Terms & Conditions
IMPORTANT; please read this information before completing our booking form.

| Your contract with en route | Our obligation to you | General Information |

Your contract with en route

1. Booking and Contracts:
You must be 18 years of age or over to make a booking with us.

It is the law in certain European countries, and a condition of coach operators’ insurers, that infants under the age of 3 must be allocated their own seats on a coach, even if they do not use them. We therefore have to make a reduced charge for infants travelling by coach.

We accept bookings by telephone, e-mail, fax, letter or via our web-site. A discount is applicable for most bookings made on-line.

For bookings made more than 4 weeks before departure a deposit, normally of £25 per person, is payable immediately, and the balance to be paid not less than 4 weeks before departure. On certain tours involving the advance purchase of expensive admission tickets, the deposit may be increased to £100 per person.

For bookings made less than 4 weeks before departure, the total cost is payable immediately.

Payment can be made by cash, cheque and most credit/debit cards. We do not apply a surcharge for card payments. London agents are available for cash payments – please enquire when booking.

A binding contract exists between us once you have paid a deposit (or full payment where a deposit is unacceptable) and we have issued a confirmation invoice.

Whilst we may agree verbally to hold an option for a limited period without payment of a deposit, this will not give rise to contractual obligations by you or ourselves, and may be cancelled by either party without penalty.

2. Amendments to Your Booking:
If, after making your booking and the issue of our confirmation, you wish to change to a different en route holiday or alter your booking in any way (e.g. changing departure date, pick-up point or passenger names) we will make the changes providing written notification is received at our office from the person in whose name the booking is made, at least 4 weeks prior to the departure date, accompanied by a payment of £10 per booking to cover administration charges.

In the case of notifications by e-mail, the notification must come from the same e-mail address as the original booking.

Within 4 weeks of departure, such changes may incur greater costs depending on the type of travel (e.g. Eurostar or flights) and, in some cases, will not be possible at all because we are bound by the booking conditions of the operator concerned.

3. Cancellation by You:
If you wish to cancel a booking, you must notify us in writing. The person in whose name the booking is made must sign the letter of cancellation, or, in the case of notification by e-mail, the notification must come from the same e-mail address as the original booking.

The cancellation date will be deemed to be the date on which written notification is received in our office, NOT the date on which a verbal notification may have been given.

As cancellation incurs administrative costs, and we may not be able to re-sell the cancelled places, cancellation charges will apply on the following scale:

Period before departure within which written notification is received by en route		Cancellation charge shown † as a % of total holiday price excluding insurance premium.
More than 28 days		Deposit Only
22 days to 28 days		30% of Total Holiday Cost
15 days to 21 days		45% of Total Holiday Cost
8 days to 14 days		60% of Total Holiday Cost
7 days or less		100% of Total Holiday Cost

† In the case of holidays booked at Disneyland® Resort Paris and travel by Eurostar, we are bound by the terms and conditions of our suppliers. Disneyland holidays cancelled within 4 weeks of departure are subject to a cancellation charge of 100%. Eurostar tickets are non-refundable and non-transferable and if cancelled after confirmation are subject to 100% cancellation charge.

NOTE: Insurance claims in respect of cancellations should be submitted as quickly as possible, and in any event with 14 days of notification of the cancellation to en route.

4. Complaints:
If you have a complaint during your coach holiday please immediately inform our local representative or Tour Manager who will try to rectify the problem. Persons travelling independently should raise any matter of complaint directly with the hotel management, or the Train Manager if the complaint concerns Eurostar. If the matter cannot be put right you should record the details of your complaint in writing. On your return you should write to us within 28 days with full details. We will examine all complaints, but we point out that when dealing with suppliers and operators in foreign countries a prompt response is not always forthcoming.

5. Travel Documents:
Please note that some non-EU passport holders must have visas to enter or travel through France . For UK nationals, a full 10-year UK passport is required for all continental holidays.

UK passport holders may require visas for entry into certain countries outside the EU, including, in some circumstances, the United Sates of America.

You are solely responsible for ensuring that all necessary travel documents (e.g. passports, visas, vaccination certificates etc.) are valid and effective. We cannot make applications for visas on behalf of our customers and we recommend that anyone requiring a visa contacts the relevant Embassy or a professional visa agency.

No refund is given for cancellation or abandonment of a journey due to lack of correct personal documentation.

In the case of persons refused permission to board any vessel, aircraft or train, or refused re-entry into the United Kingdom due to incorrect personal documentation, en route has no liability for any costs incurred by such persons as a result of such refusal.

6. Conditions of Carriage:
On rare occasions the coach specification may differ from that specified in our brochures, particularly in the event of low numbers.

All our coaches are NON-SMOKING. Our itineraries include comfort breaks on long journeys.

You may not bring a pet or other animal on holiday.

You may not carry on your person or in your luggage any firearm, ammunition, explosive or any other article or substance possession of which is prohibited by law.

You are responsible for ensuring you are at the correct departure point at the correct time. We cannot be liable for any loss or expense arising from your late arrival at a departure point.

As a precaution we strongly advise clients to be at their departure point at least 15 minutes prior to their departure time.

7. Rights of refusal:
We reserve the unconditional right to refuse a booking or to terminate a passenger’s holiday in the event of conduct which, in our reasonable opinion, is likely to cause nuisance, injury or danger to our other passengers or staff.

8. Website Calculations:
We take great care to ensure that the prices calculated on our website are correct and correspond to the prices shown in our published brochures. However, if an error occurs, we reserve the right to correct it before completing your transaction. If such an error does occur, we will not debit your card until we have contacted you to correct it.

