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Terms and Conditions Excursions Summer 2018

Payment

We, AVRA Tours SA organise the excursions shown in conjunction with local third-party companies/suppliers.

VISA, Mastercard, VISA debit, Mastercard debit, Maestro and Cash (Euros). Tours are subject to cancellation by us for various reasons (i.e. bad weather, low participation). In that case, customers are entitled to a full refund. AVRA does not bear any other kind of responsibility or obligation. AVRA Tours SA is not responsible for any loss or damage of personal belongings. Make sure you are at the correct pick up point 10 minutes prior to the pick-up time. Please be advised that we can be up to 30 minutes late for the pick-up, due to traffic conditions.

Entrance fees-Discounts

Entrance fees for Museums, Archaeological sites, food and drinks are extra and not included in the excursion prices unless otherwise specified.

Feedback

In the event you did not enjoy any aspects of your excursion please let us know immediately. You must file your complaint with us in writing within THREE days and send it to excursion@avra.travel. If you have any suggestions regarding the improvement of our excursion program, please do not hesitate to contact us on the above email.

General Terms of Participation

Please read carefully the following General Terms of Participation in the Avratours organised packages, which are in line with Community Directive 90/314. By signing up to a package in any way whatsoever, you signify that you simultaneously and unreservedly accept the following General Terms of Participation. "Package", according to Presidential Decree 339/1996, means the prearranged combination of not fewer than two of the following elements, namely transport, accommodation, other tourist services not ancillary to transport or accommodation and accounting for a significant proportion of the package, when sold or offered for sale at an inclusive price and when the service covers a period of more than twentyfour hours or includes overnight accommodation.

Avratours ATEBE / Avratours, is based in Heraclion/Crete, is registered with NTOG under reg. no. 1039E60610122501, and organises packages either on its own or jointly with other tourist agencies, and sells them or offers them for sale alone or through other tourist offices

Avratours responsibilities

For the organisation of its packages, Avratours uses airway and other transport companies, hotels, local travel agencies, and other bodies outside its control. Avratours has no airplanes, hotels or travel agencies of its own as to be held responsible for their proper operation. Its role is purely that of an intermediary for the provision of services to its clients, which is why it may only be held responsible in case of omissions attributed to Avratours's fault or organisational shortcomings. Avratours will not abuse the mitigating circumstances arising from its role as intermediary and will make its best efforts to meet the expectations of its clients. However, it shall not be held responsible for any failures that are unforeseeable or effectively controllable, such as:

  • Changes, delays or cancellations of planned trips of any form. The airway companies and departure times mentioned in the description of tours have been based on the planned / announced itineraries of any form and especially on the special chartered flights / itineraries that were current at the time the program was issued.
  • Accidents, sicknesses or adverse effects by climate conditions, problems caused by inability to adapt to different time zones (jet lag) and altitudes, epidemics, food poisonings or inadequate sanitation conditions.
  • Problems caused by unforeseeable conditions such as bad weather conditions, strikes, coups d'état, wars, hijackings, fires, earthquakes, floods or any other emergencies or events of force majeure.
  • Damage, loss or theft of luggage, personal belongings, money or travel documents, and all consequences resulting from criminal or other punishable activity.

In all such cases Avratours will make its best efforts and offer any possible service and assistance, but in no case this should be regarded as assumption of responsibility by the company or obligation to cover any relevant expenses, which shall be borne by the clients themselves as in all events of force majeure.

Hotels / Accommodations

All accommodations used by Avratours have a legal and valid licence as required by the public authorities of the host country. The criteria based on which the accommodations are selected have to do with the location and the services offered, in combination with their best possible price for their class as specified in the description of the package. In most hotels worldwide, the rooms have been designed to accommodate two beds. This means that a threebed room is actually a twobed room with one more bed added. Some hotels will also add a fourth bed in order to serve a guest, but clearly the available space will be significantly limited. Normally, the rooms are delivered between 13:00 and 15:00 hrs and remain available to the guests until 10:00 hrs of the departure day.

A request for a certain type of room entered in the order slip will be satisfied depending on the demand and if the hotel has different prices for every type of room. Otherwise, the hotel may give you a room depending on its fullness at the time of your stay. Avratours will make its best efforts to extend the checkout time in order to serve any guests departing with night or earlymorning flights. Such service will only be offered if the rooms have not been given to other guests of the hotel.

