Section A – applicable to all bookings
1. Booking and paying for your arrangements
A booking is made with us when you pay us a deposit (or full payment if you are booking within 70 days of departure or if full payment is otherwise required at the time of booking) and we issue you with a booking confirmation. We reserve the right to return your deposit and decline to issue a booking confirmation at our absolute discretion. A binding contract will come into existence between you and us as soon as we have issued you with a booking confirmation that will confirm the details of your booking and will be sent to you.
If your confirmed arrangements include a flight that is covered by the ATOL Scheme, we will also issue you with an ATOL Certificate. If we do not issue you with an ATOL Certificate, then your flight is not ATOL protected.
Reservations are made on the understanding that you will check all details on your booking form immediately and advise us of any discrepancies. Each traveller’s first and last name should be spelt exactly as they appear in their passport. As it is not usually possible to change names or spellings in airline reservations, if names are spelt incorrectly, the sooner we are advised of this, the better the chances are of us being able to make a fresh reservation at the same fare with the correct spellings. If airline tickets are issued with incorrect name spellings or middle names instead of first names, airlines may still impose standard cancellation charges and insist that a new reservation be made and paid for. We will not be responsible for any costs incurred to correct them, please note this could be up to 100%. Please also check that your address and post-code are correct.
The balance of the cost of your arrangements (including any applicable surcharge) is ordinarily due not less than 70 days prior to scheduled departure. We will advise you if full payment is due, within a different timeframe, at the time of booking (this may be the case for flight bookings, for instance, where payment is ordinarily due within 10 days or less of booking). Air tickets will be issued when payment is received.
If we do not receive this balance in full and on time, we reserve the right to treat your booking as cancelled by you in which case the cancellation charges set out in either Section B or Section C below, as applicable, will become payable.
You can pay us by the following methods, fee free:
- Bank transfer
- Credit card (Mastercard/Visa/American Express);
- Debit card (Maestro/Visa Debit);
- Cheque;
Cheques should be made payable to ‘Travel Nation’.
2. Dispatch of travel documents
Our policy is to issue and email all of your travel documents together 4-6 weeks prior to departure. You should let us know if you have not received your e-ticket confirmation and other travel documents within this period or in sufficient time.
3. Accuracy of advertising material
We endeavour to ensure that the descriptions, holiday information and prices both on our website and in our advertising material are accurate, however occasionally changes and errors occur and we reserve the right to correct prices and other details in such circumstances. You must check the current price and all other details relating to the arrangements that you wish to book before you make your booking.
Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of such information and prices at the time of printing, regrettably errors do occasionally occur. You must therefore ensure you check all details of your chosen arrangements (including the price) with us at the time of booking.
4. Travel Insurance
Adequate travel insurance is a condition of your contract with us. You must take out a policy of insurance in order to cover you and your party against the cost of cancellation by you; the cost of assistance (including repatriation) in the event of accident or illness; loss of baggage and money; costs associated with missed flight connection and other expenses. Failure to disclose relevant information may affect your insurance. If you fail to travel with adequate insurance cover we will not be liable for any losses in respect of which insurance cover would otherwise have been available.
We are an appointed representative of Campbell Irvine who are authorized and regulated in the UK by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). Full details can be found on the FCA website www.fca.org.uk.
See our insurance page for more details of travel insurance offered by us which you can purchase online.
5. Special requests
If you have a special request, (e.g. dietary, seating, disability, entry of frequent flier numbers into your reservation) please let us know when you make the booking. We will do our best to ensure that your request is met by passing it on to your service provider. It is understood however that these cannot be guaranteed.
If you have any special requests, you must advise us at the time of booking and we will pass any reasonable requests on to the relevant supplier. We regret we cannot guarantee requests will be met. Failure to meet any special requests will not be a breach of contract on our part. Confirmation that a special request has been noted or passed on to the supplier or the inclusion of the special request on your confirmation invoice or any other documentation is not confirmation that the request will be met. Unless and until specifically confirmed, all special requests are subject to availability.
We regret we cannot accept any conditional bookings, i.e. any booking which is specified to be conditional on the fulfilment of a particular request. All such bookings will be treated as “standard” bookings subject to the above provisions on special requests.
6. Cutting your holiday short
If you are forced to return home early, we cannot refund the cost of any travel arrangements you have not used. If you cut short your holiday and return home early in circumstances where you have no reasonable cause for complaint about the standard of the travel services provided we will not offer you any refund for that part of your holiday not completed or be liable for any associated costs you may incur. Depending on the circumstances, your travel insurance may offer cover for curtailment and we suggest that any claim is made directly with them.
