BOOKING TERMS & CONDITIONS

Retired Working For You (RW4U) Tours is operated by Meaesh Marketing Pty Ltd. “You” and “Your” means all persons named in a booking (including anyone who is added or substituted at a later date). “We”, “us”, “our”, “RW4UTours” and “RW4U” means Meaesh Marketing Pty Ltd, the operator of RW4UTours. 

BOOKINGS

A booking request is accepted when we issue a booking confirmation and you have paid your deposit. It is at this point that a contract between us and you comes into existence subject to these Booking Conditions. We reserve the right to decline any booking at our discretion. No employee of ours other than a director has the authority to vary or omit any of these Booking Conditions or to promise any discount, refund or credit.

SERVICES

The services we provide to you are limited to (a) the arrangement and coordination of your travel arrangements; and (b) the delivery of travel arrangements which we directly control. This includes (often significant) work undertaken prior to travel to arrange and coordinate the delivery of your travel arrangements.

PRICES, INCLUSIONS & EXCLUSIONS

Prices stated are in United States Dollars ($USD) and are current at the time of publication. The most up to date pricing is available on our website. The price includes accommodation, transportation and other inclusions as per the published Package Inclusions.

Costs associated with passports, visas, vaccinations, insurance, meals (other than those stipulated), emergency evacuation costs, gratuities, and all items of a personal nature are not included.

PRICE SURCHARGES

We reserve the right to surcharge the cost of your booked travel arrangements prior to commencement for circumstances beyond our control such as currency devaluation, fuel or air fare surcharges, or the imposition of new or amended Government charges.

DEPOSIT

A per person deposit as specified for the particular tour, is required to confirm your booking. The deposit is non-refundable other than where we cancel your travel arrangements for reasons other than Force Majeure (see below).

Please note that we may not hold any services for you until we receive payment of your deposit, meaning that services may become unavailable or prices may increase, in which case you will be responsible for paying the increased price, and we will not be responsible if services become unavailable.

FINAL PAYMENT

Final payment (and any instalments) must be received by the date(s) reflected on your invoice OR no less than 30 days before commencement of your trip. We are under no obligation to remind you of a payment becoming due. If we fail to receive a payment from you by the due date for payment in clear funds, then this will be deemed a cancellation by you (see Cancellations by You below). You authorise us to deduct the same credit / debit card for instalments / final payment. Please contact us at least 7 days prior to a payment date to advise us of an alternative means of payment.

METHOD OF PAYMENT

You agree that all debit or credit card payments are subject to a 1.9% processing fee which represents the costs we incur to process card payments.

If you do not wish to pay by credit or debit card, then we can accept cash transfers of United States Dollars dollars into our bank account without fees. If you would like to pay by cash transfer, then please email your request to make a booking or a payment instalment by cash transfer and will issue you with an invoice including our bank account details. You must include your Booking Reference number as the reference when making payments by bank transfer.

CANCELLATIONS BY YOU

Because services related to RW4UTtours are commonly in high demand, all payments are non-refundable. However, you may substitute passenger names up until ninety (90) days prior to the commencement of your tour for a processing fee of $100 per person. We strongly encourage you to take out travel insurance as soon as you have paid your deposit. You agree that this provision is reasonable and is required to protect our legitimate business interests.

NEW OR CHANGED QUARANTINE REQUIREMENTS.

If after we confirm your booking: a) new or changed requirements are imposed by government authorities either in a destination you are due to visit or in your home State or country and those remain in effect 60 days before commencement of travel requirements booked with us; and b) these new or changed quarantine requirements make it reasonably impractical for you to travel; then c) you may give us written notice to cancel your trip no less than 45 days prior to commencement of the first arrangement.

If you cancel travel arrangements in these circumstances, then we will refund payments made by you less: a) unrecoverable third party costs and other expenses incurred by us in relation to your travel arrangements; b) overhead charges incurred by us relative to the price of your travel arrangements; c) fair compensation for work undertaken by us in relation to your travel arrangements until the time of cancellation and in connection with the processing of any refund.

OTHER CANCELLATIONS.

If you wish to cancel your trip for other reasons, we require written notice and will make refunds to you less cancellation fees in accordance with the table below, calculated from the date which we receive written notice.
– Over 90 days before commencement: We will refund your Deposit [and any instalment payments only].
– 90 days to 60 days before commencement: We will refund 50% of the booking value.
– Withing 59 days or no show; You are not entitled to a refund.

GENERAL.

