Terms & Conditions

The following Booking Conditions and General Information form the basis of the contract between you and our travel partners Leisure Direction Ltd which acts as agent for travel and accommodation providers who have agreed to be bound by these terms. Please read this information carefully before booking your holiday as they set out our respective rights and obligations. Telephone bookings are only accepted on the assumption that you have read and agree to these booking conditions. Your contract with us and all matters arising from it are governed by English Law and the courts in England shall have exclusive jurisdiction. A contract exists when we issue a Confirmation Invoice on behalf of the travel and accommodation providers. All holidays offered by our travel partners Leisure Direction are bonded in accordance with ABTA and CAA requirements - ABTA Number V473X, ATOL 4658.

YOUR COMMITMENT TO US BOOKING, DEPOSIT & PAYMENT - Once you have decided upon your route, date and approximate time of your outward and return travel, along with any accommodation and/or insurance requirements (if applicable), then call us to make your reservation request. You will be asked to pay the holiday deposit of £30 per person (Ski holidays £50pp), including children, plus insurance premiums in full. The balance of the holiday cost must be received by us not less than 8 weeks before departure. We do not send out reminders. If you paid your deposit by credit card, the balance will be automatically deducted 8 weeks before departure unless we have received payment by other means by this date. Credit card charges of 1.25% apply for deposits and balances. Alternatively, you may post us a cheque for your deposit/balance or pay by Switch or delta to avoid these charges. If we do not receive full payment on time, we reserve the right to treat your booking as cancelled by you and the scale of cancellation charges described below will apply. If your booking is made within 8 weeks of departure then full payment must be made at the time of booking. Money paid to a Travel Agent is held by him on our behalf. Flight seats, Eurostar seats and Channel crossings are subject to availability and schedules are subject to change without notice. The number of places available on any flight, train or ferry is restricted and it is possible that places may be fully booked even though places may still be available for sale in a different booking class on the same service. In the event that we are unable to confirm your booking immediately, we will willingly request your transportation and/or accommodation requirements extra to our allocation. However, we will require full payment prior to making such requests as you will be committed to our booking conditions (and cancellation/ amendment terms) as soon as we secure the requested services. In cases where we are unsuccessful in securing the requested services according to your requirements, we will immediately refund all monies in full.

YOUR CONTRACT - For all services we act only as your agent and your contract for travel and accommodation will therefore be with the relevant supplier. This comes into existence when we issue our holiday confirmation invoice.

CHANGES BY YOU - If you wish to alter any details of your booking once we have sent the confirmation, we will do our utmost to help provided charges are sent in writing to us, Recorded Delivery. Where we can make the change requested, we charge a £30 amendment fee. Changes cannot be made within 2 weeks of departure. If we are unable to make any requested change and you do not wish to continue with the booking then our cancellation charges, as detailed below, will apply. Please note that Eurostar reservations and flights cannot be changed after a reservation has been made and any alteration request will incur a 100% cancellation charge.

CANCELLATIONS BY YOU - If you wish to cancel your holiday in whole or in part after your booking has been confirmed, you must write to us straight away, using Recorded Delivery. Your notice of cancellation is effective from when we receive it in writing. If you do cancel, we will charge a cancellation fee on the following scale: Amount of notice you give Cancellation charge us before the scheduled (% of holiday price excluding departure date: insurance premium):

More than 56 days Deposit
56-15 days 50% (or deposit if greater)
14-0 days 100%

No refunds will be made on insurance premiums under any circumstances. If the reason for cancellation is covered by your holiday insurance policy you should make a direct claim to the insurance company.

COMMITMENT TO YOU CHANGES OR CANCELLATIONS BY US - In the unlikely event that we will have to make any changes to your holiday we will advise you at the earliest opportunity. Most changes, if they occur, will be minor. Should the change be of a major nature i.e.travel departure delay of more than 12 hours and/or a downgrade of accommodation and/or relocation of holiday to a different region, you will have the choice of the following:

a.accepting the change or
b.accepting another available holiday from us at the appropriate price or
c. cancelling your holiday

If you choose a. or b. we will pay reasonable compensation as shown below. If you choose c., we will refund you all the money you have paid plus reasonable compensation on the scale shown below.

