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Terms & Conditions

The terms of your booking with Travel Buddies: what’s included, insurance, cancellations and your responsibilities.

These points make up all of the terms of contract between Travel Buddies (‘Travel Buddies’ or ‘us/we’) and the customer (‘passenger/you’), on the basis of the following terms and conditions and those of various third-party Service Providers. Each Service Provider may have their own terms & conditions applying to your travel. If you require additional information than on your travel voucher or brochure then we recommend that you contact the Service Provider for further clarification.

1. Inclusions

Thank you for booking with Travel Buddies! Whilst we hope the trip goes ahead smoothly and without hiccups, sometimes issues arise whilst travelling. We want to be clear with you about what is, and what is not included in your trip with Travel Buddies, and what the terms of travelling with us are. Your booking is made up of many separate Suppliers such as transport companies, accommodation providers or tour operators.

What’s included

  • All Accommodation & Night stays
  • Bus Transport
  • Activities & Tours listed on your package
  • Any Meals listed on your Itinerary

Meals are stipulated on your selected itinerary: (B) = Breakfast, (L) = Lunch and (D) = Dinner.

What’s not included

  • Travel Insurance (Compulsory)
  • Personal expenses
  • Any meals not indicated in the itinerary
  • Any deposits required for the hire of equipment
  • Shuttle buses not included by accommodation providers
  • Any public transport you choose to get (bus, taxis, trains, uber)
  • Any other nights accommodation outside of your booking (pre & post accommodation)

1.a Add On Activities

For those of you who have purchased Add On Activities the itinerary will give you the days you’ll be partaking in these activities. Your Local Buddies will also give you a heads-up and directions on where you need to be and what time to do these trips.

If there are activities you would like to include on your travels, please reach out to your booking agent, or your Local Buddies who will add these experiences for you.

2. Travel Insurance

Travel Insurance is required when travelling with Travel Buddies.

Your policy should cover you in case you get sick or injured (COVID-19 or otherwise), lose an item(s) or miss your tour. We recommend reviewing your policy to make sure it has the applicable cover required including COVID-related claims. Travel insurance is not included with Travel Buddies passes or tours. Adequate and valid travel insurance is compulsory to travel with Travel Buddies in all regions.

Your travel insurance policy must cover you for accidents, injury, illness and death, medical expenses, including any related to pre-existing medical conditions, emergency repatriation (including helicopter rescue and air ambulance where applicable) and personal liability. Travel Buddies also recommends that it covers tour cancellation or curtailment, loss of/damage to luggage, personal effects and natural disasters.

Travel Buddies does not take responsibility for any personal possessions lost under any circumstances.

Where third-party operator services are included in Travel Buddies passes/tours, Travel Buddies will make every endeavour to ensure the operator meets their obligations in the delivery of the service. If the Operator fails to deliver on their obligations, Travel Buddies will seek a fair and reasonable resolution, which may result in a partial or full refund.

If the expected level of service or inclusions have been misrepresented by the ‘booking agent’, the passenger will need to address their concerns directly with their agent. Travel Buddies takes no responsibility for any act of neglect by any company whose services are used as part of your trip including but not limited to, activity and accommodation providers. We recommend that you source travel insurance with a low excess payment. This makes claiming on cancelled tours worthwhile.

In summary, it is compulsory to have travel insurance when booking a tour with Travel Buddies. At minimum, your travel insurance policy should include: medical costs, emergency evacuation, and cancellation protection.

Travel Buddies accepts no responsibility for any independently operated activity a passenger chooses to undertake while travelling with Travel Buddies.

3. Cancellation Policy

Travel Buddies will book and confirm all of your accommodation and activities, so you don’t have to. But there are a few things you need to know regarding cancellations.

3.a Entire Trip Cancellation

If you need to cancel your entire booking, the following timeframes apply:

  • Cancellations within 21 days of the start date incur a 100% fee.
  • Cancellations between 21 days and 365 days incur a 50% fee.

3.b Partial Trip Cancellation

If you have to cut your trip short, or leave the tour once the trip has commenced, the remainder of the tour will be non-refundable. However, we will supply you with a letter detailing the amount paid for your travel insurance provider.

3.c Booking Amendments

Tour departure dates may be changed with a minimum of 30 days’ written notice prior to the original departure date, subject to availability. Any price difference or additional supplier charges for the new departure date will be payable by the customer. Requests made within 30 days of departure will be subject to the cancellation policy.

Once a booking has been amended to a future departure date, the amended booking is non-refundable and cannot subsequently be cancelled for a refund.

