Terms & Conditions
Highland Explorer Tours - Terms and Conditions
Once Highland Explorer Tours, a trading name of Radical Travel Group Limited, hereinafter referred to as "Highland Explorer Tours", confirms your booking a contract is made between Highland Explorer Tours and you upon the terms and conditions set out below. Your statutory rights are not affected.
1. Booking/Acceptance
1.1. A booking is accepted by us only when we, or our agent, have received payment in full. No tickets will be issued until full payment has been received.
1.2. On receipt of your payment, subject to availability and at our discretion, Highland Explorer Tours will reserve your place on your tour. A contract is only made between you and us upon your booking being confirmed and accepted by us and our communication thereof to either you or our travel agent.
2. Insurance
2.1. There is no travel insurance cover included in the price of the ticket.
2.2. 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. You may not be accepted as a Highland Explorer Tours passenger unless you have arranged satisfactory insurance. Highland Explorer Tours accept no responsibility for the loss or damage to personal belongings or liability for personal injury/death excluded the full extent permitted by the law.
3. Cancellation
3.1. Cancellation of your booking must be in writing to either Highland Explorer Tours for direct bookings or our authorised agent. If your booking was made through one of our authorised agents all amendments and cancellations must be made through them (they may also have cancellation charges in addition to those noted below - please check at time of reservation). When written notification has been received by Highland Explorer Tours a fee will be levied to cover the administration costs incurred (25% of booking price being the minimum fee). The amount of the cancellation fee will be dependent on the number of days prior to the departure date of the tour as follows (not including day of departure):-
Notice Period Cancellation Fee
Up to 7 full days Full refund less 25% of the price paid
Up to 3 full days 50% of the price paid
Within 3 days 100% of the price paid
3.2 Special conditions may apply to non-standard products - these will be confirmed at time of booking.
3.3. If the reason for your cancellation is covered under your insurance policy, you may be able to make a claim under that policy.
3.4. If after your booking has been confirmed, you wish to change to an alternative departure date, or wish to change to another Highland Explorer Tours tour, you may do so subject to minimum notice of 7 days prior to departure. The first date or tour change is free of administration fees. All subsequent changes will incur an administration fee of 20GBP. Date changes will only be extended to 3 months from the original departure date.
4. Tickets
4.1. Travel must take place within three months of the original departure date.
4.2. Tickets can only be used by the passenger to whom the ticket was issued no other person can use the ticket in any circumstances.
4.3. The ticket must be produced at any time at our representatives' request and you may also be asked to produce valid photo identification each time you board the coach.
4.4. Replacement tickets will carry the same validity as the original tickey at the time of loss or theft.
5. Reservations
5.1. It is the responsibility of the passenger to check the accuracy of dates booked upon receipt of their travel documents.
6. Changes by us
6.1. Prices in this brochure/ website are based on costs and exchange rates at May 2006. No surcharge in respect of costs or currency fluctuations will be applied where a Highland Explorer Tours pass has been booked and paid in full. However, a surcharge may be necessary at other times should there be significant changes in the following circumstances:-
(a) Transportation costs including the cost of fuel. (b) Dues, taxes (including road taxes and tolls) or levies charged by the governments or their agencies. (c) Exchange rates. The surcharge will only be made where the increase in cost will affect the price of the tour by more than 2%.
6.2. Any increase in price will be notified to our agents, in the press and in our sales outlets. We will endeavour to remove all out of date promotional material.
6.3. Highland Explorer Tours also reserves the right to decrease the price of any of our tours. The final price will be confirmed to you before you make your booking.
6.4. We reserve the right to vary, modify or cancel any itinerary, either part or wholly. If this is necessary, we will substitute alternative arrangements of comparable value, or at our discretion provide a full refund.
6.5. If access to any country or area is prohibited for reason beyond our control you will be entitled to a refund if we cannot offer suitable substitute services. The amount of the refund will be calculated pro-rata based on the total number of tour days and the number of tour days already travelled.
6.6 We reserve the right to alter the size of vehicle we use on tour at any time.
7. Travelling
7.1. You must obey the laws and regulations of the countries visited, including customs and foreign exchange restrictions. If you do not do so, you may be asked to surrender your ticket, which may be cancelled without any refund. It is our representative who will decide to cancel your pass or not and their decision will be final.
7.2. There may be times when the manager or tour representative of Highland Explorer Tours has to make a decision in the interests of safety. It is a condition of bookings that you comply with the authority and decisions of the appointed representative of Highland Explorer Tours. If you do not comply with the said representative and are not compatible with the general enjoyment and well being of members of the tour, we reserve the right to refuse to allow you to continue the tour. In such a case we will not be liable for any refund, compensation or any additional costs incurred by you. We cannot accept liability for the behaviour of others on your tour nor if any facilities are curtailed as a result of their actions.
7.3. It is your responsibility to meet Highland Explorer Tours at the boarding point. Because of the nature of the service, Highland Explorer Tours will not be liable if any service leaves or arrives later than its specified time, even if as a result you miss a connecting service. Highland Explorer Tours will use its best efforts to ensure that departure and arrival times are met.