If, in an individual trip, you arrive at the hotel after your scheduled day of arrival and have not notified the hotel accordingly, the hotel shall have the right to dispose of the room for the entire remaining booked period if requested.

In case of overbooking from the part of the hotel, our company will make its best possible efforts to find a solution in accordance with the regulations applicable in the host country.

Unless otherwise stated, beverages are not included in the halfboard or fullboard price. You are reminded to settle any personal bills (telephones, beverages etc) before checking out of the hotel. In no case will Avratours accept to pay a guest's personal bills.

Obligations of clients

A fundamental obligation of all people participating in a group tour is to strictly comply with the schedule and the instructions given by the group leaders / guides, and be punctual in the meetings for the scheduled events. If a client is not punctual, in addition to any other problems this may cause, it will give the leader the right to proceed without him and Avratours will refuse to pay any refund for any nonprovided services. A person participating in the organised tours of Avratours shall be exclusively responsible to obtain and maintain all required travel documents (passport etc), and for any declaration made to the Greek or foreign monetary or custom authorities.

Any reasonable complaints during the tour should be immediately reported to the group leader (or in the absence of a group leader, to our office) on the spot, and to the party providing the service, in writing. If the problem cannot be resolved on the spot, the client must file a written complaint within ten days from the day of return in case of omissions and improper performance. Avratours will have the right to refuse to reply to a letter of complaint that was filed after said deadline. In case a client should decide to withdraw from the trip and leave the group on his own accord, even in case of force majeure, he will not have the right to any further service or refund, and all expenses associated with his leaving the group will be borne by him. In case of a dispute, the parties shall take recourse to the HATTA Committee of Amicable Resolution of Disputes and invite it to mediate. If an amicable resolution of the dispute is not achieved, then the Courts of Heraklion/Crete shall have competent jurisdiction to hear the case.

Insurance

Avratours has taken out a Civil Professional Responsibility insurance to cover any client claims arising from the nonperformance or the deficient performance of the a planned package, as well as to cover any insolvency or bankruptcy cases or the refund of received money, and the repatriation of travellers. The number of the policy and the particulars of the insurer shall be included in the contract to be signed between our company and the client. A client may upon request receive a copy of said policy.

Besides, all participants of the Avratours organised packages may optionally buy additional travel insurance to cover life and personal accidents. Further, all travellers are advised to contact their insurance agent and obtain a European Health Insurance Card in order to be covered in case of sickness during a trip within the European Union.

Reservations

Reservation of a place in a scheduled package must be made no later than 15 days prior to the date of departure unless otherwise specified in the relevant participation / registration form.

In order for a reservation to be valid, it must be accompanied by an advance payment equal to 35% of its total cost. A reservation made over the telephone shall not bind the office unless it is confirmed by the required advance payment. All reservations for the services offered by Avratours shall be made after the issuance of the program and within the deadline specified for each trip. However, Avratours shall not be obligated to find a place for an applicant if, in the meantime, the foreseen places have been taken up, in which case it will notify the client accordingly. Full payment of the package shall be made in advance, no later than ten days prior to the commencement of the trip. In the case of a bus tour, the travellers shall not have a specific seat for all legs of the tour. The days of departure and arrival are included in the duration of a trip.

Cancellations

In order to reserve hotels and other demanding services, Avratours pays large amounts of money many months in advance of its scheduled trips, and assumes obligations for compensation in case of total or partial cancellation. Avratours is therefore obliged to retain the entire advance payment or demand additional payment in case of an untimely cancellation. Any cancellation made within the last 21 days immediately preceding the commencement of the trip is considered an untimely cancellation, unless otherwise stated in the description of the package. Besides, a client who is unable to participate in an organised trip for which he has already made an advance payment or which he has paid in full, may transfer his reservation to another person that meets all conditions for the organised trip upon due notification to Avratours at least nine days prior to the departure, unless otherwise stated in the description of the package, provided this is acceptable to our suppliers. Any costs involved in making such transfer shall be borne by the client. A client who accepts a transfer automatically accepts the general terms of participation, and both are responsible in solidum against Avratours for any remaining balance as well as any additional costs of the transfer.

