These booking terms and conditions, also referred to herein as “ booking conditions”, form the basis of your contract with Offbeat Horizons S.A., a company registered in the Republic of Panama Company Number: 155771349. Offbeat Horizons S.A. is also referred to herein as “Offbeat Horizons”, “we”, “us” and “our”.
Please read the terms carefully prior to booking a tour, as they set out our respective rights and obligations. By booking a tour with us you acknowledge that you have read, understood and agree to be bound by these booking conditions. These booking conditions only apply to tour arrangements which you book with us and which we agree to make, provide or perform (as applicable) as part of our contract with you.
All references in these booking conditions to “tour”, “trip”, “booking”, “contract”, or “arrangements” mean such tour arrangements unless otherwise stated. In these booking conditions, “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 the context requires.
1. Contract
1.1 A binding contract between you and us comes into existence when we send our booking confirmation to you. Where there is more than one person on the booking, the booking confirmation is sent to the “Booking Lead”. The Booking Lead is the first named person on the booking and accepts authority to bind all members of the travelling party to these terms and conditions and takes responsibility as the Booking Lead to make payment and to receive documentation on behalf of the travelling party.
1.2 These Booking Conditions are governed by applicable law. Nothing in these Booking Conditions excludes or limits any rights or protections that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited.
2. Booking
2.1 To initiate a booking you must complete our booking request form online. The booking conditions must be accepted by ticking the appropriate box on the booking request form.
2.2 Where there is more than one person on the booking, all booking related communication will be sent to the “booking lead”. The booking lead is the first named person on the booking and must be authorised to make the booking on the basis of these booking conditions by all persons named on the booking. By ticking the appropriate box on the booking request form, the booking lead confirms that he/she is so authorised. The booking lead is responsible for making all payments due to us.
2.3 The completed booking request form must be submitted with the payments referred to in clause 3.
2.4 The booking request is “not guaranteed” until we have sent you a confirmation of the booking. Any acknowledgement of your booking request we send you is not a confirmation of your booking. The confirmation will be clearly titled “Booking Confirmation” and this will be sent once the minimum number of travellers has been reached to run the tour.
2.5 Once your tour has been “guaranteed” (i.e. the minimum number of travellers has been reached and the tour has been confirmed) you will be sent a booking confirmation which will include a booking receipt. You are responsible for checking the accuracy of the booking confirmation and notify us within 72 hours if any information appears to be incorrect or incomplete. We cannot accept any liability if we are not notified of any inaccuracies, even for which we are responsible, if we are not notified in the above time frame.
2.6 We advise that you do not book any flights or make any other arrangements in connection with your chosen tour such as obtaining vaccinations and visas until you have received a booking confirmation from us. In the event that you book flights or make any other arrangements before receiving the booking confirmation then we will have no liability to you for any refunds of such costs incurred, in the event that your chosen tour is not going ahead or available.
2.7 We will communicate with you by email in relation to your booking, you are responsible for informing us if this is not appropriate and you would like us to send your booking related documents by post. We may also contact by telephone and/or post if we cannot, for whatever reason, contact you by email. References in these booking conditions to “send” and “in writing” refer to communication by email.
2.8 You must be at least 18 years of age to make a booking.
3. Payment
3.1 To confirm your place on a tour, you are required to pay a deposit of up to 20% of the total tour cost unless your booking is made within 60 days of the tour start date, in which case, the full amount of the tour cost is payable at the time of submitting the booking request form.
3.2 The remaining balance of the tour cost must be settled at least 60 days prior to the tour start date. This date will be shown in the booking confirmation. If we do not receive all of your payments due (including any surcharge where applicable) in full and on time, we reserve the right to treat your booking as cancelled by you and the cancellation charges in clause 9.2 will become payable.
3.3 In the case of international payments you should ensure that the full payment amount, is received by us after all bank charges have been levied.
4. Travel Insurance & Emergency Contact
4.1. It is essential that you take out a comprehensive travel insurance policy to cover you before your trip commences and you must provide us in writing with your insurer, policy number and 24-hour emergency assistance contact details.
4.2. It is your responsibility to ensure you have travel insurance that is fit for purpose. Tours and in particular, travelling across Latin America can be high risk by nature and you should ensure that your insurance fully covers the geographical location you will be travelling to and all personal requirements including medical expenses, repatriation, helicopter rescue and air ambulance in the event of accident or illness.
