terms and conditions

---

You can enquire about a tour through our social media pages or through whatsapp but all bookings should be made and processed on our website. A booking is made with us when you pay us a non-refundable deposit of £200 per person and we issue you with a booking confirmation including a payment invoice via email. When we confirm your details, another email will follow with a copy of these terms and conditions and a payment link for the remainder of the payment. We reserve the right to return your deposit and decline your booking of a tour at our absolute discretion. When a confirmation email has been sent, a confirmation number will be assigned and a contract will exist. The contract binds these terms and conditions which are governed by English Law, and the jurisdiction of the English Courts. Once the contract is in place, you or your party may not cancel the booking other than in accordance with our cancellation policy and Terms and Conditions. It is your responsibility to check the booking details received  

within the confirmation email. If for any reason these details are incorrect then it is your responsibility to inform us in writing within 48 hours of receiving the confirmation email.

We reserve the right to amend the price of unsold trips at any time and correct errors in the prices of confirmed trips.  

The price is determined by the tour that you have selected during the booking process. The deposit for the selected tour is to be paid to us using the payment method on our site. A confirmation email will be sent when you have done this. This confirms your deposit payment and a reserved spot on the tour. When we approve your details, your spot on the tour will be confirmed via another email which will contain a payment link to pay the remainder of the tour balance. This is due 60 days prior to the tour start date. A payment link will be sent to you via email and whatsapp to do so. Failure to pay for the remainder of the tour will result in us withdrawing your place on the tour. In this case, your deposit will not be refunded to you. In the case of late bookings, made less than 70 days prior to the tour the payment will be made in full. 

You may register an account or access the check in portal on our website to retrieve details of any of your booked tours. It is your responsibility to keep your account and check-in portal details confidential. You will remain liable for all activity on your account and check-in portal. We may grant or refuse you permission to create an account or access to the check-in portal, as well as disable any account or delete any data. Explore with Ellen reserves the right to access, monitor and modify your account and check-in portal and the site for maintenance, security and upgrades. 

A condition of your contract with us includes you and all members of your party holding adequate travel insurance. You must be satisfied that your insurance fully covers all your personal requirements including pre-existing medical conditions, cancellation charges, medical expenses and repatriation in the event of accident or illness. Prior to each trip, we will verify that you have sufficient insurance in place. If you are undertaking any adventure sports or other such activities as part of your tour, you must ensure this is covered by your travel insurance policy. If you choose to travel without adequate insurance cover, we will not be liable for any losses in respect of which insurance cover would otherwise have been available.

If you or any other member of your party decides to cancel your trip and decides not to travel with Explore with Ellen, 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. The date on which a date change request is received by Explore with Ellen will determine the cancellation fees. No fees will be waived in the event of personal loss or injury. We recommend you consult with your Travel Insurance company to request a refund on any fees liable. 

Since we incur costs in cancelling your arrangements, you will have to pay the cancellation charges as follows: 

i) Less than 60 days: A 100% cancellation fee will apply.  

ii) 60 days or more: A loss of initial deposit will apply. 

If you cancel a tour and book the same tour under a promotional code, we reserve the right to decline the booking.

Explore with Ellen reserves the right to cancel, reschedule or suspend any trip due to, unusual, unavoidable or unforeseen circumstances outside the Company’s control. Including, but not limited to; war, the threat of war, civil strife, pandemic, terrorist activities or the threat of terrorist activities, acts of governments or local authorities, strikes, industrial disputes, demonstrations, natural disasters, unnatural disasters such as explosions or any similar event which is outside our control. 

If we cancel you or your parties Tour, you can either; 

i) transfer the amount paid onto another available Tour start date.
ii) transfer the amount paid onto another Tour of an equal or lower value with a refund of the difference actioned as soon as possible.
iii) transfer the amount paid onto another Tour of higher value. You will be required to pay any additional fees resulting in the higher value Tour. 

We will not be liable to refund your monies or pay you compensation. 

Explore with Ellen does not take any responsibility for any incidental expenses or consequential losses that you or your party may have incurred as a result of the booking including but not limited to; flights or other transportation bookings, visas, accommodation bookings, vaccinations, loss of earnings, non-refundable car parking or any other fees.

We are not a specialist disabled trip company, but we will do our utmost to provide for any special requirements you may have. If you or any other member of your party has any medical conditions, pregnancy, disability or any other mental and or physical condition which may affect you or a member of your party’s ability to participate in the provided service, you must contact Explore With Ellen in writing. We may require you to produce a doctor’s certificate certifying that you are fit to participate in the tour. 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. 

Some of our trips may be unsuitable for some customers and it is the customer’s responsibility to check with Explore with Ellen prior to booking. Explore with Ellen is not required to provide any special facilities unless previously agreed to do so in writing. We will do everything we can to support all customers’ special requests including dietary requests. It should be noted that, medical facilities vary depending on the location and Explore with Ellen hold no responsibility for the standard of treatment taken from any form of establishment. Explore with Ellen staff will do everything they can to provide help and support to all customers throughout their trip. 

You agree that it is your responsibility to have the necessary vaccinations and inoculations as well any provisions for mental or physical medical condition which could  

jeopardise your ability to undertake the placement.

Any special requests on behalf of you and your party must be informed to us at the time of booking e.g. diet, room location, a particular facility at a hotel etc. You should then confirm your requests in writing. Every effort will be made by us to try and arrange your special requests however, we cannot guarantee that they will be met. The fact that a special request has been noted on your confirmation invoice or any other documentation is not confirmation that the request will be met. Failure to meet any special request will not be a breach of contract on our part unless the request has been specifically confirmed by us. We do not accept bookings that are conditional upon any special request being met. Please contact Explore With Ellen prior to the booking if you do not wish to book unless your special request is fulfilled. 