You agree that the deductions and cancellation charges specified above are reasonable, represent a genuine pre-estimate of our loss and are required to protect our legitimate business interests. For group departures, a transfer of a confirmed booking to another departure date at your request is deemed to be a cancellation of the original booking.

ILLNESS OR VACCINATION STATUS PREVENTING TRAVEL

If due to any illness, suspected illness or failure to satisfy any required tests (such as a PCR or rapid antigen test in relation to Covid-19) or vaccination requirements:
– an airline or other common carrier refuses you carriage;
– a hotel or vessel refuses to accommodate you; or
– we or our suppliers (acting reasonably) exclude you from the trip, then

and you are consequently prevented from commencing or continuing your trip, then:
– if you have already commenced your trip, we will provide you with reasonable assistance to arrange alternative travel arrangements or to continue the trip. This will be at your cost.
– if you have not commenced your trip then we regret we will not be in a position to provide such assistance.

We will not be liable to refund the cost of your trip (or any part of it) because we would have already paid (or committed to pay) suppliers and we would have already performed significant work preparing for the delivery of your trip and servicing your booking.

We will not be responsible for any loss or loss you incur in connection with your booking (for example, airfares and visa examples) if you are prevented from commencing or continuing your trip in these circumstances.

CANCELLATIONS OR RESCHEDULING BY US

In these Booking Conditions, the term Force Majeure means an event or events beyond our control and which we could not have reasonably prevented, and includes but is not limited to: tour package for which your travel arrangements relate to being cancelled or rescheduled for any reason; (b) natural disasters (including not limited to flooding, fire, earthquake, landslide, volcanic eruption), adverse weather conditions (including hurricane or cyclone), high or low water levels; (c) war, armed conflict, industrial dispute, civil strife, terrorist activity or the threat of such acts; epidemic, pandemic; (d) any new or change in law, order, decree, rule or regulation of any government authority (including travel advisories and restrictions).

Force Majeure (including cancellation or rescheduling) – Prior to travel

If in our reasonable opinion we (either directly or through our employees, contractors, suppliers or agents) consider that your travel arrangements cannot proceed as envisaged or you cannot make use of them due to a Force Majeure Event then we may cancel your travel arrangements in which case our contract with you will terminate.

If we cancel your travel arrangements, neither of us will have any claim for damages against the other for the cancelled arrangements. However, we will refund payments attributable to the cancelled travel arrangements less: (a) unrecoverable third-party costs and other expenses incurred by us for the cancelled travel arrangements; (b) overhead charges incurred by us relative to the price of the cancelled travel arrangements; and (c) fair compensation for work undertaken by us in relation to the cancelled travel arrangements until the time of cancellation and in connection with the processing of any refund (not to exceed 15% of the booking value for cancelled services).

Force Majeure – During travel

If due to Force Majeure we cancel travel arrangements after your trip has commenced, we will provide you with a refund of recoverable third party costs for cancelled travel arrangements only.

Other cancellations

If we cancel your travel arrangements for reasons other than Force Majeure, you will be offered (at your election) a refund of all funds paid, or the offer of a trip of substantially equal quality if appropriate. Please note that we reserve the right to cancel tours in the event minimum numbers are not achieved to make the tour financially viable.

We will not be responsible to you for any other expenses or loss you incur if your travel arrangements are rescheduled or cancelled whether or not due to Force Majeure. 

AMENDMENTS BY YOU

We will endeavour to accommodate amendments and additional requests. You acknowledge that these may not be possible to fulfil, and for group departures a transfer of a booking to a different departure is deemed a cancellation. An amendment fee of $100 will be levied to cover communication and administration costs for any changes to bookings. You will also be required to pay any additional costs charged by suppliers.

AMENDMENTS BY US

Prior to travel

You acknowledge that given the nature of group travel and the associated permutations, it may be necessary for RW4UTours to vary the tour itinerary either pre-travel or during travel. You agree and accept that RW4UTours has discretion in this regard, and you agree that you shall have no claims for compensation or reduced service level against RW4UTours in this regard.

During travel

You acknowledge that the itinerary, modes of transport, accommodation and/or the trip’s inclusions may need to change during your trip due to local circumstances beyond our reasonable control, including road conditions, poor weather, changes in transport schedules, and/or vehicle breakdowns. You agree that we have the right to pass on any costs we incur for alternative arrangements we put in place for your benefit in these circumstances.

General

To the fullest extent permitted by law, we will not be responsible for any omissions or modifications to the itinerary or the inclusions due to Force Majeure or other circumstances beyond or control happening after we have accepted your booking. This includes any loss of enjoyment or distress caused by omissions or modifications.

