Terms and Conditions

BarefootBear Terms and Conditions

YOUR HOLIDAY CONTRACT
Your contract is with Valdmandel Ltd. Company Number 10121085, Registered Office: Parr Street Studios, 33- 45 Parr Street, Liverpool, L1 4JN, Merseyside, United Kingdom.

Please read carefully the terms and conditions of the booking agreement, listed below.

In completing the booking form, you (and any other person on whose behalf you may be making a booking) acknowledge that you have read the relevant Trip Notes and General Information and agree to accept all the conditions. A fully-completed booking form must be provided for each member of your party. You will be required to confirm that the information provided by you on the booking form is complete and true. When your booking has been accepted and our confirmation invoice has been issued, a legally binding contract will exist. The terms of this contract are governed by English Law under the jurisdiction of the English courts.

YOUR HOLIDAY PRICE
Prices shown on our website are subject to change. We will advise you of current prices before your contract is confirmed.
a) The price of your travel arrangements was calculated using exchange rates quoted on the BBC web site.
b) The price quoted for your travel arrangements is guaranteed and there will be no additional surcharges.
c) Unless otherwise stated, group tours are guaranteed to operate subject to a minimum group size being reached.
d) Should you choose not to take part in the full package as detailed in the trip notes, we regret that discounted rates are not available.
e) The price of your booking does not include travel to Slovenia.

CHANGES OR CANCELLATION OF YOUR HOLIDAY
We plan your holiday many months in advance and, consequently, it is sometimes necessary for us to make changes, which we reserve the right to do at any time.
Because the day-to-day agenda reflects the ultimate goal of the holiday and is not a contractual obligation, a necessary condition of your taking part is that you are willing to accommodate any required changes.
Changes will usually be minor, such as a change of accommodation, and you or your travel agent will be advised of this at the earliest opportunity. Cancellations relating to such changes will incur a financial penalty. In the event of a more significant change becoming necessary prior to departure, such as a change in the departure/return date that would result in significant inconvenience, you will have the opportunity to cancel your trip and receive a full refund, unless the enforced change is related to a force majeure (please see below).
PLEASE NOTE that we reserve the right, IN ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, to cancel your travel arrangements. A possible reason for cancellation would be non-receipt of your final outstanding balance, or because insufficient people had booked a particular trip, in which case you would be contacted no less than eight weeks prior to departure.

YOU ARE STRONGLY ADVISED TO AVOID NON-REFUNDABLE INCIDENTAL EXPENSES, SUCH AS FLIGHTS, PRIOR TO RECEIVING CONFIRMATION OF YOUR FINAL ITINERARY.

In the event that we are unable to honour your booking, a full refund would be offered, or you may wish to consider one of our other trips. A refund of the price difference would be made if the alternative is of lower value.
We will inform you or your travel agent of any changes as soon as we become aware of them. In the unlikely event of your holiday being curtailed for reasons beyond our control, no refund or compensation will be payable for unused services, such as hotel accommodation, hire of equipment, flights or other features of the trip.
FORCE MAJEURE:
Compensation will not be payable if your trip is cancelled or changed in any way because of incidents relating to force majeure. Force majeure will include war, riot, industrial dispute, terrorist activity and its consequences, natural or nuclear disaster, fire, adverse weather conditions or other major unforeseen circumstances.
Based on number of days’ advance notice, the following indicates compensation payable in relation to cancellation owing to major change:

OUR LIABILITY
If the enjoyment of your trip has been adversely affected as a result of our, or our associates’, contract with you not having been honoured, we will pay you appropriate compensation.
However, we will not be liable when failure in the performance of the contract results from your actions or those of a third party unconnected with provision of the travel arrangements; where the failure is unforeseeable or unavoidable; or occurs in unusual and unforeseeable circumstances beyond our control, the consequences of which could not have been avoided even if all due care had been exercised; or an event which we or our suppliers, even with all due care, could not foresee or forestall.

