Terms and conditions
ISBH PTY LTD trading as RENAISSANCE TOURS accepts bookings subject to the following conditions:
1. TOUR PRICES
Prices quoted in our tour information are based on exchange rates, cost of services and applicable taxes at the time of publication. Prices may be subject to change in the event of significant currency fluctuations or the introduction of new taxes, up until final payment is received.
In the event of a price increase, whether because of a currency fluctuation, increase in taxes or a correction in advertised prices, we will advise you and you have the option of accepting the amended prices, inclusions and booking conditions or withdrawing from the tour and receiving a full refund of all monies paid.
Once final payment is received, all prices will be guaranteed and no surcharges will apply.
2. PAYMENT
Your final payment is due 60 days before departure (45 days before departure for domestic tours). Failure to make your final payment by the due date may result in cancellation of your booking and loss of deposit.
Payment by cash, cheque, American Express, Diners Club, MasterCard and Visa is accepted. A 3% service charge applies for payment by American Express and Diners Club
We reserve to right to charge a late payment fee in the event of late booking and/or payment to cover additional communication and other expenses.
3. FLIGHT BOOKINGS & FARES
Renaissance Tours will use its best endeavours to ensure that all flight prices are correct at the time that they are quoted. However, air fares and taxes can only be guaranteed when flight bookings have been paid in full and tickets have been issued. Flight bookings cannot be transferred.
4. CHANGES
a) Changes by You - Because of additional communication and other expenses, we reserve the right to charge an appropriate administration fee per amendment to your original booking. While every reasonable effort will be made to accommodate changes and additional requests their availability cannot be guaranteed.
b) Changes by Us - While we will use our best endeavours to operate all tours as advertised, by entering into this contract the Client accepts that it may prove necessary or advisable to vary or modify a tour or its contents due to prevailing local conditions. We reserve the right at any time to cancel or change any of the facilities, services or prices described in the brochure (including flights, transport, accommodation or other arrangements) and to substitute alternative arrangements of comparable monetary value without compensation.
If a service or facility becomes unavailable due to circumstances beyond our control (‘force majeure’) and no alternative arrangement of comparable monetary value is available, we will substitute the best alternative available and will refund the Client for any cost saving or charge the Client for any additional costs incurred. ‘Force majeure’ includes any event which Renaissance Tours or its suppliers could not, even with all due care, foresee or avoid (e.g. advice against travel from the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), war, threat of war, riot, civil strife, industrial dispute, epidemics, health risks, terrorist activity, natural or nuclear disaster, fire or adverse weather conditions, technical or maintenance problems with transport, changes imposed by cancellation or rescheduling of flights by an airline or main charterer, the alteration of airline or aircraft type). Renaissance Tours is not liable for any penalty charges associated with ‘supersaver’ type connecting rail or air fares, in the event of a change to a holiday departure time, date or airport.
5. SUBSTITUTION OF CLIENT
If any member of the party is prevented from travelling because of the death, injury or serious illness of the passenger, close relative or friend, redundancy or jury service, it may be possible to transfer the booking to another suitable person (acceptable to Renaissance Tours) provided that written notice is given at least one calendar month prior to departure. An administration fee of $100 + GST per person will be levied plus any costs imposed by our suppliers. Airlines may impose up to 100% cancellation charges.
6. CANCELLATION
a) Cancellation by You - Cancellation charges will be applied as shown below, calculated from the day written notification is received by Renaissance Tours. In addition to cancellation fees for tours operated by Renaissance Tours as shown below, airlines, hotels and other third parties may impose up to 100% cancellation charges.
INTERNATIONAL TOURS
60 days or more Forfeit of deposit*
59 – 45 days 25% of tour cost
44 – 31 days 50% of tour cost
30 – 15 days 75% of tour cost
Less than 15 days 100% of tour cost
DOMESTIC TOURS
45 days or more Forfeit of deposit*
44 – 31 days 50% of tour cost
30 – 15 days 75% of tour cost
Less than 15 days 100% of tour cost
*Includes any flight deposit paid.
The above cancellation charges include applicable GST.
In addition to the above cancellation charges, the full insurance premium together with any existing administration fees is also payable in the event of a cancellation by the Client. If the reason for cancellation is covered by the insurance policy, you may be able to reclaim these charges.
b) Cancellation by Us - We reserve the right to cancel a tour for any reason (such as failure to reach minimum tour participant numbers). Except for force majeure (as outlined in clause 5b) or the Client’s failure to pay the final balance, we will not cancel a tour less than 60 days before departure (45 days before departure for domestic tours). Unless the Client fails to pay the final balance, we will return all monies paid, excluding payment for travel insurance and administration fees.