If you are entitled to any compensation for any modifications or omissions, then you agree it will be reduced by the value of any alternative services we provide which you accept.

We will not be responsible to you for any other expenses or loss you incur resulting from any amendment or change to the itinerary or its inclusions.

UNUSED & DENIED SERVICES

No refunds will be made for of any travel arrangements not utilised, whether by choice or because of late arrival or early departure. This includes the failure of transport to operate according to schedule, which we disclaim responsibility for.

If you are not fully and validly vaccinated against Covid-19 in the destination(s) where services are to be provided, and particular suppliers refuse to provide you with travel arrangements, then you agree you will not be entitled to any refund for those arrangements. We will not be responsible to you for any loss or expenses you incur (including loss of enjoyment or the costs of alternative arrangements) if you are denied services in these circumstances.

CLIENT NAMES – EXACTLY AS PER PASSPORT

For security reasons, airlines and our overseas suppliers require names to be given exactly as stated in your passport. If you do not advise the correct information and we have to re-issue airline tickets or other documentation, then you will be responsible for any fees charged (such as airline cancellation charges or re-issue fees) in addition to our own reasonable administration fees.

TRAVEL INSURANCE

It is a condition of your booking that you are adequately insured for the duration of your trip, including insurance related to Covid-19. We recommend comprehensive travel insurance to cover cancellation, medical requirements, luggage, repatriations and additional expenses. The choice of insurer is yours. We strongly suggest you purchase insurance at the time you pay your deposit. This is because cancellation fees and charges are payable from that time, even if you are unable to travel due to you or a household member testing positive to Covid-19.

ACCOMMODATION

We reserve the right to substitute hotels, vessels and other forms of accommodation with properties or vessels of a comparable standard.

PASSPORTS, VISAS

It is a requirement that you hold a valid passport and any required visas for your trip. It is your responsibility to ensure that you are in possession of the necessary documentation to comply with the laws and regulations of the countries to be visited.

HEALTH & FITNESS

It is your responsibility to ensure that you have a suitable level of health and fitness to undertake the trip of your choice.

If you suffer from a medical condition which may reasonably be expected to increase your risk of needing medical attention, or which may affect the normal conduct of the trip, then you must advise us at the time you make your booking request.

We may request you to provide an assessment of your medical condition from a qualified medical practitioner. If the assessment indicates that you will require special assistance from personnel which we cannot reasonably provide, then we may cancel your booking. Provided you notified us of your medical condition at the time you made your booking request, we will provide you with a full of refund of payments made. If you fail to notify us at that time or if you fail to provide a medical assessment within a reasonable time of our request, then this will be considered a cancellation by you.

We reserve the right to cancel your booking if any changed or non-disclosed medical conditions mean that you will require special assistance which we cannot reasonably provide.

We strongly suggest that your travel insurance policy includes comprehensive cancellation coverage.

DIETARY REQUIREMENTS

Special dietary requests are required to be notified to us at the time of booking. Although we will use reasonable endeavours to accommodate requests, we cannot guarantee requests will be met by suppliers. It is your responsibility to check that meals and beverages do not contain any allergens. We expressly disclaim any liability for meals or beverages that contain allergens.

SOLO MATCH

We offer a matching service for solo travellers who are willing to share twin accommodation, saving on single supplements. Only travellers of the same sex will be matched. There are no guarantees that a match will be possible and we do not warrant the suitability or characteristics of any persons we match. Please note that a person we match you with is not responsible to provide any assistance to you. If we are unable to find a match, single supplements will apply. 

AUTHORITY ON TOUR

When joining a group tour, you undertake to conduct yourself in a manner conducive to good group dynamics. If you act in a manner that threatens or disrupts the safety or enjoyment of others on the tour, the tour leader may, acting reasonably, require that you leave the tour. You will not be entitled to any refund for unused services and you will be responsible for any additional costs you incur.

DAMAGES TO PROPERTY

If you cause any damage to property, then you agree that you will be responsible for this damage and agree to indemnify us for any claims made against us in connection with this damage.

COVID-19

You confirm that you voluntarily assume all risks related to exposure to Covid-19. You further acknowledge and agree that you will follow any rules and/or protocols that may be implemented to attempt to reduce the spread of Covid-19. Your inability or unwillingness to comply with such rules and/or protocols shall not entitle you to a refund or any other form of compensation.