IN-COUNTRY ASSISTANCE
We will offer you such prompt assistance as is reasonable in the circumstances if the contract we have with you is not performed, or is improperly performed, as a result of failures attributable to a third party unconnected with the provision of the services; or as a result of failures due to unusual and unforeseeable circumstances beyond our control, the consequences of which could not have been avoided even if all due care had been exercised; or an event that we or our suppliers, even with all due care, could not foresee or forestall, and you suffer an injury or other material loss.

ADDITIONAL Non-INCLUSIVE ACTIVITIES
We are not responsible for the provision of, or for incidents occurring on, activities, excursions or tours with which you may choose to engage in addition to those included in your package holiday with us. For these optional activities, excursions or tours, your contract will be with the operator of those activities.

YOUR COMMITMENT TO US
1. YOUR HOLIDAY PRICE
A non-refundable deposit of £50 per person for the activity arrangements must be paid when you make your booking. If a supplier requires an additional payment at the time of booking, a higher deposit will be required. The deposit required is shown on our website and will be confirmed at the time of booking. Clients booking by telephone will be deemed to have read the booking conditions and to have signed the declaration on the booking form. However, a completed booking form must be received by the Barefoot Bear office and acknowledgement sent before the booking is confirmed and the contract agreed. Following receipt of your booking, a confirmation invoice will be sent to you, showing your details and informing you of the date by which final payment must be made. This is normally 8 weeks before departure. For certain tours, full payment is required at an earlier stage, which you will be advised of at the time of booking. Balances must be paid in the same currency as your deposit. If the balance is not paid by the due date, we reserve the right to cancel your booking. Cancellation charges will apply.
If you wish to book an extension to your trip or add additional services, a separate non-refundable deposit of £100, or the full cost if less than £100, is payable before the extension booking can be confirmed. You are advised to book extensions, extra services or additional accommodation when you make your holiday booking.
If making your own flight arrangements, it is most important that, before paying for your air tickets, you first check with the Barefoot Bear office that your chosen holiday has reached the minimum numbers required and is guaranteed to run. We cannot be held liable for any such losses incurred as a result of cancellation of the trip you have booked with us.

CHANGING YOUR BOOKING
If, following receipt of our confirmation invoice, you wish to change your travel arrangements, such as changing departure date or changing your payment to another currency, this may not always be possible but we will try to make these changes for you. The request must be made, in writing, by your travel agent or by the person who made the booking. There will be an administration charge of £100 plus any further costs incurred. These costs increase as you approach the departure date, so it is important that you let us know as soon as possible if you need to change any details. It is not always possible to alter a booking after it has been made, and certain cancellations may incur a charge of up to 100% of that part of the arrangement. TRANSFERRING TO ANOTHER HOLIDAY
To transfer to another holiday after our confirmation invoice has been issued, a request must be made in writing, either by the person who made the booking or by the travel agent. We will do all we can to arrange this, but it may not always be possible. There will be an administration charge of up to £100, plus any additional costs we incur in making this alteration.
These costs may increase as you approach the departure date. It is important, therefore, that you contact us as soon as possible. You cannot normally transfer your holiday later than 10 weeks prior to departure, after which time such a request may be treated as a cancellation and subject to the cancellation charges.

CANCELLING YOUR HOLIDAY
You, or any member of your party, may cancel your travel arrangements at any time. Written notification from the travel agent on your behalf, or the person who made the booking, must be received at our offices. Cancellation charges, as shown below, may be applicable:

TYPICAL CANCELLATION CHARGES
• More than 10 weeks: Deposit.
• Less than 8 weeks: Deposit plus up to 50% of holiday cost.
• Less than 2 weeks: Deposit plus up to 80% of holiday cost.
You are strongly advised to take out full insurance to include cover, under certain circumstances, for loss of deposit or cancellation costs. If the reason for your cancellation is covered under the terms of your insurance policy, you may be able to reclaim these charges.

TOUR LEADER AUTHORITY
Your signature on our booking form endorses your agreement to abide by the authority of the tour leader, who represents Barefoot Bear. The decision of the tour leader in relation to the conduct, itinerary and objectives of the tour is final. If, in the opinion of the tour leader, your behaviour or physical condition is detrimental to the safety, welfare and well-being of the group as a whole (which are the paramount considerations), or if the tour leader considers your general wellbeing will be put at risk by continuing with the holiday, you may be asked to leave the tour without the right to any refund for unused services.