Cancellations may only be made in writing by a notice to be addressed to the company. Regardless of the date of signing up to or departure of the trip, the following retentions shall apply:

  • Over 21 days before departure, 40 euros per person shall be retained to cover organisation and telecommunications expenses.
  • 20 to 14 days before departure, 35% of the total package price will be retained.
  • 13 to 8 days before departure, 50% of the total package price will be retained.
  • 7 and less, up to 100% of the total package price will be retained.
  • In case of special departures, holiday seasons, fair seasons, trips that include a cruise, or trips where a specially chartered flight or a specially chartered ship is used, the above period shall be longer and the retention percentages higher.

Our office will make its best possible efforts not to retain the above charges / cancellation fees whenever a cancellation is caused by illness, accident, medical examination or similar reasons, which in common practice are not considered to be reasons for cancellation without the payment of cancellation fees. This is why you are advised to obtain a private insurance in the amount you choose, which, among other things, will cover any cancellation fees for reasons of illness, accidents, medical examinations etc. The settlement of accounts in case of cancellations is made by our office at least 30 days after the end of the trip / tour.

Different terms of cancellation apply in the case of cruises, depending on the terms that each company has for its tours / cruises. Also, different terms of cancellation apply in the case of personal / individual trips, depending on the terms and charges of each airway company and the cancellations policy of each individual hotel. The cancellation fees are charged regardless of the time of signing up or of whether the respective amounts have been paid by the participants or not.

Change or cancellation of a package

The minimum required participation for all packages with destinations outside Europe is 16 persons, unless otherwise stated in the description of the particular package. For destinations in Europe and Northern Africa, the minimum required participation is 21 persons. Avratours has the right to cancel any package if the participation is considered inadequate or for any other reason that hinders its performance. Avratours shall notify the clients of the cancellation of their trip no later than seven days prior to the commencement of the trip. In such case, the liability of Avratours shall be restricted to the reimbursement of any money its has collected. In all other respects, Avratours shall be bound to observe the schedule of the trips as this is described in the description of each package. Avratours has also the right to make any changes to the package as it sees it fit in order 10 to overcome any technical problems or unpredictable difficulties. As soon as the changes effected to any described package are notified to the client by any readily comprehensible means, Avratours shall cease to be bound by the description of the package. Such changes may be made prior to the commencement of the trip, and if they are so significant as to alter the character of the package, the participants may cancel their reservation and get a refund for what they paid, with no further claims from their side. A change of an airway company or a flight (from morning to night etc) shall not be considered to alter the character of a package and will not justify a cancellation of a client's participation. However, if during the trip it appears that changes are necessary, the participants shall be obliged to accept them. The schedules of packages during the Easter and Christmas holidays period, and in high seasons in general, are likely to change at the discretion of Avratours.

It should be stressed beforehand and it is explicitly understood by the parties, that, for their own reasons, the airway companies sometimes use chartered airplanes belonging to other companies for their own flights. This will not be considered a reason for cancellation of the trip from the part of the client.

An airway company may at any time change its flight schedule or type of aircraft, for its own operational reasons, which are beyond our control.

A scheduled onestop flight may become a nonstop flight from A city/country to B city/country, and a nonstop flight may become a one or more stop flight.

Optional tours

The leaders, that you will usually meet at the countries of destination, may organise optional tours in collaboration with local travel agents, depending on the program. Avratours may not be held responsible for such optional tours. The prices of optional tours will vary depending on circumstances such as number of persons, holiday seasons, late night surcharges etc.

Prices

All quoted prices have been based on the exchange rates (in case of international packages) and the airway and sea fares applicable at the time the package was issued. These prices are subject to increase without notice in case of changes in the fares, the foreign exchange rates, or in any other original cost elements such as cost of fuel, prices or taxes, as imposed by states after the issuance of the package or pricelist. If, in an organised package, you desire an extension of stay or change of flights or other additional service that is different from the ones of the original package or not included at all in the original package, you shall be required to pay a processing fee of 20 euros per change per person in addition to any charge you will have to pay for the requested change or service. The fee of 20 euros per change per person shall also be payable with respect to any change / extension of the original reservation of air or sea tickets or of hotel accommodation or of additional services. A change in price may be made until no later than 21 days prior to the commencement of the trip. The Avratours organised packages are usually inclusive of some necessary expenses such as issuance of visa for the international trips, airport taxes, stay fees, port fees, unless otherwise stated in the particular package's description or pricelist. If a reservation of place in a package is accepted by the office after the applicable deadline, the traveller shall be fully responsible and accountable in case of failure to obtain a visa or other travel documents or meet any required health formalities, even if the office has directly or indirectly assisted, and the traveller shall not be excused from his liability to pay a cancellation fee if he is eventually unable to travel. Please see the enclosed list for the price of each package and the costs included therein.

