Terms and Conditions

Please carefully read the following conditions. They will form part of your agreement with The Great Traveller Limited, company number 03262455(hereafter known as 'the Operator' or 'us'). You must not make any bookings unless you fully understand and agree with these terms and those of our privacy policy. Your rights under your contract will be determined by the type of travel arrangements you book including a "Non-Package" (hereafter known as a 'placement'), meaning a volunteer project and/or a tour booking inclusive of accommodation but exclusive of flights, a "Flight Package" which is inclusive of a placement and flights or a "Flight Only" which is just the booking of a flight arrangement.

1. Your Contract with Us
   
   1. Your contract with the Operator and any matters arising from it shall be governed by and construed in accordance with English law and is subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.
   2. If any part, term or provision of this contract is held to be illegal or unenforceable it shall not affect the validity or enforceability of the remainder of the contract. Furthermore, if any covenants are held illegal or unenforceable by virtue of its scale, extent or duration, it shall remain valid and enforceable in such reduced scale, extent or duration as any court may decide as being the maximum scale, extent or duration permissible.
   3. Headings are for convenience only and shall not affect the construction of any provision. Except where the context otherwise indicates, words denoting the singular include the plural and vice versa: words denoting any one gender include all genders; words denoting persons include firms, companies and other legal entities and vice versa.
   4. A minimum age of 18 at a travellers time of travel applies to all trips unless otherwise specified.
   5. Whereby any terms or conditions listed here are inconsistent with those of a flight operator or provider, the terms of the flight operator or provider shall prevail.
2. Payment and Confirmation
   
   1. A deposit per person must be received along with your booking form before we begin to process your application and confirm your placement. This should be made payable within 3 days of receipt of reservation documents unless it has been indicated otherwise.
   2. The person completing the booking form which incorporates these terms and conditions warrants that s/he has full authority to do so on behalf of all persons whose names appear thereon and confirm that all such persons are fully aware of and accepts these terms and conditions. If, you book less than 8 weeks before departure, full payment must be received at the time of booking. Please note that bookings for peak periods and for certain placements may require a larger deposit. You will be advised of any alterations to the amount payable at the time of booking or within a week after.
   3. Payment by debit/credit/charge cards will not incur any additional fees.
   4. A contract with you is made when monies are exchanged to secure the required services, normally by way of a deposit payment of at least £195 in the case of placements or in full for flight reservations (either via online payment with a debit or credit card or electronic transfer). At this stage a binding contract comes into existence between you and the Operator. (Please note, though, that if you book a tailor-made itinerary or an excursion/tour including accommodation etc, this will only be requested by the Operator once your request together with a deposit has been received). Your booking confirmation will indicate your placement cost and you will be advised of any accommodation etc., which are still on request and not confirmed at the time of issue. Naturally we will try to obtain final confirmation of all your placement components as soon as possible. If a particular placement cannot be confirmed you will be offered an alternative or, failing that, a refund.
   5. It is your responsibility to check the confirmation invoice carefully and to let the Operator know immediately in the event of any error.
   6. The balance of your placement cost is payable 60 days prior to departure with time being of the essence of the agreement. If the final payment is not received by the 60th day prior to departure, the Operator reserves the right to treat the booking as cancelled by you and will levy cancellation charges as per clause 7.
   7. The Operator has included in its prices all government taxes (as indicated on their website), which can be pre-paid and are all paid to the Operator, however, there may be some that have to be paid by you locally, including but not limited to immigration tax, reciprocity fees and customs broker fees. These are extra and for your personal account (such as international airport arrival or departure tax).
   8. Advertised prices may be limited to specific time frames or scheduled dates and the correct price will be confirmed at the time of payment. Prices will therefore not be guaranteed until full payment is made.
   9. All payments are processed in GBP and any prices stated in other currencies should be taken as a guide only. Due to fluctuating exchange rates, if you are booking from outside the UK, the price you pay in your local currency may alter from your time of booking to the time you make any payments.
3. Travel Documentation
   
