Terms and Conditions
- Definitions
In these Booking Conditions, references to “we”, “us” and “our” refer to ‘Making Tracks – Road Trips’ UK Registered Limited Company no. 13394552, our employees and any contractors carrying out works on our behalf.
References to "you" and "your" refer to the first named person on the booking and all persons on whose behalf a booking is made or any other person to whom a booking is added or transferred.
References to “Road Trip” refer to the booking that this document refers to. - By making a booking of a Road
Trip on our website, the first named person on the booking agrees on
behalf of all persons detailed on the booking that he/she:
has read these Booking Terms & Conditions, our Website Terms Of Use and Privacy Policy, and has the authority to and does agree to be bound by them;
consents to our use of personal data in accordance with our Privacy Policy and is authorised on behalf of all persons named on the booking to disclose their personal details to us, including where applicable special categories of data (such as information on health conditions or disabilities and dietary requirements);
is over 18 years of age.
accepts financial responsibility for payment of the booking on behalf of all persons detailed on the booking;
- Booking Process
A booking has been made when you pay the total deposit amount stated on our website for the relevant Road Trip, (or the full payment if you are booking within 15 weeks of the Road Trip start date).
You can either make your booking by filling in the online booking form on our website or by contacting us directly and providing us with the required contact information.
Upon receipt of the booking form, we will issue you a customer questionnaire to fill in and an invoice for the payment of your deposit, The invoice will contain the bank details for our Trust Account administered by PTS in clause 15 – ‘Consumer Protection’ below. These funds remain unavailable to us until your trip has concluded.
We will contact you at various stages prior to the Road Trip start date, to ask for more information should we need it, and to discuss aspects of the Road Trip with you as the need arises.
A binding contract will exist between us once we have sent you a confirmation of your booking, and it is your responsibility to inform us of any errors on any booking documents, confirmations, tickets or other documents that we send to you.
The final balance for your Road Trip will be due for payment 15 weeks before the start date of your Road Trip. If full payment is not received by this date, we reserve the right to cancel your booking, and no refunds of any monies paid will be due to you. - Documents and Insurance
As part of your booking, you must arrange the following insurances as a minimum.
Car Insurance covering you and all drivers for the minimum legal required level in the territories in which you will be driving; we recommend that you arrange fully comprehensive insurance.
Car breakdown insurance covering you in the territories for which you will be driving. Breakdown insurance should cover you for repatriation for you and your vehicle back to the UK in case your vehicle cannot be repaired in reasonable time.
Comprehensive Travel Insurance, covering any pre-existing medical conditions. We highly recommend that your cover should include cancellation cover, and that you purchase your insurance at the same that you book your Road Trip with us.
You will be required to carry the following documentation during the Road Trip: - Driving Licence – all drivers
must hold a valid full UK driving licence
- Vehicle insurance Certificate
for all drivers
- V5C (log book) or ‘vehicle on
hire’ certificate
- MOT certificate
- Valid Passport – for all
participants – with at least six months validity on the last day of the
trip.
- Travel Insurance Certificate
We reserve
the right to ask for proof that you hold these insurances either before or
during the Road Trip, and we reserve the right to cancel your booking if you
are found to not have any of these insurances. If we cancel your booking on
these grounds, no refund of any monies paid will be due to you.
In case you travel without any insurance, we will not be liable for any
consequences that arise as a result.
- Cancellation by you
If you are forced to return home early, we cannot refund the cost of any travel arrangements you have not used. If you cut short your Road Trip and return home early in circumstances where you have no reasonable cause for complaint about the standard of accommodation and services provided, we will not offer you any refund for that part of your Road Trip not completed, or be liable for any associated costs you may incur. Depending on the circumstances, your travel insurance may offer cover for curtailment and we suggest that any claim is made directly with them.