9. Data Protection:
The information you provide us for your booking will be treated in accordance with Data Protection legislation. Whilst we must obviously pass the information on to the relevant suppliers of your travel and accommodation requirements, and to public authorities such as Customs and Immigration as required by law, we will not pass on personal information to any person or organisation not involved in your travel and accommodation arrangements.

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Our obligation to you

1. Financial Security:
Your payment is held in a Trust Account at Lloyds TSB until you return from your holiday. This is in conformity with Department of Trade and Industry Directives and ensures that in the unlikely event of our financial failure your money is absolutely secure and that you will receive either the holiday booked or a full refund. Trustee name: F H Ames, c/o McCabe, Ford & Williams (Chartered Accountants), Dover , Kent .

2. No Surcharge Guarantee:
In these uncertain times, no company can be sure that surcharges may not be levied. In very limited circumstances surcharges will apply, but we guarantee that no surcharge will be levied within 30 days of departure.

3. If We Change Your Holiday:
Your holiday is planned many months in advance. Inevitably there are occasions when circumstances beyond our control may force us to make changes to the advertised holiday. Most changes are minor. However, if we have to make significant changes you will have the option of withdrawing from the holiday without penalty or accepting the changes with a variation of the price to take account of the changes, or, for equivalent value, choose another available en route holiday. If you choose to withdraw, you may be entitled to compensation. However, compensation will not apply to changes caused by reason of war or threat of war, terrorist activity, riots, civil strife, industrial disputes, natural disasters, closure of ports or airports and similar events completely beyond our control.

Occasionally hotels which we have booked in advance may become unavailable for reasons entirely beyond our control. Where this occurs, we will arrange a replacement hotel of a similar, or higher, standard and as near to the location of the original hotel as possible. We will make every effort to notify customers of hotel changes prior to their departure, providing we ourselves have adequate notice of the necessity to change.

4. If We Cancel Your Holiday:
In the event of low numbers, we may have to cancel your holiday, and if this should occur we will return to you all the money you have paid to us or offer a suitable alternative. Any claims for costs incurred as a result of cancellation will be assessed on an individual basis.

5. Our Liability to You:
We accept liability for arrangements for your holiday which are wholly within our control and that of our employees and suppliers.

We ensure that the suppliers of all the services applicable to our holidays are efficient and reputable. However, coaches, ships and aircraft do occasionally break down or suffer defects to their facilities. In some cases it may become necessary to replace a vehicle, ship or aircraft which cannot be conveniently repaired. We cannot accept responsibility for delays caused by any form of mechanical fault, not caused by the negligence of ourselves, our employees or our suppliers.

Our published running times are estimates only. We make every effort to adhere to our pick-up schedules and itineraries, but many factors beyond our control can interfere with timings.

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General information [not part of contract]

 

1. Health:
We recommend that all UK citizens travelling within the European Community should carry with them Form E111 together with a photocopy of the page showing personal details. This form is issued free of charge from all main Post Offices and proves entitlement to free or subsidised medical treatment throughout all EC countries. Medical treatment under this scheme is not always free of charge at the time of delivery, and hospitals, doctors and dentists may require payment at the time, which can be reclaimed on return to the UK.

2. Insurance:
Although insurance is not compulsory, we do recommend most strongly that our customers are covered by travel insurance, however short the duration of their tour. We recommend the “Coach Plus” policy administered by P J Hayman & Co Ltd. An outline of their cover is listed below. Limits and excesses are correct as at 1 st April 2004.

Covered items	Limits	Excess
MEDICAL & INCIDENTAL EXPENSES (not UK)	up to £2,000,000	£40
REPATRIATION & EMERGENCY EXPENSES	up to £10,000	£40
ADDITIONAL HOSPITAL BENEFIT (not UK)	up to £400	nil
PERSONAL ACCIDENT	up to £15,000	nil
PERSONAL EFFECTS & BAGGAGE	up to £1250	nil
PERSONAL MONEY	up to £250	nil
PERSONAL LIABILITY	up to £1,000,000	refer to certificate
TRAVEL DISRUPTION	up to £500	nil
LEGAL EXPENSES	up to £10,000	nil
TRAVEL DELAY (not UK)	1) £60	nil
	2) up to the holiday cost	2) £40
CANCELLATION & CURTAILMENT	up to the holiday cost	£40 (£10 loss of deposit/trips under £100)

3. Children:
Children are welcome unless we specify the tour is unsuitable for those under a certain age. It is the law in some European countries that children under 16 cannot sit in the front seats of coaches. Please note that at Disneyland Resort Paris, age and height restrictions apply to children on many of the attractions.

Infants (under 3yrs) New Law! In August 2002, the French Government has instructed all tour operators, travelling through France, that ALL infants travelling on a coach MUST have an allocated seat that no-one else can be seated on. The infant is not obliged to use the seat and can sit on an adults lap if preferred. However, because of this new law we are now reluctantly obliged to make a minimal charge of £49 for all infants.

4. Luggage:
Accommodation is provided in our coaches for passengers’ luggage, but obviously space is limited and passengers are requested to restrict their luggage to one medium-sized suitcase per person plus small hand luggage which may be taken on the coach.

5. Hotels:
Unless otherwise stated, the hotel accommodation provided for our tours has double, twin and single rooms all with en-suite facilities. Where star ratings are quoted, it must be remembered that ratings vary between countries, and are not always a good guide to quality. Our Tour Managers report to us regularly on the quality of accommodation, so that standards can be maintained. It is not usual for continental hotels to provide tea/coffee making facilities or hairdryers in rooms.

6. Special Requests:
If you have special requests you consider essential to your holiday, you should advise us in writing before finalising your booking. This is especially the case with dietary requirements as most hotels require advance notice. Requests for specific coach seats will be met as far as practicable, but where more than one person requests the same seat this will be dealt with on a first come first served basis.

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