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Things you should know before you go

Booking, confirmation/invoice and tickets

Once you have booked your holiday with us and we have received your deposit (full payment due at the time of booking if less than 60 days (90 for cruise and private train holidays) prior to departure), we will send you a confirmation/invoice. This will summarise the arrangements made on your behalf, the outstanding balance and the date by which it must be received by us. Please check these details carefully ensuring that the initials or forenames and surnames given match those on your passport as we make reservations using this information and any inaccuracies will cause problems at a later date. Please contact us immediately if there are any inaccuracies. As your holiday approaches, we write to you again approximately 10 weeks prior to your departure to remind you of certain points concerning your holiday. Then, approximately 10 days prior to departure date, your final holiday documentation is sent. Individual flight and train tickets are NOT usually sent out in advance, but are given out by your Tour Manager at check-in.

Foreign Office advice

You are responsible for making yourself aware of Foreign Office advice and warnings in regard to the safety of the countries and areas in which you will be travelling to and to make your decisions accordingly. Global and political situations do change. Your safety is our first consideration and if the Foreign Office advises against travel to a certain country, we act on this advice. Advice from the Foreign Office to avoid or leave a particular country may constitute Force Majeure. The Foreign Office issues regular advice and updates on its website www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice which you are recommended to consult before booking and in good time before departure.

Passports & travel documentation

Please note that you are entirely responsible for ensuring that everyone in your party has the necessary correct and up-to-date personal documentation before you start the holiday and that you all fulfil the passport, visa, health and immigration requirements applicable to your chosen tour. We do not accept any liability if you are refused entry onto any transport or into any country due to failure on your part to carry correct documentation. If failure to have any necessary travel or other documents results in fines, surcharges or other financial penalty, costs or expenses being imposed on us, you will be responsible for reimbursing us accordingly. For British Citizens, a standard 10 year British passport is required for all holidays which must be valid for at least six months beyond your planned date of return travel. If your passport expires before this, it may still be acceptable, but you should contact your local passport office or the consulate or embassy of the country/countries you plan to visit/transit through, for detailed advice. Information is also available on or through the Foreign Office website www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice. Customers applying for a first British passport should allow at least six weeks to obtain one as they are now required to attend a personal interview with the Passport Office. Customers renewing their passport should allow a minimum of 2 to 3 weeks. However, in all cases, please apply as far ahead as possible so as to allow time for unexpected delays.

Visas

We will advise British Citizens with a British passport at the time of booking of any visa requirements and we indicate in the 'Departures Panel' section of each tour whether British Citizens require a visa to enter the country or countries included in the holiday. Please note that when travelling on any of our cruise holidays, if you wish to explore the ports visited independently then you may also need to obtain additional visas for those destinations. We endeavour to keep the information regarding visa requirements up to date but requirements may change at short notice and we recommend that you check the latest position in good time before your departure. Information on this subject is available on or through the Foreign Office website www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice.

If you have a British passport issued outside of the UK or if you are not a British Citizen, you must check immigration requirements with the relevant embassy or consulate of the country/countries that you plan to visit or transit through.

Our ability and that of our recommended visa agent to obtain any visa depends on you providing all information, documents (including your passport) and photographs, as applicable and accurately, when requested. If any application is refused or not granted in time and you are unable to travel on the holiday as a result, cancellation charges as shown in the booking conditions will apply.

It is your responsibility to check and fulfil the passport, visa, health and immigration requirements applicable to your itinerary. We do not accept any responsibility if you cannot travel, or incur any other loss because you have not complied with any passport, visa, immigration requirements or health formalities. You agree to reimburse us in relation to any fines or other losses which we incur as a result of your failure to comply with any passport, visa, immigration requirements or health formalities.

Our recommended VISA agent

The process of applying for holiday visas with embassies and consulates can sometimes be confusing and time consuming and we will usually recommend a visa agent to assist you with this process. The visa agent we suggest you use is established and experienced and will save you time and worry. Dealing with our recommended Visa Agent avoids costly trips to London to visit embassies and consulates to spend several hours queuing; our agent takes care of all the necessary paperwork; and importantly they make sure you get the right visas on the right dates for the holiday that you are travelling on. Whilst you are free to apply with embassies and consulates directly, many customers have mentioned the peace of mind is the biggest advantage that our recommended visa agent offers through their service, knowledge and efficiency.

The ability of our recommended visa agent to obtain any visa depends on you providing all information, documents (including your passport) and photographs, as applicable and accurately, when requested. If any application is refused or not granted in time and you are unable to travel on the holiday as a result, cancellation charges as shown in the booking conditions will apply.

Our recommended visa agent is CIBT Visas, their website is www.cibtvisas.co.uk. Contact Telephone number 0207 593 6182.

Important note: the Visa Agent is entirely independent of Great Rail Journeys and we cannot accept any responsibility for the provision of the service or the Visa Agent's acts and omissions.

Insurance and holiday duration

It is a condition of booking that you take out sufficient and appropriate travel insurance cover. We recommend you do this at time of booking so that your deposit (less any applicable excess) is recoverable in the event of a cancellation covered by the policy. To purchase the insurance policy we offer please contact us for details. If you take out your own cover please provides us with details of the Insurance Company, the policy number and the 24-hour emergency telephone number when requested. It is your responsibility to ensure that the insurance cover you purchase is suitable and adequate for your particular needs. We do not check alternative insurance policies. The duration of the holiday in the brochure or on our website includes the day of departure and day of return and is the period to be used for insurance purposes. Read our policy details carefully and take them with you on holiday. Should you choose to extend your holiday (either at the start or the end of your holiday), you will need to extend the duration of your insurance cover. If you choose to travel without adequate insurance cover, we will not be liable for any losses howsoever arising, in respect of which insurance cover would otherwise have been available.

Disabilities, medical conditions and mobility

Regrettably, many of our tours are not suitable for customers with certain disabilities and they can also be physically demanding. Please let us know if you suffer from any medical condition or physical disability, which may affect your holiday arrangements or the booking process, or have any health or fitness concerns which may affect your ability to cope with the tour before any booking is made. If we are to help you choose the right holiday for your health, mobility and fitness, we must be aware of all details. Please note that Tour Managers cannot provide individual assistance with boarding trains or coaches, or handle your luggage. It is your responsibility to provide us with full and accurate details of your mobility, health and fitness (including any disability), so we can advise you on the suitability of tours. As standard practice all customers are asked at the point of booking whether they have any mobility limitations or health concerns which may impact on their holiday. Customers are required to provide all relevant information to ensure that this matter has been carefully considered and we are aware of any issues. If you are in any doubt as to whether the holiday you hope to book is suitable for you, please discuss this with our Reservations Team at the time of making your booking. We want all our customers to enjoy their holiday to the full, and are here to help answer any mobility, disability, health and fitness issues or concerns. You must advise us of any change in any disability or medical condition or in your health or level of mobility or if any medical condition or disability which may effect your holiday develops, between booking your holiday and joining your tour.

Health

It is your responsibility to ensure you are aware of all recommended vaccinations and health precautions in good time before departure. Details are available from your GP surgery and from the National Travel Health Network and Centre www.nathnac.org. Information on health abroad is also available on www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Travelhealth. For European holidays, you should obtain the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) prior to departure from www.ehic.org.uk for access to health care in many European countries. An EHIC is not a substitute for travel insurance. We will advise British Citizens of any applicable health formalities before or at the time of booking. Vaccination and other health requirements/recommendations are subject to change at any time for any destination. Please therefore check with a doctor or clinic not less than six weeks prior to departure to ensure that you have met the necessary requirements and have the applicable information.

Accommodation

  • All our basic holiday prices are expressed in £ sterling and are per person, based on 2 people sharing.
  • Supplements for accommodation upgrades are usually expressed per room or cabin/sleeper, on the assumption that two people are occupying it.
  • Single supplements or prices are naturally expressed per person.
  • In some hotels, triple or family rooms may be available and we are happy to provide a quotation accordingly.
  • A hotel room shared by two people may contain a double or twin beds. In some countries a double bed may consist of two beds pushed or linked together.
  • A single hotel room may be a 'true' single or may be a single occupancy of a double or twin room. Either way, the supplement shown is payable.
  • Hotel rooms, particularly in older properties, may differ in size and amenities offered.
  • Sleeping accommodation on trains is likely to take the form of seating which converts into a berth at night.
  • Most hotel rooms and cabins on cruise ships include en suite facilities, which may be bath and WC or shower and WC.  Shared facilities exist on some tours and are specified on the relevant brochure page.
  • Rooms/cabins are not usually available before 2pm on day of arrival and must usually be vacated by 11am on day of departure. You may request a specific configuration, room type or room location but, while we pass on all requests to our hotel partners, neither we nor they can guarantee that what you request can or will be provided.

Meals

  • Please check the 'Included in your Tour' panels to see what meals are included on each holiday.
  • Hotels: Meals are generally taken in the restaurant of the hotel. We usually dine together, with a set 'table d'hote' style menu that will often feature regional dishes. Drinks are usually not included in our arrangements.
  • Trains: On private trains, most meals are included and are taken in the restaurant car of the train. If you are travelling Standard Premier Class on Eurostar a light meal and drinks are included, served at your seat.
  • Cruise Ships: Meals are normally included, and are taken in the ship's main restaurant.
  • Special diets: If you have a specific dietary need please discuss it with us before you book. We will do our best to cater for special diets when notified in advance however cannot guarantee that your requirements will be met. The more information we have, the better, but even then, some suppliers find it difficult to satisfy every requirement.  If you have a food allergy or intolerance you must declare it to us prior to travel so that we are able to notify our suppliers.

Meals on board (only in cruise specific brochures)

Please check the individual holiday itinerary and the 'Included in your Tour' panels to see what meals are included on each holiday. Once on board, each morning, enjoy a full buffet breakfast featuring a selection of fresh bread and pastries, eggs, fresh fruit, cheese and much more. For lunch on board, you can generally expect a full menu with several courses, or a light alternative such as a fresh salad buffet is usually available. Each evening on your cruise, you are treated to multi-course menus of regional or international specialities, all with a selection of wines available, and some cruises offer wine included in the price.

Meals times on board (only in cruise specific brochures)

Breakfast and lunch are flexible (normally between 7-9am and 12-2pm respectively), meanwhile dinner is generally taken at a more fixed time. Dinner can be either free seating or at an allocated table, depending on the capacity of the ship's restaurant, and is more of a formal experience, with several courses being served.

Shore excursions (only in cruise specific brochures)

On some cruises, shore excursions are included in the price of your holiday; however on other cruises they will be available at each of our ports of call, but at an additional cost - this information is clearly detailed on each tour page. Where shore excursions are optional and not included in the price of your holiday, there will be a selection of tours bookable on board at additional cost. You have the choice to buy these or explore independently. Prices for optional shore excursions vary depending on the contents and can be from, say, £15 for a guided walk to over £60 for a visit to a well known attraction with perhaps entertainment and a meal. A good rule of thumb is to budget approximately £30-£50 per person per shore excursion.  Some optional shore excursions are subject to minimum numbers, including minimum numbers of English speaking customers for the inclusion of English language guides. Where the shore excursion is an optional extra, it is not included in the package we sell to you and does not form part of your contracted arrangements with us. For any optional shore excursion that you book, your contract will be with the operator of the shore excursion and not with us. We are not responsible for the provision of the shore excursion or for anything that happens during the course of its provision by the operator.

Special evenings on board  (only in cruise specific brochures)

On most cruises, there will be a Welcome Reception on either the first or second night on board the ship, which is when the ship's officers and management present themselves to guests. In addition, there is normally a further gala event and a 'Farewell' evening at the end of your time on board.

Dress code  (only in cruise specific brochures)

Casual dress is fine on board during the day and low-heeled rubber soled shoes are recommended for strolling around the decks, with comfortable walking shoes or sandals for your time ashore. For the evening, smart casual dress is generally appropriate, and during 'Welcome' and 'Farewell' evenings and gala events, the recommended dress code includes jacket and tie for gentlemen and cocktail attire for ladies.

Money on board (only in cruise specific brochures)

Cruise ships operate a cash-less system, with incidental expenses (eg. purchases from the gift shop, optional shore excursions, bar purchases etc.) being signed for at the point of purchase. An account is established for each guest, and this is settled at the end of the cruise. To keep track of your expenses, you can normally check your account at any point through the cruise through the Ship's Purser or Reception Desk. At the end of the cruise, a final statement will be delivered to your cabin for payment through either the Ship's Purser or Reception. Several payment options exist, including credit and debit cards, approved ship currency or travellers cheques. Currency varies between ships and destinations - with the Euro being the most common.

Tips

The price of your holiday usually allows us to reward staff who serve you during your time on a GRJ holiday and on some occasions, your Tour Manager will provide a gratuity on behalf of the group. However, there are instances when an additional gratuity may be appropriate, perhaps because it is customary in your host country, or because of the nature of the activity undertaken, or simply because you have received exceptional service. Cruising has an established culture of tipping and your Tour Manager will be on hand to offer advice on this topic. Such additional gratuities will be on an individual basis and at your own discretion, however our river cruise partners recommend you should budget for tips of approximately €8-12 per person per day, provided you feel you have received good service. On ocean cruises there is a fixed service charge of US$11-12 per person per day plus a 15% gratuity automatically added to bar charges and wine purchases.

Tour itineraries & travel arrangements

Our holidays are planned many months in advance. We do our best to follow the detailed itineraries shown, but reserve the right to make changes if we need to react to schedule changes or local conditions. The sightseeing tours and excursions described may also have to be amended to suit local conditions or Public Holidays.