   1. Travel documents which include hotel vouchers, tour vouchers or any other document (whether in electronic form or otherwise) used to confirm an arrangement can be downloaded after your deposit has been paid by clicking the My Project section of the website, logging in with your email address and password and clicking the documents tab. Travel documents for flight arrangements including airline tickets may also be viewed but only after payment has been made in full.
   2. Travel documents may be subject to certain conditions and restrictions including being non-refundable, non-date-changeable and subject to cancellation and amendment fees. All airline tickets must be issued in the name of the passport/photo identity holder. An incorrect name on a booking may result in an inability to travel on that booking and the booking being cancelled. Please review your travel documentation carefully and advise us immediately of any errors in names, dates or timings. It is your responsibility to collect all travel documents from us prior to travel and to observe all airline check-in times and requirements (please note many airlines now allow you to check-in online within certain timeframes). Please note also that a flight described in your flight ticket as "direct" will not necessarily be non-stop. Flight dates and times can sometimes be changed by airlines at anytime and whilst the Operator will try to always contact you and inform you of any changes, it remains your responsibility to check your flight itinerary before each individual flight. The Operator will not be liable for any missed flights due to date or time changes by an airline.
   3. Alternatively travel documents may be sent to you approximately 4 weeks before the start of your placement/project. If your booking is made within 8 weeks of departure, final documents will be sent or made available to download/view on the My Project section of the website, provided cleared funds have been received for the full value of your placement. For some projects or tours you will be handed your internal travel vouchers by your tour manager/an Operator representative upon your arrival at your placement destination.
   4. It is your responsibility to ensure you have valid passports, visas and re-entry permits which meet the requirements of immigration and other government authorities (including, in certain cases, visas for transit points). Any fines, penalties, payments, delays or expenditure incurred as a result of such documents not meeting the requirements of those authorities will be your sole responsibility. We do not accept any responsibility if you cannot travel because you have not complied with any passport, visa or immigration requirements.
   5. If you would like any documentation sent out by post there will be an additional £5 charge for any address in the UK or £10 charge for anywhere outside the UK.
4. Special Requests
   Where special requests for room allocation, diet considerations, medical considerations etc. are requested, we, the Operator must be made aware of them in writing at the time of booking. Whilst every effort will be made to ensure that these requests are fulfilled, they cannot be guaranteed. Furthermore, the Operator will not be liable for claims for consequential loss where written advice of special needs and requirements had not been received in writing at the time of booking. All travellers must also ensure they declare any medication they are currently on, will be on at the time of travel, may be on in the 12 months after travel or have been on in the 2 years prior to travel. This must be done at the time of booking and no later than 60 days before departure. Failure to mention any health issues may result in you being asked to leave the project or tour you are on and maybe even the premises on which you are staying. If you or any member of your party have any disabilities, it is extremely important that we make the necessary arrangements to make your holiday go smoothly. We must therefore insist that you contact our offices on +44 (0) 208 885 4987 before completing any reservation to ensure compatibility for the holiday that you choose. For any special requirements including but not limited to meals, seating requests or disabled access whereby you have booked an airline ticket and paid monies for said ticket to the Operator, the Operator must be made aware at the time of booking. Not all airlines will be able to accommodate every request.
5. If you make a change to your booking
   
   1. If you wish to make any alterations to your placement after your deposit payment has been made, and we are able to make the required change with our supplier, an amendment fee of £60 per alteration per person will apply. However, if you change your booking less than 8 weeks before departure, this will be treated as a cancellation and a new booking and you will be liable for the cancellation charges set out in this contract. Please note that a request to change the date(s) of a placement is a cancellation of the placement booked and the provisions of clause 7 will apply. A desire to transfer your booking to another person is not an alteration but carries an administration fee of £60 and will not be available with regards to any booking including flights.
   2. Changes in transportation costs, including the cost of fuel, taxes or fees chargeable for services such as landing taxes or embarkation or disembarkation fees at ports and airports and exchange rates mean that the price of your travel arrangements may change after you have booked. You will be advised as soon as possible after we become aware of any such change. We will collect all mandatory taxes, however some countries may charge a departure tax that must be paid locally. We advise travellers to retain sufficient local currency to meet these charges.
   3. If you wish to change any aspect of your placement after it has commenced, the Operator will do their best to accommodate your request, subject to you being responsible for any cancellation/retention charges that may be levied for the arrangements originally booked, for the cost of your new arrangements and for any costs incurred by the Operator in attempting to secure or securing any revised arrangements.
   4. Certain airfares and services are booked at competitive rates to which travel service providers may attach severe restrictions. You may be required to pay for these in full at the time of booking and the airfare or service may be non-refundable in the event of a cancellation and may also prohibit alterations or amendments.
   5. All requests for changes must be made by the lead traveller on each booking.
   6. When changing airline tickets we may have to rebook you at the current fare which may result in an increase in the cost of your ticket in addition to our administration charges and the airline change fees. Name changes are not permitted in any instance.
6. Alterations Made To your Placement Itinerary
   