If you contract Covid-19 while on tour, you agree that you will be isolated in alternative accommodation at your own cost and without any right to a refund or other compensation. If you contract Covid-19 and this prevents you from travelling, then we will not be obliged to provide you with a refund as we would have incurred non-refundable costs to suppliers.

We strongly encourage you to take out a policy of travel insurance that covers expenses and costs in relation to Covid-19.

INDEPENDENT SERVICES

We are not responsible for any additional activities or excursions which are not included in the booked itinerary or which we sell as agent for the principal operator. Any advice or recommendation made by a guide or local representative does not make us responsible.

ACCEPTANCE OF RISK

You acknowledge that travel involves personal risks which may be greater than those present in your everyday life. This could be because of the adventurous nature of your trip or the visiting of destinations which present geographical, political or cultural risks and dangers.

You should consult guidance issued by your own Government applicable to the destinations within your itinerary. You acknowledge that your choice to travel is made having had the benefit of your own Government’s guidance, and you accept any additional personal risks associated with your travel. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we disclaim any liability for these risks.

RESPONSIBILITY

Services supplied by independent suppliers

Where a third party over whom we have no direct control (Independent Supplier) is the supplier of travel arrangements that form part of your trip,  you acknowledge that our obligations to you are limited to taking reasonable steps to select a reputable Independent Supplier and arranging for them to provide those travel arrangements to you. Independent Suppliers over whom we have no direct control include but are not limited to airlines, railway and cruise operators, accommodation providers, independent transport companies (i.e., vehicles not operated by us) and common carriers.

To the fullest extent permitted by law, we will not be responsible to you for any loss, damage, personal injury or delay attributable to the actions or omissions of an Independent Supplier.  Any claims you have in this regard must be made against the Independent Supplier. You acknowledge that the Independent Supplier’s liability to you may be limited by their own terms and conditions.

Services we directly supply

To the extent only that we are the principal supplier to you of travel arrangements or other services which we control, then we will provide those travel arrangements and services with reasonable skill and care.

We will only be responsible for our employees in the course of their employment, and for our agents and suppliers (where we are not the supplier’s agent or where the supplier is not an Independent Supplier) if they were carrying out the work we had asked them to do.

We will not be responsible for any loss, damage, claim or expense caused by the acts or omissions of yourself, of any other third party not connected with the provision of the travel arrangements or services, or due to an event of Force Majeure.

While we endeavour to meet scheduled arrival and departure times, we cannot guarantee this. We will not be responsible for any loss or additional expenses you incur for any missed connections/services attributable to delays.

General liability limitation

You acknowledge that travel arrangements or services which comply with local laws and regulations will be deemed to have been properly performed, even if this would not be considered the case in country you live.

Australian Consumer Law and corresponding legislation in State jurisdictions in certain circumstances imply mandatory conditions and warranties into consumer contracts (“Consumer Warranties”). These Booking Conditions do not exclude or limit the application of the Consumer Warranties. Other than the Consumer Warranties, we disclaim all warranties.

To the fullest extent permitted by law, our maximum liability to you under these Booking Conditions, in tort (including negligence) or at law is limited to arranging for the travel arrangements to be resupplied or payment of the cost of having them resupplied.

IMAGE RELEASE

When on tour, we may take photographs or make recordings of you and your activities that identify you. We reserve the right to use any images and/or recordings for promotional and marketing purposes. You consent to this use and acknowledge you will not be entitled to any payment or other compensation. If you do not consent to the use of your image or likeness, please advise us as least 21 days prior to the commencement of your tour.

COMPLAINTS

In the event of a problem with any aspect of your travel arrangements you must tell us or make our representative or our local supplier aware of such problems immediately.

We will only consider and be responsible for claims made against us where we or our suppliers have had the opportunity to put things right on the ground. If you notify us of a problem during travel and we haven’t resolved it to your satisfaction, then you must make any claim in writing within 30 days from the end of your travel arrangements.

DEEMED ACCEPTANCE

If you place a booking on behalf of another party, you represent and warrant us that you are duly authorised to provide the agreement and consent of the other party to be bound by these Booking Conditions. You agree that you will be responsible for any loss or damage we incur if this is not the case. 

GENERAL

The contract between RW4UTours and you is governed by the laws of the State of Victoria in Australia. Any disputes shall be dealt with by a court with the appropriate jurisdiction in Victoria.

If any provision of these Booking Conditions is found to be unenforceable, then to the extent possible it will be severed without affecting the remaining provisions.

Any personal information you provide to us will be collected, stored, used, protected and shared in accordance with Australian Privacy Principles, and our Privacy Policy.

Updated: 23rd January 2023