Rail reservations

We request rail reservations many months in advance but occasionally there are insufficient First Class (or equivalent) seats available. In these situations we will book Standard Class seats and refund the difference to you. Although we do our best to follow the routes noted in the itinerary there might be occasions when a different routing or departure time is necessary due to timetable variations or seat availability. Increasingly, trains are 100% non-smoking, and reservations are requested in non smoking accommodation, although at busy times we may be allocated some smoking seats. We cannot make specific requests for smoking seats. Prices quoted in this brochure are based on special fares, negotiated with our rail partners for group travel. Should you wish to travel on any Eurostar or other rail service, other than that included as part of your group holiday, a rail variation charge of £25 per person per service will apply in addition to the difference in cost between our special group fare and the normal published fare applicable at time of request for the journey in question. Any change involving sleeper services will be quoted on an individual basis. Tickets for Eurostar train services are issued subject to the conditions set out in Eurostar International Limited's conditions of carriage and/or the conditions of carriage of the carrier in question, copies of which are available from travel agents appointed by Eurostar International Limited or supplied on request.

Joining Eurostar at Ebbsfleet International

For travellers wishing to avoid London, many Great Rail Journeys tours can be arranged to depart from Ebbsfleet International. In some instances, travellers electing to depart from Ebbsfleet International may have to travel on an earlier train from the main group who depart from St Pancras International. See rail reservations above for applicable fees.

Travel delays

The vast majority of flights operate without problems, although the reality of air travel in the world today is that congestion and economic pressures can lead to the possibility of lost luggage, delay, cancellation and overbooking. Crowded airports, queues, check-in, security and flights are often a test of patience and endurance, and customers should be prepared to cope with the consequences of disruption including delays. In the event of undue delay the group will be looked after in accordance with the standard practice of the scheduled carrier or transport operator.

Flights

International flights are generally provided by major scheduled airlines and are usually but not always direct to your destination. Where flights are indirect, your baggage will always be checked through to your final destination.  Your holiday price is based on economy class seating unless otherwise specified.  If known at time of printing, we show the name of the airline we plan to fly with although this can be subject to change. The type of aircraft is not usually known at the time of printing, but if it is of interest to you we are happy to provide this information when we can. Regardless of any information given in good faith, operational changes can be made by an airline at any point and we cannot be responsible for this. Prices quoted in this brochure are based on special fares offered to us by the airlines for group travel. These represent a reduction on the normal IATA fares which generally include greater flexibility. Should you wish to book our holiday using a flight other than that shown in the brochure, a flight variation charge of £50 per person will apply in addition to the difference in cost between our special fare and the normal IATA fare for the flight(s) required. Tickets at our special fare are valid only on the airline and dates shown and do not automatically entitle passengers to switch to another carrier in the case of a flight cancellation, delay or technical problem with the aircraft or the reservation. While we pass on any airline seating requests, no guarantees can be given by us or by the airline. Additional leg-room will be provided if you purchase a flight upgrade.

Maintenance and development work

Every holiday visits a number of different destinations. There may well be maintenance, re-development, building, road works or track work in the vicinity of any of the hotels. If we know about such work and any associated disruption or noise which is reasonably likely to affect the enjoyment of your holiday, we make every effort to tell you about it as quickly as possible. Please appreciate that we are not the only passengers travelling on the trains or ships used in our holidays, nor the only guests staying in the hotels. We cannot be held responsible for the behaviour or noise of others.

Overseas standards

In some countries, you may experience laws and standards that might not be the same as you are used to in the UK. On some holidays we visit countries with less advanced infrastructures. Travellers with an open, yet cautious mind and a flexible approach should enjoy the experience.

CLIA UK & Ireland

CLIA UK & Ireland brings together cruise lines, travel agents and associated partners to help promote cruise holidays within the UK and Ireland.

Our ABTA membership

Great Rail Journeys is a tour operator member of ABTA Ltd, and our ABTA number is V2170. We are obliged to maintain a high standard of service to you by ABTA's Code of Conduct. We can also offer you ABTA's scheme for the resolution of disputes which is approved by the Chartered Trading Standards Institute. If we can't resolve your complaint, go to www.abta.com to use ABTA's simple procedure. Further information on the Code and ABTA's assistance in resolving disputes can be found on www.abta.com. You can also access the European Commission Online Dispute (ODR) Resolution platform at http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/odr/. This ODR platform is a means of registering your complaint with us; it will not determine how your complaint should be resolved.

ATOL protection

Our ATOL number is 3278. All the flights and flight-inclusive holidays* in this brochure or on our website are financially protected by the ATOL scheme. When you pay, you will be supplied with an ATOL Certificate. Please ask for it and check to ensure that everything you booked (flights, hotels and other services) is listed on it. Please see clause 19 of our booking conditions for further information or for more information about financial protection and the ATOL Certificate go to http://www.atol.org.uk/ATOLCertificate.

*The flights and flight-inclusive holidays we arrange are ATOL protected providing they are made available in the UK.

Our AITO membership

Great Rail Journeys is a member of the Association of Independent Tour Operators, an organisation representing over 150 of Britain's best specialist tour operators. Members of AITO strive to create holidays with high levels of professionalism and a shared concern for quality, personal service and customer satisfaction. The Association encourages the highest standards in all aspects of tour operating and all members are fully bonded for clients' protection, in compliance with UK and European regulations. Great Rail Journeys - like all other AITO members - are also bound by the organisation's Quality Charter. For further information about AITO visit www.aito.com or call 020 8744 9280.

AITO Quality Charter

AITO is the Association for independent and specialist holiday companies. Our member companies, usually owner-managed, strive to create overseas holidays with high levels of professionalism and a shared concern for quality and personal service. The Association encourages the highest standards in all aspects of tour operating.

Exclusive membership

AITO sets criteria regarding ownership, finance and quality which must be satisfied before new companies are admitted to membership. All members are required t adhere to a Code of Business Practice which encourages high operational standards and conduct.

Financial security

An AITO member is required to arrange financial protection for all holidays and other arrangements (including accommodation only) booked by customers with the member under the AITO logo. This financial protection applies to customers who are resident in the UK at the time of booking and to most overseas customers who have booked directly with the member. In doing so, the member must comply with UK Government regulations. Members are required to submit details of their financial protection arrangements to AITO on a regular basis.

Accurate brochures and websites

All members do their utmost to ensure that all their brochures and other publications print or electronic, clearly and accurately describe the holidays and services offered.

Professional service and continual improvements

All members are committed to high standards of service and believe in regular and through training of employees. Members continually seek to review and improve their holidays. They listen to their customers and always welcome suggestions for improving standards.

Monitoring standards

AITO endeavours to monitor quality standards regularly. All customers should receive a post-holiday questionnaire from their tour operators, the results of which are scrutinised by the Association.

In addition, customers can leave detailed feedback, accessible from the homepage of AITO's website, or via a direct link supplied by their AITO tour operator, about their holiday.

Sustainable tourism

Our members acknowledge the importance if AITO's Sustainable Tourism ethos, which recognises the social, economic and environmental responsibilities of tour operating.

Customer relations

All members endeavour to deal swiftly and fairly with any issues their customers may raise. In the unlikely event that a dispute between an AITO member and a customer cannot be settled amicably, AITO's low-cost Independent Dispute Settlement Service may be called upon by either side to bring the matter to a speedy and acceptable conclusion. For further information about AITO visit www.aito.com or call 020 8744 9280.

Links to external websites

Throughout the website we provide links to external websites owned by third parties, for example the Foreign & Commonwealth Office and the Department of Health. Please note that such third parties are not ABTA members and that Great Rail Journeys Ltd is not responsible for the content of their sites. For links to each page of this website, see our website sitemap.

Important information about Great Rail Journeys

Head office and contact address:

Great Rail Journeys Ltd
4th and 5th Floors
HQ Building
Hudson Quarter
Toft Green
York
North Yorkshire
YO1 6JT

Tel: 01904 521 936
Email: grj@greatrail.com

Registered in England No: 3208093
VAT Registration No: 870 3844 14

 

Booking Terms & Conditions

Booking Conditions

The following booking conditions together with our Privacy Policy and any other written information we brought to your attention before we confirmed your booking, form the basis of your contract with Great Rail Journeys Limited trading as Great Rail Journeys, Rail Discoveries and GRJ Tailormade (Independent) of 4th and 5th Floors, HQ Building, Hudson Quarter, Toft Green, York, North Yorkshire, YO1 6JT ("we", "us" or "ourselves") Reg No 3208093. Please read them carefully as they set out our respective rights and obligations. By asking us to confirm your booking, we are entitled to assume that you have read these booking conditions and agree to them. References to "you" and "your" means all persons named on the booking (including anyone who is added or substituted at a later date), or any of them as applicable.

References to "holiday", "booking", "tour" or "arrangements" means the holiday arrangements which we agree to make, provide or perform (as applicable) as part of our contract with you, unless otherwise stated.

Unless these booking conditions state otherwise, any reference to European Union law and/or International Conventions in these booking conditions that is directly applicable or directly effective in the United Kingdom is a reference to how it applies in England and Wales. This includes where the law has been retained, amended, extended, re-enacted or given effect on or after 11pm on 31st January 2020 (including the transition period).

By making a booking, the first named person on the booking ("party leader") agrees on behalf of all persons detailed on the booking that:

a. He/she has read these booking conditions and has the authority to and does agree to be bound by them;
b. He/she consents to our use of information in accordance with our Privacy Policy;
c. He/she is over 18 years of age and where placing an order for services with age restrictions declares that he/she and all members of the party are of the appropriate age to purchase those services;
d. He/she accepts financial responsibility for payment of the booking on behalf of all persons named on the booking; and
e. He/she accepts responsibility for passing all documentation and information in regards to the booking on to all persons named on the booking.

1. Making Your Booking

You may book with us by telephone, online or via one of our authorised travel agents. Once we (or your authorised travel agent) have received all appropriate payments, we will, subject to availability, confirm your holiday over the telephone (where you or your travel agent make the booking by telephone) or by e-mailing or otherwise sending a booking confirmation letter/invoice to the party leader. We reserve the right to return your deposit and decline to issue a confirmation at our absolute discretion. Where you book through one of our authorised travel agents, the booking confirmation letter/invoice and all other communications will be sent to your agent and you should also contact us through the agent. Alternatively, you can book online via our website in which case your holiday booking will be acknowledged by e-mail and a booking confirmation letter/invoice will follow. The acknowledgement of your booking is not a confirmation of it and does not create a legally binding contract. A binding contract between you and us only comes into existence once we have issued you with a booking confirmation that will confirm the details of your booking and will be sent to you or your travel agent. All references in these booking conditions to the confirmation of your booking means the booking confirmation letter/invoice. A provisional booking can be made by phone but you must send the applicable payment within 7 days, or the provisional booking will automatically lapse.

If your confirmed arrangements include a flight, we (or if you booked via an authorised agent of ours, that agent) will also issue you with an ATOL Certificate. Upon receipt, of the booking confirmation, ATOL Certificate or any other document, please check all of the details carefully. In particular, please check that the initials or forenames and surnames given match those on your passports as we make reservations using this information. If you believe that any details are incorrect, you must advise us immediately as changes cannot be made later and it may harm your rights if we are not notified of any inaccuracies in any document within ten days of our sending it out (five days for tickets). We will do our best to rectify any mistake notified to us outside these time limits but you must meet any costs involved in doing so. The only exception to this requirement to meet costs is where the mistake in question was made by us and there is good reason why you did not tell us about it within these time limits.

2. Payment

You are required to send us the appropriate deposit per person (as detailed on the relevant tour page) or full payment if booking within 60 days of departure (90 days for European River Cruise and private train holidays) and all applicable insurance premiums (if our insurance is required) at the time of booking. In addition to the deposit applicable to the holiday, a further additional deposit is required of a minimum of 20% of the additional cost for any booking variations including flight and hotel upgrades and holiday extensions. Please note, deposits and all additional deposits are not refundable except where expressly stated in these booking conditions. The balance of the cost of your holiday must be paid no less than 60 days before departure (90 days for European River Cruise and private train holidays). If a cheque payment is declined by your bank for any reason, an administration charge of £30 will be made. If you return your payment counterfoil before the date that payment is due, this authorises us to take payment early. If we do not receive all payments in full and on time, we are entitled to assume that you wish to cancel your booking. In this case, we will be entitled to keep all deposits paid or due at that date. If we do not cancel straight away because you have promised to make payment, you must pay the cancellation charges shown in clause 8 depending on the date we reasonably treat your booking as cancelled. Except for flight inclusive bookings, all monies you pay to one of our authorised travel agents for your holiday with us will be held by the agent on your behalf until a contract between us comes into existence. After that point, your agent will hold the monies on our behalf until they are paid to us. For flight inclusive bookings, all monies paid to any authorised travel agent of ours for your holiday with us will be held on behalf of and for the benefit of the Trustees of the Air Travel Trust subject to the travel agent's obligation to pay such monies to us in accordance with our trading terms unless we fail. In the unlikely event of our financial failure, all monies then held by the travel agent or subsequently paid by you to the travel agent will be held by the agent on behalf of and for the benefit of the Trustees of the Air Travel Trust without any obligation on the agent to pay such monies to us.

3. Passports, Visas and Other Entry Requirements

Please note that you are entirely responsible for ensuring that everyone in your party has the necessary correct and up-to-date personal documentation before you start the tour and that you all fulfil the passport, visa, health and any other entry requirements applicable to your chosen tour. We do not accept any liability if you are refused entry onto any transport or into any country due to failure on your part to carry correct documentation or to meet those entry requirements. If failure to have any necessary travel or other documents, or to meet entry requirements, results in fines, surcharges or other financial penalty, costs or expenses being imposed on us, you will be responsible for reimbursing us accordingly. In addition, should you be unable to travel on the holiday as a result, cancellation charges as shown in clause 8 of these booking conditions will apply.

