Terms and conditions
Booking conditions for Rainbow Tours and Botswana Travel
When you are ready to book please read the following conditions which will form part of your agreement with Rainbow Tours.
Your contract with Rainbow Tours
If you book with a travel agent and your booking with that agent includes, but is not limited to, Rainbow Tours arrangements, your contract is with your travel agent and not with Rainbow Tours, which is simply the supplier to your agent.
If we book only one component of a holiday (e.g. accommodation but not flights), then Rainbow Tours acts only as a booking agent for the supplier concerned and accepts no liability for the provision of the service involved.
In all other cases your contract will be with Rainbow Tours. Your booking is made on the terms of these booking conditions and is subject to English Law and the jurisdiction of the Courts of England and Wales.
Confirmation invoice
When you make a booking and pay a deposit, a contract will exist as soon as we issue a confirmation invoice. It is your responsibility to check the confirmation invoice carefully and let us know if there are any errors or discrepancies.
Please note that your accommodation, flights etc. will be requested once your booking form and deposit have been received. Your confirmation invoice will indicate the cost your requested package and you will be advised of what is still on request and unconfirmed at the time the invoice is issued.
Payment
Booking forms must be accompanied by a deposit of £150 per person. For certain holidays and services a higher deposit is payable and you will be notified at the time of booking. The balance must be paid 8 weeks before you travel. If this is not done, we reserve the right to cancel your holiday and apply the cancellation charges set out below. If you book less than 8 weeks prior to departure, the full price is due when you book.
Payment is accepted by:
Visa Debit and Switch cards
Mastercard and Visa credit card (subject to a 2% surcharge)
American Express (subject to a 2% surcharge)
Building Society cheque
Personal cheque - allow 10 days from postage to clearance
Bank transfer
Booking through a travel agent
All monies paid by you to a travel agent before we confirm your holiday are held by the travel agent on behalf of Rainbow Tours. After we have sent you an invoice, the travel agent holds the money as an agent of Rainbow Tours until such time as the agent pays the money over to Rainbow Tours.
If you wish to make changes
Once your booking has been confirmed, changes (where permissible and possible) will incur a £30 amendment fee per alteration to cover administrative costs. Any additional charges passed on to us by airlines or suppliers will also be added to this. Alterations cannot be made within 8 weeks of departure without incurring the cancellation charges set out below.
Air tickets
The name(s) listed on the confirmation invoice will appear on your airline tickets and should match the name(s) on your passports). If you are getting married and changing your name, please ensure that it is the name on your passport which appears on your flight tickets. Failure to comply may result in amendment fees or the cancellation of your flight tickets -
Unused or part-used air tickets are returned to the airline for authorization and calculation of refund due. Any refund received back is then subject to cancellation charges, unless advised differently at time of booking. It can take up to six months for the airline to process refunds.
Alterations to travel arrangements once abroad
We regret that no refund is possible for unused service s provided in the cost of the holiday. If you decide to alter your travel arrangements whilst abroad, this is your own responsibility and we are not responsible for any extra costs that may arise.
Cancellation by you
If you cancel a booking, the following cancellation charges will apply, depending on the number of days prior to the departure date:
57+ days - loss of deposit
56 - 43 days - 40% of final invoice
42 - 29 days - 6o% of final invoice
28 - 15 days - 85% of final invoice
14 - o days – l00% of final invoice
The cancellation will take effect from the date that written cancellation reaches us or the travel agent concerned. Insurance premiums are not refundable.
Particular cancellation regulations may apply to air tickets. When this is stated on your invoice, then the stated terms will apply.
Note: if the reason for cancellation is covered under the terms of your insurance, you may be able to reclaim these charges.
Changes or cancellation by us
We plan these arrangements many months in advance and, occasionally, circumstances oblige us to make minor changes to your tour itinerary. The company reserves the right to modify or cancel any accommodation or part of the itinerary at our discretion. Most changes are very minor. If they are significant, we will inform you when you book or as soon as is reasonably possible. Flight timings and carriers can change as a result of airline procedures. Final details will be on your tickets.
If we have to make a major change, you may accept the revised arrangements, make another available arrangement with us, or cancel your trip and receive a full refund. A major change is one which involves a change of departure or return by more than 12 hours or offering accommodation of a lower official category.
Every effort will be made to operate all tours as advertised, but we reserve the right to cancel your holiday. In this event, we will offer you the choice of either a refund of the monies you have paid us or an alternative available holiday of at least comparable standard.
