IMPORTANT TO NOTE: Please read these booking conditions carefully
All our tours advertised online are operated by Sondor Travel Sh.P.K with the registered number K31608050Q (hereinafter called ‘the Company’, ’we’, ‘us’ or ‘our’). Sondor Travel is a member of ATOU (Albanian Tour Operators Union) Group. The registered Albanian office is: Rr. Mine Peza, Pll1, Shk 13. Ap 3, 1010, Tirana, Albania.
All tours are sold subject to the following conditions:
Insurance.
You must have adequate and valid travel insurance for the whole trip. If you don’t have one, our company can help you purchase valid travel insurance through one of the international insurance companies operating in Albania.
Your Financial Protection
We will provide you with financial protection for any package holidays you buy from us. You will be entitled to a refund or repatriation should our travel company experience any financial difficulty during the time of the booking.
How to Book
To make a booking you can contact us using a agent in several ways such as: directly over the telephone, via the website www.sondortravel.com or any partner site. The person making the booking (the ‘lead name’) must be 18 years old or over and possess the legal capacity and authority to make the booking and accepts these booking conditions on behalf of everyone in their party. Whether you book alone or as a group, we will only deal with the lead name in all subsequent correspondence, including changes, amendments and cancellations. The lead name is responsible for ensuring the accuracy of the personal details or any other information supplied in respect of yourself and any other person travelling on the booking and for passing on any information regarding the booking or any changes made in relation thereto, to all persons travelling on such booking, including but not limited to information on schedule changes or copies of booking confirmations.
For all our travel packages displayed in sondortravel.com. you will need to pay a deposit to us at the time of booking of at least 10% of your selected travel arrangements. We will then invoice you for the remainder of the cost due before you travel, which you must pay not later than 30 days before departure. If you do not pay the balance by the due date your booking will be cancelled and you will forfeit your deposit plus any other relevant charges.
When you book your holiday through an approved travel agent, all communication between you and us will be made through that agent, as such please contact your agent in the first instance, as no changes can be made to your booking unless they are made through your agent.
If we accept your booking, we will issue a Confirmation Invoice. A contract will exist between us from the date we issue the Confirmation Invoice or if you book within 7 days of departure the contract will exist when we accept your payment. When you receive the Confirmation Invoice please check the details carefully and inform us immediately if anything is incorrect. Names on travel documents must exactly match those in your passports. Unless we are responsible for the mistake, we will not accept liability if an airline or other supplier refuses boarding because the name(s) shown in your passport differ from those on your ticket. You must notify us with the reservation, timings and check-in details of your flight least 72 hours before departure.
It is very important to advise us at the time of booking of any condition, medical or otherwise, that might affect your or other people’s enjoyment of the trip.
Prices
All prices we advertise are accurate at the date published, but we reserve the right to change any of those prices from time to time. Prices do not include air travel arrangements but only land travel. Prices on sondortravel.com website are updated regularly. Before you make a booking we will give you the up-to-date price of your chosen holiday including upgrades or additional facilities, which you have requested.
Dates and itineraries shown for tours departing after 1 January 2016 are indicative only and subject to change.
If you Change or Cancel your Booking
4.1 If, after our confirmation has been issued, you (i) make a change to your existing booking or (ii) wish to change to a different tour or change departure date, we will try to make the changes subject to availability, provided that notification is received in writing to our offices from the lead name at least 56 days before departure.
4.2 Any alteration, whether a change to an existing booking or a change to another tour or departure date, may be subject to payment by you of any costs imposed by any of our suppliers providing the component parts of the tour. If the holiday to which you transfer is more expensive than the one you originally booked, a further deposit will also be payable. Any alteration by you within 56 days of departure will be treated as a cancellation of the original booking and will be subject to cancellation charges.
4.3 You, or any member of your party, may cancel your tour at any time providing that the cancellation is made by the lead name in writing. Notice of cancellation will be effective upon receipt by us of your written communication. As we start to incur costs from the time the contract is confirmed we will retain your deposit and in addition will apply other cancellation charges as shown below. These charges are based on how many days before your booked departure we received your cancellation notice. These charges are a percentage of the total cost of your booking. If you want to cancel one or more passengers on the booking you will have to pay a proportion of the applicable cancellation charge based on the number of passengers you wish to cancel from the booking:
Between 56 and 42 days before departure date (inclusive)- 50% of the holiday cost
Between 41 and 28 days before departure date (inclusive)- 60% of the holiday cost
Between 27 and 15 days before departure date (inclusive)-80% of the holiday cost
14 days or less before departure date (or failure to join the holiday) (inclusive)-100% of the holiday cost
4.4 All communications relating to this contract (in particular any requests to cancel or amend your holiday arrangements) must be from the Lead Name in writing and in English or German by email.
If we Change or Cancel your Booking.
We reserve the right to cancel your booking or change any of the facilities, services or prices described in the website. We will endeavor to advise you of any changes known at the time of booking.
We plan the arrangements for your tour many months in advance and may occasionally have to make changes, most of which are minor. If a major change becomes necessary, we will advise you of the change as soon as possible. Whether a change is ‘major’ depends on the nature of the tour and may include: a change in accommodation to that of a lower category. These changes are only examples and there may be other significant changes, which constitute major changes. When a major change occurs, you will have the choice of either:
(a) accepting the change; or
(b) accepting a replacement tour from us of equivalent or similar standard and price (at the date of the change), if we are able to offer you one; or
(c) cancelling your tour, in which case you shall receive a full refund of all moneys paid.