   1. The Operator reserves the right to alter any of the prices, facilities or services described in its website or promotional material at any time. Any changes will be notified to you at the time you make your booking or if after you have made a booking as soon as possible. Such changes will normally be minor. If there is a major change the Operator will try to inform you as soon as possible and offer you the choice of alternative arrangements or a refund of all monies paid unless by reason of force majeure. Force majeure includes but is not limited to war, threat of war, riot, civil disobedience or strife, industrial dispute, terrorist activity, acts of God, natural or nuclear disaster, fire, adverse weather conditions, closure of airports or any unforeseeable or unavoidable event beyond the control of the Operator or its suppliers.
   2. We will advise you of the carrier operating each flight in your itinerary. Any changes to the carrier after you have received your tickets will be notified to you as soon as possible and in all cases at check-in or at the boarding gate. Please note that carriers may be subject to change. Such a change is deemed to be a minor change. Other examples of minor changes include alteration of your flight departure time by less than 12 hours, changes to aircraft type and change of accommodation to a comparable or higher standard. No compensation is payable in respect of minor changes.
   3. Under EU law (EC 261/2004) you have rights in some circumstances to refunds or compensation from your airline in cases of denied boarding, cancellation or delay to flights. Details of these rights are published at EU airports and are also available from your airline. However, reimbursement by an airline of the cost of a flight that forms part of a package does not automatically entitle you to a refund of your entire package travel arrangement cost from us.
7. Cancellation by You
   
   1. Should you wish to cancel your booking you must notify the Operator by email or in writing. Such notification will only be deemed to have been given on receipt of your email or letter, since we can only act on receipt. The following cancellation charges will apply: - More than 60 days of departure date - Loss of all deposits, within 30 to 60 days of departure date - Loss of 50% of your total placement cost, within 0 to 30 days of departure date - Loss of 100% of your total placement cost.
   2. No allowance or refunds can be made for meals, rooms, excursions etc., included in the price of your placement but not taken, nor can any refund be made for lost, mislaid or destroyed travel tickets or vouchers.
8. Cancellation by Us
   The Operator tries never to cancel a client's placement, but must reserve the right to do so. Should your placement be cancelled the Operator will inform you as soon as is practicable and you will have the option of choosing an alternative placement of a comparable standard, if available, or receiving a prompt refund of all monies paid to the Operator for your placement (excluding any insurance premium or visa charges). The operator will not refund any monies paid if the cancellation has been caused by force majeure.
9. Your Responsibilities
   
   You have certain responsibilities with regard to your placement booking, and these responsibilities are set out below. The Operator will not be liable for any loss, damage, illness, discomfort or costs of whatever kind which you may sustain as a result of failing to discharge the responsibilities described in this clause: -
   1. Visas: It is the client's responsibility to be in possession of such visa permits as may be required for the whole of their tour/project. All clients must obtain all necessary visas and relevant documentation prior to departure; it is their responsibility to ensure they have the correct visa to enter the country. If you do not have the correct visa or documentation required to enter, transit through or stay in a country and are therefore unable to join your project or tour then this is your responsibility and no refund, partial or otherwise will be obtainable from the Operator. If you arrive at any project without the correct visa you may be asked to leave immediately or be reported to immigration in the host country. If you over stay your visa it is your responsibility and the Operator will not be liable for any additional fees incurred.
   2. Passports: A valid passport (valid for at least 6 months beyond the end of your placement) is required for travel for most destinations. You will also need at least 2 blank pages in your passport. It is your responsibility to ensure your passport permits you entry into the country for your project or tour.
   3. Health: We recommend that all clients should do the following before they travel: Read Health Advice for Travellers (T6) available from your local Department of Health office or the Health Literature Line. Seek The latest Foreign Office Advice, notifications are also available on the Foreign & Commonwealth Office website at www.fco.gov.uk/knowbeforeyougo You should consult your doctor on current inoculations before you depart. If you have any medical conditions that may affect your ability to enjoy and/or partake fully in the project you book with us, you must notify us immediately. The Operator reserves the right, where appropriate, to ask you to provide written certification of your medical fitness prior to departure. It is your responsibility to ensure that you obtain all recommended or required inoculations, take all recommended medication and follow all medical advice in relation to your placement.
   4. Documents: It is your responsibility to ensure that passports, visas, vaccination certificates and all other necessary documents are in order and, where appropriate, in your possession. It is also your responsibility to arrange adequate insurance cover for your booking and to take relevant details of the policy with you. Certain projects require a certain level of insurance cover in order to participate. In these cases it is also your responsibility to insure you have the correct cover; please note The Great Projects offers insurance for all of our projects, however, some may require extra cover.
   5. Transportation: The Operator can book your flights for you or these can be booked privately by the customer. It is your responsibility to ensure that you arrive in good time to board all flights or other methods of transportation. To assist you, we will notify you of the times by which you should arrive at all points of departure (this can often be found in your pre-departure document). If you miss a flight or other transportation we will try to arrange alternative transportation, but reserve the right to recover from you any costs we incur in making such arrangements. If you do miss a flight or another form of transportation it is imperative you notify us at your earliest convenience so that we can attempt to organise an alternative airport transfer/pick up. If you are booked onto a project or tour which includes airport transfers you need to inform the Operator of your arrival and departure details at least 60 days before departure. If these details are not received by then your airport transfers cannot be guaranteed and additional transfers may need to be arranged which will incur an additional fee.
   6. Behaviour: Whilst on our projects/tours you must not behave in a way which may cause distress or cause any annoyance to others or which may create the risk of danger or damage to persons or property. If you are subject to arrest, or are prevented from travelling at the discretion of an airline or other transport providers/authorities, or if you are evicted from a hotel at the discretion of the hotel management, the Operator will not refund any portion of the cost of your placement and, if the Operator incurs any expense as a result of your behaviour, you will be obliged to compensate the Operator for that expense. You must comply with the rules, values and directives of the Operator. Failure to do so could result in you being expelled from a placement, and the Operator will not refund any portion of the cost of your placement and, if the Operator incurs any expense as a result of your behaviour, you will be obliged to compensate the Operator for that expense. The Operator pursues a policy of debt recovery through whatever means appropriate.
10. Our Responsibilities
    We are responsible for making sure that each part of the placement you book with us is provided to a reasonable standard and as described on our website, or to any amendments to it. Some services will be provided by independent suppliers contracted by us. Overseas safety standards are generally much lower than in the UK - for example, few hotels are yet to meet EU fire safety recommendations. This may be the case even in Europe.
11. Liability
    
