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Australian Pacific'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. (hereforth 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 to your travel agent or us. 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 10% deposit per person, per tour is required at time of
booking. The balance of any airfares booked by APT is required
within seven days of booking. Some seasonal special offers may
require an additional deposit, which will be advised at the time of
reservation. Balance is required six weeks before departure (tours
including rail travel 60 days prior). Where connecting air, rail or
boat travel is included, confirm correct fare at time of paying
balance. If booking is made within 42 days 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. If
your booking is made through a travel agent, APT will address all
correspondence to that travel agent. All monies paid by you to the
travel agent will be held on behalf of APT (UK) Ltd. If you arrange
your holiday direct with APT, 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 6 weeks prior to departure from your country of
origin (tours including rail travel 60 days prior). 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 iadvertised are quoted in UK£ and were calculated
on the basis of known and applicable exchange rates shown in the
Financial Times 'Guide to World Currencies'. Prices are based on
the Australia/New Zealand dollar exchange rates as at October 2006
£1=AU$2.38 and NZ$2.98.
The tour price will be confirmed to you at the time of booking (for
travel 1 April 2007 to 31 March 2008).
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, 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 together with an
amount to cover agents' commission. 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. No surcharges will be levied less than 30 days before
departure. In return for this commitment, we are unable to refund
you for exchange rate movements that would otherwise reduce your
holiday price.
Validity
The itineraries and fares are effective from 1 April 2006 to 31
March 2007 (or as indicated on individual pages). Itineraries and
fares prior to 1 April 2006 may be different from those indicated,
please check at the time of your enquiry or booking to ensure you
are aware of any changes. Departures after 31 March 2007 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 six weeks before
departure, the deposits paid will be forfeited. A cancellation can
only be accepted in writing from the person who made the booking or
in writing from the Travel Agent through whom the booking is made.
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 43 days prior to departure Deposits forfeited
42 - 15 days prior to departure - 20% of tour price
14 - 4 days prior to departure - 35% of tour price
Under 4 days prior to departure - 60% of tour price
Departure Date or later - 100% of tour price
All being subject to a minimum charge of £75 per person. 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 or
your travel agent as soon as is reasonably possible. 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 a minimum of 25 fully
paid adult bookings. The date on which the decision is made about
whether a tour will operate is no later than six 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 are arranged, 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 within 28 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 force majeure); or
- the fault of anyone who is not carrying out work for us
(generally or in particular) at the time.
Please note, we cannot accept responsibility for any services
which do not form part of our contract. This includes, for example,
any additional services, optional activities or facilities which
your hotel or any other supplier agrees to provide for you and
where the services or facilities are not advertised in our brochure
and we have not agreed to arrange them.
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 and New Zealand, some destinations
may lack even the simplest facilities for the disabled.
Not included in your tour price
Gratuities to your tour director and driver, lunches (except where
specified), occasional dinners, drinks, 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 is able 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 site is, to the best of our
knowledge correct at the time of going to publication. 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 you 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 £5,000 per
person. Neither does it apply to claims which are in respect of
physical injury or
illness or their consequences.
Consumer Payment Protection
Australian Pacific Touring (UK) Ltd. has arranged full bonding with
ABTA in order to protect consumer payments. This protection follows
the guidelines of the latest European legislation and complies
fully with all legal requirements within the U.K. For full details
please contact our London office, or visit the ABTA website at
www.abta.com.
Insurance
Passengers are recommended to ensure that their travel agent
arranges comprehensive travel insurance cover.
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 or your travel agent, 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 or your agent. 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 your Travel Agent.
Visas
At the time of going to press, British Passport holders are
required to have visas for a visit to Australia but not to New
Zealand. Please check with your travel agent or airline if you are
stopping over in other countries en route or if you are holding
other than a British Passport.
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.
Freedom of Choice Touring
Freedom of Choice Touring, Freedom of Choice Dining and Dine Around
Dinners" are booked by your Tour Director whilst on tour. They are
subject to availability, seasonal and operational factors and
public holidays or festivals and the like.
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 need to use the information you provide and pass on to the
operator or other relevant suppliers. The information may also be
provided to public authorities such as customs or immigration if
required by them, or as required by law. As your holiday with us is
outside the European Economic Area, controls on data protection may
not be as strong as the legal requirements in this country. We will
only pass your information on to persons responsible for your
travel arrangements. This applies to any sensitive information that
you give to us such as details of any disabilities or
dietary/religious requirements. (If we cannot pass this information
to the relevant suppliers, whether in the EEA or not, we will be
unable to provide your booking. In making this booking, you consent
to this information being passed on to the relevant persons.)
Smoking
Government regulations forbid smoking inside tourist coaches and
aircraft within Australia and New Zealand. 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. On all
coach tours (rather than independent modules) of 3 or more days, a
travel bag is issued upon boarding the coach. Maximum weight of all
baggage is 20kg (44lbs).
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 and New
Zealand hotels provide washing and drying facilities.