Our Liability
Our obligations, and those of our suppliers providing any service or facility included in your holiday, are to take reasonable skill and care to arrange for the provision of such services and facilities. You must show that reasonable skill and care has not been used if you wish to make any claim. Standards of, for example, safety, hygiene and quality vary throughout the transport and destinations that your holiday may involve. Sometimes these standards will be lower than those, which would be expected in your country. The suppliers of the services and facilities included in your holiday will comply with local standards where they are provided.
Sometimes our trips operate in regions where standards of accommodation, transport, safety, hygiene, medical facilities and other infrastructure may be lower than those you normally expect. Your booking is accepted on the understanding that you realise the hazards involved in this kind of holiday, including injury, disease, loss or damage to property, inconvenience and discomfort. The whole philosophy of this type of travel is one that allows alternatives and a substantial degree of on-trip flexibility. The outline itineraries given for each holiday must therefore be taken as an indication of what each group should accomplish, and not as a contractual obligation on our part. Changes in itinerary may be caused by local political conditions, flight cancellations, mechanical breakdown, weather, border restrictions, sickness, or other unforeseeable circumstances.
Please be assured that we as service providers will always do the utmost to ensure your safety and well-being when on tour.
Complaints
If you have a complaint about your arrangements, you must immediately notify the local representative or your person of contact within Sondor.
Details of Insurance
Adequate and valid travel insurance is mandatory for all clients while on one of our tours. You are strongly advised to insure yourself against any possible risk that may occur and in particular to ensure that you have sufficient insurance in respect of dependent relatives on whom your trip may depend. You are required to carry proof of insurance with you and produce it if reasonably requested by Company employees or suppliers.
Visa, Health, Passport, Travel Documentation
Whilst we are able to provide basic advice to clients regarding passports and visa requirements, you can check for more information at the Albanian Embassy in Berlin or at this link http://www.punetejashtme.gov.al/en/services/services-for-foreign-citizens/who-can-enter-albania-without-a-visa
We are able to advise on mandatory health requirements; however, we are not medical experts. It is your responsibility to ensure that you obtain proper and detailed medical advice at least two months prior to travel for the latest health requirements, recommendations for your destination and any costs. Where you do not do so and either are not allowed to enter any country, or suffer personal injury or death as a result, we have no liability to you for any cost, loss or damage which you suffer nor will we refund you the cost of any unused portion of your travel arrangements. Clients with existing medical problems, pregnant women and anyone who has recently visited other countries should check requirements with their general practitioner.
Local Laws & Customs
Laws and customs of the country/ies you visit can be very different to those in the in your country. Be aware of your actions to ensure that they do not offend, especially if you intend to visit religious areas. It is your responsibility to familiarize yourself with, and respect local laws and customs. If you fail to do so, we will have no liability to you for any cost, loss or damage, which you suffer, nor will we refund you the cost of any unused portion of your travel arrangements.
Leader Authority & Behavior
On an active group holiday it is necessary that you abide by the authority of the leader, who represents the Company. If you commit any illegal act when on the holiday or if in our reasonable opinion or the reasonable opinion of the leader or another person in authority your behavior is disruptive, threatening or abusive, causes unnecessary inconvenience or is causing or likely to cause damage to property, danger, distress or upset, disturbance or annoyance to others or puts any other traveller or our staff in any risk or danger, on the telephone, in writing or in person, we may terminate your travel arrangements without any liability on our part.
If you are affected by any condition, medical or otherwise, that might affect your or other people’s enjoyment of the holiday, you must advise us of this at the time of booking.
Your Accommodation
Any accommodation we arrange for you must only be used by those people named on your Confirmation Invoice (or on latest Amendment Invoice issued). You are not allowed to share the accommodation or let anyone else stay there. You are responsible for the cost of any damage caused to your accommodation or its contents during your stay. These charges must be met by you and may have to be paid locally.
Trip Notes
If we issue detailed trip notes for your booking these trip notes and all the information contained therein will be deemed to be part of the contract. Trip notes contain up-to-date definitive information about the itinerary and travel arrangements. Should there be a discrepancy between the information in the brochure or website and the trip notes, the information in the trip notes supersedes that in the brochure or on the website and will be considered the most up-to-date and accurate.
Special Requests
We will consider special requests such as dietary requirements or specific rooming arrangements when you book. We will tell you whether there is a charge for the request. We can only guarantee requests for which there is a charge, or those that are confirmed in writing. It is your responsibility to advise us of any special requirements.
Participation Requirements
All clients are expected to satisfy themselves prior to booking that they are fit and able to complete the itinerary of their chosen holiday as described in this brochure.
No unaccompanied minors (those under 18 years of age) can be accepted however (a) minors aged between 3 -17 years may accompany their parents on tours designated as family adventures and (b) older teenagers may be allowed to join group tours provided they are accompanied by a parent or guardian who accepts full responsibility for them.
Anyone suffering from mobility impairment, illness or disability or undergoing treatment for any physical or medical condition must declare the true nature of such condition at the time of booking and make arrangements for the provision of any medication or other treatment which may be required during the holiday. Failure to make such disclosure will constitute a breach of these booking conditions and result in such persons being excluded from the holiday in which case all monies paid will be forfeit.
Law & Jurisdiction
If you booked your holiday in any jurisdiction other than in Albania (including any booking via the Internet), this contract, and any other claim or dispute arising from or related to this contract, will be governed by Albanian law and the court of Albania shall have exclusive jurisdiction over any claim arising out of it.
Sondor Travel booking conditions
Updated: 1 January 2019