    1. We will not 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:
       i) The fault of the person(s) affected or any member(s) of his/her party or
       ii) The fault of a third party not connected with the provision of your placement which we could not have predicted or avoided or
       iii) An event of circumstance which we or the supplier of the service(s) in question could not have predicted or avoided even after taking all reasonable care
       iv) The fault of anyone who is not carrying out work for us (generally or in particular) at the time.
    2. Bookings on placements are accepted on the understanding that you appreciate the possible risks inherent in working in difficult conditions, remote locations, extreme climate conditions, with animals, and that you undertake the work, tours, treks or expeditions featured in the programme at you own volition.
    3. In addition, we will not be responsible where you do not enjoy your placement or suffer any problems because of a reason you did not tell us about when you booked your placement or where any problems you suffer did not result from any breach of our contract or other fault of ourselves or, where we were responsible for them, our suppliers or agents or where any losses, expenses, costs or other sum you have suffered relate to any business. Please note we cannot accept responsibility for any services, which do not form part of our contract. This includes, for example, any additional services or facilities, which your hotel or any other supplier agrees to provide for you where the services or facilities are not advertised in our brochure, and we have not agreed to arrange them.
    4. For claims or complaints concerning international travel by air, sea or road, or involving a stay at a hotel, the most we will have to pay you is the most we would have to pay you if we were a carrier or hotel keeper in accordance with the applicable International Convention or regulation. When making any payment, we are entitled to deduct any money, which you have received or are due to receive from the carrier or hotelier for the complaint or claim in question.
12. Website & promotional materials accuracy
    All facts on our website and in our promotional material are checked by us in consultation with our overseas suppliers. Changes can occur, which are beyond our control. If you have already booked, we'll do our best to tell you about changes, if there is time, before departure. Please note that where artist's impressions and computer generated images have been used, it is intended solely to give you an idea of how the property will look. It is not always an exact replica of the finished building. Should details change, we will advise you of the alterations via our website, or if you have already booked, by email as soon as possible.
13. If you have a complaint
    Please tell our local representatives immediately and they will attempt to resolve the matter to your satisfaction. It is in everyone's interests to sort the matter out as quickly as possible. If the matter cannot be resolved, then please report the matter to us via our emergency contact number or inform our representative and then follow it up in writing to us, within 28 days, on your return home please send us a letter by recorded delivery to Customer Services, The Great Traveller Limited, 3 Dairy Yard, Star Street, Ware, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom, SG12 7DX. We will respond within 30 days of receipt of your letter. Please ensure that your booking reference and any pictures are included. If you fail to do this, any right to compensation, which you may have, will be extinguished or reduced.
14. Travel Insurance
    It is a condition of your contract with us that you take out adequate travel insurance at the time of your booking, or prior to payment of the balance of your placement cost, and if you do not purchase the policy we recommend, you must purchase an appropriate alternative and provide us with proof thereof when you pay the balance of your placement cost. The Operator cannot be held responsible if you purchase an inadequate insurance policy or if you fail to notify the Operator of factors affecting your particular requirements for cover. They are not considered to be part of the “Placement Price", but are a necessary supplement to it. The Operator reserves the right to exclude, without refund or recompense, a client who does not have appropriate insurance cover from those activities or work forming part of the placement for which adequate insurance cover is in the opinion of the Operator required.
15. What your placement price includes
    Your placement price includes items as listed on your latest booking confirmation.
16. What your placement price excludes
    Inter alia, flights, travel insurance, the cost of personal items such as laundry, drinks with meals incidentals etc., airport security charges if levied by any airport to cover the cost of security arrangements, airport departure taxes payable locally, optional excursions / extras, cost of visas, passports, transport between your residence and initial departure airport / port / station, gratuities for service provided on a personal basis, meals other than those specified. If there are any further exclusions the Operator will notify you at time of booking.
17. Transportation Air, rail, road and other departure times are supplied by our nominated representatives /carriers.
    
