Terms & Conditions
Highland Explorer Tours - Terms and Conditions
Once Highland Explorer Tours, a trading name of Radical Travel Group Limited, hereinafter referred to as "the Operator", confirms your booking a contract is made between the Operator and you upon the terms and conditions set out below. Your statutory rights are not affected. In a booking with more than one passenger the ‘lead passenger’ will be deemed to have accepted the terms and conditions on behalf of all passengers within the booking. The ‘lead passenger’ is the passenger who makes the booking on behalf of all passengers in a multi-passenger booking and is named in the ‘lead passenger’ field within the booking. Within these Booking Conditions, “you” and “your” means all persons named on the booking (including anyone who is added at a later date).
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 confirmation of your booking, subject to availability and at the Operator’s discretion, the Operator will reserve your place(s) on your selected products (“trips”). It is your (or on bookings involving more than one person, the lead passenger’s) responsibility, as the customer, to check the accuracy of your booking and travel dates. A contract is only made between you and the Operator upon your booking being confirmed and accepted and communication thereof to either you or your authorised travel agent (hereinafter referred to as “confirmation”).
1.3 On confirmation of your fully paid booking, an E-ticket will be sent to either you or your 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. The Operator accepts 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 the Operator 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 the Operator 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 nor the day of notification):-
Notice Period Cancellation Fee
Up to 7 full days Full refund less 25% of the price paid
Within 7 days No refund applies
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 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.
3.5 Cancellation of individual passengers from a multiple booking where a group discount applies (‘4 or more’ discount) may mean that the discount applied on booking will be forfeited, due to the qualifying criteria no longer being met. If the cancellation results in the qualifying criteria no longer being met then the prices for the remaining passengers on the booking will be adjusted, and any forfeited discount will be reclaimed through deduction in calculating any refund due to the cancelling passengers.
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.
4.4. Replacement tickets will carry the same validity as the original ticket at the time of loss or theft.
5. Local Tours & Excursions
5.1 You will have the opportunity to purchase local tours or excursions from your Guide. These tours and excursions are run by local operators and you will be subject to their terms and conditions.
5.2 Local tours and excursions purchased via Guides are non-refundable. It is your responsibility to meet the tour at the designated departure point and time. Travel will only be permitted on presentation of the issued voucher to the named operator.
5.3 Local tour and Excursion vouchers that are lost or stolen cannot be replaced.
6. Changes by us
6.1. Prices in this brochure/ website are based on costs and exchange rates at October 2009. No surcharge in respect of costs or currency fluctuations will be applied where a tour 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. The Operator 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. There may be times when the manager or tour representative of the Operator 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 the Operator. 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.
7.2. The Operator does not tolerate any form of abuse, verbal or otherwise, of its personnel. Any passenger abusing or threatening personnel will automatically forfeit their right to onward travel.
7.2. It is your responsibility to meet The Operator at the boarding point 15 minutes prior to the specified departure time. Because of the nature of the service, The Operator 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. The Operator will use its best efforts to ensure that departure and arrival times are met.
7.3. Baggage is restricted to one reasonable sized suitcase or backpack and one small carry-on bag per passenger (maximum combined weight 20KG). Baggage in excess of this limit will not be carried.
8. Your Responsibilities
8.1. It is the responsibility of the passenger to check the accuracy of dates booked upon receipt of their travel documents.
8.2. The trip/tour products offered are forms of transportation. For this reason the Operators representatives cannot offer constant special attention or assistance should you have any physical disability requiring such attention
8.3. Clients must be aged 5 years and over but The Operator 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.
8.4. 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.
8.5. Passengers with disabilities are welcome on trips, provided that they are accompanied by a companion capable of providing all necessary assistance and do not require special assistance from the Operator’s personnel. Any medical or physical condition requiring third party attention or treatment must be advised in writing to our Reservations Team at the time the booking is made. It is your responsibility to see to it that your letter is acknowledged with the booking confirmation. The Operator cannot guarantee travel in the absence of such an acknowledgement. Similarly if you wish to make a special request about any matter concerning your travel or accommodation you must do so at the time of booking. Again, it is your responsibility to produce an acknowledgement from our Reservations Team at the time of travel. We will try to pass on any reasonable requests to the relevant suppliers but we cannot guarantee that your requests will be met. The fact that a special request has been noted on your confirmation invoice or on any other acknowledgement is not confirmation that the request will be met. Failure to meet any special requests will not be a breach of contract on our part unless the request has been specifically acknowledged and confirmed as accepted by our Reservations Team. The Operator reserves the right to refuse to carry anyone if it is felt that the individual cannot cope with the requirements of the trip and who may require services and facilities that the Operator cannot guarantee will be available. The nature of the trips means that not every type of disability can be accommodated despite our reasonable endeavours. Most trips involve getting on and off coaches, sitting for long periods on coaches without toilet facilities, walking and other physical activities which may involve steps and stairs at sightseeing stops, visitor attractions and accommodation units. Coaches are not adapted to carry wheelchairs and do not have ramps, lift or low floor access. Collapsible wheelchairs can generally be carried in the luggage hold but you must check in advance with our Reservations Team to ensure that this is the case for your trip. The Operator cannot carry any motorised wheelchairs under any circumstances. You agree not to hold the Operator responsible for any decision made by them or by any service provider to refuse to carry you, provide any facilities or accommodation to you, or to provide any service to you in the absence of written acknowledgement and acceptance of your special request or of your disability from our Reservations Team. Please note that 100% cancellation charges would apply in these circumstances..
8.6. You are responsible for all travel arrangements and costs to/from the point of commencement/conclusion of your Highland Explorer Tours tour.
8.7. 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.
8.8. You are responsible for looking after your personal belongings whilst travelling. The Operator cannot be held responsible for any personal belongings left behind on any trip irrespective of the circumstances.
8.9. You agree that the Operator 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.
8.10. You agree that the Operator 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.
8.11. Should you have a complaint in respect of the Operator, you should inform the the Operator’s 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. The Operator will not consider any claims after the 28-day period.
8.12. The contract and all matters arising in respect hereof shall be subject to Scots Law unless we agree otherwise in writing.
8.13. 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.
8.14. 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.
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 company – 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 the Operator, 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 November 2009, until replaced