If you or
any member of your party is prevented from travelling, that person(s) may
transfer their place to someone else, subject to the following conditions:
- that person is introduced by
you and satisfies all the conditions applicable to the Road Trip;
- we are notified not less than 7
days before departure;
- you pay any outstanding balance
payment, an amendment fee of £25 per person transferring, as well as any
additional fees, charges or other costs arising from the transfer; and
- 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 9
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.
If you or
any other member of your party decides to cancel your confirmed booking you
must notify us in writing. Your notice of cancellation will only take effect
when it is received in writing by us at our offices and will be effective from
the date on which we receive it.
Should one
or more members of a party cancel, it may increase the per person Road Trip
price of those still travelling and you will be liable to pay this increase.
Since we
incur costs in cancelling your arrangements, you will have to pay the
cancellation charges as follows:
Period before
departure in which you notify us |
Cancellation Charge |
More than 105 days |
deposit only |
Between 105 and 60 days |
75% of Road Trip cost |
Between 59 and 30 days |
90% of Road Trip cost |
Less than 29 days |
100% of Road Trip cost |
These
cancellation terms may differ depending on your tour
but we will notify you of any changes before we confirm your booking. Please
note that amendment charges are not refundable in any circumstances.
Important
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.
If the
reason for your cancellation is covered under the terms of your insurance
policy, you may be able to reclaim these charges.
Where
possible, we will deduct the cancellation charge(s) from any monies you have
already paid to us.
You have
the right to cancel your confirmed Road Trip before the start date of your
package without paying a cancellation charge in the event of “unavoidable and
extraordinary circumstances” occurring at your Road Trip destination or its
immediate vicinity and significantly affecting the performance of the Road Trip
or significantly affecting the 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 additional compensation.
Please note
that your right to cancel in these circumstances will only apply where the
Foreign and Commonwealth 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, and 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
6 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(Directive 2011/83/EU).
- Cancellation or change by us
As we plan
your Road Trip arrangements many months in advance we
may occasionally have to make changes or cancel your booking and we reserve the
right to do so at any time.
Changes
If we make
a minor change to your Road Trip, we will make reasonable efforts to inform you
as soon as reasonably possible if there is time before the start date of your package but we will have no liability to you. Examples of
“minor changes” include change of accommodation to another of the same or
higher standard and/or, changes of transport providers. Please note that
transport providers used on the website may be subject to change.
Occasionally we may have to make a significant change to your confirmed
arrangements. Examples of “significant changes” include the following, when
made before the start date of your package:
- A change of accommodation area
for the whole or a significant part of your time away.
- A change of accommodation to
that of a lower standard or classification for the whole or a significant
part of your time away.
- A change of outward departure
time or overall length of your arrangements by more than 12 hours.
- A significant change to your
itinerary, missing out one or more destination entirely.
Cancellation
We will not
cancel your travel arrangements less than 60 days before the start date of your
package, except for reasons of force majeure, failure by you to pay the final
balance or because the minimum number required for the package to go ahead
hasn’t been reached. The minimum number required will be provided to you with
the Road Trip description, along with the time limit for us to tell you if the
package has to be cancelled. Occasionally we may,
entirely at our discretion, decide to run a trip which hasn’t reached the
minimum number requirement subject to payment by you of a surcharge to cover
the additional cost of running this trip.
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:
- (for significant changes)
accepting the changed arrangements; or
- having a refund of all monies
paid; or
- if available and where we offer
one, accepting an offer of alternative travel arrangements (we will
refund any price difference if the alternative is of a lower value).
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.
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
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.
- Administration Charges
In the event that you wish to change any details of your booking – including the vehicle or details of any of the participants, we will only charge you administration charges in the event that the change will incur extra cost to us.
You will be
informed of any charges payable upon your request to make changes to your
booking, and these charges will be payable before the change is made.
- Driver
Responsibilities
The lead driver of the vehicle must: - Ensure that the documents listed above are
carried in the vehicle for the duration of the Road Trip.