In either event we will pay compensation on the following scale, per adult:
Period before departure within which cancellation or a major change is notified to you or your travel agent:
57+ days Nil
56 – 29 days £20
28 - 15 days £40
14 - 0 days £50
Compensation will not be payable if we are forced to cancel or change your trip due to 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.
Flight routings and timings
Please note that it is sometimes necessary to change the carrier, aircraft type or routing. Such changes will not be regarded as a major change and you will not be entitled to cancel your trip without penalty.
Air departure times are supplied by the carriers. These times are estimates only. There is no guarantee that they will take place at the times advised as they may be affected by operating conditions including weather, the need for constant maintenance, air traffic control procedures and the ability of passengers to check-in on time. In the event of a delayed departure, the airline will be responsible for making any necessary arrangements.
At the time of going to print it is not always possible to specify the airline, airport and/or aircraft type.
Prices and exchange rates
Prices quoted are subject to alteration due to continuing variation of air fares, unforeseen supplier increases and exchange rate fluctuations. We will advise you or your travel agent of any revised price when you book and before you commit yourself. However, subject to the notes on surcharges below, once the confirmation invoice has been issued, no further price changes will be made.
The price of your trip is subject to surcharge on the following items: governmental action, currency, aircraft fuel, overlying charges, airport charges and increases in scheduled air fares. Even in these cases, we will absorb an amount equivalent to 2% of the holiday price.
If this means paying more than l0% on the price quoted in the confirmation invoice, you will be entitled to cancel your trip with a full refund of all monies paid except for any premium paid to us for travel insurance. Should you decide to cancel, you must do so within 14 days of the issue date printed on the surcharge invoice.
If you settle the final balance of the holiday price by the due dates we will absorb any price rises after that due date. In return for this commitment, we are unable to make any refund or reduce costs should the value of the pound increase against the currencies used.
Travel documents
These are normally sent out to you by first-class post, or by Fedex for overseas clients, approximately two weeks prior to departure unless you have made a late booking. In certain circumstances you will be handed your internal or regional flight tickets or hotel vouchers by our representative on arrival.
It is your responsibility to ensure that you have all the necessary travel documents and tickets in your possession including a full passport, valid for 6 months beyond the holiday period, travel insurance policy, all necessary visas and any required medical certificates.
Complaints and problems
If you have a problem during your holiday, please inform the relevant supplier and our local representative immediately. If your complaint cannot be resolved locally, obtain proof of your complaint and inform us in writing within 28 days of your return. Otherwise, we cannot accept responsibility as we will have been deprived of the opportunity to investigate and remedy the problem.
Our liability to you
(i) Except in circumstances amounting to force majeure, we accept responsibility for ensuring the holiday which you book with us is supplied as described in our brochure and to a reasonable standard. Except as provided below, we cannot be held responsible or liable for death, injury or illness.
(ii) We accept responsibility for death, injury or illness caused by the negligent acts and/or emissions of our employees or agents together with our suppliers and sub-contractors, servants and/or agents of the same whilst acting within the scope of, or in the course of their employment in, the provision of your holiday. We will accordingly pay our clients such damages as might be awarded in such circumstances under English Law.
(iii) In respect of carriage by air, sea and rail and the provision of accommodation, our liability will be limited in all cases in the manner provided by the relevant international convention.
(iv) If any client suffers death, illness or injury whilst overseas arising out of an activity which does not form part of a package arranged through us, we shall, at our discretion, offer advice, guidance and assistance to help you in resolving any claim you may have against a third party, provided we are advised of the incident within go 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.
(v) When you travel with the carrier, the conditions of carriage of that carrier apply, some of which may limit liability.
Adequate insurance protection
All our clients must have adequate travel insurance, including the cost of repatriation. You may choose to insure through us. If you make your own arrangements, we will require you to give full particulars, including the insurance contact phone number. We do not guarantee to check the details of your alternative insurance, but we will not pay out any amounts in respect of situations in which you would be covered by our insurance if it transpires that you are not adequately insured. You should have your insurance policy in your possession while on holiday.
ATOL Protection
The air holidays and flights shown are ATOL protected, since we hold an Air Travel Organiser’s License granted by the Civil Aviation Authority. Our ATOL number is 4563.In the unlikely event of our insolvency, the CAA will ensure that you are not stranded abroad and will arrange to refund any money you have paid to us for an advance booking. For further information, visit the ATOL website at www.atol.org.uk
Rainbow Tours is the trading name of Rainbow Tours Ltd., 64 Essex Road, London N1, which has a Civil Aviation Authority Travel Organisers License ATOL NO. 4563.
The company is registered in the UK NO. 2689052 (VAT NO. 702 1111 15).
Contact us
or phone (44) 20 7226 1004 for more information