For British Citizens, a standard 10-year British passport which must also be valid for at least 6 months beyond your intended return travel date is required for all holidays outside of the UK. In many cases, you will also need to have multiple consecutive blank visa pages within your passport (the number varies depending on the destination(s) visited). If your passport expires before this, it may still be acceptable, but you should contact your local Passport Office or the consulate or embassy of the country/countries you plan to visit/transit through, for detailed advice. Customers applying for a first passport or renewing their passport should allow at least six weeks to obtain one as you may be required to attend a personal interview with the Passport Office, however, in all cases, please apply as far ahead as possible so as to allow time for unexpected delays. If you have a British passport issued outside of the UK or if you are not a British Citizen, it is your responsibility to check entry requirements with the relevant embassy or consulate of the country/countries that you plan to visit or transit through. For information concerning passports, visa and other entry requirements for any destination, we recommend contacting the UK Government Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office website www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice or speak with your authorized travel agent if you are unsure about the visa requirements for your travel destination.

It is your responsibility to ensure your party obtains all necessary visas before departure including any additional visas or other documents required when travelling on any of our rail or cruise tours that visit other countries/ports independently. Also, some nations now have very strict documentation requirements for those travelling with children and notarized birth certificates and/or other documents may be required for children under 18. Visa requirements may change at short notice and we recommend that you check the latest position in good time before your departure. Information on this subject is available on or through the UK Government Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office website www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice or speak with your authorized travel agent if you are unsure about the visa requirements for your travel destination.

Please note: The impacts of Brexit may change your visa, ticket and health requirements. Third country nationals may require an airport transit visa when passing through EU Member States. You should check any impacts of Brexit on your travel, in advance of your departure, to ensure that you fulfil the requirements post-Brexit, including any passport validity requirements. The UK Government passport checker can be found here https://www.gov.uk/check-a-passport-travel-europe.

It is your responsibility to ensure you are aware of all recommended vaccinations and health precautions in good time before departure. Information is available from your GP surgery and from the National Travel Health Network and Centre www.nathnac.org. and also on www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Travelhealth. For European holidays, existing European Health Insurance Cards (EHIC) will remain valid until their expiry, after which time you should obtain a UK Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC), prior to departure for access to health care in many European countries. Access to health care provisions may change and you are advised to check https://www.gov.uk/visit-europe-1-january-2021 and https://www.gov.uk/guidance/uk-residents-visiting-the-eueea-and-switzerland-healthcare for updates affecting your travel. Neither the EHIC nor GHIC are valid substitutes for travel insurance. Some nations require proof of vaccinations for all travellers. Vaccination and other health requirements/recommendations are subject to change at any time for any destination and we would advise that you check with a doctor or clinic not less than six weeks prior to departure to ensure that you have met the necessary requirements and have the applicable information.

The airlines we work with will require confirmations from you on various elements of travel - for instance that you are not going to bring prohibited items on board an aircraft. We can assist with the on line check in process for some airlines and may ask you for such confirmation as part of that process, but it is a condition of booking with us that you do agree to comply with such rules as we can only make declarations on your behalf with that confirmation from you.

4. Travel Insurance

It is a condition of booking that you take out sufficient and appropriate travel insurance cover. We recommend you do this at time of booking so that your deposit (less any applicable excess) is recoverable in the event of a cancellation covered by the policy. To purchase the insurance policy we offer please contact us for details. If you take out your own cover please provide us with details of the insurance company, the policy number and the 24-hour emergency telephone number prior to departure or when requested. It is your responsibility to ensure that the insurance cover you purchase is suitable and adequate for your particular needs. We do not check alternative insurance policies. The duration of the holiday as shown on the booking confirmation or as advertised in the brochure or on our website includes the day of departure and day of return and is the period to be used for insurance purposes. Read our policy details carefully and take them with you on holiday. Should you choose to extend your holiday (either at the start or the end of your holiday), you will need to extend the duration of your insurance cover. If you choose to travel without adequate insurance cover, we will not be liable for any losses howsoever arising, in respect of which insurance cover would otherwise have been available.

5. Holiday Prices

Please note changes and errors occasionally occur. We reserve the right to increase/decrease and correct errors in advertised prices at any time before your holiday is confirmed. Before you make a booking, we will give you the basic price for your chosen holiday. You should check all details before you make your booking. Upgrades, holiday extensions or any other variation which you have requested are on a request basis with our suppliers and subject to availability, and prices for these will only be confirmed once the prices and availability has been confirmed by our suppliers. For all holidays, once you have accepted the basic price and a booking has been confirmed, that price is fully guaranteed and will not be subject to any surcharges.

6. Suitability of the Tour and Behaviour

We reserve the right in our absolute discretion to terminate without prior notice the holiday arrangements of any customer whose behaviour is such that it causes or is likely to cause, in our reasonable opinion, or in the opinion of any Tour Manager (if on an escorted holiday) or any other person in authority, distress, damage, danger or significant annoyance to any third party, or damage to property. In these circumstances all our obligations to you under our contract or otherwise will cease, full cancellation charges will apply and we will not be liable for any refund, compensation or costs incurred by you whatsoever. You and/or your party may also be required to pay for loss and/or damage caused by your actions and we will hold you and each member of your party jointly and individually liable for any damage or losses caused by you or any member of your party. Full payment for any such damage or losses must be paid directly to the hotel manager or other supplier prior to departure. If you fail to make payment, you will be responsible for meeting any claims (including legal costs) subsequently made against us as a result of your actions together with all costs we incur in pursuing any claim against you. Our tours can be physically demanding and we also reserve the right to terminate your holiday where, in the reasonable opinion of any person in authority (including office staff or your Tour Manager when you join your escorted holiday), your physical condition means you are unable or likely to be unable to cope with the tour or to experience significant difficulties in doing so. It is your responsibility to disclose an accurate account of your mobility and all other relevant information relating to your health and fitness at the time of booking. You must advise us of any change to your level of mobility or health and fitness between booking your holiday and departing on your tour. Please also see clause 17 and clause 18.

7. Alterations to Your Booking and Booking Transfers

Please notify us in writing if circumstances arise whereby you wish to transfer to another available holiday, depart on a different date or make other alterations to your confirmed holiday. Note that any transfer requests to an alternative holiday (as distinct from transfers of bookings to other individuals, which are dealt with below) of less than 85% of the value of your original booking will be regarded as a cancellation and cancellation charges as set out in clause 8 will be payable. Any alterations requested 60 days or more (90 days or more for European River Cruise and private train holidays) prior to departure will be subject to an alteration fee of £125 per person, together with costs or charges incurred or imposed by any of our suppliers. Any alteration to your booking requested less than 60 days (90 days for European River Cruise and private train holidays) prior to departure will be regarded as a cancellation and cancellation charges as set out in clause 8 will be payable. Please note costs could increase the closer to the departure date that changes are made and you should therefore contact us as soon as possible. Certain arrangements, such as low-cost flight bookings, may not be amended after they have been confirmed and any alteration could incur a cancellation charge of up to 100% of that part of the arrangements.

Transfer of Booking to Another Individual (i.e. name changes)

If any member of your party is prevented from travelling, that person(s) may transfer their place to someone else, subject to the following conditions:

a. that person is introduced by you and satisfies all the conditions applicable to the arrangements;
b. we are notified not less than 7 days before departure;
c. you pay any outstanding balance payment at the time due, an amendment fee of £125 per person transferring, as well as any additional fees, charges or other costs arising from the transfer (including those imposed by our suppliers); and
d. the transferee agrees to these booking conditions and all other terms of the contract between us.

You and the transferee remain jointly and severally liable for payment of all sums. If you are unable to find a replacement, cancellation charges as set out in clause 8 will apply in order to cover our estimated costs. Otherwise, no refunds will be given for passengers not travelling or for unused services.

Important Note: Certain arrangements may not be amended or transferred after they have been confirmed and any alteration could incur a cancellation charge of up to 100% of that part of the arrangements.

8. Cancellation by You Before Departure

Should you wish to cancel your holiday, notice can be given verbally but must be followed up in writing by the party leader. Your notice of cancellation will only take effect when it is received in writing by us.

Since we incur costs in cancelling your arrangements, you will be required to pay the applicable cancellation charges up to the maximum shown below. The amount of the cancellation fee depends upon the date when the written notice of cancellation is received by us. Where the cancellation charge is shown as a percentage, this is calculated on the basis of the total cost payable by the person(s) cancelling, excluding insurance premiums arranged through us and amendment charges which are not normally refundable.

The cancellation charges below have been calculated as a pre-estimate of the losses we would incur in the event you cancelled your holiday within the stipulated time period. The scale of cancellation charges is as follows:

 

European River Cruise and

private train holidays

All other holidays

Tailormade holidays

91 days or earlier**

Loss of deposit*

Loss of deposit*

Loss of deposit paid

From 61 to 90 days

50% of final invoice

Loss of deposit*

Full loss of moneys paid

From 41 to 60 days

65% of final invoice

35% of final invoice

From 28 to 40 days

75% of final invoice

60% of final invoice

From 14 to 27 days

100% of final invoice

85% of final invoice

13 days or less prior to

departure

100% of final invoice

100% of final invoice

*Loss of Deposit means the loss of the full brochure deposit amount, including the outstanding balance of any 'low deposit' payment you have made, and includes loss of any additional deposit paid for holiday variations and holiday extensions as referred to in clause 2.

**Certain holiday arrangements may have earlier dates at which cancellation charges would apply. You will be advised of these dates at the time of booking your holiday.

We will deduct the cancellation charge(s) from any monies you have already paid to us.

Depending on the reason for cancellation, you may be able to reclaim these cancellation charges (less any applicable excess) under the terms of your insurance policy. Claims must be made directly to the insurance company concerned. Where any cancellation reduces the number of full paying party members below the number on which the price, or any concessions agreed for your booking were based, we will recalculate these items and re-invoice you accordingly. Any such additional costs are not cancellation charges.

Please note certain arrangements may not be amended after they have been confirmed and any alteration or cancellation could incur a cancellation charge of up to 100% of that part of the arrangements in addition to the charge above.

Should one or more member of a party cancel, it may increase the per person holiday price of those still travelling and you will be liable to pay this increase.

Cancellation by You due to Unavoidable & Extraordinary Circumstances:

You have the right to cancel your confirmed arrangements before the departure date without paying the above cancellation charges in the event of unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances occurring at your holiday destination or its immediate vicinity and significantly affecting the performance of the arrangements or significantly affecting transport arrangements to the destination. In these circumstances, we shall provide you with a full refund of the monies you have paid but we will not be liable to pay you any compensation. Please note that your right to cancel in these circumstances will only apply where the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office advises against travel to your destination or its immediate vicinity. For the purposes of this clause, "unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances" means warfare, acts of terrorism, significant risks to human health such as the outbreak of serious disease at the travel destination or natural disasters such as floods, earthquakes or weather conditions which make it impossible to travel safely to the travel destination.

This clause 8 outlines the rights you have if you wish to cancel your booking. Please note that there is no automatic statutory right of cancellation under the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013.

9.  Changes and Cancellations by Us

We start planning the holidays we offer many months in advance and occasionally, we have to correct errors and/or make changes to the information contained in our brochures, our website and other details, both before and after bookings have been confirmed, and also cancel confirmed bookings (which would for the avoidance of doubt expressly include any variations or extensions booked by you and which are part of the package and your confirmed booking). Whilst we always endeavour to avoid changes and cancellations, we must reserve the right to do so.

Please note that occasionally due to events outside our control, including but not limited to adverse weather conditions or where the cruise cannot dock in the expected port due to unexpected circumstances, we may have to make changes to your itinerary with little or no notice. Such changes will be considered an insignificant change except where the change results in you missing out on one or more major destination from your itinerary.

Insignificant Changes by Us: An insignificant change is any change, which is not a significant change as referred to below.

Significant Changes by Us: A significant change is any change which, taking account of the information you have given us at the time of booking or which we can reasonably be expected to know as a tour operator, we could reasonably expect to have a significant effect on your confirmed holiday. Occasionally, we have to make a "significant change" before departure such as a change of accommodation to that of a lower official classification or standard for the whole or a major part of the time you are away, a change of accommodation area for the whole or a major part of the time you are away, a change of outward departure time or overall length of time you are away of twelve or more hours, a change of UK departure point to one which is significantly more inconvenient for you or a significant change of itinerary missing out one or more major destination substantially or altogether.

Cancellations by Us: All our escorted holidays are organised on the basis of a minimum number of clients (usually 15). In the unlikely event the holiday (which would include any individually purchased variations or extensions), has to be cancelled because of insufficient numbers, you will be informed at least 60 days (90 days for European River Cruise and private train holidays) prior to departure. We will not cancel your arrangements less than 60 days before departure (90 days for European River Cruise and private train holidays) except for reasons of Events Beyond Our Control or failure by you to pay the final balance.

If we have to make a significant change or cancel, we will tell you as soon as possible and if there is time to do so before departure, we will offer you the choice of the following options:

a. (for significant changes) accepting the changed arrangements; or
b. If available and where we offer one, accepting an offer of an alternative holiday (we will refund any price difference if the alternative is of a lower value but if the alternative holiday is more expensive, you will be required to pay the applicable price difference); or
c. cancelling or accepting the cancellation in which case you will receive a full refund of all monies you have paid to us (including, where appropriate, the price paid for any holiday extensions or additional service purchased from us and included in your package).