7. Accommodation ratings and standards
Accommodation ratings are displayed as provided by the relevant supplier. These are intended to give a guide to the services and facilities you should expect from your accommodation or other travel arrangements. Standards and ratings may vary between countries, as well as between suppliers. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of any ratings given and no warranty is given or implied.
8. Disabilities and medical conditions
If you or any member of your party has any medical condition or disability which may affect your holiday or has any special requirements as a result of any medical condition or disability (including any which affect the booking process), please tell us before you confirm your booking so that we can assist you in considering the suitability of the arrangements and/or making the booking. In any event, you must give us full details in writing at the time of booking and whenever any change in the condition or disability occurs. You must also promptly advise us if any medical condition or disability which may affect your holiday develops after your booking has been confirmed. If we reasonably feel unable to properly accommodate the particular needs of the person concerned, we must reserve the right to decline their reservation or, if full details are not given at the time of booking, cancel or pass on any additional costs necessary to accommodate your disability or other condition, when we become aware of these details.
9. Insolvency protection
We provide financial security for flight-inclusive packages and ATOL protected flight only sales by way of our Air Travel Organiser’s Licence number 9828, issued by the Civil Aviation Authority, Gatwick Airport South, West Sussex, RH6 0YR, UK, telephone 0333 103 6350, email: [email protected].
When you buy an ATOL protected product from us you will receive an ATOL Certificate. This lists what is financially protected, where you can get information on what this means for you and who to contact if things go wrong. For further information, visit the ATOL website at www.atol.org.uk. The price of our flight inclusive arrangements includes the amount of £2.50 per person as part of the ATOL Protection Contribution (APC) we pay to the CAA. This charge is included in our advertised prices. Not all holiday or travel services offered and sold by us will be protected by the ATOL Scheme. ATOL protection extends primarily to customers who book and pay in the United Kingdom and European Economic Area (EEA).
We, or the suppliers identified on your ATOL Certificate, will provide you with the services listed on the ATOL Certificate (or a suitable alternative). In some cases, where neither we nor the supplier are able to do so for reasons of insolvency, an alternative ATOL holder may provide you with the services you have bought (at no extra cost to you). You agree to accept that in those circumstances the alternative ATOL holder will perform those obligations and you agree to pay any money outstanding to be paid by you under your contract to that alternative ATOL holder. However, you also agree that in some cases it will not be possible to appoint an alternative ATOL holder, in which case you will be entitled to make a claim under the ATOL Scheme (or your credit card issuer where applicable).
If we, or the suppliers identified on your ATOL certificate, are unable to provide the services listed (or a suitable alternative, through an alternative ATOL holder or otherwise) for reasons of insolvency, the Trustees of the Air Travel Trust may make a payment to (or confer a benefit on) you under the ATOL scheme. You agree that in return for such a payment or benefit you assign absolutely to those Trustees any claims which you have or may have arising out of or relating to the non-provision of the services, including any claim against us, the travel agent (or your credit card issuer where applicable). You also agree that any such claims may be re-assigned to another body, if that other body has paid sums you have claimed under the ATOL scheme.
We provide full financial protection for our package holidays which don’t include flights and for any single service bookings you may make which are not flight only sales (e.g. accommodation only, car hire or tour bookings), by way of a bond held by ABTA (ABTA Ltd, The Travel Association 30 Park Street London SE1 9EQ www.abta.co.uk, ABTA Number: Y1114).
10. Force Majeure
Except where otherwise expressly stated in these Booking Conditions we will not be liable or pay you compensation if our contractual obligations to you are affected by “Force Majeure”. For the purposes of these Booking Conditions, Force Majeure means any event beyond our or our supplier’s control, the consequences of which could not have been avoided even if all reasonable measures had been taken. Examples include warfare and acts of terrorism (and threat thereof), civil strife, significant risks to human health such as the outbreak of serious disease at the travel destination or natural disasters such as floods, epidemics or pandemics, earthquakes or weather conditions which make it impossible to travel safely to the travel destination or remain at the travel destination, the act of any government or other national or local authority including port or river authorities, industrial dispute, labour strikes, lock closure, natural or nuclear disaster, fire, chemical or biological disaster, unavoidable technical problems with transport and all similar events outside our or the supplier(s) control.