- Ensure that the vehicle is in a
safe and roadworthy condition before carry out
any journey;
All drivers must:
- Have a full, UK driving licence for the category
of vehicle you are driving on the Road Trip for the entire duration of
the Road Trip.
Ensure that they are medically fit to drive according to UK and European Laws; - Ensure that they are not under the influence of
anything which may impair their judgement, whether alcohol, prescribed
drugs, illegal drugs or otherwise;
- at all times drive in accordance with all
applicable legislation and codes of practice of the country they are
driving in, including driving within the speed limits and following all
road traffic and driving laws. It is the responsibility of the individual
to make sure that they are aware of the rules and regulations in the
territories that they are driving in.
- will always drive with
reasonable skill and care and agree to indemnify us for any action or
claims for damages (including costs) which may be brought against us,
arising from negligent, reckless or irresponsible driving; and
be responsible for all fines as a result of their driving during the Road Trip.
While we
provide information on driving rules and regulations in our guide books, these
are not exhaustive and it is the responsibility of the
driver to ensure they are up to date on all developments.
- Personal Behaviour
A Road Trip is not a race, time trial or competition of any kind. Any individual found to be competing in any way with other participants or other individuals will be removed from the Road Trip, and no monies paid will be refunded.
You are expected to behave in a manner that does not affect the enjoyment of other individuals on the Road Trip, or cause loss or inconvenience to service providers who are providing services to us.
We are not responsible or liable for actions against you by third parties as a result of antisocial or unreasonable behaviour or any kind.
- Foreign Office Advice
It is your responsibility to ensure that you are up to date with the advice from the Foreign & Commonwealth Office regarding the territories you will be travelling through.
- Image Rights and Photography
All participants consent to be photographed and to be included in any filming of the Event. You consent to the use of your name, image, likeness, voice and biographical material in connection with any and all footage, publicity and related promotional material. Participants are only entitled to take photographs and film footage of the Event for non-commercial purposes.
There will be action cameras available to secure to your vehicle should you wish, and we will use the footage for promotional purposes and to produce a short video of the trip for you. There will be a small number of action cameras available per trip and these will be shared amongst vehicles on different days. They can be fixed to your vehicle using non permanent fixings. We cannot guarantee that you will be able to have use of one of our cameras on all or any specific part of your trip, though we will take requests in the order that they are received.
- Force Majeure
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 “Force Majeure”. For the purposes of these Booking Conditions,
Force Majeure 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 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, industrial dispute, labour strikes, lock closure, natural or
nuclear disaster, fire, chemical or biological disaster, unavoidable technical
problems with transport and all similar events outside our or the supplier(s) concerned’s control.
- Terms and Conditions Changes
We reserve
the right to change these terms and conditions at any time. You will be
notified of the changes and will be deemed to have accepted the amended terms
and conditions by attending the Road Trip.
- Assistance
Where you
require assistance while participating on one of our road trips, we will
endeavour to assist you as best we can by supplying information, local contacts
of breakdown facilities, repair garages, hospitals or other local services. If
you require assistance on the road of any kind we will
endeavour to provide help and support in a reasonable timeframe, and may
attempt to come to you at the roadside to assist, if reasonable and safe to do
so. However, we cannot be held liable for costs arising from any kind of
incident where assistance is required. You are advised and required to have in
place the appropriate insurances (health, travel, breakdown, vehicle) to
protect you from the cost and inconvenience of such incidents.
- Consumer Protection
‘Making
Tracks – Road Trips Ltd’ is a company committed to customer satisfaction and
consumer financial protection. We are therefore pleased to announce that, at no
extra cost to you, and in accordance with ”The Package Travel, Package Tours
Regulations 2018” all passengers booking a ‘travel package’ as prescribed in
‘The Package Travel and Linked Arrangements Regulations 2018’ with ‘Making
Tracks – Road Trips Ltd’ are fully protected for the initial deposit, and
subsequently the balance of monies paid as detailed in your booking
confirmation form. Your money is fully protected and paid into an independent
Trust Account, managed by Protected Trust Services Ltd of 307-315 Holdenhurst
Rd, Boscombe, Bournemouth BH8 8BX and its Trustees, chartered accountants –
Elman Wall Ltd of 8th Floor, Becket House, 36 Old Jewry, London EC2R 8DD.