Please note the above options are not available where any change made is an insignificant one.

You must notify us of your choice within 7 days of our offer. If we do not hear from you within 7 days, we will contact you again to request notification of your choice. If you fail to respond again, we will assume that you have chosen to accept the change or alternative booking arrangements.

In addition to a full refund of all monies paid by you, we will pay you compensation in the following circumstances:

a. if, where we make a significant change, you do not accept the changed arrangements and cancel your booking
b. if we cancel your booking and no alternative arrangements are available

We will not pay you compensation in the following circumstances:

a. where we make an insignificant change
b. where we make a significant change or cancel your arrangements (including cancellation due to not reaching the minimum number of client bookings required to run your holiday) more than 60 days before departure (90 days for private train holidays)
c. where we make a significant change and you accept those changed arrangements or you accept an offer of alternative travel arrangements
d. where we have to cancel your arrangements as a result of your failure to make full payment on time;
e. where the change or cancellation by us arises out of alterations to the confirmed booking requested by you;
f. where we are forced to cancel or change your arrangements due to Events Beyond Our Control (see clause 10).

In any of the circumstances referred to above we will not be liable for the cost of any service (such as, but not limited to, flights, hotels and connecting rail travel) which is purchased in connection with any holiday but which is not booked through us, or for any related expenses such as cancellation charges or amendment fees for any service which cannot be used or has to be cancelled or amended as a result of our having to cancel or make a significant change to any holiday.

If we become unable to provide a significant proportion of the arrangements that you have booked with us after you have departed we will, if possible, make suitable alternative arrangements for you at no extra charge and where those alternative arrangements are of a lower standard, provide you with an appropriate price reduction.

10.  Events Beyond Our Control

Except where otherwise expressly stated in these booking conditions we will not be liable or pay you compensation if our contractual obligations to you are affected by "Events Beyond Our Control". For the purposes of these booking conditions, "Events Beyond Our Control" means any event beyond our or our supplier's control, the consequences of which could not have been avoided even if all reasonable measures had been taken. Examples include, warfare and acts of terrorism (and threat thereof), civil strife, significant risks to human health such as the outbreak of serious disease at the travel destination, epidemics, plagues or pandemics (including but not limited to the ongoing effects of Covid-19 and/or any other strain of the coronavirus) or natural disasters such as floods, earthquakes or weather conditions which make it impossible to travel safely to the travel destination or remain at the travel destination, the act of any government or other national or local authority including port or river authorities (including any impact to travel or other arrangements as a result of the United Kingdom having left the European Union), industrial dispute, lock closure, natural or nuclear disaster, fire, chemical or biological disaster, unavoidable technical problems with transport and all similar events outside our or our supplier(s) control.

11.  UK Government Foreign,  Commonwealth & Development Office Advice

You are responsible for making yourself aware of UK Government Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office advice and warnings in regard to the safety of the countries and areas in which you will be travelling to and to make your own decisions accordingly. Global and political situations do change and if the UK Government Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office advises against travel to a certain country, we will act on this advice.    

If such advice is to avoid or to leave a particular country or area this may constitute Force Majeure (as described in clause 10). The UK Government Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office issues regular advice and updates on their website at www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice which you are recommended to consult before booking and again in good time prior to departure.

 12.  Our Liability to You

(1) We will accept responsibility for the arrangements we agree to provide or arrange for you as an "organiser" under the Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 (as amended) as set out below, and as such we are responsible for the proper provision of all travel services included in your package, as set out in your confirmation invoice. Subject to these booking conditions, if we or our suppliers negligently perform or arrange those services and we don't remedy or resolve your complaint within a reasonable period of time, and this has affected the enjoyment of your package holiday you may be entitled to an appropriate price reduction and/or reasonable compensation. You must inform us without undue delay of any failure to perform or improper performance of the travel services included in this package. The level of any such price reduction or compensation will be calculated taking into consideration all relevant factors such as but not limited to, following the complaints procedure as described in these conditions and the extent to which ours or our employees' or suppliers' negligence affected the overall enjoyment of your holiday. Please note that it is your responsibility to show that we or our supplier(s) have been negligent if you wish to make a claim against us.

(2) We will not be responsible for any injury, illness, death, loss (including loss of possessions and loss of enjoyment), damage, expense, cost or other sum or claim of any description whatsoever which results from any of the following:

a. the act(s) and/or omission(s) of the person(s) affected or any member(s) of their party b. the act(s) and/or omission(s) of a third party not connected with the provision of your holiday and which were unavoidable and extraordinary; or
c. "Events Beyond Our Control" as defined in clause 10 above.

(3) Please note we cannot accept responsibility for any services which do not form part of our contract. This includes, for example, any additional services or facilities which your hotel or any other supplier agrees to provide for you where the services or facilities are not advertised in our brochure or on our website and we have not agreed to arrange them as part of our contract and any excursion you purchase during your holiday. Please also see clause 19 "Excursions, Activities and Brochure/Website Information".

(4)  We limit the amount of compensation we may have to pay you if we are found liable under this clause as follows:

(a) Loss of and/or damage to any luggage or personal possessions and money: The maximum amount we will have to pay you in respect of these claims will be the greater of:
(i) an amount equivalent to the excess on your insurance policy which applies to this type of loss per person in total because you are required to have adequate insurance in place to cover any losses of this kind; or
(ii) the amount payable by the supplier under their own terms and conditions.

(b) Claims not falling under (a) above and which don't involve injury, illness or death:

The maximum amount we will have to pay you in respect of these claims is up to three times the price paid by or on behalf of the person(s) affected in total. This maximum amount will only be payable where everything has gone wrong and you or your party has not received any benefit at all from your booking.

(c) Claims in respect of international travel by air and rail, or any stay in a hotel:
(i) The extent of our liability will in all cases be limited as if we were carriers under the appropriate Conventions, which include The Warsaw/Montreal Convention (international travel by air); The Berne/Cotif Convention (with respect to rail travel) and The Paris Convention (with respect to hotel arrangements). You can ask for copies of these Conventions from our offices. In addition, you agree that the operating carrier or transport company's own 'Conditions of Carriage' will apply to you on that journey. When arranging transportation for you, we rely on the terms and conditions contained within these international conventions and those 'Conditions of Carriage'. You acknowledge that all of the terms and conditions contained in those 'Conditions of Carriage' form part of your contract with us, as well as with the transport company and that those 'Conditions of Carriage' shall be deemed to be included by reference into this contract.
(ii) In any circumstances in which a carrier is liable to you by virtue of the Denied Boarding Regulation 2004, any liability we may have to you under our contract with you, arising out of the same facts, is limited to the remedies provided under the Regulation as if (for this purpose only) we were a carrier.
(iii) When making any payment, we are entitled to deduct any money which you have received or are entitled to receive from the transport provider or hotelier for the complaint or claim in question.

(d)  Claims in respect of international travel by sea or inland waterway

Travel by sea is governed by the provisions of the Convention Relating to the Carriage of Passengers and their Luggage by Sea 1974 as amended in 1976 (the Athens Convention) and, where applicable, EU Regulation 392/2009 relating to the Liability of carriers of passengers by sea in the event of accidents. The extent of our liability will in all cases be limited as if we were the Contracting Carriers under the Athens Convention and/or EU Regulation 392/2009. The Athens Convention and EU Regulation 392/2009 limit the carriers' liability for death or personal injury or loss or damage to luggage and makes special provision for valuables. It is presumed that luggage has been delivered to you undamaged unless written notice is given to us and/or the carrier;
a. in the case of apparent damage, before or at the time of disembarkation or redelivery; or b. in the case of damage which is not apparent or of loss, within 15 days from the date of disembarkation or redelivery or from the time when such redelivery should have taken place.
Damages for cabin luggage payable by the carrier are limited up to the Athens Convention limit of 833 Special Drawing Rights ("SDRs") or 2250 SDRs if EU Regulation 392/2009 applies. Any liability in respect of death and personal injury and loss of and damage to luggage which we may incur to you shall always be subject to the limits of liability contained in the Athens Convention or EU Regulation 392/2009 for death/personal injury of 46,666 Special Drawing Rights (SDR) or 300,000 SDR under Athens Convention or 400,000 SDRs under EU Regulation 392/2009 except in the case of liability for war or terrorism 250,000 SDRs. We are not liable for valuables, monies or other securities including jewelry and watches. If they have been deposited with the reception desk on the ship for safe keeping and a receipt issued, then in those limited circumstances the Carriers liability will be as set out in the Athens Convention or EU Regulation 392/2009. The use of safes onboard a Vessel is not a deposit with the ship or with the company under the Athens Convention or EU Regulation 392/2009 or otherwise. The limits are 1200 SDRs pursuant to Athens or 3,375 SDRs pursuant to EU Regulation 392/2009. Limits shall be reduced in proportion to any contributory negligence by the Passenger and by the maximum deductible specified in Article 8 (4) of the Athens Convention or EU Regulation 392/2009. Where carriage is performed on inland waterways, and the vessel does not go to sea the liability provisions relating to sea going vessels do not apply to the cruise. In those cases the liability of the Carrier to customers shall be determined in accordance with English law (the Merchant Shipping Act) and The Convention on Limitation of Liability for Maritime Claims 1996 (LLMC 96) as amended by SI 1998/1258, a copy of which will be provided by on request or can be found at: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1998/1258/contents/made. The limits for non-sea going passenger vessels is 175,000 SDRs per passenger limit. Liability for property claims will be at least 1,000,000 SDR's under SI 1998/1258 (4)(b)(i)). The Strasbourg Convention on the Limitation of Liability of Owners of Inland Navigation Vessels, referred to as the "Strasbourg Convention" with protocols and amendments, applies to vessels sailing on waterways located in the territory of a state party subject to (i) the "Revised Convention relating to the Navigation of the Rhine of 17 October 1868" and (ii) the "Convention of 27 October 1956 concerning the canalization of the Moselle" (Article 15(1) of the Strasbourg Convention: https://www.ivr- eu.com/expertises/legal/?lang=en). If the Strasbourg Convention applies the limits for customer claims are 60,000 SDRs per customer subject to a minimum of 6,000,000 SDR's (see Article 7). The Carrier's liability for death, injury, illness, damage, delay or other loss to person or property of any kind suffered by customers shall, in the first instance, be governed by the Convention on Limitation of Liability for Maritime Claims 1996 as amended by SI 1998/1258 or where applicable the Strasbourg Convention. The Carrier's liability therefore shall not exceed those limitations provided by the said LLMC 1996 and SI 1998/1258 or where applicable Strasbourg Convention or in any further revisions, protocols and/or amendments thereto as shall become applicable. Where the LLMC 1996 or If applicable Strasbourg Convention permits the Carrier to apply a deductible, the Carrier may apply that deductible. SDRs are a monetary unit of the International Monetary Fund and current exchange rate can be found in major financial newspapers.

(5)  Please note, we cannot accept any liability for any damage, loss, expense or other sum(s) of any nature or description (a) which on the basis of the information given to us by you concerning your booking prior to our accepting it, we could not have foreseen you would suffer or incur if we breached our contract with you or (b) which did not result from any breach of contract or other fault by ourselves or our employees or, where we are responsible for them, our suppliers c) which relate to any business including, without limitation, self-employed loss of earnings, d) indirect or consequential loss of any kind.

(6) Where it is impossible for you to return to your departure point as per the agreed return date of your package, due to "unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances", we shall provide you with any necessary accommodation (where possible, of a comparable standard) for a period not exceeding three nights per person. Please note that the 3 night cap does not apply to persons with reduced mobility, pregnant women or unaccompanied minors, nor to persons needing specific medical assistance, provided we have been notified of these particular needs in advance. For the purposes of this clause, "unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances" mean warfare, acts of terrorism, significant risks to human health such as the outbreak of serious disease at the travel destination or natural disasters such as floods, earthquakes or weather conditions which make it impossible to travel safely back to your departure point.

 13.  Complaints and Problems

In the unlikely event that you have any reason to complain or experience any problems with your holiday whilst away, you must immediately inform your Tour Manager (if on an escorted holiday) and/or us by telephone on our 24-hour emergency helpline (if not on an escorted holiday) and the supplier of the service(s) in question. Any verbal notification must be put in writing and given to your Tour Manager (if on an escorted holiday) or us (if not on an escorted holiday) and the supplier as soon as possible. Until we know about a problem or complaint, we cannot begin to resolve it. Most problems can be dealt with quickly. If you remain dissatisfied, however, you must write to us within 28 days of your return to the UK giving your booking reference and full details of your complaint. Only the party leader should write to us. If you fail to follow this simple complaints procedure, your right to claim the compensation you may otherwise have been entitled to may be affected or even lost as a result. Please note that we do offer an Alternative Dispute Resolution service, through our ABTA membership. Please see clause 14 for further details.

 14.  Arbitration

We are a Member of ABTA, membership number V2170. We are obliged to maintain a high standard of service to you by ABTA's Code of Conduct. We can also offer you ABTA's scheme for the resolution of disputes which is approved by the Chartered Trading Standards Institute. If we can't resolve your complaint, go to www.abta.com to use ABTA's simple procedure. Further information on the Code and ABTA's assistance in resolving disputes can be found on www.abta.com or you can contact ABTA, 30 Park Street, London SE1 9EQ. You can also use the AITO arbitration service - please see www.aito.com for further information.

15.  Conditions of Suppliers

Many of the services which make up your holiday are provided by independent suppliers. Those suppliers provide these services in accordance with their own terms and conditions. Some of these terms and conditions may limit or exclude the supplier's liability to you, usually in accordance with applicable international conventions or EU regulations (see clause 12(4)(c)). Copies of the relevant parts of these terms and conditions are available on request from us or the supplier concerned.

