Disease, industrial disputes, natural or nuclear disaster, fire or adverse weather conditions, level of water in rivers or other similar events beyond the Organisers’ control.

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8. Complaints

If the consumer wishes to make a complaint in relation to a holiday, they must immediately inform the Organiser’s representative at the location where the consumer is when the complaint arises. Our priority is to provide you with an enjoyable tour, and we strive very hard to do so. However, if our staff are unable to help, and you still have a complaint, you should put it in writing at the time. Then send it to the company within 28 days of the completion of the holiday.

If you are ill whilst on holiday, you must, in addition to reporting your illness to our representative, consult a local doctor and also consult your GP on return to your home country. Should you then wish to make a claim against us as a result of that illness you must provide us with details of both the local doctor whom you saw, and your GP, together with written authority for us to obtain a medical report from both those doctors.

If you feel you do not receive the requisite response from the Organiser to your complaint and you wish to take the complaint further you should contact the National Consumer agency (http://www.nca.ie/eng/) on 1890 432432.

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9. Special Requests

If you have any special requests, you should inform us of these at the time of booking. We will advise the relevant supplier of such requests but cannot guarantee that they will be met. Furthermore, the Organiser has no liability to you if such requirements are not met.

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10. Age of Consumer

Clients must be aged 14 years and over but Tour the Ages may, at its discretion give confirmation of acceptance of a person outside this age restriction.

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11. Client Behaviour

When you book a holiday with the Organiser you accept responsibility for the proper conduct of yourself and your party. The Organiser reserves the right in its reasonable discretion to terminate your holiday or that of any member of your party whose conduct is disruptive or detrimental to the enjoyment of other clients, or whose conduct may prejudice the reputation of the Organiser with our suppliers or hotel owners and as such, the Organiser shall have no further responsibility or liability to you.

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12. Health and fitness requirements

You must be fit and well to take part on one of our tours. Our programmes involve some walking over uneven ground on archaeological sites. If you have any reservations regarding your fitness for a trip, please ring. Under no circumstances should you travel if your doctor has or would advise against it. If you are infirm, disabled or unfit in any way it is imperative that you inform the Organiser so that we may give you advice as it may be unsuitable for you. Please consider whether your presence might affect the party so as to impair the enjoyment of other guests. If you know that you need help, you should bring a helper with you. The Organiser reserves the right to refuse to take participants who have not revealed their infirmities or disabilities in advance. Clients’ bookings are accepted on the understanding that they appreciate the possible risk inherent in archaeological travel. Please note that the tours which we offer are active by their nature and they require a moderate level of fitness. If you have any doubts as to your own physical limitations, then please contact us.

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13. Brochure Accuracy

Every effort is made to ensure brochure accuracy at the time of going to print, however the Organiser cannot be held responsible for printing and typographical errors, or errors arising from unforeseen circumstances.

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14. Tour Price

We reserve the right to vary the price of your holiday in relation to changes in transportation costs, including the cost of fuel, dues, taxes or fees chargeable for services or the exchange rates applied to the particular package. We will not vary the price of your holiday less than 30 days prior to your departure date, but if variations occur before that time, we will absorb or retain an amount up to the first 2% of your invoiced holiday cost. For variations greater than 2%, we will still absorb the first 2% in the case of increases, but will not retain it from refunds. Where a surcharge or refund is payable, there will be an administration fee of €30 per person. If we impose a surcharge, which means paying more than 10% of your holiday price, you will be entitled to cancel your holiday with a full refund of all moneys paid to us except for amendment charges. Should you decide to cancel because of this, you must exercise your right to do so within 14 days of the date of our surcharge invoice. (NB: The Organiser has never asked customers for such a surcharge).

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15. Our Obligations

Our Obligations and those of our suppliers providing any service or facility included in your holiday are to provide them with reasonable skill and care. You must show that reasonable skill and care has not been used if you wish to make any claim.

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16. Weather Conditions

Under no circumstances can Tour the Ages be held responsible for adverse weather conditions.

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17. Excursions

Our local contacts may, at your request, make arrangements for excursions locally on your behalf. However, please note that if they do, the contract for the provision of the excursion and not between you and us. We have no liability whatsoever for anything which may go wrong on the excursion.

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