8. Your Responsibilities
8.1. The Highland Explorer Tours programme has been designed for travellers aged 17 years and over with the style and operation specifically designed for independent travellers. This fact should be recognised when you book a Highland Explorer Tours tour.
8.2. Clients must be aged 5 years and over but Highland Explorer Tours may, in its absolute discretion, and, in exceptional circumstances, give confirmation of acceptance of a person outside this age restriction. An adult must accompany those under 17.
8.3. Any medical condition or physical condition requiring attention or treatment must be advised upon in writing to Highland Explorer Tours when you make the booking.
8.4. You are responsible for all travel arrangements and costs to/from the point of commencement/conclusion of your Highland Explorer Tours tour.
8.5. It is your responsibility to have a valid passport and all visas, permits and certificates required for your selected itinerary as well as any necessary vaccinations and to comply with all applicable laws.
8.6. You agree that Highland Explorer Tours representatives may take photographs and films of you while you are a passenger and these may be used in our Group brochures and/or advertising and publicity material without obtaining any further consent or payment in respect of such photographs and/or films.
8.7. Should you have a complaint in respect of Highland Explorer Tours, you should inform the Highland Explorer Tours Driver/Representative at the time. If the matter cannot be resolved after the Driver/Representative's best endeavours to do so during your travels, your complaint should be made in writing to Highland Explorer Tours as soon as is reasonably possible after the holiday, but within 28 days thereof so that your complaint can be investigated. Highland Explorer Tours will not consider any claims after the 28-day period.
8.8. The contract and all matters arising in respect hereof shall be subject to Scots Law unless we agree otherwise in writing.
8.9. If any provision of this contract is held invalid or unenforceable by any court of competent jurisdiction, that provision shall be deemed to be re-written to give effect to the same purpose within the permitted limits of the law. The validity and enforceability of the other provisions shall not be affected.
8.10. If you are unsuccessful in any legal action instituted against us, you agree to pay all our costs, including but not limited to attorney/client costs.
8.11. You agree that Highland Explorer Tours may use any text written in our comments books or recorded in our customer surveys, in our group brochures, website and/or advertising and publicity material without obtaining any further consent or payment in respect of comments.
9. Weather Conditions
9.1. Under no circumstances can we be held responsible for weather conditions, nor can any ticket be cancelled or amended by you at any time on the basis of weather conditions.
10. No Smoking Policy
10.1. Highland Explorer Tours operates a No Smoking Policy on all its vehicles.
11. General
11.1. Contracting Parties
11.1.1. The booking conditions detailed herein contain the entire contract between you and Highland Explorer Tours. No representation, term, warranty or condition can be expressed or implied by reference to any other writing, advertisement or conversation. This contract may only be varied in writing by a duly authorised officer or director of the operating companies - as detailed in paragraph 11.3 below.
11.1.2. Your contract is with the operating companies – as detailed in paragraph 11.3 below. At any time and at our complete discretion we may nominate to you in writing any other company or person to have the benefit of some or all of those provisions of this contract, which we may then specify, as if you had agreed the provisions concerned directly with that company or person in the first place as well as agreeing them with us. We may at our complete discretion assign all or any rights and liabilities arising under or by virtue of this or any other contract with you.
11.1.3. All bookings with carriers and other service providers are subject to the terms and conditions and limitations of liability imposed by those carriers and other service providers. Please note that some of these limit or exclude liability in respect of death, personal injury, delay and loss or damage to baggage. Whilst we cannot accept any responsibility for any loss as a result of such actions or as a result of any act or omission of any such third parties, we will give every reasonable assistance in helping to resolve any reasonable dispute.
11.1.4. Many accommodation arrangements referred to in this brochure are provided independently by third party accommodation providers. Such arrangements are subject to the terms and conditions and limitations of liability imposed by those providers, and as such any contracts undertaken are made directly between you and the third party accommodation provider. All such arrangements are made independently of Highland Explorer Tours, regardless of any help and assistance which we may provide in securing such arrangements.
11.1.5. Please note that no airline or carrier depicted or recommended in this brochure/website by virtue of their endorsement of this brochure represents themselves either as contracting with any legal relationship with any such purchaser.
11.1.6. Every effort is made to ensure brochure accuracy at the time of going to print, however Highland Explorer Tours cannot be held responsible for printing and typographical errors, or errors arising from unforeseen circumstances.
11.2. Validity
11.2.1. The programmes advertised in this brochure/website are valid until replaced. Prices, itineraries and routes may change.
11.3. Highland Explorer Tours - Operating Company
All Highland Explorer Tours are operated by:-
Radical Travel Group Limited
7/9 Blackfriars Street
Edinburgh
EH1 1NB
Registered in Scotland No 136334
12. These Terms and Conditions supersede all previous Terms and Conditions issued and are valid for all reservations made on or after 1 May 2006, until replaced.