3.d Third-Party Tour Providers

Standard Trips; Included Activities.

If a third-party tour provider cancels your departure due to operational issues, we will find a replacement service for you. If we cannot find a replacement, you’ll receive a refundable amount of the rate paid.

If the third-party tour provider cancels your departure due to the exceptionally rare and unlikely event of a Natural Disaster, Epidemic, Pandemic, or Government Imposed Travel Restrictions, we will provide a letter detailing the amount paid for your travel insurance provider.

3.e Deposits

If you pay a deposit for a tour, and do not travel, these are non-refundable. You may however move the date of travel to a different date, but no later than 30 days notice of the original tour date.

3.f Add-On Activities

If any of these trips that are booked through Travel Buddies get cancelled due to bad weather, we will aim to reschedule or find an alternative activity for you. If one cannot be booked or found in time, you’ll receive a refundable amount of the rate paid for that activity.

4. Your Responsibilities

Travel Buddies will book all of the accommodation, bus sectors, and activities within your package for you. It is your responsibility to be at the correct pick-up or start location on time. If you fail to show up for your activity or miss the bus, you will not be refunded, and in the case of missing a bus sector, you will be responsible for your own travel arrangements and associated costs.

4.a Dietary requirements and allergies

Any dietary requirements or allergies must be advised upon booking so they can be catered to where possible.

5. Standard Terms & Conditions

5.a Published information

Travel Buddies will endeavour to adhere to published/stated departure, arrival and general travel times however on occasion, external and unpredictable events may prevent us from meeting these times. In these scenarios Travel Buddies is not liable for any loss or damage arising out of, or consequentially upon, any abandonment of, or delay in, any departure.

We make a concerted effort to ensure the accuracy of our brochure and website content however on occasion details may vary. Liaise with the Travel Buddies reservations team for clarification. Where a new brochure has been published (as shown by the validity date) it supersedes all older brochures. Anything listed in the brochure or webpage as free is not considered included in the ticket price and is non-refundable and non-transferable, no matter what the circumstances.

5.b Disruptions

Travel Buddies will not be held liable for unforeseen disruptions to your trip that are beyond our control (weather, natural disasters, third-party service changes, etc). We will always endeavour to assist you but encourage you to take out a comprehensive travel insurance policy that will cover you for unforeseen disruptions, cancelling and cutting short your trip, delayed departures, accident and medical.

5.c Sickness & injury

While all care will be taken with our third-party suppliers, Travel Buddies will not be held liable for any sickness or injury to any customer.

5.d Visas

It is the passenger’s responsibility to carry a valid passport and appropriate visas while travelling on any Travel Buddies services.

5.e Illegal activity

If passengers are caught with non-prescription, illegal drugs or partaking in illegal activities while travelling with Travel Buddies, any resulting consequences will result in the passenger’s Travel Buddies package being nullified (voided) without refund. Travel Buddies will refuse further travel and will take no responsibility for passengers partaking in illegal activities.

5.f Images and video

On occasion, Travel Buddies conducts photo and video projects for the purposes of promoting its products and services. Passengers on these trips will be given the option to opt out of any such activities. Passengers are to advise the reservation team prior to travel should they wish to be excluded. If you do not opt out you are consenting to Travel Buddies using the images taken whilst on your Travel Buddies trip for advertising and promotional purposes worldwide, royalty-free in any medium. This includes media uploaded to Photo Circle.

5.g Behaviour

Verbal or physical abuse, rude, aggressive, threatening or inappropriate behaviour towards other travellers with Travel Buddies, accommodation & tour provider staff, and Travel Buddies staff, shall not be tolerated. All staff are entitled to a safe working environment, and our travellers to a great experience. Any threats to safety, being physical or verbal, abuse, or inappropriate behaviour may result in removal from the trip. If such incidents occur, Travel Buddies management will investigate and may void further travel for the traveller in question with no refund given and will be responsible for their own travel costs from that point.

5.h Minimum numbers

The minimum number of passengers for a Travel Buddies trip is 2 people. Regardless, you will still get the same experience and service including personalised daily messages, as well as local reps. Some sectors and experiences may require a minimum number of passengers to operate. In circumstances where minimum numbers are not reached, an alternative option will be offered. Passengers will be notified by email at least 48 hours in advance of such changes.

6. Privacy

Travel Buddies will not share your details with anyone except under the following circumstances:

6.a WhatsApp

Your WhatsApp number within the Travel Buddies group chat, with the people you are travelling with.

6.b Email

Your email address will be sent to the third-party operators you are booked on with so they can email you waiver forms, and any confirmations prior to your activity date.