IMPORTANT - Compensation will not be payable for minor changes or if we are forced to cancel or in any way change your holiday due to war, riot, civil or nuclear disaster, fire or adverse weather conditions: or as a result of unusual and unforeseeable circumstances beyond our control amounting to force majeure.

GUARANTEED NO SURCHARGES - The price of your holiday is fully guaranteed and will not be subject to any surcharges. We reserve the right to revise prices for new bookings in the event of any change of exchange rate. The price we confirm at the time of booking is the price you pay. (Please note local taxes can be introduced in holiday areas at any time and payment would be your.responsibility.)

OUR RESPONSIBILITY - We have exercised care in making arrangements for your holiday and described the elements of your holiday in accordance with our latest information, at the time of producing any written confirmation. Should any changes occur in descriptions of these elements, after the time of producing such written information, we will notify you when you make your booking. We accept responsibility should the services we are contractually bound to provide prove deficient or not of a reasonable standard, and for the acts and/or omissions of our employees, agents, sub-contactors, and/or suppliers, except where personal injury, illness or death results to the signatory to the holiday contract and/or any other person named on the booking form. Our liability under this paragraph is limited to the holiday price of the person(s) affected in total. Furthermore, where services are provided by any air, sea or rail carrier and/or accommodation supplier, our obligations are limited in the manner provided by international conventions in respect of these carriers and suppliers. If you or any member of your party suffer death, bodily injury or illness arising from negligent acts or omissions of our employees, agents. suppliers (other than air, rail and sea carriers performing any domestic, internal or international carriage of whatsoever kind for whom we accept no liability), their sub-contractors, servants and/or agents, we will accept responsibility, provided that they were acting within the scope of, or in the course of their employment when the accident occurred, and where the failure to perform or improper performance was due to the fault of such person and not to an event which such person could not foresee or forestall even if they had taken all due care. In return, you must notify us of your claim within 28 days of your scheduled date of return, agree to assign to ourselves or our insurers any rights you have against any third party relating to the claim, and agree to give us your full cooperation if either ourselves or our insurers wish to enforce any rights against the third party in respect of your claim. If you or any member of your party suffer death, illness or injury whilst overseas arising out of activity which does not form part of the holiday arranged through us, we shall, at our discretion, offer advice and assistance to help you in resolving any claim you may have against a third party provided we are advised of the incident within 90 days of the occurrence. Where legal action is contemplated, our authority must be obtained prior to commencement of proceedings and be subject to your undertaking to assign any costs recovered or any benefits received under an appropriate insurance policy to ourselves. Our costs in respect of the above on behalf of you and your party shall not exceed £5000 in total. You agree to indemnify us against all losses and/or damage arising directly or indirectly from any act, default or omission of yours.

COMPLAINTS - If you have a problem or complaint during your holiday you must contact the local owner/agent or accommodation manager immediately so that they have an opportunity to put it right. Should the problem not be resolved satisfactorily in your opinion, the complaint must be reported to our UK office at your earliest opportunity whilst you are in resort to enable our UK management to take remedial action. If the matter still cannot be resolved and you wish to take it up with us on your return, you should write to us with full details within 28 days of your return from holiday. We aim to give full satisfaction but if agreement cannot be reached you may wish to refer the matter to arbitration under a special scheme devised by arrangement with the Association of British Travel Agents, but administered quite independently by the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. The scheme provides for a simple and inexpensive method of arbitration on documents alone with restricted liability on the customer in respect of costs. The scheme does not apply to claims for an amount greater than £1500 per person. There is also a limit of £7500 per booking form. Neither does it apply to claims relating solely or mainly to personal injury or illness. Any dispute must be referred to arbitration within nine months of your return from holiday.

