Booking Conditions & Important Information

The Freedom Travel Group Ltd Trading As The Travel Village is a member of ABTA with membership number K9803. As such we are fully bonded according to ABTA's rules and abide by ABTA's Code of Conduct. ABTA protection applies to services supplied by The Freedom Travel Group Ltd T/A The Travel Village but does not apply to services featured on this website that are provided by any company that is not a member of ABTA.

The Travel Village is a retail agent on behalf ATOL protected operators.

Important Information

AIRLINE SCHEDULES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE. IT IS THEREFORE IMPERATIVE THAT YOU CHECK YOUR FLIGHT TIMINGS WHEN RECONFIRMING YOUR RESERVATIONS. FLIGHTS SHOULD BE RECONFIRMED WITH THE APPLICABLE AIRLINE AT LEAST 72 HOURS BEFORE EACH ONWARD FLIGHT. FAILURE TO RECONFIRM YOUR ONWARD FLIGHTS COULD RESULT IN YOUR RESERVATIONS BEING CANCELLED BY THE AIRLINE. ANY COST ARISING FROM NOT RECONFIRMING WILL BE AT YOUR OWN EXPENSE.

The Foreign & Commonwealth Office Travel Advice Unit may have issued information about your holiday destination.
You are advised to check this Information on the Internet at www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-living-abroad/ or by telephone on 0207 008 0232/0233.
Alternatively you can contact the ABTA Information Department on 0901 201 5050 (calls are charged at 50p per minute)

Contract

These are the terms on which we will make a booking for your travel or holiday requirements. When making your booking we will arrange for you to enter into a contract with the principal(s) or other supplier(s) (e.g. tour operator/airline/cruise company/accommodation company) named on your receipt(s). We can book you a package holiday, in which case you will have one contract with the principal, or we can book the services that make up your holiday with different principals or suppliers, in which case you will have separate contracts with each of them. As agent we accept no responsibility for the acts or omissions of the principal(s) or supplier(s) or for the services provided by them. The principal’s(s’) or supplier’s (s’) Terms & Conditions will apply to your booking and we advise you to read these carefully as they do contain important information about your booking. Please ask us for copies of these if you do not have them. Our Terms of Business are governed by English Law and the jurisdiction of the English Courts. You may however, choose the law and jurisdiction of Scotland or Northern Ireland if you wish to do so. All travel arrangements which we provide or which are sold through us are not an offer by us to sell any travel arrangements, but an invitation to you to make an offer to the suppliers of the
arrangements. We are free to accept that offer on behalf of those suppliers or to reject it.

Booking Details

When a booking is made all details will be read back to you. Once you have confirmed these details we will proceed to confirm the booking with the principal(s) or upplier(s). Please check that all names, dates and timings are correct on receipt of all documents and advise us of any errors immediately. Any changes to these details will incur the charges stated below. Please ensure that the names given are the same as in the relevant passport. The booking information that you provide to us will be passed on only to the relevant suppliers of your travel arrangements or other persons necessary for the provision of your travel arrangements. The information may therefore be provided to public authorities such as customs or mmigration if required by them, or as required by law. This applies to any sensitive information that you give to us such as details of any disabilities, or dietary and religious requirements.

Certain information may also be passed on to security or credit checking companies. If you are travelling to the United States, the US Customs and Border Protection will receive this information for the purposes of preventing and combating terrorism and other transnational serious crimes. If you travel outside the European Economic Area, controls on data protection may not be as strong as the legal requirements in this country. 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. Full details of our data protection policy are available upon request.

Payment

You will be required to pay a deposit or make full payment for your booking at the time of booking. Where you only pay a deposit you must pay the full balance by the balance due date notified to you. If full payment is not received by the balance due date, we will notify the principal(s) or supplier(s) who may cancel your booking and charge the cancellation fees set out in their Terms and Conditions.

Cancellation & Ammendment

Any cancellation or amendment request must be sent to us in writing and will not take effect until received by us. If you cancel or amend your booking the principal(s) or supplier(s) may charge the cancellation or amendment charge shown in their Terms and Conditions (which may be 100% of the cost of the travel arrangements) and you must pay us the cancellation or amendment charge applicable to the tour operator.