With the exception of bookings falling under section B package holiday bookings, if your booking is cancelled or curtailed for reasons of force majeure or other unavoidable events beyond our control, or our suppliers control, we are bound by the conditions of that airline or supplier. For involuntary cancellations we will process any credit or refunds due on your behalf, retaining a standard 10% service fee on all refunds paid after all airline or third party fees.
Brexit Implications: Please note that certain overseas travel arrangements may be affected as a result of the United Kingdom’s decision to leave the European Union. This could include an unavailability of certain flight routes, access to certain ports and airports etc. Please rest assured that this is something we will continue to monitor and will advise our customers as soon as possible if we become aware of any confirmed bookings that will be affected. However, since this is something which is completely unprecedented and outside our control, we would treat any such changes as Force Majeure, and whilst we will endeavour to provide suitable alternative arrangements or refunds where possible, we will not be liable to pay you any compensation.
11. Complaints
We make every effort to ensure that your holiday arrangements run smoothly but if you do have a problem during your holiday, please inform the service provider who will endeavour to put things right. If your complaint is not resolved locally, please contact [email protected] or call us via the emergency contact details that can be found in your booking documents.
If the problem cannot be resolved and you wish to complain further, you must send formal written notice of your complaint to us at our office, ideally within 28 days of the end of your stay, giving your booking reference and all other relevant information. This will assist us to quickly identify your concerns and speed up our response to you.
Failure to follow the procedure set out in this clause may affect ours and the applicable supplier’s ability to investigate your complaint, and will affect your rights under this contract.
Please note that we offer an Alternative Dispute Resolution service through our ABTA membership. Please see clause 18 for further details.
You can also access the European Commission Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) platform at http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/odr/. This ODR platform is a means of registering your complaint with us; it will not determine how your complaint should be resolved.
12. Your responsibility
All our customers are expected to conduct themselves in an orderly and acceptable manner and not to disrupt the enjoyment of others. If in our opinion or in the opinion of any hotel manager or any other person in authority, your behaviour or that of any member of your party is causing or is likely to cause distress, danger or annoyance to any other customers or any third party, or damage to property, or to cause a delay or diversion to transportation, we reserve the right to terminate your booking with us immediately. In the event of such termination our liability to you and/or your party will cease and you and/or your party will be required to leave your accommodation or other arrangements immediately. We will have no further obligations to you and/or your party. No refunds for lost accommodation or any other arrangements will be made and we will not pay any expenses or costs incurred as a result of termination. You and/or your party may also be required to pay for loss and/or damage caused by your actions and we will hold you and each member of your party jointly and individually liable for any damage or losses caused by you or any member of your party. Full payment for any such damage or losses must be paid directly to the hotel manager or other supplier prior to departure. If you fail to make payment, you will be responsible for meeting any claims (including legal costs) subsequently made against us as a result of your actions together with all costs we incur in pursuing any claim against you.
We cannot be held responsible for the actions or behaviour of other guests or individuals who have no connection with your booking arrangements or with us.
13. Visa and passport requirements
Please ensure that you are fully aware of all passport and visa requirements and that you allow sufficient time to obtain them. It is your responsibility to check and fulfil the passport, visa and immigration requirements applicable to your chosen holiday. We provide general information about this. You must check requirements for your own specific circumstances with the relevant Embassies and/or Consulates as applicable. Requirements do change and you must check the up to date position in good time before departure.
The visa advice on the booking confirmation we provide to you is for British passport holders travelling on 10-year passports that were issued in the United Kingdom. Visa requirements are only noted for those countries listed on your itinerary. If you intend visiting or transiting through other countries, please ensure you are fully aware of all relevant visa and passport requirements. If you are not a British passport holder please check your own specific circumstances with the relevant Embassies and/or Consulates as applicable.
If the visa requirements or entry/exit conditions change for a country you will be travelling to/through after you have confirmed your travel plans and arranged any visas, we will do our best to help. However we are not responsible for any unavoidable re-arrangements and cancellation costs that may be incurred by you.
It is essential that you travel with a passport that has a minimum validity of 6 months remaining at all times as this is an immigration requirement for most countries outside of Europe. Please also ensure there are sufficient blank pages in your passport to allow for any visas which may need to be obtained en-route. Passports should be Machine Readable for travel to/via the USA.
We do not accept any responsibility if you cannot travel, or incur any other loss because you have not complied with any passport, visa or immigration requirements. You agree to reimburse us in relation to any fines or other losses which we incur as a result of your failure to comply with any passport, visa or immigration requirements.
