Booking Conditions

Ffestiniog Travel is the trading name of Ffestiniog Railway Holdings Ltd. All references to the 'Company' in these booking conditions refer to Ffestiniog Railway Holdings Ltd T/A Ffestiniog Travel.

1. All reservations are accepted subject to the Company’s booking conditions. Reservations can be made online via our website, by completing the official Booking Form or via one of our authorised travel agents. By asking us to confirm your booking, we are entitled to assume that the person who makes the booking has had the opportunity to (1) read our booking conditions and has agreed to these on behalf of everyone named on the booking, (2) is over 18 years of age, (3) consents to our use of information in accordance with our Privacy Policy. A Confirmation Invoice will be issued upon receipt of the required deposit payment or full payment (if booking within 70 days of departure). At this stage a contract between us comes into existence. You must check all documents we send you carefully as soon as you receive them as it may not be possible to make changes later. We cannot accept any liability if we are not notified of any inaccuracy (for which we are responsible) in any document within 14 days of our issuing it.

2. The balance of the cost of your holiday must be paid no later than 70 days prior to departure. If the balance is not paid by this time and no special arrangement has been made for late payment, your booking will be cancelled and your deposit will not be refunded. For all holidays without flights - All monies paid to one of our authorised travel agents for your booking with us will be held by the agent on your behalf until a contract between us comes into existence. From this point your agent will hold the money on our behalf until payment is made to us. For all holidays with flights included, all monies paid to any authorised agent of ours will be held on behalf of and for the benefit of the Trustees of the Air Travel Trust without any obligation to pay that money to us.

3. Any deposit paid to the Company by the traveller shall not be repayable by the Company in circumstances where the travel arrangements are cancelled by the traveller. The deposit is repaid to the traveller in circumstances where the Company cancels the travel arrangements, or where the travel arrangements are so altered by the Company that cancellation is offered to the traveller.

4. The Company may, without notice to the traveller, alter or substitute any route, method of carriage, carrier or hotel reservation without any liability whatsoever, provided that the Company gives its reasons for so doing and that such alterations shall neither increase the charge payable by the traveller nor be of a lower standard than the Company has contracted to provide to the traveller. In the event of a major change of itinerary being required, the traveller will be informed of such a change as soon as it becomes necessary and offered the alternative of a full refund, or transfer to another tour. A major change is defined as one which the Company makes prior to departure involving changing the departure time by more than 24 hours or deleting a substantial part of the itinerary. If the traveller wishes to cancel as a result of such a change, this must be done in writing within 14 days of the date when such notice is sent. The liability of the Company is limited in such circumstances to a full refund of all monies paid. Optional excursions do not form part of the itinerary in the context of this clause.

5. Changes made by you/Transfer of booking - If you decide to change any part of your confirmed booking up to 30 days before departure, we will do our best to assist but will pass on any charges for additional holiday costs incurred, including charges that may be incurred for services cancelled. We reserve the right to make in addition an administration charge of £50 per person. Please note that not all changes may be possible. Any amendments must be made in writing by the lead passenger on the booking. Transfer of booking – If any member of your party is unable to travel, you can transfer their place to another suitable person for the same tour arrangements, dates and itinerary, if that person satisfies the conditions applicable to the tour or excursion. Notification of the transfer is requested in writing at least 14 days before departure and must be accompanied by any tickets or vouchers already issued by us, full details of the person who is taking over the booking and the administration fee of £50 per name-change plus all charges levied by our suppliers arising from the transfer. You should be aware that some suppliers, particularly airlines, may charge 100% cancellation fee and the cost of a new ticket. The person taking over the booking agrees to be bound by these Booking Conditions.

6. The price of the holiday is subject at all times to changes in: - the price of transportation resulting from the cost of fuel or other power sources; or - the level of taxes or fees applicable to the holiday imposed by third parties not directly involved in the performance of your holiday, including tourist taxes, landing taxes or embarkation or disembarkation fees at ports and airports.

In the event of increases to any of the above, the Company shall be entitled to recover from the traveller any such increase up to 8% of the total price of the holiday excluding excursions and amendments. If the increase that you have to pay is more than 8% of the total price of your confirmed holiday (excluding any amendment charges and/or additional services or travel arrangements), you will have the option of cancelling the holiday and having refunded all monies paid, less any amendment charges and/or additional services or travel arrangements which do not form part of your package. Should the price of your holiday go down due to the changes mentioned above, then any refund due will be paid to you. However, please note that travel arrangements are not always purchased in local currency and some apparent changes have no impact on the price of your travel due to contractual and other protection in place.There will be no change made to the price of your confirmed holiday within 30 days of your departure nor will refunds be paid during this period.

