Terms & Conditions

Carefree Travel Agency Terms Of Business
1. CONTRACT: These are the terms on which we will make a booking for your travel or holiday requirements. When making your booking we will arrange for you to enter into a contract with the principal(s) or other supplier(s) (e.g. tour operator/airline/cruise company/accommodation company) named on your receipt(s). We can book you a package holiday, in which case you will have one contract with the principal, or we can book the services that make up your holiday with different principals or suppliers, in which case you will have separate contracts with each of them. Each different supplier or principal will be named on the Booking Form. As agent we accept no responsibility for the acts or omissions of the principal(s) or supplier(s) or for the services provided by them. The principal’s(s’) or supplier’s (s’) Terms & Conditions will apply to your booking and we advise you to read these carefully as they do contain important information about your booking. Please ask us for copies of these if you do not have them. Our Terms of Business are governed by English Law and the jurisdiction of the English Courts. You may however, choose the law and jurisdiction of Scotland or Northern Ireland if you wish to do so.
All travel arrangements which we provide or which are sold through us are not an offer by us to sell any travel arrangements, but an invitation to you to make an offer to the suppliers of the arrangements. We are free to accept that offer on behalf of those suppliers or to reject it.

2. BOOKING DETAILS: When a booking is made all details will be read back to you. Once you have confirmed these details we will proceed to confirm the booking with the principal(s) or supplier(s). Please check that all names, dates and timings are correct on receipt of all documents and advise us of any errors immediately. Any changes to these details will incur the charges stated below. Please ensure that the names given are the same as on the relevant passport.
The booking information that you provide to us will be passed on only to the relevant suppliers of your travel arrangements or other persons necessary for the provision of your travel arrangements. The information may therefore be provided to public authorities such as customs or immigration if required by them, or as required by law. This applies to any sensitive information that you give to us such as details of any disabilities, or dietary and religious requirements. Certain information may also be passed on to security or credit checking companies. If you are travelling to the United States, the US Customs and Border Protection will receive this information for the purposes of preventing and combating terrorism and other transnational serious crimes.
If you travel outside the European Economic Area, controls on data protection may not be as strong as the legal requirements in this country. If we cannot pass this information to the relevant suppliers, whether in the EEA or not, we will be unable to provide you’re booking. In making this booking, you consent to this information being passed on to the relevant persons. Full details of our data protection policy are available upon request.

3. SPECIAL REQUESTS: All special requests are notified to the Principle(s)/Supplier(s), but that they cannot be guaranteed. In respect of requests for rooms/apartments/studios to be located on low/high/ground floors near to particular facilities, or with a certain view this is at the discretion of the property management. Specific types of rooms/apartments/studios may not exist at every property complex and as a result may not be available for request, if said rooms are available there may be a charge to upgrade and these charges are set by the Principle(s)/Supplier(s) with whom your accommodation has been booked. Requests for flight seats cannot be done as a charge will apply for a specific seat request and these charges are set by the airline and monies are applicable by you.

4. PAYMENT: You will be required to pay a deposit or make full payment for your booking upon completion of the booking process. Where you only pay a deposit you must pay the full balance 14 weeks (or in the case of certain operators up to 16 weeks) prior to your departure date. If full payment is not received by the balance due date, we will notify the principal(s) or supplier(s) who may cancel your booking and charge the cancellation fees as set out in their Terms and Conditions and payment for these are applicable by you. A payment reminder will be sent via email or post 14 weeks (or in the case of certain suppliers 16 weeks) prior to your departure date. You will be advised of your final payment date at time of booking.

5. CONFIRMATION: If you are in the office at time of confirmation details of your confirmed booking will be given to you in person (these are for information purposes only and are not your Confirmation Invoice). Your Confirmation Invoice from the Principle(s)/Supplier(s) will be forwarded to you once they have been received by us. If you have provided us with an Email address you can expect these to be delivered via Email, if no Email has been provided these will be posted to the Lead Named Passenger to the postal address supplied. It is then your responsibility to make sure that all information including names, departure dates, durations, board basis, flights etc. are as you requested. Failure to advise of any mistakes on your Confirmation Invoice may result in charges at a later stage and/or delay your travel documents. Any charges for amendments due to failure of notice by you will be charged as per the Principle(s)/Supplier(s) with whom you are booked and all monies are applicable by you.

6. CANCELLATION and AMENDMENT: Any cancellation or amendment request must be sent to us in writing and will not take effect until received by us. If you cancel or amend you’re booking the principal(s) or supplier(s) may charge the cancellation or amendment charge shown in their Terms and Conditions (which may be 100% of the cost of the travel arrangements) and these are applicable by you. Service Charges will also be charged by us and details of these can be found below.