4.3. Prior to the commencement of your trip, you must give us the name, address and telephone number of your next of kin or emergency contact to be notified in event of an emergency.
5. Entry Requirements & Government Travel Advice
5.1 It is your responsibility to check and fulfil all passport, visa, immigration, health and entry requirements applicable to your nationality, country of residence and individual circumstances. You should obtain current information from the relevant embassy, consulate or official government authority before travelling.
5.2 Travel requirements can change at any time. You are responsible for ensuring that you have the necessary documentation and permissions to travel before departure.
5.3 Offbeat Horizons may provide general information about entry requirements and government travel advice, but this information is provided for guidance only and you should verify the current requirements applicable to you.
5.4 We do not accept any responsibility if you cannot travel, or incur any other loss because you have not complied with any passport, visa or immigration requirements. 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 or immigration requirements.
6. Health Matters & COVID-19
6.1 It is your responsibility to ensure you are aware of all mandatory and recommended vaccinations and health precautions in good time before departure. 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.
6.2 It is the booking lead’s responsibility to ensure that all members of the booking are in possession of all necessary travel and health documents before departure. All costs incurred in obtaining such documentation must be paid by you. We regret we cannot accept any liability if you are refused entry onto any transport or into any country due to failure on your part to carry all required 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 or incurred by us, you will be responsible for reimbursing us accordingly.
7. Special Requests & Medical Conditions/Disabilities
7.1 Although we are not a specialist disability tour operator, we will endeavour to cater for any medical or mobility requirements you may have. If you have any medical condition or disability which may affect your active participation in the tour or the tour arrangements of any other person or have any special requirements as a result of any medical condition or disability (including any which affect the booking process), please tell us before you confirm your booking so that we can assist you in considering the suitability of the proposed tour before making a booking. In any event, you must give us full details at the time of booking of any medical condition or disability and also update us if/when any change in your condition or disability occurs.
7.2 You must also promptly advise us if any medical condition or disability which may affect your active participation in your tour or the tour arrangements of any other person develops after your booking has been confirmed.
7.3 We may require you to produce a doctor’s certificate certifying that you are fit to participate in your chosen 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 of these needs at the time of booking, we will cancel it and impose applicable cancellation charges when we become aware of these details.
8. Health & Safety
8.1 Our tours have elements of an adventurous nature and your participation involves a degree of personal risk to your health and safety. You may be participating in adventurous activities where the physical challenges are greater than in your everyday life.
8.2 During the tour you agree to take all prudent health and safety measures in relation to your own safety including, but not limited to, the proper use of safety devices (including seatbelts, harnesses, flotation devices and helmets) and obeying all posted signs and oral or written warnings regarding health and safety. We or other suppliers will not be liable for any loss or damages caused by your failure to comply with health and safety instructions or warnings.
9. Cancellation by You
9.1 Should you or any member of your booking decide to cancel your trip once you have received your booking confirmation, the booking lead must immediately advise us in writing. Your notice of cancellation will only take effect when it is received in writing by us.
9.2 As we incur costs from when we confirm your booking, cancellation charges will be payable per person as listed below. The cancellation charge is shown as a percentage of the total tour cost payable by you. Amendment charges are not refundable in the event of cancellation.
a) 61 days or more prior to tour start date – retention of deposit
b) 60 – 31 days prior to tour start date – retention of 50% of total tour cost
c) 30 days or less until tour start date – retention of 100% of total tour cost
9.3 It is strongly advised that comprehensive travel insurance is taken out that includes cover against cancellation charges. 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.
9.4 Cancellation charges will also apply to additional extras such as single supplements and pre and post tour nights.
10. Changes & Cancellation by Us
10.1 We may occasionally need to make changes to the itinerary or other arrangements forming part of your tour. We will notify you of any significant changes as soon as reasonably practicable.
10.2 Our tours require a minimum number of participants to operate. If the minimum number has not been reached, we may cancel the tour. Where possible, we will notify you at least 40 days before the tour start date.
10.3 If we cancel a tour before departure, we will provide a full refund of amounts paid to us for the cancelled tour, unless otherwise stated in these Booking Conditions or otherwise required by applicable law.