    1. They are subject to, air traffic control restrictions, weather conditions, the need for constant maintenance and the ability of passengers to check in on time. There is no guarantee that departures will take place at the times shown either on the Operator's website, your documentation or your booking confirmation. The timings are estimates only. The Operator does not have any liability to you for any delays which may arise. Further, your dealings with all representatives /carriers are subject to the conditions of carriage of the carrier, some of which may limit or exclude liability. We will supply you with relevant details concerning your transportation at the time of booking. However, if any of these details change subsequently, and you choose to cancel as a result, our normal cancellation charges will apply. Any arrangements in the event of a delay will be at the sole discretion of the airline or other representatives/carrier involved.
    2. We recommend that you contact your airline or visit their website 24 hours before the scheduled departure to confirm the scheduled departure time and that of any and all subsequent onward flights. Failure to reconfirm any sector of your itinerary may result in you needing to purchase a new flight.
18. Excursions/Agents and Representative
    
    1. Excursions only form part of your placement arrangements if they are described in a tour itinerary or are purchased before departure.
    2. Our acceptance of liability for the acts of our representatives or agents is only binding if our representatives or agents are acting with our authority and/or performing their duties as described. This excludes for example any social contact that you may have with them.
19. Data Protection
    It may be necessary to ask you for details of a personal nature such as dietary requirements, physical/medical disabilities and criminal record. Some information may be passed to partners and/or suppliers who at our discretion need to know such details in advance. We may also use your details to pass to other divisions within our company whom we may feel would be of interest to yourself. This information will be held within the company and you are able to request a copy of all of the information we hold relating to you at any point. By no means will this information be used for third party marketing purposes. All information is kept strictly confidential. For more information please see our privacy policy.
20. Financial Security
    The Association of Bonded Travel Organisers Trust Limited (ABTOT) provides financial protection under the Package Travel, Package Holidays and Package Tours Regulations 1992 for The Great Traveller Ltd, and in the event of their insolvency, protection is provided for the following:
    1. non-flight packages commencing in and returning to the UK;
    2. non-flight packages commencing and returning to a country other than the UK; and
    3. flight inclusive packages that commence outside of the UK, which are sold to customers outside of the UK.
    1, 2 and 3 provides for a refund in the event you have not yet travelled. 1 and 3 provides for repatriation. Please note that bookings made outside the UK are only protected by ABTOT when purchased directly with The Great Traveller Ltd.
21. Flight Package
    If you purchase a Volunteer Project and/or a Tour alongside a flight arrangement then the combination of travel services offered to you is a package within the meaning of the Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations. Therefore, you will benefit from all EU rights applying to packages. The Operator will be fully responsible for the proper performance of the package as a whole. Additionally, as required by law, the Operator has protection in place to refund your payments and, where transport is included in the package, to ensure your repatriation in the event that it becomes insolvent. More information on key rights under Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 can be found here.
22. ABTA
    We are a Member of ABTA, membership number Y6351. 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. You can also access the European Commission Online Dispute (ODR) Resolution 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.
23. Travel Advice
    The Foreign and Commonwealth Travel Advice Unit may have issued information about your travel destination. We strongly advise you go to www.fco.gov.uk to find out more about your destination prior to the commencement of travel. Alternatively, you can contact the ABTA Information Department on 0203 117 0599 (calls will be charged).