14. Vaccination and health requirements
Health facilities, hygiene standards and disease risk vary worldwide. You should obtain health advice on your specific needs as early as possible and it is your responsibility to ensure that you have fully complied with all health and immunisation requirements of the countries you may be visiting. If you fail to do so, the company has no liability for any cost, loss or damage which you suffer as a result and nor will we refund the cost of any unused portion of your travel arrangements. You should always discuss your particular needs with your own Doctor or Medical Professional.
If you are travelling to a country or area where transmission of the Zika virus has been confirmed, you should follow the advice of the National Travel Health Network and Centre and discuss your travel plans with your healthcare provider, particularly if you are pregnant.
For current medical advice for travel, please visit the NHS website www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk or www.travelhealthpro.org.uk
15. Excursions
Excursions or other tours that you may choose to book or pay for whilst you are on holiday are not part of your contracted arrangements with us. For any excursion or other tour that you book, your contract will be with the operator of the excursion or tour and not with us. We are not responsible for the provision of the excursion or tour or for anything that happens during the course of its provision by the operator.
16. Safety standards
It is the requirements and standards of the country in which your booked arrangements will take place that apply and not those of the UK. These requirements and standards will not be the same as the UK and may typically be lower.
17. Foreign Office Advice
You are responsible for making yourself aware of Foreign Office advice with regard to the safety of the countries and areas in which you will be travelling and to make your decisions accordingly. Advice from the Foreign Office to avoid or leave a particular country may constitute Force Majeure (see clause 10).
18. ABTA
We are a Member of ABTA, membership number Y1114. We are obliged to maintain a high standard of service to you by ABTA’s Code of Conduct. We can also offer you ABTA’s scheme for the resolution of disputes which is approved by the Chartered Trading Standards Institute. If we can’t resolve your complaint, go to www.abta.com to use ABTA’s simple procedure. Further information on the Code and ABTA’s assistance in resolving disputes can be found on www.abta.com.
19. Advance passenger information
A number of Governments are introducing new requirements for air carriers to provide personal information about all travellers on their aircraft to the Authorities before your first departure. The data will be collected either at the airport when you check in or in some circumstances when, or after you make your booking. Accordingly, you are advised to allow extra time to check in for your flight. Where we collect this data, we will treat it in accordance with our privacy policy
20. Delays, flights and conditions of carriage
If you or any member of your party misses your flight or other transport arrangement, it is cancelled or you are subject to a delay of over 3 hours for any reason, you must contact the airline or other transport supplier concerned immediately. If you miss your flight and cannot resolve the issue with your airline, we would ask that you also contact us to let us know.
Under EU Law, you have rights in some circumstances to refunds and/or compensation from the airline in cases of denied boarding, cancellation or delay to flights. Full details of these rights will be publicised at EU airports and will also be available from airlines. Further information is available from the Civil Aviation Authority. If the airline does not comply with these rules you should complain to the Civil Aviation Authority at www.caa.co.uk/passengers. Reimbursement in such cases is the responsibility of the airline and will not automatically entitle you to a refund of your holiday price from us. A delay or cancellation to your flight does not automatically entitle you to cancel any other arrangements even where those arrangements have been made in conjunction with your flight.
We cannot accept liability for any delay which is due to any of the reasons set out in clause 10 of these Booking Conditions (which includes the behaviour of any passenger(s) on any flight who, for example, fails to check in or board on time).
Carriage is subject to the applicable tariffs, conditions of carriage of the airline you are flying with and conditions of contract and other important notices. Conditions of carriage are available on application at the office of the carrier or on the carrier's website or via ourselves, on request.
The carrier(s), flight timings and types of aircraft shown detailed on your confirmation invoice are for guidance only and are subject to alteration and confirmation. The latest flight timings will be shown on your e-tickets which will be despatched to you approximately 4-6 weeks before your first departure. You should check your original booking confirmation and also e-tickets very carefully immediately on receipt to ensure you have the correct flight times. If flight times change after e-tickets have been dispatched we will contact you as soon as we can to let you know.
Please note the existence of a “Community list” (available for inspection at https://ec.europa.eu/transport/modes/air/safety/air-ban_en) detailing air carriers that are subject to an operating ban with the EU Community.
E-tickets (electronic flight tickets) will be emailed to you when your flights have been confirmed, paid for and issued. The times shown on all e-tickets are local times. We recommend that you check in for all flights at least 3 hours prior to the departure times on the travel documents.