7. All arrangements made for carriage, conveyance, refreshment or accommodation are subject to the conditions of the person or company providing the carriage, conveyance, refreshment or accommodation and also are subject to the laws of the country in which it is provided.

8. In the event of insufficient bookings being received to enable the Company to qualify for group travel concessions for escorted holidays, the Company reserves the right to cancel the tour. This will not normally be done less than eight weeks before departure. The liability of the Company is limited in such circumstances to a full refund of all monies paid. This condition does not apply to unescorted holidays.

9. Prices are based on double room occupancy at hotels. If for any reason travellers are accommodated in single rooms, the appropriate single room supplement must be paid by the traveller.

10. All transportation and accommodation is arranged by the Company upon the express condition that it is liable only for the provision of services required for the performance of the contract and that such services shall offer a reasonable standard in relation to the cost of the holiday.

11. The Company shall not be held liable for the death, bodily injury or illness of the signatory to the contract or of any other person nominated on the Booking Form, except when caused by the proven negligence or omission of its employees or those of its agents or suppliers whilst acting within the scope of and in the course of their employment. The Company does not accept responsibility for services or facilities which are not part of its agreement or advertised in the brochure or on its website. E.g. Excursions booked whilst away or any service or facility which your hotel or other supplier agrees to provide for you.

12. The Company will take all reasonable care in making arrangements for transportation and accommodation but does not own or operate the transportation and accommodation suppliers referred to in the brochure. The Company accepts liability for acts or omissions of the employees of these suppliers only in so far as such liability arises from its contractual obligations and on the clear understanding that the traveller will make every effort to resolve any problems during the course of the holiday. Unresolved problems must be reported to the Company in writing within 28 days of the completion of the holiday.

13. Where international transportation services by land, sea or air are governed by international conventions, the obligations and liabilities of the Company and its suppliers are limited in the manner provided by such conventions.

14.The contract and any claims arising shall be governed by English and Welsh law and all proceedings shall be within the exclusive domain of the English and Welsh courts.

15. Responsibility cannot be accepted for losses or additional expenses due to delay, irregularity or change in air, rail, road, sea or other services, sickness, quarantine, strikes, war, weather or other causes.However the Company will make every effort to give advice and assistance in such cases.

16. Consumer Protection – The Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 require us to provide financial protection for the monies that you pay, including repatriation if required, arising from cancellation or curtailment of your travel arrangements due to the insolvency of Ffestiniog Railway Holdings Ltd.

Holidays with flights included – your financial protection. All the flights and flight-inclusive holidays in this brochure are financially protected by the ATOL scheme. Our ATOL number is 3047.When you buy an ATOL protected flight or flight inclusive holiday from us you will receive an ATOL Certificate. This lists what is financially protected, where you can get information on what this means for you and who to contact if things go wrong.We, or the suppliers identified on your ATOL Certificate, will provide you with the services listed on the ATOL Certificate (or a suitable alternative). In some cases, where neither we nor the supplier are able to do so for reasons of insolvency, an alternative ATOL holder may provide you with the services you have bought or a suitable alternative (at no extra cost to you). You agree to accept that in those circumstances the alternative ATOL holder will perform those obligations and you agree to pay any money outstanding to be paid by you under your contract to that alternative ATOL holder. However, you also agree that in some cases it will not be possible to appoint an alternative ATOL holder, in which case you will be entitled to make a claim under the ATOL scheme (or your credit card issuer where applicable).

If we, or the suppliers identified on your ATOL certificate, are unable to provide the services listed (or a suitable alternative, through an alternative ATOL holder or otherwise) for reasons of insolvency, the Trustees of the Air Travel Trust may make a payment to (or confer a benefit on) you under the ATOL scheme. You agree that in return for such a payment or benefit you assign absolutely to those Trustees any claims which you have or may have arising out of or relating to the non-provision of the services, including any claim against us, the travel agent (or your credit card issuer where applicable). You also agree that any such claims may be re-assigned to another body, if that other body has paid sums you have claimed under the ATOL scheme. For more information about financial protection and the ATOL Certificate go to: www.caa.co.uk/atol-protection

ATOL protection does not apply to all holiday and travel services listed in this brochure. For more information about financial protection for those holidays that are not ATOL protected please see below.