CONDITIONS OF CARRIERS AND SUPPLIERS - Many of the services which make up your holiday arrangements are provided by independent carriers and suppliers. Those carriers and suppliers provide these services in accordance with their own terms and conditions which may limit or exclude their liability to you, usually in accordance with International Conventions. Copies of the relevant terms and conditions are available by prior arrangement from ourselves. You and your party undertake to abide by the regulations of accommodation owners, carriers and other suppliers during your holiday. We reserve the right to terminate the holiday contract, without notice, of anyone who, in our opinion, behaves in such a way as to cause danger, distress or annoyance to anyone or damage to property. Refunds or expenses will not be payable by ourselves in such circumstances and we will not have further responsibility towards such persons. Furthermore. the whole party will be responsible for paying us for any direct or indirect damage, loss, expense or cost you or any member of your party causes. Holiday details are issued on the sole responsibility of our travel partners Leisure Direction Ltd. It is not issued on behalf of and does not commit the carriers mentioned in it or any other carrier whose services are used. Tickets are issued as part of a total package and partial refunds cannot be considered in any circumstances. Tickets are not interchangeable between carriers. Open dated return tickets will not be issued. Our travel partners Leisure Direction Ltd cannot replace or refund tickets which are lost, stolen or destroyed. Please check ticket details before travel, including check-in time. In the event of delay to scheduled services, please check with your carrier for details of their arrangements. We bear no responsibility for any liability for any such delays. In any case, we advise you to check with port/station authorities before departing.

IMPORTANT NOTICE - From time to time our travel partners Leisure Direction may mail its customers with a variety of interesting opportunities from itself and other reputable companies. If you prefer not to receive such offers, please write to: Dept ED, Leisure Direction Ltd, Image House, Station Road, London N17 9LR.

GENERAL INFORMATION Descriptions: The accommodation we offer ranges from simple to luxurious and can vary in size, style and comfort. Classifications: Star ratings are official local ratings and these are often based upon technical specifications, not quality. Facilities: Certain facilities, entertainment and organised activities may be restricted during off-peak periods. There may be some facilities advertised which cannot be made available as they are subject to weather conditions, volume of support, time of the year or local laws and regulations. Such events are regrettably beyond our control. Local Amenities: Market days may vary without notice. Many shops, restaurants and museums close on public holidays. Taxe De Sejour: A holiday tax may be levied by French hotels at the discretion of the local authority of between FF2-7 per person per night, including children. Passports and Visas: A full 10 year passport is required to travel abroad. Please allow 12 weeks for a postal application. Holders of non-EC passports must check visa requirements with the relevant consulate. Health & Safety: Safety standards and local regulations are those of the country concerned. We advise you to exercise care when finding yourself in unfamiliar surroundings. For example, please familiarise yourself with the location of fire exits, check the depth of the swimming pool, do not allow children to go alone into lifts or onto balconies and satisfy yourself that children's play areas are safe. At the time of printing, no specific vaccinations or inoculations are recommended for travellers to the destinations offered by our travel partners Leisure Direction Limited. Leaflets T2 and T3 (Health Advice to Travellers) are available from your local DSS office or travel agent. Personal and Motoring Insurance: We strongly recommend that you take out comprehensive personal insurance when booking your holiday. You are also strongly advised to take out vehicle breakdown insurance when taking your car abroad. Remember to take your vehicle registration and full drivers license with you. A "Green Card" obtainable from your normal car insurers proves you have the legal minimum insurance in the EC. Refunds: We cannot refund unused hotel vouchers or transport tickets. Special Requests: Please note any special request on your booking form and advise at the time of booking. We will endeavour to pass your request to the hotelier but they cannot be guaranteed and we cannot accept liability if the hotelier fails to meet the request Departure Documents: Generally dispatched 7-10 days before departure.