- Complaints
We make
every effort to ensure that your holiday arrangements run smoothly but if you
do have a problem during your holiday, please inform the relevant supplier
(e.g. your hotelier) immediately who will endeavour to put things right. If
your complaint is not resolved locally, please contact Mike on 03301331673.
If the
problem cannot be resolved and you wish to complain further, you must send
formal written notice of your complaint to us at our office within 28 days of
the end of your stay, giving your booking reference and all other relevant
information. Please keep your letter concise and to the point. This will assist
us to quickly identify your concerns and speed up our response to you. Failure
to follow the procedure set out in this clause may affect ours and the
applicable supplier’s ability to investigate your complaint,
and will affect your rights under this contract.
If, despite
our best efforts and having followed the above procedure for reporting and
resolving your complaint, you feel that it has not been satisfactorily settled,
we recommend that it is referred for arbitration under the ABTOT Travel
Industry Arbitration Service. An Independent Arbitrator will review the
documents relating to any complaint and deliver a binding decision to bring the
matter to a close. A fee is payable by each party when an application for
arbitration is submitted.
Details of
this scheme are available from The Travel Industry Arbitration Service,
administered by:
Dispute
Settlement Services
9 Savill
Road
Lindfield
West Sussex
RH16 2NY
E-mail: admin@disputesettlementservices.co.uk
This scheme
cannot however decide in cases where the sums claimed exceed £5,000 per person
or £10,000 per booking form, or not solely or mainly in respect of physical
injury or illness or the consequences of such injury or illness, or solely or
mainly in respect of a discrimination claim or any claim under the Equality
Act.
- Delays, missed transport arrangements and other travel information
If you or
any member of your party misses your Eurotunnel or other transport arrangement,
you will be responsible for any extra costs incurred in rebooking/rescheduling
your crossing.
Due to the
nature of road travel, prearranged journeys may be delayed for reasons out of
our control. We cannot accept liability for any delay which is due to any of
the reasons of Force Majeure.
It is
possible that you may experience delays as a result of
the United Kingdom’s decision to leave the European Union. We cannot be held
responsible for such delays.
- Indemnity
You will indemnify us against any and all claims, lawsuits and causes of action brought against us by any third party as a result of your action or participation in the Road Trip, including without limitation, your violation of any laws or regulations or your breach of these Terms and Conditions.
- Violation of Terms
If any participants violate any of the above terms and conditions or refuse to follow the instructions given prior or during the Road Trip by us, you may be prohibited from any or further participation in the Road Trip.
- Website Terms of Use
By using the Making Tracks – Road Trips Ltd. website, you acknowledge that you agree with these terms of use. Making Tracks – Road Trips Ltd. may amend these terms at any time. Your continued use of this website indicates your acceptance of any amended terms.
Making Tracks – Road Trips Ltd. shall not be liable for any damages whatsoever arising out of the use of this site. This website is provided on an “as is” basis and, as such, cannot be guaranteed error or virus free. You acknowledge that you use this site at your own risk.
You agree that Making Tracks – Road Trips Ltd. shall not be liable for any loss or damage resulting from any errors or omissions in the content of this website.
Making Tracks – Road Trips Ltd. may provide links to third party websites. You acknowledge that Making Tracks – Road Trips Ltd. is not responsible for any content available on such third party sites. You also agree that Making Tracks – Road Trips Ltd. shall not be liable for any loss or damage of any sort incurred as a result of using any third party website.
- Law
These terms and conditions and your participation in the Road Trip are governed by English law and you submit to the jurisdiction of the Courts of England.