It is your responsibility to check and fulfill the passport, visa, health and immigration requirements applicable to your itinerary. We can only provide general information about this. Most countries now require passports to be valid for at least 6 months after your return date. If your passport is in its final year, you should check with the Embassy of the country you are visiting. If entry is denied for any reason concerning the above documents, we cannot be held responsible for this occurring. 

We will require you to provide Explore with Ellen with all essential valid and accurate documentation including proof of identity, including but not limited to passport details, travel insurance, etc. 

Some of the services which make up your trip are provided by independent suppliers. There are individual terms and conditions from these suppliers which will form part of your contract with us. These terms and conditions may limit or exclude the supplier's liability to you, this is usually in accordance with applicable International Conventions. Copies of the relevant parts of these terms and conditions are available on request from us or the supplier concerned. 

You may choose to book and participate in excursions or other tours booked through an outside agency during our trip. For any excursions or other tours, your contract will not be with us, but with the provider of that excursion or tour. Explore with Ellen is not responsible for the provision or anything that happens during the excursion or tour.

Under no circumstances will Explore with Ellen be held responsible for weather conditions, nor can any experience be cancelled or changed by you at any time, based on weather conditions.

In case you withdraw from the trip after the start of it, due to illness, you must obtain a medical certificate in support of an insurance claim. No refund will be made for absence in the tour by Explore with Ellen.

If you or any member of your party is prevented from traveling, that person(s) may transfer their place to someone else, if they meet the following conditions: 

  A. That person is introduced by you and satisfies all the conditions applicable to the trip; 

  B. We are notified more than 60 days before departure; 

  C. The outstanding balance is paid by you or the transferee, plus an amendment fee of £50 per person transferring, as well as any additional fees, charges or other costs that arise from the transfer; and 

  D. The transferee agrees to these terms and conditions and all other terms of the contract between us. 

  E. Transfer of services to another person less than 60 days before the tour can be requested but cannot be guaranteed. Charges for these changes will start at a minimum of £50 per person but could rise to the full cost of the tour. 

You and the transferee remain jointly and severally liable for payment of all sums. If you are unable to find a replacement, cancellation charges are listed above and will apply in order to cover our estimated costs. Otherwise, no refunds will be given for passengers not traveling 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.

Based on the nature of the service, there are many factors outside of our control that can impact the tour itinerary. We endeavour to deliver the tour as stated on the tour itinerary on our website. In the eventuality of circumstances outside of our control that result in a change of tour itinerary we will not be liable to offer full or partial refunds but we will do our best to replace any missed inclusion with another inclusion of equal or greater value. Expect to receive a more comprehensive itinerary of your tour around 30 days prior to the tour start date. Changes may still occur after this has been released, therefore the same rules apply. 

We reserve the right to refuse any refund or discount for missed or unused tours or services, including voluntary or involuntary removal from the tour or service. This is including but not limited to; personal or family illness, sickness or death, late arrival of the tour, early voluntary or involuntary removal of the tour. If you decide to opt out of certain activities throughout the tour, Explore with Ellen reserve the right to refuse any form of refund or substitute of any activity.

If any of these Terms or any provisions of a Contract are determined by any competent  

authority to be invalid, unlawful or unenforceable to any extent, such term, condition or provision will to that extent be severed from the remaining terms, conditions and provisions which will continue to be valid to the fullest extent permitted by law.

You must behave in an appropriate manner and not disrupt the enjoyment of others when partaking in tours or service provided by Explore with Ellen. If your behaviour or that of any member of your party is deemed unacceptable by us, your Group Leader, we will take steps at our discretion resulting in a termination of services by us. Unacceptable behaviour is, but not limited to, causing distress, danger or annoyance to yourself or any other customer or third party, damage to property or to cause a delay or diversion in transport or an aspect of our services. In the event of such termination, you or any member from your party will not be liable for a refund as it is assumed that you have agreed to act in an appropriate manner when you make your booking, therefore unacceptable behaviour will be regarded as a breach of these Terms and Conditions on your or any member of your party’s behalf. You and/or your party may 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 or other suppliers 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, as well as all costs we incur in pursuing any claim against you. 

We cannot be held responsible for the actions and behaviour of other guests or individuals who have no connection with your booking arrangements or with us.

You acknowledge that the nature of the tours provided are adventurous and participation in the tours involves a degree of personal risk. You may be visiting places where the political, cultural and geographical attributes may present dangers and physical challenges greater than those present in our normal daily lives. We assess whether the itinerary should operate and group leaders will always be with you during group activities to advise on best practice with regards to safety, however there may still be inherent risks due to the nature of the activity and you need to take all reasonable precautions at all times. 

You and any members of your party acknowledge that your decision to travel is made in light of consideration of this information and you accept that you assume the personal risks attendant upon such travel. You and any members of your party hereby assume responsibility for all such risks and release Explore with Ellen from all claims and causes of action arising from any losses, damages, injuries or death resulting from risks inherent in travel, including adventure travel specifically, visiting foreign destinations, and participating in adventurous activities such as those that are included in our tour itineraries or otherwise offered by Explore with Ellen. 

Note: No alcoholic drinks are included in the price of the tour and we will not be held liable for any incidents that occur to you when drinking alcohol. If you chose to drink alcohol at any time during the tour then you accept all responsibility for your own safety and that of your belongings.