Passports, visas and health formalities

All participants in international organised packages must have a newtype passport, issued in or after 2006. You may travel to any Schengen country using your Greek ID Card, provided your particulars appear in Latin characters thereon and it has not been cancelled (cut) due to marriage.

For certain destinations you may be additionally required to have a passport that expires after 3, 6 or 12 months. The period needed for the issuance of a visa has been taken into account in fixing the deadline for reservation of a place in each package. The same is true for health formalities, if any.

For worldwide packages, going to places where the World Health Organisation recommends or requires a specific health treatment (vaccination or medication), Avratours ATEBE / Avratours shall have no responsibility. The participants of such packages are therefore advised to consult with their local Health Centres, which are the most competent and reliable sources of information on the required health formalities. Besides, the information is only applicable to holders of Greek passports. It will be the traveller's responsibility to see that all his personal travel documents (passport, ID Card) are valid. Special attention is needed in case of minor travellers, who must be equipped with travel documents / passports. Also, if a traveller has a nonGreek passport, he must notify accordingly Avratours in writing prior to making any reservation, and must contact the consular authorities of his country and check whether he needs a visa or any other document for the countries he intends to transit or enter, as well as for his reentry to Greece or his country of origin.

Failure to obtain your travel documents or visa in a timely manner will not constitute a good reason for cancellation of your reservation without the payment of cancellation fee.

Discounts for children

Children between 2 and 12 years of age will normally pay a 50%-30% reduced airway or ship ticket depending on the destination, and in many cases reduced accommodation prices if they stay in the same room with their parents. Children under 2 years of age will pay only 10% of the airway fare, but will not have a seat and meal in the airplane, luggage transportation, meals during the tour, and child bed in the hotels. In many cases, Avratours will be able to reduce even further the prices for children, in consultation with the parents. Please note that no child or infant discounts are usually granted in specially chartered flights.

Luggage

Luggage is delivered to and picked up from the carrier at the responsibility and care of the owners, regardless of whether a representative of the tourist office is present or not. In case of damage or loss, the IATA Regulation on airplanes will be applicable as well as the international conventions governing each particular means of transport and hotels. In such cases, the liability shall be limited as provided for in such conventions. Our company will not be held responsible for the content of the luggage.

Irrespective of the kind of travel (air, sea or bus), Avratours shall undertake the transportation and pay the related cost for only one regularsized suitcase of no more than 20 kilos per client, unless otherwise stated. In addition to his luggage, a client may hold a small handbag of no more than 50x40x25 centimetres (length / height / width respectively), and may also carry liquids in containers of no more than 100 ml, but not in excess of one (1) litre in total, in a transparent plastic bag of 20x20 centimetres (the dimensions are provided for by the general terms of aviation and not by the general terms of each airway company). If a client's luggage is overweight, the airway or accommodation companies may impose a surcharge, which will be borne by the client.

Signing up

Each trip of the package has a specific signing up deadline. Such deadline results from corresponding commitments of Avratours visàvis the airway companies, hotels, consular authorities for the issuance of visas, and other bodies involved in the provision of services included in each package. It is logical that these bodies are interested in the places, rooms and other services we have booked, and that they will lose money if we do not cancel in time a package that is not going to be carried out. As a result, the signing up deadline also determines the time period within which we will be able to cancel a trip without having to pay a penalty. At the same time, it gives a straightforward answer to the typical question "until when do I have to sign up?" and gives a decisive stimulus to all those who have the tendency to postpone things and run the risk of missing the deadline and being unable to find a place. But, a signing up deadline is also useful for us as it helps us book the required places in a timely manner, and gives us the necessary time to better prepare and organise the departure.

Avratours S.A. is subject to the provisions of Law 3310/2005 on the supply or provision of services to Legal Entities of the Public Sector, as amended by Law 3414/2005.