 RESPONSIBILITY
We accept your booking on the understanding that you fully comprehend and accept the potential risks and hazards involved in adventure holidays and that you are mentally and physically capable of undertaking your chosen trip. You must let us know, before you book your holiday, if you have an existing medical condition or disability that might affect your holiday or the enjoyment of other group members. We reserve the right to refuse your booking if, in our reasoned opinion, your chosen holiday is unsuitable for your medical condition or disability.
We will give a full refund, but no compensation, if we need to exercise our right to cancel the contract because medical problems have been discovered.
You are responsible for ensuring you have appropriate equipment and clothing as detailed in our printed trip information and pre-departure information pack.
If you do not complete the outlined itinerary, Barefoot Bear is not liable to provide alternative itineraries, excursions, accommodations, services or staff for the period when you are absent from the group
Barefoot Bear is liable for any employee or supplier negligence within their terms of employment or in the provision of travel arrangements. The company is not liable for any failed travel arrangements that are attributable to the consumer, or to a third party unconnected with the provision of the services, and unforeseeable or unavoidable, or due to unusual and unforeseeable circumstances beyond the control of the company, which could not have been avoided even if all due care had been exercised.

PASSPORTS, VISAS, AND IMMIGRATION REQUIREMENTS
You are responsible for being aware of your own specific passport, visa and/or other immigration requirements, and you should approach the relevant embassies and/or consulates to confirm requirements. We do not accept any responsibility if you fail to comply with passport, visa or immigration requirements and are unable to travel.

TRAVEL AND CANCELLATION INSURANCE
Before departure, you will require comprehensive travel insurance for the duration of your holiday to cover medical expenses, injury, death, cost of repatriation and evacuation via whatever means necessary, including helicopter/air ambulance. In the event of an emergency, medical rescue or evacuation, you will be responsible for payment of costs incurred, including subsequent expenses, such as hotel accommodation, food, etc.
You will be responsible for ensuring that you and your party have adequate insurance in place and we reserve the right to cancel your booking at any time before departure if we are not satisfied that adequate insurance is in place. You are advised to check the limitation of your policy with regards to loss, damage or accident to any property, such as luggage or bikes, as we cannot accept responsibility for this.

MAKING A COMPLAINT
Your tour leader will try to help if you have any problems during your holiday. You are strongly advised to communicate any complaint to your tour leader without delay and complete a report form whilst on the tour. If you fail to follow this simple procedure, we will have been deprived of the opportunity to investigate and rectify your complaint during your holiday, and this may affect your rights under this contract. If your complaint is not resolved locally, please follow this up within 28 days of your return home by writing to Barefoot Bear, Par Street Studios, 33-45 Parr Street, Liverpool L1 4JN, providing your booking reference and 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.

PROMOTIONAL IMAGES
We reserve the right to use, without charge, any likeness or image of you, taken on any of our holidays, in all media (whether existing now or in the future) for bona fide promotional materials of any kind, such as brochures, website slides, video shows or the internet.

PLEASE NOTE;
Our itinerary can be affected by matters beyond our control, such as weather conditions. When delays or changes are unavoidable, this will be fully discussed with the group and the trip leader will do everything possible to keep changes to a minimum. However, notwithstanding the cause of delays or changes to the itinerary, Barefoot Bear cannot be held responsible for the consequences.
On a Barefoot Bear adventure holiday, you must expect the unexpected. Often, in such remote places, we find our most carefully considered plans can be challenged.

Because of this unpredictability, itineraries for each of our holidays should be considered statements of intent, rather than contractual obligations. A variety of factors, including weather, might dictate that we change an itinerary. The trip leader will consult with the group before making any necessary changes. Such changes will only rarely be significant, and we will do everything within our power to minimise the effects of enforced changes. We cannot be held responsible for the results of changes or delays, irrespective of their cause.
OURS ARE NO ORDINARY TRIPS. OURS IS ADVENTURE TRAVEL.