Any change in the identity of the carrier, flight timings, and/or aircraft type (if advised) will not entitle you to cancel or change to other arrangements without paying our normal charges except where specified in these conditions. Air travel is subject to operational decisions of carriers and airports which may result in delays and diversions. Please note we will endeavour to inform you of any airline schedule changes in advance, but this is not always possible when schedule changes are made close to departure. We recommend that you look on the relevant airline’s website for up to date timings 24 hours before each flight that you take. We cannot accept liability for the consequences of flights missed owing to airline schedule changes.
Most airlines offer cheaper fares for infants or children travelling with an adult. To qualify as an infant, an infant must be under 2 years of age at the date of the last flight on the booking. To qualify as a child, a child must be under 12 years of age on the date of the last flight on the booking.
Our advertising material is our responsibility, as your tour operator. It is not issued on behalf of, and does not commit the airlines mentioned herein or any airline whose services are used in the course of your travel arrangements.
21. ‘Awaiting schedule’ flights
Any flights in your booking confirmation with the status "awaiting schedule" will be managed and confirmed by us once the airline schedule is released for sale. Airlines release their schedules approximately 10-11 months prior to each flight date, at which point we will manage and confirm reservations. If for any reason we cannot offer the same route or date once flights come into system range (e.g. if the airline has ceased operating the specific date or route), we will advise and consult with you on the best alternative with associated costs and confirm thereafter.
22. Flight reservations held elsewhere
When you make a booking with us it is essential that you cancel identical reservations provisionally held elsewhere as airline reservation systems will automatically cancel 'duplicated' bookings. If this happens, we will re-book your seats free of charge if they are available. If your seats are not re-bookable at the same fare, time or date, we will not be liable for any additional costs.
23. Failing to check-in for a flight (no shows)
If you fail to show up for a flight on which you are booked, airline reservation systems are likely to auto-cancel all of your subsequent flight reservations. Whilst it may still be possible to re-book the seats, there will be a charge to re-book. Moreover, it may not be possible to get seats back on the onward dates that you had been holding. You are strongly advised to let the airline know beforehand if you are unable to check-in for your flight.
To voluntarily remove a flight sector from your itinerary, and continue your trip on a subsequent flight, is classified by airlines as a ‘re-route’ and requires e-tickets to be re-issued. If your ticket permits a re-route there will be an airline charge to do this. Please refer to your ticket conditions or contact us for a costing. If you want to re-route your ticket, we will be happy to assist.
24. Changing a date or route on your e-ticket
If you want to skip one of the flights on your itinerary or change the route you originally booked, we may be able to assist (subject to this being possible on your particular ticket) or offer advice. Please contact us with details of your proposed change of plan and we will do our best to help.
When a change to a flight is confirmed, any airline fees paid to pre-book seating on the original flight(s) are lost. Airline fees to pre-book seating on the new flight(s) will apply.
25. Airline ticket rules
Airlines and airline alliances are at liberty to change their ticket rules at any time. Changes to airline ticket rules can include, but are not limited to: alterations to bookable flight numbers, destinations and airlines that can be booked, definition of fare seasons, date or route change charges, code share agreements and ticketing deadlines. Please note that the rules that apply to airline reservations are the ones that exist on the day the e-tickets are paid for in full and issued, not those that apply on the day that the reservation is made. If e-tickets are subsequently reissued with a different routing or a new departure date the prevailing rules on the date of the reissue will apply.
26. Passenger taxes and fuel surcharges
These are mostly payable in advance and are included in your overall ticket price and are only fixed when your e-tickets have been paid for and issued. In a few locations however, taxes are still collected on departure. If you re-route your ticket whilst travelling, airlines will recalculate taxes and fuel charges at prevailing rates and pass on any increases to you. These taxes and charges are imposed by governments, airlines and airports and change without notice. The company has no control over this aspect of your travel arrangements.
27. Conditions of suppliers
Many of the services which make up your holiday are provided by independent suppliers. These suppliers provide these services in accordance with their own terms and conditions which will form part of your contract. Some of these terms and conditions may limit or exclude the supplier's liability to you, usually in accordance with applicable International Conventions. Copies of the relevant parts of these terms and conditions are available on request from us or the supplier concerned.
28. Law and jurisdiction
These Booking Conditions are governed by English law and we both agree that the courts of England and Wales have exclusive jurisdiction over any dispute, claim or other matter which may arise between us (unless you live in Scotland or Northern Ireland, in which case you can bring proceedings in your local court under Scottish or Northern Irish law, as applicable).