7. INSURANCE: a) Many principals/suppliers require you to take out travel insurance as a condition of booking with them. In any event, we strongly advise that you take out a policy of insurance in order to cover you and your party against the cost of cancellation by you; the cost of assistance (including repatriation) in the event of accident or illness; loss of baggage and money; and other expenses. If we have issued your policy please check it carefully to ensure that all the details are correct and that all relevant information has been provided by you (e.g. pre-existing medical conditions). Failure to disclose relevant information will affect your insurance.
b) If you decline to take out the travel insurance cover offered by the Principle(s)/Supplier(s) and have also declined to take out Carefree Travel’s comparable insurance cover you must undertake, on behalf of yourself and all members of your party, to arrange travel insurance that provides comparable cover to that offered by the Principle(s)/Supplier(s), or by Carefree Travel. Furthermore you absolve the Principle(s)/Suppliers(s) and Carefree Travel of all possible liabilities, which may arise as a direct consequence of any failure by you, or a member of your party to take out adequate travel insurance cover.
c) You will not be covered for any aspect of the purchased insurance companies terms of sale for any claims arising directly or indirectly as a result of a Pre-Existing medical condition of yourself or any of the insured party unless the Pre-existing medical condition has been declared to and accepted by the Healthcheck as per the details on your policy wording. The Healthcheck may apply charges to cover any Pre-existing medical conditions and these are at their discretion and are payable direct to them. Any claims arising directly or indirectly by yourself or any member of the insured party or a third party relative as a result of a terminal prognosis or awaiting results of tests/investigations are excluded under the insurance companies terms and as a result are excluded under the terms of your policy.
d) If you have your own private medical cover with either VHI, Quinn or Hibernian Aviva and have declared your membership details to the purchased travel insurance company you must contact them immediately to advise of any changes or circumstances to your private medical policy which could alter the assumptions on which your travel insurance contract is based. Should your private medical insurance be cancelled, voided, switch plan type and the terms to cover relating to overseas medical costs are materially altered then your purchased travel insurance could be automatically cancelled without refund.

8. DELIVERY OF DOCUMENTS: All documents (e.g. invoices/tickets/Insurance policies) that require to be emailed to the address provided at time of booking approx. 7-10 days prior to departure. You can ask for delivery by other means subject to charges stated below, however should these be lost and have a physical value you may be required to pay for replacements.

9. PASSPORTS, VISAS AND HEALTH: We can provide general information about the passport and visa requirements for your trip. Your specific passport and visa requirements, and other immigration requirements are your responsibility and you should confirm these with the relevant Embassies and/or Consulates. Neither we nor the principal(s) or supplier(s) accept any responsibility if you cannot travel because you have not complied with any passport, visa or immigration requirements. Most countries now require passports to be valid for at least 6 months after your return date. Please take special note that for all air travel within the British Isles, airlines require photographic identification of a specific type. Please ask us for full details.
We can provide general information about any health formalities required for your trip but you should check with your own doctor for your specific circumstances.

10. FINAL TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTS: Please ensure that all your travel, passport, visa and insurance documents are in order and that you arrive in plenty of time for checking in at the airport. It may be necessary to reconfirm your flight with the airline prior to departure. Please ask us for details at least 72 hours before your outbound flight. You should take a note of any reference number or contact name when reconfirming. If you fail to reconfirm you may be refused permission to board the aircraft and you are unlikely to receive any refund.

11. COMPLAINTS: Because the contract(s) for your travel arrangements are between you and the principal(s) or supplier(s), any queries or concerns relating to the travel arrangements should be addressed to them. If you have a problem whilst on holiday, this must be reported to the principal/supplier or their local supplier or agent immediately. If you fail to follow this procedure there will be less opportunity to investigate and rectify your complaint. The amount of compensation you may be entitled to may be reduced or you may not receive any at all depending upon the circumstances. If you wish to complain when you return home, write to the principal/supplier. You will see the name and address plus contact details in any confirmation documents we send you. We will of course assist you with this if you wish – please contact Customer Services. If the matter cannot be resolved and it involves us or another ABTA Member then it can be referred to the arbitration scheme arranged by ABTA, see www.abta.com

12. SERVICE CHARGES: In certain circumstances we apply a service charge for the services we provide. These charges are non-refundable in the event of cancellation.
Cancellation or amendment – Principal’s/Supplier’s charge + £10/€12 per person or £20/€22 per family
Tickets dispatched by courier – Cost of courier
Minimum booking fee all products £20/€20 (will vary depending on product).