If, after our confirmation invoice has been issued, you wish to change your holiday in any way, for example your chosen date or accommodation, we will do our very best to make these changes but it may not always be possible. If you cancel or amend your booking(client name, acommodation, number of passengers in accommodation unit or date of travel for example) the principal(s) or supplier(s) may charge the cancellation or amendment charge shown in their Terms and Conditions (which may be 100% of the cost of the travel arrangements) and you must pay us the cancellation or amendment charge applicable to the tour operator. You will be notified of the exact charges applicable at the time of amendment. Any request for changes must be made in writing from the person who made the booking to The Travel Village via post, email or fax. We are unable to accept any verbal requests for changes or cancellations. Proof of posting is not proof of receipt - with this in mind, it is your responsibility to contact The Travel Village to ensure your cancellation has been actioned within the expected cancellation charges period. It important to uinderstand that certain travel arrangements (ie special airline fares or low cost fares) may not be changeable after a reservation has been made and any alteration request could incur a cancellation charge of up to 100% of that part of the arrangement.

Insurance

The Travel Village insist that all our customers are adequately covered for any unforeseen incidents that may occur before or whilst they are away. It is your responsibility to inform us prior to your travel of your holiday insurer and valid policy number. Failure to disclose this information will be taken by The Travel Village as an admission that you are fully insured and have refused to comply with our request. We cannot stress enough, how important it is, all our clients are fully insured prior to travel.

You do have the option to take out insurance with Holiday Extra's at very competitive rates via our website. Please refer to Holiday Extra's terms and conditions.

Delivery of Documents

All documents (eg. invoices/tickets/Insurance policies) that require to be posted will be sent to you by First or Second Class post. Once documents leave our offices we will not be responsible for their loss unless such loss is due to our negligence. If tickets or other documents need to be reissued all costs must be paid by you. You can ask for delivery by other means subject to the charges stated below.

Passports, Visas and Health

It is your responsibility at all times to hold a valid passport (and visa, where applicable) prior to travelling. British Citizens are required to hold a full 10 year passport with at least 6 months validity upon the date of your return from holiday. If you require specific information, you are advised to contact the Foreign and Commonwealth on (0207) 008 0232 or www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-living-abroad/about-kbyg-campaign/. All information provided by The Travel Village is given in good faith. Whilst our team will try to help on matters relating to travel advice, we cannot be held responsible for any problems arising should you choose not to fully check the information given. We can provide general information about any health formalities required for your trip but you should check with your own doctor for your specific circumstances.

Important information regarding the new entry procedure into the United States of America.

With effect from the 12 th January 2009 , all Visa Waiver Travellers will be required to obtain an electronic travel authorisation prior to boarding a carrier to travel by air or sea to the USA or US overseas Islands. The electronic system for travel authorisation will be accessible via the internet for citizens and eligible nationals to apply for advance authorisation to travel under the Visa Waiver Programme.

To obtain an electronic authorisation simply log onto the ESTA Web site at https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov and complete an on-line application form. Applications must be submitted prior to travel and the US Department of Homeland Security recommends that applications be submitted no less than 72 hours prior to travel . However, please note: Any travellers who are not authorised to travel to the USA using this system must obtain a nonimmigrant visa at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate before travelling to the USA and this should be done as soon as possible as applying for a US visa is/can be a very lengthy process.

Pricing

All prices advertised on our website are subject to availability and are applicable at the time of booking. The Travel Village reserves the right to amend pricing at any time without reference to any individual or booking made. Holiday pricing changes dynamically and whilst The Travel Village makes every effort to ensure that prices are up to date, a very small number of holidays may not be available at the advertised price. All holidays incorrectly priced will be removed from our website as soon as we are made aware.

Please note that similar offers may be available on websites and brochures offered by other agents and suppliers. The Travel Village cannot accept any responsibility for offers or information provided by third parties

Final Travel Arrangements

Please ensure that all your travel, passport, visa and insurance documents are in order and that you arrive in plenty of time for checking in at the airport. It may be necessary to reconfirm your flight with the airline prior to departure. Please ask us for details at least 72 hours before your outbound flight. You should take a note of any reference number or contact name when reconfirming. If you fail to reconfirm you may be refused permission to board the aircraft and you are unlikely to receive any refund.

If You Have A Complaint

Because the contract(s) for your travel arrangements is between you and the principal(s) or supplier(s), any queries or concerns relating to the travel arrangements should be addressed to them. If you have a problem whilst on holiday, this must be reported to the principal/supplier or their local supplier or agent immediately. If you fail to follow this procedure there will be less opportunity to investigate and rectify your complaint. The amount of compensation you may be entitled to may be reduced or you may not receive any at all depending upon the circumstances. If you wish to complain when you return home, write to the principal/supplier. You will see the name and address plus contact details in any confirmation documents we send you. We will of course assist you with this if you wish - please contact Customer Services. If the matter cannot be resolved and it involves us or another ABTA Member then it can be referred to the arbitration scheme arranged by ABTA, see www.abta.com