Holidays without flights included – The Association of Bonded Travel Organisers Trust Limited (ABTOT) provides financial protection under The Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 for Ffestiniog Travel – Membership No: 5220, and in the event of their insolvency, protection is provided for:

• Non-flight packages

ABTOT cover provides for a refund in the event you have not yet travelled or repatriation if transportation was included in your package. Please note that bookings made outside the UK are only protected by ABTOT when purchased directly with Ffestiniog Travel.

In the unlikely event that you require assistance whilst abroad due to our financial failure, please call our 24/7 helpline on 01702 811397 and advise you are a customer of an ABTOT protected travel company.

You can access The Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 here: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2018/634/contents/made.

N.B. Neither of the above bonds can be used to reimburse the costs of other expenses such as travel insurance, visas, vaccinations etc. In order to adequately meet its responsibilities under the law, the Company may, in the case of tailor made holidays, require to specify the airline, hotels or other suppliers used in the package.

Please note that the sale of individual elements such as rail tickets, ferries, flights or accommodation only does not constitute a package in terms of the The Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018. However flights are protected financially by the ATOL licence and “accommodation only” is protected financially by the ABTOT bond.

17. If you have a dispute with your tour operator which you are unable to resolve, you may call upon the low cost AITO Independent Dispute Settlement Service (details on request). Claims which exceed £2,500 per person or £10,000 per booking form, or claims which apply principally or exclusively in respect of (or as a consequence of) illness or physical injury are not admissible for settlement under the service.

18. Cancellation of a booking is effective only when received in writing by the Company. Cancellation fees are applicable as follows:

It is strongly recommended that you purchase suitable and adequate travel insurance cover for the duration of your holiday.

In the event of the Company being able to resell the cancelled place or obtain refunds from its suppliers, the Company may be able to waive some or all of these charges and will look at each case on its merits. It is important to note however that some suppliers make an administrative charge on such occasions and some, especially transport providers, disallow cancellations and name changes completely.

19. A fee of £50 per booking will be charged for each amendment to a confirmed booking. This charge will not be levied until both the customer and the Company have agreed the final itinerary i.e. it will not be charged to customers who have made a booking and paid a deposit pending discussion on the details of the itinerary. Please note amendments cannot be accommodated less than 30 days before departure.

20. No tickets or other documents or vouchers will be released by the Company unless and until the full balance of the cost, as confirmed, shall have been paid to the Company. Such cost will be detailed to you in the final invoice.

21. Data Protection. In agreeing to these booking conditions, you acknowledge that we will collect personal information which is relevant to your holiday, including items related to diet or health. These may be passed on to suppliers, often abroad, to enable them to deliver the service required. We undertake not to pass on this information for any purpose other than in the provision of your holiday.

22. Health, Fitness and Luggage - It is the traveller’s responsibility at the time of booking to provide the Company with full and accurate details of mobility, health and fitness and to notify the Company of any changes between booking the holiday and the date of travel. We are required by law to notify airlines of clients with reduced mobility including people with walking difficulties, broken limbs, also pregnant women.. If your health, mobility, level of fitness or conduct before or during a holiday is endangering or appears likely to endanger your health or wellbeing or any third party (including any other clients of the company) or the safe, comfortable or happy progress of the holiday, you may be excluded from all or part of the holiday and we may treat your holiday as cancelled at that moment. In these circumstances the Company’s obligations to the traveller shall cease, full cancellation charges shall apply and the Company shall not be liable for any refund, compensation or other costs. Please note that the Company’s rights in connection with the above may be exercised by the Tour Leader at the start of the escorted holiday or even during the holiday itself. Please note also that the Tour Leader cannot provide individual assistance with handling luggage.

23. Security and Safety – Whilst Ffestiniog Travel would never take you or encourage you to travel to a country which the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office had declared to be unsafe to visit, many places in the world, including the UK, are now on the ‘be aware’ list. You are advised to visit www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice from time to time before your holiday to receive the latest travel advice.

24. Passport, Visas and Other Entry Requirements - Please note that it is your responsibility to ensure that you and everyone in your party has the necessary documentation before departure. We do not accept responsibility if you cannot travel because you have not complied with any passport, visa or immigration requirements. Details of passport and visa requirements can be found here.

25. Insurance - It is strongly recommended that you purchase suitable and adequate travel insurance cover for the duration of your holiday and that you provide Ffestiniog Travel with the details required. Each holiday in the brochure includes the day of departure and the day of return and this is the period to be used for insurance purposes. Please ensure that the travel insurance policy is suitable for your needs.