16.  Special Requests

If you have any special requests, you must advise us in writing at the time of booking. Although we will endeavour to pass any reasonable requests on to the relevant supplier, we regret we cannot guarantee any request will be met unless we have specifically confirmed this. For your own protection, you should obtain confirmation in writing from us that your request will be complied with (where it is possible for us to give this) if your request is important to you. Confirmation that a special request has been noted or passed on to the supplier or the inclusion of the special request on your confirmation letter/invoice or any other documentation is not confirmation that the request will be met. Unless and until specifically confirmed, all special requests are subject to availability. We regret we cannot accept any conditional bookings, i.e. any booking which is specified to be conditional on the fulfilment of a particular request and all such bookings will be treated as "standard" bookings subject to the above provisions on special requests.

17.  Medical Conditions/Disabilities/Reduced Mobility

Some of our tours can prove to be challenging, mobility wise, or physically demanding. If you have any medical condition or disability which may affect your tour or any health, fitness or mobility concerns which may affect your ability to cope with the tour, please give us full details before you confirm your booking so that we can advise as to the suitability of the chosen arrangements. We will make reasonable efforts to accommodate special needs or cause our suppliers to accommodate them, but, if we are to help you choose the right tour for your health, mobility and fitness, we must be aware of all details. Please note that Tour Managers (if on an escorted holiday) cannot provide individual assistance with boarding trains or coaches, or handle your luggage. It is your responsibility to provide us with full and accurate details of your mobility, health and fitness (including any disability), so we can advise you on the suitability of tours. As standard practice all customers are asked at the point of booking whether they have any mobility limitations or health concerns which may impact on their tour. Customers are required to provide all relevant information to ensure that this matter has been carefully considered and we are aware of any issues. We may require you to produce a doctor's certificate certifying that you are fit to participate in the tour. Acting reasonably, if we are unable to properly accommodate the needs of the person(s) concerned, we will not confirm your booking or if you did not give us full details at the time of booking, we will cancel it and impose applicable cancellation charges when we become aware of these details. You must also advise us as soon as possible of any change in any disability or medical condition or your health, fitness or mobility or if any medical condition or disability which may affect your tour develops after your booking has been confirmed. Please also see clause 6.

18.  Fitness to Travel for Cruise Arrangements

Where you have booked a cruise, the following conditions will apply in addition to those set out in clause 17.

In order to ensure that the carrier of your cruise is able to carry passengers safely and in accordance with applicable safety requirements established by international, EU or national law or otherwise in order to meet safety requirements established by competent authorities including the ship's flag state, you (and every member of your group) warrant that you/they are fit to travel by sea and that your/their conduct or condition will not impair the safety of the cruise ship. Please note that the carrier of your cruise may require you to provide medical evidence of fitness to travel, in order to assess whether you can be carried safely and in accordance with applicable international, EU or national law. It is often the case that carriers will be unable to carry passengers who have entered or passed their 24th week of pregnancy by the end of their cruise.

Women who reach their 23rd week of pregnancy at the end of the cruise may also be required to provide evidence of fitness to travel. Carriers reserve the right to refuse passage if they are not satisfied that the passenger will be safe during the course of the cruise. Pregnant women are therefore strongly recommended to seek medical advice prior to travel, at any stage of their pregnancy. Passengers who require the use of a wheelchair must provide their own standard size wheelchair for the duration of the cruise. Carriers often provide a limited number of wheelchairs which are strictly available for emergency use only. The carrier may require such passengers to be accompanied by a travelling companion who is fit and able to assist them, where it is reasonably deemed by the carrier that this is strictly necessary.

19.  Excursions, Activities and Brochure/Website Information

The information contained in our brochure and on our website is correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of the brochure going to print or at the time of publication on our website. Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the brochure and prices at the time of printing or publication, regrettably errors do occasionally occur. You must therefore ensure you check all details of your chosen holiday (including the price) with us at the time of booking.

We may provide you with information (in our brochure, on our website and/or when you are on holiday) about activities and excursions which are available in the area you are visiting but cannot be pre-booked with us or otherwise purchased via ourselves. We have no involvement in any such activities or excursions which are not run, supervised, controlled, inspected or endorsed in any way by us. They are provided by local operators or other third parties who are entirely independent of us. They do not form any part of your contract with us even where we or your Tour Manager (if on an escorted holiday) suggest particular operators/other third parties and/or assist you in booking such activities or excursions in any way. We cannot accept any liability on any basis in relation to such activities or excursions and the acceptance of liability contained in clause 12(1) of our booking conditions will not apply to them. We do not however exclude liability for the negligence of ourselves or our employees resulting in your death or personal injury.

We cannot guarantee accuracy at all times of information given in relation to such activities or excursions or about the area(s) you are visiting generally (except where this concerns the services which will form part of your contract) or that any particular excursion or activity which does not form part of our contract will take place as these services are not under our control. If you feel that any of the activities or excursions mentioned in our brochure or on our website which are not part of our contract are vital to the enjoyment of your holiday, write to us immediately and we will tell you the latest known situation.

If we become aware of any material alterations to destination/area information and/or such outside activities or excursions which can be reasonably expected to affect your decision to book a holiday with us, we will pass on this information at the time of booking.

20.  Flights

Please note the existence of a 'UK Air Safety List' (available for inspection at https://www.caa.co.uk/Commercial-industry/Airlines/Licensing/Requirements-and-guidance/Third-Country-Operator-Certificates/) detailing air carriers that are subject to an operating ban within the UK. We will advise you of the carrier(s) or, if the carrier(s) is not known, the likely carrier(s) that will operate your flight(s) at the time of booking. Where we are only able to inform you of the likely carrier(s) at the time of booking, we will inform you of the identity of the actual carrier(s) as soon as we become aware of this. Any change to the operating carrier(s) and/or flight routings (including indirect routings) after your booking has been confirmed will be notified to you as soon as possible. We are not always in a position at the time of booking to confirm flight routings and/or flight timings. Where flight routings and/or flight timings are given at the time of booking or detailed on your confirmation letter/invoice these are for guidance only and are subject to alteration and confirmation. The latest timings will be shown on your itinerary which will be dispatched to you approximately 10 days prior to departure. You must accordingly check your tickets very carefully immediately on receipt to ensure you have the correct flight times. It is possible that flight times may be changed even after tickets have been dispatched.

We will contact you as soon as possible if this occurs. Any change in the identity of the carrier(s), flight timings, routings (including a change from direct to indirect routings) and/or aircraft type (if given) will not entitle you to cancel or change to other arrangements without paying our normal charges except where specified in these conditions. Regardless of any information given in good faith, operational changes may be made by an airline at any point and we cannot be responsible for these. If the carrier(s) with whom you have a confirmed reservation becomes subject to an operating ban as above as a result of which we/the carrier(s) are unable to offer you a suitable alternative the provisions of clause 9 (Changes and Cancellations by Us) will apply. Prices quoted in this brochure and/or on our website are based on special airfares offered to us by the airlines for group travel. These represent a reduction on the normal IATA fares which entitle passengers to privileges and flexibility that our clients do not normally require as part of the holiday. Should you wish to book your holiday using a flight other than that shown in the brochure/on our website, a flight variation charge from £50 per person will apply in addition to the difference in cost between our special fare and the normal IATA fare for the flight(s) required. Tickets at our special fare are valid only on the airline and dates shown and do not automatically entitle passengers to switch to another carrier in case of a flight cancellation, delay or technical problems with the aircraft or the reservation. Please note that most airlines now operate 100% non- smoking services.

21.  Denied Boarding Regulations

If you or any member of your party misses your flight or other transport arrangement, it is cancelled or you are subject to a delay of over 3 hours for any reason, you must contact us and the airline or other transport supplier concerned immediately. If your flight is cancelled or delayed, your flight ticket is downgraded or boarding is denied by your airline, depending on the circumstances, the airline may be required to pay you compensation, refund the cost of your flight and/or provide you with accommodation and/ or refreshments under the Denied Boarding Regulations 2004. Where applicable, you must pursue the airline for the compensation or other payment due to you. All sums you receive or are entitled to receive from the airline concerned by virtue of these Regulations represent the full amount of your entitlement to compensation or any other payment arising from such cancellation, delay, downgrading or denied boarding. This includes any disappointment, distress, inconvenience or effect on any other arrangements. The fact a delay may entitle you to cancel your flight does not automatically entitle you to cancel any other arrangements even where those arrangements have been made in conjunction with your flight. We have no liability to make any payment to you in relation to the Denied Boarding Regulations as your entitlement to any compensation or other payment (as dealt with above) is covered by the airline's obligations under the Denied Boarding Regulations. If, for any reason, we make any payment to you or a third party which the airline is responsible for in accordance with the Denied Boarding Regulations, you must, when requested, assign to us the rights you have or had to claim the payment in question from the airline. If the airline does not comply with these rules you should complain to the Civil Aviation Authority at www.caa.co.uk/passengers. Please note, your rights under clause 9 ("Changes and Cancellations by Us") and clause 12 ("Our Liability to You") of these booking conditions are not affected by the above Denied Boarding Regulations except that we are entitled to argue that the amount you receive or are entitled to receive from the airline is sufficient to meet any compensation obligation we may have to you as your tour operator as a result of any such cancellation, delay, downgrading or denied boarding.

22.  Rail Journeys and Reservations

We request rail reservations many months in advance but occasionally there are insufficient First Class seats available. In these situations we will book Standard Class seats and refund the difference to you. Although we do our best to follow the routes noted on the itinerary there might be occasions when a different routing and/or departure time is necessary due to timetable variations or seat availability.

Regardless of any information given by us in good faith, operational changes may be made by a rail supplier/operator at any point and without notice, and we cannot be responsible for these. Increasingly, trains are 100% non-smoking, and reservations are requested in non-smoking accommodation, although at busy times we may be allocated some smoking seats.

We cannot make specific requests for smoking seats. Prices quoted in this brochure and on our website are based on special fares negotiated with our rail partners for group travel. Should you wish to travel on any Eurostar or other rail service, other than those included as part of your holiday, a rail variation charge of £25 per person per service plus any additional cost will apply. Any change involving sleeper services will be quoted on an individual basis.

Tickets for Eurostar train services are issued subject to the conditions set out in Eurostar International Limited's conditions of carriage and/or the conditions of carriage of the carrier in question, copies of which are available from travel agents appointed by Eurostar International Limited or supplied on request.

23.  Your Financial Protection

The Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 (as amended) require us to provide security for the monies that you pay for the package holidays booked from this brochure or our website and for your repatriation in the event of our insolvency. We provide this security by way of an ATOL (ATOL number 3278) administered by the Civil Aviation Authority of CAA House, 45-59 Kingsway, London WC2B 6TE for packages which include a flight and a bond held by ABTOT (ABTOT number 5386) for packages that do not include a flight. You can contact ABTOT at www.abtot.com or ABTOT Limited, 117 Houndsditch, London EC3A 7BT.

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. *The flights and flight inclusive holidays we arrange are ATOL protected providing they are made available in the UK. For further information visit the ATOL website at www.atol.org.uk.

If your holiday does not include flights, ABTOT will financially protect your holiday by ensuring you receive a refund or, if your arrangements include return travel to the UK (other than flights), you are returned to the UK in the event that your holiday cannot be provided as a result of our insolvency. Please go to our website www.greatrail.com for further information relating to ABTOT's scheme of financial protection.

If you book arrangements other than an ATOL protected flight or package holiday from us, your monies will not be financially protected. Please ask us for further details.

24.  Prompt Assistance

If, whilst you are on holiday, you find yourself in difficulty for any reason, we will offer you such prompt assistance as is appropriate in the circumstances. In particular we will provide you with appropriate information on health services, local authorities and consular assistance, and assistance with long distance communications and finding alternative travel or accommodation arrangements. Where you require assistance which is not owing to any failure by us, our employees or sub-contractors, we will not be liable for the costs of any alternative travel or accommodation arrangements or other such assistance you require. Any supplier, airline or other transport supplier may however pay for or provide refreshments and/or appropriate accommodation and you should make a claim directly to them. Subject to the other terms of these Booking Conditions, we will not be liable for any costs, fees or charges you incur in the above circumstances, if you fail to obtain our prior authorisation before making your own travel arrangements. Furthermore, we reserve the right to charge you a fee for our assistance in the event that the difficulty is caused intentionally by you or a member of your party, or otherwise through your or your party's negligence.

25.  Data Protection

Great Rail Journeys Limited is a data controller for the purposes of the Data Protection Act 2018 and the UK General Data Protection Regulation. Please be assured that we have measures in place to protect the personal information you give us. This information will be passed on to the relevant suppliers of your travel arrangements. It may also be provided, either by us or by the suppliers of your travel arrangements, to third parties and public authorities such as banks and credit card companies, customs or immigration if required by them, or as required by law. Certain information may also be passed on to security or credit checking companies or insurance providers. The above applies to any sensitive information that you give to us such as details of any disabilities, medical conditions, or dietary/religious requirements but we will obviously only pass these on where you provide your explicit consent for us to do so.If we cannot pass on this information as set out above, we may be unable to provide your booking or other services you have requested (for example, travel insurance). In making your booking, you consent to this information being passed on to the relevant persons who may be outside the UK. If you travel outside the UK, controls on data protection may not be as strong as the legal requirements in the UK.