Your Financial Protection

The Package Travel, Package Holidays and Package Tours Regulations 1992 require us to provide security for the monies that you pay for the package holidays booked through our company and for your repatriation in the event of our insolvency. We provide this security by way of a bond held by the Civil Aviation Authority. 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. ATOL protection is only valid on bookings which include a flight element. For further information visit the ATOL website at www.caa.co.uk/default.aspx?catid=27

Accommodation Ratings and Standards

All ratings on this website are as provided by the relevant Tour Operator and Suppliers. These are intended to give a guide to the services and facilities you should expect from your accommodation. Standards and ratings may vary between countries, as well as between Tour Operator and Suppliers. The Travel Village cannot guarantee the accuracy of any rating given and no warranty is given or implied. Please also be aware, safety standards in some countries may differ from those applicable in the United Kingdom. We strongly advise that all customers seek to minimise their exposure to injury by familiarising themselves with the relevant safety information, such as fire evacuation procedures, etc

In Resort

Please be aware that you will not usually receive an in-resort representative. This due to your booking consisting of one or more component elements from different suppliers. You will normally be expected to contact the supplier via telephone in the unlikely event of a problem. Please make sure that you are aware of the supplier's resort contact details prior to travel.

Contact numbers can be obtained from The Travel Village prior to travel.

Special Requests

Special requests received by The Travel Village, for example - low floor room, pool view etc. is at the discretion of the accommodation provider. Although all requests will be forwarded to the appropriate Tour Operator or Suppliers, The Travel Village is unable to guarantee any requests taken.

Important: If you require airport or airline assistance (ie. due to disability), please ensure you make the team at The Travel Village aware at the earliest possible opportunity.

Personal Injury Unconnected With Your Booked Travel Arrangements

If you, or any members of your party, suffer death, illness or injury whilst overseas arising out of an activity which does not form part of your package travel arrangements or an excursion arranged through us, we shall at our discretion, offer advise, guidance and assistance. Where legal action is contemplated and you want our assistance, you must obtain our written consent prior to commencement of proceedings. Our consent will be given subject to you undertaking to assign any costs, benefits received under any relevant insurance policy to ourselves. We limit the cost of our assistance to you or any member of your party to £5,000.

Data Protection Statement

In order to process your booking and to ensure that your travel arrangements run smoothly and meet your requirements we need to use the information you provide such as name, address, any special needs/dietary requirements etc.

We take full responsibility for ensuring that proper security measures are in place to protect your information. We must pass the information on to the relevant suppliers of your travel arrangements such as your tour operator, airlines, hotels, transport companies etc. The information may also be provided to security or credit checking companies, public authorities such as customs/immigration if required by them, or as required by law.

Additionally, where your holiday is outside the European Economic Area (EEA), controls on data protection in your destination may not be as strong as the legal requirements in this country. We will not however, pass any information onto any person not responsible for part of 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 cannot provide your booking. In making this booking, you consent to this information being passed on to the relevant persons.)

Usually your tour operator or other principal will pass this information onto their suppliers once we have provided it to them. The tour operator or other principal's use of your information is subject to their policy, both in respect of your booking and any future marketing, and is their responsibility. Please ask either us or them for a copy of this if you would like to see it.

Your data controller is: The Travel Village

You are entitled to a copy of your information held by us. If you would like to see this please ask us. [We may make a small charge for providing this to you].

Miscellaneous

Conditions of Travel: We reserve the right to require any passenger to produce medical evidence of their fitness to travel. Passengers with a disability which may require special treatment or assistance must advise The Freedom Travel Group Limited in writing of the condition so that appropriate advice and assistance can be given. NB Passengers may be refused passage where as a result of failing to notify The Freedom Travel Group Limited, appropriate arrangements cannot be made.

The Freedom Travel Group Limited has no control over the allocation of airline seats and cannot guarantee any seat requests. Baggage allowances will vary by destination – please check (with the airline used) for details. Passengers are advised that most airlines operate a non-smoking policy.

We reserve the right to determine the hotel, air carrier, flight routing (flights will not necessarily be direct or non stop) and airport, for all holidays advertised.

In accordance with EU regulations we are required to advise you of the actual carrier operating your flight/connecting flight/transfer. Any changes to the actual airline 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.

Behaviour: You must not behave in a way that may cause distress or annoyance to others or which may create the risk of danger or damage to property. If you are subject to arrest, or are prevented from travelling at the discretion of an airline or other transport providers, or if you are evicted from a hotel at the discretion of the hotel management, The Freedom Travel Group Limited will not refund any portion of the cost of your holiday and, if The Freedom Travel Group Limited incurs any expense as a result of your behaviour, you will be obliged to compensate The Freedom Travel Group Limited for that expense.

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 tour and to take relevant details of the policy with you.