10.4 Where we make a significant change to your tour before departure, we will notify you as soon as reasonably practicable and, where appropriate, offer you the choice of accepting the revised arrangements, transferring to an alternative tour or receiving a refund of amounts paid for the affected tour arrangements.
10.5 Where a tour is changed or cancelled as a result of circumstances beyond our reasonable control, our obligations will be subject to any mandatory rights that apply to your booking.
11. Changes by You
11.1 Should you want to make a change to your confirmed booking, you must notify us in writing as soon as possible. Whilst we endeavour to assist, we cannot guarantee we will be able to meet any such request.
11.2 If you want to transfer from your confirmed booking to another tour you must notify us at least 61 days prior to the tour start date. Where we can meet the request, an administration fee of USD 75.00 per person per change will be payable together with any costs incurred by ourselves and any costs or charges incurred or imposed by any of our suppliers. Thereafter all changes will be treated as cancellations and subject to the charges in clause 9.2.
11.3 If you or any member of your booking is unable to travel, the person concerned may usually be able to transfer their place to someone else (introduced by you) providing we are notified not less than 31 days before departure. Where a transfer to a person of your choice can be made, all costs and charges incurred by us and/or incurred or imposed by any of our suppliers as a result together with an amendment fee of USD 75.00 must be paid before the transfer can take place.
11.4 For tours that include any internal flight bookings, you must pay the charges levied by the airline concerned. As most airlines do not permit name changes after tickets have been issued for any reason, these charges are likely to be the full cost of the flight.
11.5 Administrative charges will also apply to amendments of additional extras such as single supplements and pre and post tour nights.
12. Limitation of Liability
12.1 We will provide the tour arrangements forming part of your booking with reasonable care and skill.
12.2 We are responsible for loss or damage caused by our failure to exercise reasonable care and skill in providing the tour arrangements we have agreed to provide, subject to any limitations or exclusions permitted by applicable law.
12.3 We are not responsible for loss or damage arising from circumstances beyond our reasonable control, the acts or omissions of the person affected, or the acts or omissions of third parties who are not involved in providing the tour arrangements.
12.4 Nothing in these Booking Conditions excludes or limits liability which cannot lawfully be excluded or limited.
12.5 We are not responsible for services or activities which do not form part of your contract with us.
13. Complaints
13.1 In the unlikely event that you have any reason to complain or experience any problems with your tour whilst away, you must immediately inform your Tour Leader so the problem or complaint can be resolved as soon as possible. Until we know about a complaint or problem, we cannot begin to resolve it. Most problems can be dealt with quickly.
13.2 If you remain dissatisfied, you must email us at contact@offbeathorizons.com, within 7 days of the tour end date giving your booking reference and full details of your complaint. Only the party leader should write to us. For all complaints and claims which do not involve death, personal injury or illness, we regret we cannot accept liability if you fail to notify the complaint or claim entirely in accordance with this clause.
14. Suppliers
In addition to being bound by our booking conditions, you will also be bound by the Terms and Conditions of the independent suppliers we choose to facilitate your booking. Some of these terms and conditions may limit or exclude the supplier’s liability to you, usually in accordance with applicable international conventions (see clause 12.4). such terms and conditions are available on request from ourselves and the suppliers concerned.
15. Recommended Activities and Excursions
15.1 We cannot accept responsibility for any services which do not form part of our contract with you. This includes, for example, any activity, transportation, meal, product, service or event not explicitly stated in the itinerary which your hotel or another supplier agrees to provide for you where the services or facilities are not advertised by us and we have not agreed to arrange them as part of our contract.
15.2 You accept that any assistance given by your group leader or host in selecting, arranging or booking optional activities does not render us liable for them in any way. The contract for the provision of that item will be between you and the activity provider. If you decide to participate you do so voluntarily and should take precautions to ensure your own safety.
15.3 We do not guarantee that any optional activity or recommendation mentioned on our website or marketing materials will be available to book during your trip as these services do not form part of our contract and are not under our control. We will not be liable if you cannot, for whatever reason, book any such activity or excursion or if the activity or excursion does not operate as advertised.
16. Accuracy
We endeavour to ensure that all the information and prices both on our website and in any advertising material that we publish are accurate, however occasionally changes and errors occur and we reserve the right to correct prices and other details in such circumstances. You must check the current price and all other details relating to the arrangements that you wish to book before you make your booking.
17. Personal Data
All personal data will be handled as per our Privacy Policy.