We would like to use your details for marketing purposes (e.g. sending you our brochures) and to pass them on to other companies within our group who may also contact you for marketing purposes. If you do not wish to receive any further information from us or other companies in our group please let us know this at the time you give us your details or, if you do not do so then, at any time subsequently. You are generally entitled to ask us (by letter or e-mail) what details of yours are being held or processed, for what purpose and to whom they may be or have been disclosed. We promise to respond to your request within 30 days of receiving your written request. In certain limited circumstances we may be entitled to refuse your request. To improve our service, calls may be recorded for training and quality purposes. Please see our privacy policy for further information at /things-you-should-know/privacy-statement/ and our policy on privacy and cookies at /things-you-should-know/statement-on-cookies/.

26.  Law & Jurisdiction

English law (and no other) will apply to your contract and to any dispute, claim or other matter of any description which arises between us ("claim") except as set out below. We both also agree that any claim (and whether or not involving any personal injury) must be dealt with under the ABTA or AITO Arbitration Schemes (if the Scheme is available for the claim in question - see clause 14) or by the Courts of England and Wales only unless, in the case of Court proceedings, you live in Scotland or Northern Ireland. In this case, proceedings must either be brought in the Courts of your home country or those of England and Wales. If proceedings are brought in Scotland or Northern Ireland, you may choose to have your contract and any claim governed by the law of Scotland or Northern Ireland as applicable (but if you do not so choose, English law will apply).

27.  Contact Details

Should you need to contact us our contact details are as follows:

By Mail: Great Rail Journeys Ltd, 4th and 5th Floors, HQ Building, Hudson Quarter, Toft Green, York, North Yorkshire, YO1 6JT By Telephone: 01904 521900

By Email: grj@greatrail.com

Package Travel Information

Part 1: General

The combination of travel services offered to you is a package within the meaning of the Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018. Therefore you will benefit from all EU rights applying to the packages. We at Great Rail Journeys Limited, will be fully responsible for the proper performance of the package as a whole. Additionally, as required by law, we have protection in place to refund your payments and, where transport is included in the package, to ensure your repatriation in the event that it becomes/they become insolvent.

Part 2: Key rights under the Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018

  • Travellers will receive all essential information about the package before concluding the package travel contract
  • There is always at least one trader who is liable for the proper performance of all the travel services included in the contract
  • Travellers are given an emergency telephone number or details of a contact point where they can get in touch with the organiser or the travel agent
  • Travellers may transfer the package to another person, on reasonable notice and possibly subject to additional costs
  • The price of the package may only be increased if specific costs rise (for instance fuel prices), and if expressly provided for in the contract, and in any event not later than 20 days before the start of the package.

If the price increase exceeds 8% of the price of the package, the traveller may terminate the contract. If the organiser reserves the right to a price increase, the traveller has a right to a price reduction if there is a decrease in the relevant costs

  • Travellers may terminate the contract without paying any termination fee and get a full refund of any payments if any of the essential elements of the package, other than the price, has changed significantly. If before the start of the package the trader responsible for the package cancels the package, travellers are entitled to a refund and compensation where appropriate
  • Travellers may terminate the contract without paying any termination fee before the start of the package in the event of exceptional circumstances, for instance if there are serious security problems at the destination which are likely to affect the package
  • Additionally, travellers may at any time before the start of the package terminate the contract in return for an appropriate and justifiable termination fee
  • If, after the start of the package, significant elements of the package cannot be provided as agreed, suitable alternative arrangements will have to be offered to the traveller at no extra cost. Travellers may terminate the contract without paying any termination fee, where services are not performed in accordance with the contract and this substantially affects the performance of the package and the organiser fails to remedy the problem
  • Travellers are also entitled to a price reduction or compensation for damages or both where the travel services are not performed or are improperly performed
  • The organiser has to provide assistance if the traveller is in difficulty
  • • If the organiser or the retailer becomes insolvent, payments will be refunded. If the organiser becomes insolvent after the start of the package and if transport is included in the package, repatriation of the travellers is secured. Great Rail Journeys Limited provides insolvency protection for flight-inclusive holidays by virtue of its ATOL, held with the CAA, under ATOL number: 3278, and for non-flight packages with ABTOT (No. 5386). Please see clause 22 of our Booking Conditions for further information. Travellers may contact these entities if services are denied because of our insolvency. Part 3: The Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 can be found here: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukdsi/2018/9780111168479/pdfs/ukdsi 9780111168479 en.pdf

Our AITO membership

Great Rail Journeys Limited is a member of the Association of Independent Tour Operators, an organisation representing over 150 of Britain's best specialist tour operators. Members of AITO strive to create holidays with high levels of professionalism and a shared concern for quality, personal service and customer satisfaction. The Association encourages the highest standards in all aspects of tour operating and all members are fully bonded for clients' protection, in compliance with UK and European regulations. Great Rail Journeys - like all other AITO members - are also bound by the organisation's Quality Charter. For further information about AITO visit www.aito.com or call 020 8744 9280.

AITO Quality Charter

AITO is the Association for independent and specialist holiday companies. Our member companies, usually owner managed, strive to create overseas holidays with high levels of professionalism and a shared concern for quality and personal service. The Association encourages the highest standards in all aspects of tour operating.

AITO sets criteria regarding ownership, finance and quality which must be satisfied before new companies are admitted to membership. All members are required to adhere to a Code of Business Practice which encourages high operational standards and conduct.

Financial Security

An AITO member is required to arrange financial protection for all holidays and other arrangements(including accommodation only) booked by customers with the member under the AITO logo. This financial protection applies to customers who are resident in the UK at the time of booking and to most overseas customers who have booked directly with the member. In doing so, the member must comply with UK Government regulations.

Members are required to submit details of their financial protection arrangements to AITO on a regular basis.

Accurate brochures and websites

All members do their utmost to ensure that all their brochures and other publications print or electronic, clearly and accurately describe the holidays and services offered. Professional service and continual improvements All members are committed to high standards of service and believe in regular and through training of employees. Members continually seek to review and improve their holidays. They listen to their customers and always welcome suggestions for improving standards.

Monitoring Standards

AITO endeavours to monitor quality standards regularly. All customers should receive a post-holiday questionnaire from their tour operators, the results of which are scrutinised by the Association. In addition, customers can leave detailed feedback, accessible from the homepage of AITO's website, or via a direct link supplied by their AITO tour operator, about their holiday.

Sustainable tourism

Our members acknowledge the importance of AITO's Sustainable Tourism ethos, which recognises the social, economic and environmental responsibilities of tour operating.

Customer relations

All members endeavour to deal swiftly and fairly with any issues their customers may raise. In the unlikely event that a dispute between an AITO member and a customer cannot be settled amicably, AITO's low-cost Independent Dispute Settlement Service may be called upon by either side to bring the matter to a speedy and acceptable conclusion. For further information about AITO visit www.aito.com or call 020 8744 9280.

For bookings placed before 1st September 2022 please see these booking conditions

Privacy Policy

At Great Rail Journeys, we will always respect your privacy, and we are committed to protecting your personal data. This policy explains what we do with the personal data we receive from you when you visit our website, download our app or call us. It also explains your privacy rights and how the law protects you.

This version of the privacy policy was last updated on 1st July 2024 and replaces all previous versions. We may update the policy at any time and if the changes are significant, we will highlight this on the website. In some circumstances, send an email to notify customers of changes to the privacy policy.

To make it easier for you to find the information you need, we've broken it down into sections.

Who’s responsible for processing my personal information?

Great Rail Journeys Limited (Company No 03208093) is the Data Controller responsible for the personal data we collect, process and store.

What is Personal Data?

Personal data, or personal information, means any information that can personally identify you, such as your name or address.

What personal information do you collect about me

We only collect the essential information we need to deliver our products and services.

  • When you register for any of our services, request information, buy our products online or by telephone, we may collect your name, address, email address, date of birth, gender, telephone number, passport number, payment method and details of holidays and services you have purchased from us.
  • We may also collect other special categories of personal information, such as your health and dietary requirements. We will only do this when it is strictly necessary to deliver the holiday you have purchased - and only with your consent.
  • When you browse our website, we gather information about the pages you visit. This includes technical information like your IP address, browser type and cookie information (unless you've disabled cookies on your device). For more information about how we collect this see our Cookie Notice.

It is important that the personal data we hold about you is accurate. Please keep us informed of any changes, for example a new address or email address.

How do you collect my personal information?

It's collected directly from data you provide when you:

  • make a booking for travel arrangements;
  • use the "my booking" portal on our website;
  • subscribe to our newsletter or other publications;
  • request to receive marketing from us;
  • enter a competition, promotion or survey;
  • give us feedback.

We may also collect your data:

  • when you visit our website, or have conversations with us on the phone, by email or by other messaging services;
  • from third parties, such as suppliers of travel services, travel agents, analytics providers and data alliances.

What are your legal bases for processing my personal information?

We have a few different legal bases to process your personal information for example:

  • Performance of a contract with you. To process and deliver your booking, including managing your payment, or to register you as a new customer or enquirer (contract).
  • Legitimate interest. To tailor our products, services and special offers to those we think you'll like and send you information about them. We make sure that we consider and balance any potential impact on you and your rights before we process your personal data.
  • Consent. We rely on consent only where we have obtained your active agreement to use your personal data for a specified purpose, for example subscribing to an email newsletter.

Where do you store and process my personal information?

It's stored and processed on secure servers.

When it's processed outside of the United Kingdom or the European Economic Area (EEA), agreements, measures and safeguards make sure it's secure and meets the standards set out in the UK General Data Protection Regulation. You can rest assured that your information will only be used in line with this Privacy Policy.

Why do you need my personal information?

We need it for a number of reasons and we rely on the legal bases above to do so. For example when you book a holiday we need your personal data to:

  • register you as a new customer;
  • process and deliver your booking including managing your payment;
  • get in touch with you, for example with updates and further information.

We also need it for other reasons such as to:

  • send you brochures, newsletters and special offers and to offer recommendations to you about goods or services that may be of interest to you;
  • allow you to take part in a prize draw, competition or complete a survey;
  • deliver relevant website content and advertisements to you;
  • improve our products/services, marketing, customer relationships and experiences;
  • fulfil our obligations with the third party suppliers we use to provide your booking;
  • comply with our legal or regulatory obligations.

How long do you keep my personal information for?

We have to keep basic information about our customers (including Contact, Identity, Financial and Transaction Data) for six years after they stop being customers for legal and tax purposes. In some circumstances you can ask us to delete your data. See section "Can I see what personal information you hold about me" below for further information.

We will only keep additional personal data for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes we collected it for, including satisfying any legal, accounting or reporting requirements.

To determine the appropriate retention period for any personal data, we consider:

  • the amount, nature, and sensitivity of that data,
  • the potential risk of harm from unauthorised use or disclosure of your personal data,
  • the purposes for which we process your personal data,
  • and whether we can achieve those purposes through other means, and the applicable legal requirements.

Can I see what personal information you hold about me?

Yes, you have the right to see your personal information and this is known as the 'right of access' (commonly known as a "data subject access request"). You can ask us by phone, email or by writing to us.

We may need to request specific information from you to help us confirm your identity and ensure your right to access your personal data or to exercise any of your other rights. This is a security measure to ensure that personal data is not disclosed to anyone who has no right to receive it.

We try to respond to all requests within one month. Occasionally it may take us longer if your request is particularly complex but we will always keep you updated throughout the process.

What other data protection rights do I have?

You also have the right to:

  • request correction of any inaccurate or incomplete personal data that we hold about you. We may need to verify the accuracy of the new data you provide.
  • request erasure of your personal data. You can ask us to delete or remove personal data where there is no good reason for us continuing to process it. You also have the right to ask us to delete or remove your personal data where you have successfully exercised your right to object to processing (see below), where we may have processed your information unlawfully or where we are required to erase your personal data to comply with local law. We may not always be able to comply with your request of erasure for specific legal reasons which will be notified to you, if applicable, at the time of your request.
  • object to processing of your personal data where we are relying on a legitimate interest (or those of a third party), and you object to processing in a particular situation as you feel it impacts on your fundamental rights and freedoms. You also have the right to object where we are processing your personal data for direct marketing purposes. In some cases, we may demonstrate that we have compelling legitimate grounds to continue to process your information.
  • request restriction of processing of your personal data in the following scenarios:
    1. if you want us to establish the data's accuracy;
    2. where our use of the data is unlawful but you do not want us to erase it;
    3. where you need us to hold the data even if we no longer require it, as you need it to establish, exercise or defend legal claims;
    4. you have objected to our use of your data, but we need to verify whether we have overriding legitimate grounds to use it.
  • request the transfer of your personal data to you or to a third party. We will provide you, or a third party you have chosen, with your personal data in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format. This right only applies to automated information which you initially consented for us to use, or where we used the information to perform a contract with you.
  • withdraw consent to process your personal data at any time However, this will not affect the lawfulness of any processing carried out before you withdraw your consent. If you withdraw your consent, we may not be able to provide certain products or services to you which we will advise you of at the time.

Can I choose how to be contacted by you?

Yes, you can choose how you'd prefer to receive marketing communications from us.

If you'd rather not receive our mailings, you can opt out at any time. Simply change your preferences over the phone.

You can also unsubscribe from our email list at any point by clicking the unsubscribe link at the bottom of your email. It can take up to a week and then you won't receive any more marketing emails.

Can I choose not to provide personal data?

We need to collect essential personal data by law when you enter into a contract with us (for example when you make a booking with us). If you don't provide that data, it may mean that we are unable to process your booking or we may have to cancel your booking. In these cases, we will treat this as a 'cancellation by you', as outlined by your relevant Booking Terms & Conditions. We will notify you if we can't process a booking or are required to cancel a booking for this reason.

Do you share my personal information with other companies?

Sometimes we might share your personal data including your name, address and email address. We only do this to offer a better customer service, gain an understanding our customer base and to keep you informed of offers and promotions that we believe you'll be interested in.