No further compensation will be paid in the event of cancellation by Renaissance Tours. A full refund of monies paid for tour costs will be the full extent of our liability. Airlines may impose up to 100% cancellation charges.
7. PASSPORTS, VISAS AND VACCINATIONS
It is your responsibility to be in possession of a passport valid for 6 months after the date of your return to Australia. You are also responsible for obtaining all necessary visas, inoculations and preventative medicines as may be required for the duration of the tour. Information about these matters or related items is given in good faith but without responsibility on the part of Renaissance Tours.
8. TRAVEL INSURANCE
It is highly recommended that you are covered by travel insurance for domestic tours.
However, it is a condition of travel that you are covered by comprehensive travel insurance for international tours. You can make your own arrangements or your travel insurance can be arranged by Renaissance Tours. In either case all participants must provide the following information no later than 60 days prior to commencement of travel:
• a copy of your travel insurance policy (or details of master policy)
• the emergency telephone number of your insurance company
• next of kin emergency contact.
9. FITNESS AND PARTICIPATION
Fitness and Participation
While our tours do not require a special level of fitness, for the overall benefit of the group, all tour members must possess a moderate level of mobility, including the ability to:
- negotiate airports and railway stations without wheelchair assistance
- use combined shower/bath facilities (it is impossible to guarantee walk-in shower facilities)
- undertake walking tour of 2-3 hours duration, including using stairs, walking over
cobblestones and other uneven surfaces
- stand for long periods in museums and other sites
- embark / disembark coaches, trains and other methods of transportation without assistance
- handle your own luggage
If you (or we) have any doubts about your ability to participate in your chosen tour, you may be required to have a doctor’s appraisal. This would require a doctor to read the itinerary of your chosen tour and provide you with a written confirmation of your ability to participate.
Clients agree to accept the authority and decisions of Renaissance Tours’ employees, tour leaders, and agents while on tour. If in the opinion of such person the health or conduct of a Client before or after departure appears likely to endanger the safe, comfortable or happy progress of a tour the Client may be excluded from all or part of the tour without refund. In the case of ill health, Renaissance Tours may make such arrangements as it sees fit and recover the costs thereof from the Client.
10. ILLNESS OR DISABILITY
Anyone suffering from illness or disability or undergoing treatment for any physical or medical condition must declare the true nature of such condition at the time of booking and make arrangements for the provision of any medication or other treatment which may be required during the tour. Failure to make such disclosure will constitute a breach of these booking conditions and result in such persons being excluded from the tour in which case all monies paid will be forfeit.
11. LOCAL LAWS
All participants of the tours we operate are expected to obey the laws and regulations of the countries visited and any failure to do so will relieve Renaissance Tours of all obligations that they may otherwise have under these booking conditions.
12. IF YOU HAVE A COMPLAINT
If you have a complaint about any of the tour arrangements, you must bring it to the attention of the tour leader or other representative of Renaissance Tours at the time so that they may use their best endeavours to rectify the situation. It is only if we are made aware of any problems that there will be the opportunity to put things right. Any complaints must be made in writing to Renaissance Tours within 28 days of the completion of the tour.
13. OUR RESPONSIBILITIES
All bookings are accepted on the understanding that the Client appreciates that travel does involve some risk and that they undertake all tours of their own volition.
i) Renaissance Tours accepts liability should any part of the tours arrangements booked with us not be supplied as described in the brochure(s) and not be of reasonable standard. In such a case, we will pay reasonable compensation if the Client’s enjoyment of the tour has been adversely affected but will pay no compensation if there has been no fault on the part of Renaissance Tours or our suppliers and the reason for the failure in the tour arrangements was the Client’s fault, the actions of someone unconnected with the tour arrangements or could not have been foreseen or avoided by Renaissance Tours or its suppliers even if all due care had been exercised.
ii) Our acceptance of liability to pay compensation pursuant to clauses 13(i) is limited, in the case of air travel, rail travel, sea travel or hotel accommodation, to the amount set out in the provisions of, respectively, the Warsaw Convention as amended by the Hague Protocol 1955, the 1961 Berne Convention, the 1974 Athens Convention and the 1962 Paris Convention.
iii) Our acceptance of liability in clauses 13(i) above is subject to assignment by the Client to Renaissance Tours of the Client’s rights against any agent, supplier or sub-contractor of Renaissance Tours which is in any way responsible for the unsatisfactory tour arrangements or the Client’s death or personal injury.