BASED ON THIS, YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION MAY BE SHARED WITH:

  • other companies within the Great Rail Journeys Group;
  • members of the data sharing alliances that we work with, like Epsilon Abacus Alliance, who might post information about products or services you may be interested in;
  • companies who provide services to us and other retailers by posting advertising on other websites you might visit which (once you've consented to the use of cookies by that website) will be tailored to your interests and preferences;
  • companies such as airlines, hotels, destination management companies, rail operators, transport providers and ground handlers acting as processors, who provide the travel services for any booking that you make with us;
  • travel agent partners based in the UK who make bookings with us on your behalf, acting as our retail agent;
  • service providers providing IT and system administration services.

Data alliances bring together customer information on behalf of UK retailers. The retailers involved are from all sectors like clothing, collectables, food and wine, gardening, gadgets and entertainment, health and beauty, household goods, home interiors, travel and charity categories. They share information on what their customers buy. The data alliances then analyse this pooled information to help the retailers understand consumers' buying patterns. Retailers can then tailor offers, based on what their customers like to buy.

We may have gained your contact details from the data alliances that we work with if you're a customer of one of their members. This should've been explained to you before your contact details were shared.

If you'd like to view the Privacy Policy of our data alliance, please see the Epsilon Privacy Policy.

We'll never share your email address so another business can send marketing to you.

I’m not a Great Rail Journeys customer, how did you find my details?

The Great Rail Journeys family - we will share your personal information in certain circumstances with the other companies within the Great Rail Journeys family, which includes our sister brands Rail Discoveries & Vacations by Rail, so that we can provide you with a high quality, personalised and tailored service (including relevant marketing) across our Group.

The data alliances we work with, mentioned in the section Do you share my personal information with other companies? send us information. You can change how you'd like us to contact you at any time, by heading to Can I choose how to be contacted by Great Rail Journeys?

How to get in touch with us

It's easy to get in touch with us if you have any questions about this privacy policy, your personal information, or you'd like to change the way we contact you.

  • Email us at MyData@greatrail.com
  • Write to us at Great Rail Journeys Limited, 4th and 5th Floors, HQ Building, Hudson Quarter, Toft Green, York, YO1 6JT
  • Call us on 01904 521940
  • Online at greatrail.com (My Booking)

We'll always do our best to answer all your questions, but if you're not happy then you can complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO). Simply write to Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF, phone 0303 123 1113 or visit the ICO website at www.ico.org.uk to find out more.

Great Rail Journeys Limited is registered with the Information Commissioner's Office under registration number Z7237669.

Cookies Policy

Our website (www.greatrail.com) uses cookies, pixels, and other technologies to identify you from other users of our website. This allows us to improve our site and provide you with a more relevant experience. This Cookie notice provides you with information about the cookies we use and the purposes for which we use them.  

We understand and respect the importance of your privacy and we are committed to safeguarding your personal information. By continuing to browse the site, you consent to our use of cookies and other technologies as described in this notice. Please read this Cookie notice alongside our Privacy notice.

What are Cookies?

The cookies we use are either necessary or optional. A cookie is a small file of letters and numbers that a website transfers to the cookie file on your device so the website can remember who you are. Cookies typically contain the name of the domain the cookie has come from, how long the cookie will last, and a value, usually a randomly generated unique number.

Cookies allow us to understand visitors to our site, helping us to provide a better experience by tailoring our content to you. We may collect information such as your IP address, online activity, web browser details and online activity. We never collect or store any of your passwords or sensitive data.

Manage your cookie consent

You can use the button below to view, manage and update your cookie consent settings for this website.

The Cookies we use

We use the following cookies:

Strictly necessary cookies

Strictly necessary cookies ensure that our website can function properly. They include, for example, cookies that enable you to log into secure areas of our website, use a shopping cart or make use of e-billing services. We've listed the categories of these strictly necessary cookies below.

Example cookies:

Cookie Cookie domain Description
__cfduid  .greatrail.com The cookie is set by CloudFare. The cookie is used to identify individual clients behind a shared IP address and apply security settings on a per-client basis. It does not correspond to any user ID in the web application and does not store any personally identifiable information.
cc
guc
.greatrail.com Used to identify the version and currency of the website. Required for correct pricing and checkout options.
__RequestVerificationToken .greatrail.com This is an anti-forgery cookie set by our web applications.

Cookies that help us to provide core features

These are used to recognise you when you return to our website. This helps us personalise content for you, greet you by name and remember your preferences. We work with service providers and third parties and set these cookies on our website.

Example cookies:

Cookie Cookie domain Description
telCode .greatrail.com Used to show the correct phone number on the website based on activity.
recentlyViewed  .greatrail.com Used to show you recently viewed tours when you return to the website.
_vis_opt_s
_vis_opt_test_cookie 
_vwo_uuid_v2
.greatrail.com Cookies set up by Visual Website Optimiser, software used to run testing and personalisation experiments on the website.
zarget_*
fm_sid_*
_hp2_*
_gid
_gcl_au
.freshchat.com Cookies set by our web chat service Freshchat, allowing delivery of our web chat service, including a copy of your conversation.
PREF*
VSC*
VISTOR_INFO1_LIVE* 
remote_sid*
.youtube.com We include videos using YouTube, which may set cookies on your computer once you click on the YouTube video player.

Cookies that help us to improve our website

Allow us to recognise and count the number of visitors to our website and understand how the site is being used. This helps us improve how our website works, for example, by ensuring that visitors are finding what they are looking for easily.

Example cookies:

Cookie Cookie domain Description
JSESSIONID  .nr-data.net Set by New Relic, a service for monitoring website load performance and site speed.
_hjid
_hjIncludedinSample
_hj*
.greatrail.com Cookies set by HotJar and used for analysing website performance, including session recordings and conversion funnels.
_ga
_gali
_gat
_gid
.greatrail.com These cookies are set by Analytics (Google) and used to collect information about how visitors use our website. We use the information to compile reports and to help us improve the website. The cookies collect information in a way that does not directly identify anyone, including the number of visitors to the website.

Cookies that support our marketing

These cookies collect information to understand what you're interested in to make our advertising more relevant to you. The cookies are usually placed by third party advertising networks. They remember the websites you visit, and the information is shared with other parties such as advertisers.

Example cookies:

Cookie Cookie domain Description
_fbp
dpr
wd
datr
sb
.facebook.com Cookie set by Facebook and used for purpose of remarketing on Facebook and associated services.
IDE
NID
__Sercure-3PAPISID
__Secure-3PSID
1P_JAR
APISID
SSID
OGPC
HSID
SID
SAPISID
ANID
.google.com
.doubleclick.net
.youtube.com
Cookies used by Google advertising services for purpose of targeting ads to users on Google and other third-party websites. Some of these cookies may also be used for tracking your engagement with advertising and sites across devices.
dm_i recordID sessionID .dotdigital.com Cookies used by Dotdigital (email service provider) to track and identifie a visitor as a Dotdigital contact whilst they browse our site's pages. This data can then be used for better segmenting and targeting. Mix of session cookies and user cookies (expires after 365 days).
_clck microsoft.com Persists the Clarity User ID and preferences, unique to that site, on the browser. This ensures that behavior in subsequent visits to the same site will be attributed to the same user ID.
_clsk microsoft.com Connects multiple page views by a user into a single Clarity session recording.
CLID microsoft.com Identifies the first-time Clarity saw this user on any site using Clarity.
ANONCHK microsoft.com Indicates whether MUID is transferred to ANID, a cookie used for advertising. Clarity doesn't use ANID and so this is always set to 0.
MR microsoft.com Indicates whether to refresh MUID.
MUID microsoft.com Identifies unique web browsers visiting Microsoft sites. These cookies are used for advertising, site analytics, and other operational purposes.
SM microsoft.com Used in synchronizing the MUID across Microsoft domains.

Please note third parties such as advertising networks, social networks and web traffic analysis services may also use cookies, over which we have no control. These cookies are likely to be analytical/performance cookies or targeting cookies.

Sharing with social networks

If you use the buttons that allow you to share products and content with your friends via social networks like Instagram and Facebook, these companies may set a cookie on your computer. Find out more about these here:

How do I block or change my cookie settings?

Most browsers have an option that allows you to control whether your browser accepts cookies, rejects cookies, or notifies you each time a cookie is sent. You can reject or block cookies by activating these settings. If you do use your browser settings to block all cookies (including essential cookies) you may not be able to access all features on our website for example previously viewed tours and favourites.

Find out how to manage cookies on popular browsers:

To find out more information about cookies, please visit www.allaboutcookies.org. Other tools that can be used to exercise your choice of not being tracked for the purpose of advertising includes:

http://www.aboutads.info/choices and http://www.youronlinechoices.eu/

Cookies and your Privacy

The information cookies collect, and how we use that information, may count as personal data. We may also be able to identify you by name, IP address or session ID. You have rights regarding how we collect, store and use your personal data. You can learn more about how we use your personal data in our Privacy notice.

Last updated: 11th August 2022

Accessibility

It is possible to alter the size of text on our webpages for maximum visibility and readability.

All standard Internet browsers provide options to increase or decrease text size. Find your browser below for instructions:

Microsoft Internet Explorer

Select 'View' from the menu bar and move your cursor to 'Text Size'. To choose from 'Largest' to 'Smallest' click on the size you wish to use.

Mozilla Firefox

Select 'View' from the menu bar, move your cursor to 'Zoom' and select 'Zoom Text' Only. Select 'View' from the menu and then 'Zoom' once again. Click on 'Zoom In' or 'Zoom Out' to alter the text sizing on a page you are viewing.

Google Chrome

Select the wrench, or spanner, icon on the menu bar. Select 'Settings', move to 'Show advanced settings' and then the section labelled 'Web content'. The font size drop-down menu allows you to select a comfortable reading size.

Apple Safari

Select 'Preferences' from the Safari menu, then choose 'Appearance'. Go to 'Select', located alongside 'Standard Font', and choose the text size you wish to display by clicking on a number in the 'Sizes' column. You will also need to select a size from the 'Fixed-width font' option.

Website use Terms & Conditions

This website is owned and operated by Great Rail Journeys of 4th and 5th Floors, HQ Building, Hudson Quarter, Toft Green, York, North Yorkshire, YO1 6JT ("the Company"). Access to and use of any information on this website is conditional on your acceptance of these website terms and conditions ("the Conditions"). We recommend you read them carefully and print out and keep a copy of them for your future reference. If you do not wish to accept any part of these Conditions then you may not use our website.

Please Note:

When you visit our website or send e-mails to us, you are communicating electronically. We will also communicate with you by e-mail. You agree that all notices, agreements, disclosures and other communications that we provide to you electronically satisfy any requirement that such communications be in writing.

By using this website, you warrant to us that:

  1. You will not use this website or any material or information on it for any purpose that is unlawful or prohibited by these Conditions;
  2. You are at least 18 years old and have the legal authority to use this website in accordance with these Conditions;
  3. You agree to be financially responsible for all charges, fees and other sums of whatever nature which arise out of your use of this website;
  4. All information that you provide about yourself and about anyone else shall be true and accurate.

You must not link (including deep linking) to our website or access, monitor or copy any content or information of this website using any robot, spider, scraper or other automated means or any manual process for any purpose without our prior written agreement.

Copyright Notice

All content of this website (such as text, graphics, logos, button icons, images, audio clips, digital downloads, data compilations and software) is our exclusive property or that of our content suppliers (if applicable) and is, unless specifically stated otherwise, protected by copyright or similar ownership rights. It is published by us and may not be reproduced other than by downloading and viewing on a single computer and/or printing a single hard copy, for private purposes only. It is not to be otherwise reproduced, transmitted, made available on a network or used to create derivative works without our prior written consent. All rights are reserved.

The trade marks, logos and service marks shown on our website, unless otherwise specified, are our intellectual property. No rights are granted to use any of them without our prior written consent.

Booking Conditions

All bookings made on this website are subject to our booking conditions in addition to these Conditions. We recommend that you read our booking conditions carefully and print out and keep a copy of them for your future reference.

Website Content

We are an English registered Company. Our business and the services we offer are governed by the applicable laws of England and Wales except where otherwise stated in our booking conditions. No warranties, promises and/or representations of any kind, express or implied, are given as to the accuracy or completeness of any of the material or information contained on this website (in accordance with English law or with any laws of any other country) or as to the nature, standard, suitability or otherwise of any services offered by us or on our behalf.

We shall not be liable for any loss or damage or other sum or claim of any nature whatsoever (direct, indirect, consequential or other) which arises, directly or indirectly, in connection with this website.

The information contained on this website may contain technical inaccuracies and typographical and other errors. The information on these pages may be updated from time to time and may at times be out of date. If any price or other information is obviously incorrect, we will not be bound by it. You must ensure you check all details of the chosen arrangements (including the price) with us at the time of booking.

Occasionally, we may upload traveller reviews, blogs and recommendations on to our website. Such reviews and blogs are the personal opinions of the author of said content and not that of the Company. We take no responsibility and accept no liability in relation to these reviews, blogs, recommendations or other similar content on the website, or any resulting acts, omissions or losses incurred.

This website may contain links to other websites. Except where they belong to us, such other websites are not under our control or maintained by us. We are not responsible for the content of such websites. We provide these links for your convenience only but do not monitor or endorse the material on them. We cannot accept any liability in relation to any such other websites or in relation to any material or information appearing on them or which you may otherwise come across after leaving our site by way of a hypertext link or any other means.

This website or any part of it (or any websites that are linked to this website) may not be compatible with your browser or computer configuration and we make no warranty that it is. We make no warranty that your access to our website will be uninterrupted, timely or error free. It is your responsibility to ensure you carry out sufficient checks (including virus checks) to satisfy your particular requirements.

User Reviews

Occasionally, we may allow users to upload comments, videos, photographs, reviews, blog entries and other material in relation to travel or other holiday services. Where you upload such materials, you disclaim any proprietary or other rights you may have in the materials, and agree that such materials can be freely used by the Company for any reason whatsoever, without your permission.

You agree that, at the date of posting, the material submitted by you is appropriate and accurate. You warrant that the material is not misleading, defamatory, untrue, malicious, offensive or abusive. You agree that you will not post any information or material that is owned by another third party without their express authority to do so.

You agree to indemnify the Company for the full amount of all damages, losses, costs and expenses in (including legal costs) in relation to claims brought by any third party against the Company arising out of or in connection with breach of these Conditions in relation to the materials.

The Company reserves the right to refuse to post or remove (without notice) any materials for any reason at its sole discretion.

Law and Jurisdiction

Access to this website is conditional on your agreement that all information contained in it and all matters which arise between you and us will be governed by English law. Access is further conditional on your agreement that any dispute or matter which arises between you and us will be dealt with by the Courts of England and Wales only to the exclusion of the Courts of any other country.

If any exclusion(s) or limitation(s) contained in these Conditions is found, in whole or part, to be unlawful, void or for any other reason unenforceable for any purpose(s), that exclusion(s) or limitation(s) or the part(s) in question shall be deemed severable and omitted from these Conditions for that purpose / those purposes. Such omission shall not affect the validity, effectiveness or enforceability of the other provisions of these Conditions.

We may alter these terms and conditions at any time. If we do so, all subsequent use of our website will be governed by the newer version. You must check these terms and conditions regularly.

Updated: October 2016

The Modern Slavery Act (2015)

Great Rail Journeys as a leading UK Tour Operator, is fully aware of its obligations and responsibilities under the Modern Slavery Act (2015).

Great Rail Journeys confirms it does not engage in Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking and it will not knowingly deal with any business that does.

It also recognises the role its suppliers and their sub-contractors play in ensuring that they, in turn, act ethically and with integrity with regards to the Act.

As such, Great Rail Journeys is working towards identifying and assessing potential risk within its supply chains, mitigating any such risk and monitoring the same moving forward.

Our animal and human welfare promise

We're committed to the safeguarding of animal welfare and human rights across the world, which is why all our holidays strictly adhere to both ABTA's Animal Welfare Guidelines and Global Welfare Guidelines. What this means, is that we don't include or promote elephant rides, visits to un-accredited sanctuaries, or any other kind of unethical animal encounters in our itineraries. We also won't visit factories or workplaces that observe or enforce unacceptable practises. Working closely with our suppliers to ensure high standards of responsible tourism, we hope to promote travel experiences that not only have a positive impact on you, our customers, but also on the local communities we spend time in.

GREAT RAIL JOURNEYS LIMITED On-Tour App TERMS OF USE

Who we are and what this agreement does?

Great Rail Journeys Limited is registered, a company registered in England and Wales with company number 03208093 with registered office at 4th and 5th Floors, HQ Building, Hudson Quarter, Toft Green, York, North Yorkshire, YO1 6JT, license you to use:

  • Great Rail Journeys On-Tour App Version 1.0 mobile application software, the data supplied with the software, (App) and any updates or supplements to it
  • The service you connect to via the App and the content we provide to you through it (Service)

as permitted in these terms.

Your Privacy

We only use any personal data we collect through your use of the App and the Services in the ways set out in our Privacy Policy.

Please be aware that internet transmissions are never completely private or secure and that any message or information you send using the App or any Service may be read or intercepted by others, even if there is a special notice that a particular transmission is encrypted.

Third party terms also apply

If you are an Apple user, the ways in which you can use the App and Services may also be controlled by Apple's End User License Agreement, Apple Media Services Terms and Conditions.

You must comply with any and all applicable third party terms when using the App.

Operating system requirements

Version 1.0 of this App requires a device with a minimum of 200mb of memory and at least iOS 11 or Android 5.0.

Support for the App and how to tell us about problems

If you want to learn more about the App or the Service or have any problems using them, please contact customer support on OnTourApp@greatrail.com or call us on  +44 1904 521930.

Contacting us (including with complaints)

If you think the App or the Services are faulty or misdescribed or wish to contact us for any other reason, please contact OnTourApp@greatrail.com

How we will communicate with you

If we have to contact you, we will do so by email using the contact details you provided.

How you can use the App, including how many devices you can use it on

In return for agreeing to comply with these terms you can:

  • download the App onto your device(s) and view, use and display the App and the Service on devices for your personal purpose only.
  • receive and use any free supplementary software code or updates of the App incorporating "patches" and corrections of errors.

Age Restrictions

You must be 18 or over to accept these terms and download the App. 

The App is for you

We are giving you personally the right to use the App and the Service as set out above. You may not transfer the App or the Service to someone else. If you sell any device on which the App is installed, remove the App from it.

Changes to these terms

We may need to change these terms to reflect changes in law or best practice or to deal with new features.

We will aim to give you at least 30 days' notice of any change by sending you an email with details of the change or notifying you of a change in the App.

If you do not accept the notified changes you should stop using the App and the service.

Update to the App and changes to the Service

From time to time, we may automatically update the App and change the Service to improve performance, enhance functionality, reflect changes to the operating system or address security issues. Alternatively, we may ask you to update the App for these reasons.

If you choose not to install such updates or if you opt out of automatic updates you may not be able to continue using the App and the Services.

If someone else owns the phone or device you are using

If you download the App onto any phone or other device not owned by you, you must have the owner's permission to do so. You will be responsible for complying with these terms, whether you own the phone or other device.

We may collect technical data about your device

By using the App, you agree to us collecting and using technical information about the devices you use the App on and related software to improve our products and to provide any Services to you.

We may collect location data (but you can turn location services off)

Certain services, may make use of location data sent from your devices. You can turn off this functionality at any time by turning off the location services settings for the App on the device. If you use these Services, you consent to us and our affiliates' and licensees' transmission, collection, retention, maintenance, processing and use of your location data and queries to provide and improve location-based and road traffic-based products and services.

You may stop us collecting such data at any time by turning off the location services settings either via the App or via your device settings.

We are not responsible for other websites you link to

The App or any Service may contain links to other independent websites which are not provided by us. Such independent sites are not under our control, and we are not responsible for and have not checked and approved their content or their privacy policies (if any).

You will need to make your own independent judgement about whether to use any such independent sites, including whether to buy any products or services offered by them.

Licence restrictions

You agree that you will:

  • not rent, lease, sub-license, loan, provide, or otherwise make available, the App or the Services in any form, in whole or in part to any person without prior written consent from us;
  • not copy the App except as part of the normal use of the App or where it is necessary for the purpose of back-up or operational security; or
  • comply with all applicable technology control or export laws and regulations that apply to the technology used or supported by the App or any Service.
  • not translate, merge, adapt, vary, alter or modify, the whole or any part of the App, nor permit the App or the Services or any part of them to be combined with, or become incorporated in, any other programs, except as necessary to use the App and the Services on devices as permitted in these terms

Acceptable use restrictions

You must:

  • only use the app or any Service as permitted by the usage rules set forth in the Apple Media Services Terms and Conditions (if you are an Apple user).
  • not use the App or any Service in any unlawful manner, for any unlawful purpose, or in any manner inconsistent with these terms, or act fraudulently or maliciously, for example, by hacking into or inserting malicious code, such as viruses, or harmful data, into the App, any Service or any operating system
  • not infringe our intellectual property rights or those of any third party in relation to your use of the App or any Service, including by the submission of any material (to the extent that such use is not licensed by these terms);
  • not transmit any material that is defamatory, offensive or otherwise objectionable in relation to your use of the App or any Service;
  • not use the App or any Service in a way that could damage, disable, overburden, impair or compromise our systems or security or interfere with other users;
  • represent and warrant that (a) you are not located in a country that is subject to a U.S. Government embargo, or (b) a country that has been designated by the U.S. Government as a "terrorist supporting" country or (c) you are not listed on any U.S. Government list of prohibited or restricted parties; and
  • not collect or harvest any information or data from any Service or our systems or attempt to decipher any transmissions to or from the servers running any Service.

Intellectual property rights

All intellectual property rights in the App throughout the world belong to us (or our licensors) and the rights in the App and the Services are licensed (not sold) to you. You have no intellectual property rights in, or to the App other than the right to use them in accordance with these terms.

Our responsibility for loss or damage suffered by you

We are only responsible to you for foreseeable loss and damage caused by us. If we fail to comply with these terms, we are responsible for loss or damage you suffer that is a foreseeable result of our breaking these terms or our failing to use reasonable care and skill, but we are not responsible for any loss or damage that is not foreseeable. Loss or damage is foreseeable if either it is obvious that it will happen or if, at the time you accepted these terms, both we and you knew it might happen.

We do not exclude or limit in any way our liability to you where it would be unlawful to do so.

When we are liable for damage to your property. If defective digital content that we have supplied damages a device or digital content belonging to you, we will either repair the damage or pay you compensation. However, we will not be liable for damage that you could have avoided by following our advice to apply an update offered to you free of charge or for damage that was caused by you failing to correctly follow installation instructions or to have in place the minimum system requirements advised by us.

We are not liable for business losses. The App is for private use. If you use the App for any commercial, business or resale purpose we will have no liability to you for any loss of profit, loss of business, business interruption, or loss of business opportunity.

Limitations to the App and the Services. The App and the Services are provided for general information purposes only. They do not offer advice on which you should rely. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of information obtained from the App or the Service. Although we make reasonable efforts to update the information provided by the App and the Service, we make no representations, warranties or guarantees, whether express or implied, that such information is accurate, complete or up to date.

Please back-up content and data used with the App. We recommend that you back up any content and data used in connection with the App, to protect yourself in case of problems with the App or the Service.

Check that the App and the Services are suitable for you. The App and the Services have not been developed to meet your individual requirements. Please check that the facilities and functions of the App and the Services meet your requirements. You can find this information on the app store and/or on our Website.

We are not responsible for events outside our control. If our provision of the Services or support for the App or the Services is delayed by an event outside our control, then we will take steps to minimise the effect of the delay. Provided we do this we will not be liable for delays caused by the event but if there is a risk of substantial delay you may contact us to end your contract with us and receive a refund for any Services you have paid for but not received.

We may end your rights to use the App and the Services if you break these terms

We may end your rights to use the App and Services at any time by contacting you if you have breached these terms. If what you have done can be put right, we will give you a reasonable opportunity to do so.

If we end your rights to use the App and Services:

  • You must stop all activities authorised by these terms, including your use of the App and any Services.
  • You must delete or remove the App from all devices in your possession and immediately destroy all copies of the App which you have and confirm to us that you have done this.
  • We may remotely access your devices and remove the App from them.

We may transfer this agreement to someone else

We may transfer our rights and obligations under these terms to another organisation. We will always tell you in writing if this happens and we will ensure that the transfer will not affect your rights under the contract.

You need our consent to transfer your rights to someone else

You may only transfer your rights or your obligations under these terms to another person if we agree in writing.

Tthird party rights

This agreement is also made for the benefit of Apple and Apple's subsidiaries (if you are an Apple user). The agreement shall be enforceable by each of them to the fullest extent permitted by law as if they were a party to this agreement.

If a court finds part of this contract illegal, the rest will continue in force

Each of the paragraphs of these terms operates separately. If any court or relevant authority decides that any of them are unlawful, the remaining paragraphs will remain in full force and effect.

Even if we delay in enforcing this contract, we can still enforce it later

Even if we delay in enforcing this contract, we can still enforce it later. If we do not insist immediately that you do anything you are required to do under these terms, or if we delay in taking steps against you in respect of your breaking this contract, that will not mean that you do not have to do those things and it will not prevent us taking steps against you at a later date.

Which laws apply to this contract and where you may bring legal proceedings

These terms are governed by English law and you can bring legal proceedings in respect of the products in the English courts. If you live in Scotland, you can bring legal proceedings in respect of the products in either the Scottish or the English courts. If you live in Northern Ireland, you can bring legal proceedings in respect of the products in either the Northern Irish or the English courts.

Updated: October 2021

Insurance
With our partners Staysure

Insurance

Travel Insurance in association with Staysure

Whether you book through our partner, Staysure, or a company of your choosing, its sensible to have travel insurance of adequate cover for your holiday with us. Great Rail Journeys works alongside Staysure to offer you comprehensive Single Trip and Annual Multi-Trip Travel Insurance cover. Staysure are specialists in travel insurance for over 50s and those with medical conditions.

How to get a Quote

For full details just click the 'get a quote' button below or call 0800 033 4963 and ensure to quote reference GRJ.

Get a quote

Above rating is in reference to Great Rail Journeys

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Why choose Staysure for your travel insurance

Award-winning insurance

Staysure's Comprehensive and Signature policies have been awarded a five-star rating by the independent agency Defaqto, in recognition of their excellent product with a range of features and benefits. They have also won the category for best travel insurance provider at the British travel awards (voted by the public) consecutively for 7 years.

Benefits of a Staysure travel insurance policy

  • 24 hour medical emergency helpline
  • No upper or lower age limit
  • No time limit to phone calls - customers are not rushed through the quote
  • Unlimited medical cover on comprehensive and signature policies

Visit the Staysure website or call on Freephone 0800 033 4693 for your free no obligation quotation. Don't forget to quote GRJ.

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Excellent
4.5 stars
Based on 8,498 reviews