How to book your Living Crete Holiday
To discuss your requirements and check availability please contact us.
We will give you a Booking Reference number, and hold your booking for 5 working days. Send us your completed Booking Form and deposit, or full payment if you are booking within 84 days (12 weeks) of departure. Deposits vary according to your chosen tour — it is also possible to spread the cost of your holiday; we will advise you at the time of booking. Payment may be made by BACS Transfer — call us for details.
We will acknowledge receipt of your Booking Form and deposit, and issue you with an ATOL Certificate and Confirmation Invoice which we request that you check carefully. Your Invoice should show details of any Special Requests. It also shows the date by which your Balance should reach us.
Booking Conditions: Our Agreement With You
Some questions you may have ...
1. Do I really need to read this?
Yes: it is extremely important as it forms the basis of a legally binding contract between you (and anyone in your party) and us (Living Crete Holidays Ltd). When booking as the lead name, you confirm that you are authorized to accept, and do accept, on behalf of your party, the terms of our booking conditions, which are governed by British law and the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the British courts. Please read them carefully; they set out both our responsibilities and your own.
2. When does my contract with you come into being?
From the time when we confirm your booking and enter it on our reservation system.
3. Is there any protection for my holiday money?
Any air holiday which you book with us in the UK is ATOL-protected by the Civil Aviation Authority. Our ATOL Number is 9703. Further information is available on www.atol.org.uk. Briefly, an ATOL safeguards, in the unlikely event of our financial failure, any monies you have paid us, plus the completion of your holiday wherever possible.
4. When and how should I pay for my holiday?
When you book, a deposit is payable for each person in your party. The Balance should reach us no later than 84 days (12 weeks) before your departure date. If it does not, and we have not heard from you, your booking may be cancelled; the cancellation charges set out below will apply. The cancellation date is the date on which we receive written confirmation of your wish to cancel, or 15 days after the Balance Due Date, whichever falls earlier.
5. What about my money if I use an agent?
They hold your money on your behalf until we formally confirm your booking, then on our behalf, holding any Balance paid by you on your behalf, forwarding it to reach us by the Balance Due Date.
6. Can I alter my holiday arrangements?
If you wish to modify any arrangements after the issue of your Confirmation Invoice, we will make every effort to accommodate you; we cannot, however, guarantee this. The person who signed the Booking Form must notify us in writing. If we can make the requested changes, an administration fee of £10 per booking per occasion, plus any relevant supplements, will apply. After the Balance Due Date, any significant modification, e.g. change of departure date, number of people travelling in your party, is considered a cancellation of the original holiday; charges apply as indicated below. Any such changes to a flight holiday will result in your being considered responsible for any charges incurred by us.
7. What if I want to transfer my booking to another person?
This is normally possible, provided that we receive reasonable notice and the airline agrees to the change. If not, you are deemed to have cancelled, and have to pay for the cancelled and the new flight ticket. An administration fee of £ 10 per person will apply, plus any extra costs incurred by us. You, as lead name, are responsible for ensuring that we receive full payment by the Balance Due Date.
8. Am I entitled to cancel my holiday?
Yes, so long as the Lead Name informs us in writing, and subject to the cancellation charges below. If you have Cancellation Insurance, you may be able to recover some costs from your Insurers. The date of cancellation is that on which we, or your agent, receive written confirmation, plus any travel documents issued to you.
9. Cancellation Charges
| Period before departure | Amount |
|---|---|
| More than 84 days | Deposit |
| 29-83 days | 50% |
| 8-28 days | 75% |
| 1-7 days | 100% |
| Departure date or later, including while on holiday | 100% |
10. Can you make changes to my holiday?
As we make arrangements up to or more than a year in advance, changes are sometimes unavoidable, and we reserve the right to make them. We will keep you fully informed at all times. Should we have to make any significant changes, you will be entitled to withdraw from that holiday; we will offer you, if available, a similar holiday, or a similar holiday at lower cost plus a refund of the difference, or a full refund. It is your responsibility to advise us of your decision as soon as possible so as to minimise inconvenience to yourself and our other clients.
COMPENSATION SCALE FOR SIGNIFICANT CHANGES
| Period before departure Amount Per Person | Amount |
|---|---|
| More than 84 days | Nil |
| 29-83 days | £25 |
| 8-28 days | £35 |
| 0-7 days | £50 |
Compensation is not payable if a change is due to force majeure — events beyond our control including but not restricted to war or the threat of war, riot, civil strife, terrorist activity, industrial dispute, adverse weather conditions, fire, quarantine, epidemic or health risks, natural or nuclear disasters, technical problems to transport or airport. Should it become necessary to make a significant change to your holiday after departure, we will make every effort to provide alternative arrangements at no extra cost to you. If you have good reason for not accepting these, or we cannot provide you with a suitable alternative, then we will endeavour to arrange transport back to your point of departure or an alternative location which we consider reasonable.
11. How far does your liability to me extend?
We accept responsibility if you or any member of your party is killed or injured as a result of an activity forming part of your holiday arrangements booked with us before departure; if any part of your holiday booked with us in the UK is not of a reasonable standard; if any death or injury is due to any fault on our part or on that of our agents or suppliers acting in the course of their employment by us UNLESS such failure, death or injury is not caused by any fault of ours, our agents or suppliers, or results from any action of yours or someone not connected with your holiday arrangements, or if such failure, death or injury is due to unusual or unforeseen circumstances which we, our agents or suppliers could not reasonably be expected to have foreseen or avoided whilst exercising all due care. We will however in these circumstances offer all advice or assistance which we consider appropriate. You must obtain our written consent before instigating any legal proceedings with which you require our assistance. The maximum amount we allow for this is £500 per booking, i.e. per party. For claims not involving illness, injury or death, our maximum liability to you is the amount which the person involved paid for his/her holiday (not including any amendment fees or administrative costs). We are only liable to this extent if you cannot reasonably be said to have derived any benefit from your holiday. If you or any member of your party suffers illness, injury or death as a result of ship, coach or air transport, our liability is limited by the Athens, Geneva or Warsaw Conventions respectively. Please be aware that the above Conventions may limit or remove the carrier's financial liability to you. Should we make any payments to you or any member of your party in the event of death, injury or illness, you must assign to us, or to our Insurers, any right you may have to take action against the person or organisation responsible for causing the death, injury or illness. Our suppliers' booking or carriage conditions are legally binding between you and them, and may restrict their liability.
12. Do you have a complaints procedure in place?
We recognise that problems may occasionally arise despite our best efforts. Acknowledging and dealing with your concerns is a vital part of the Living Crete service; we urge you to inform your Tour Manager, who is with you throughout your holiday and on call at all times, of any problem as soon as possible. Your Tour Manager will make every effort to remedy the situation. If the matter is not dealt with to your satisfaction, please ask your Tour Manager to complete a Client Report form, which must be signed by you both as confirmation of accuracy. If, after your holiday, the matter has not been resolved to your satisfaction, please write to us within 14 days quoting your Booking Reference and Client Report Form numbers. We can only attempt to remedy a situation once we have been made aware of it. In considering our response to your complaint, we must take into account when you first drew it to the attention of your Tour Manager. We accept responsibility neither for problems not mentioned to your Tour Manager as soon as possible, nor for any outside the above parameters.
13. Health and Safety
The Department of Health's leaflet "Health Advice for Travellers" contains useful information; your doctor is also a good source of advice. You should have your Health Insurance card, GHIC, (formerly EHIC), which will entitle you to some state-run medical assistance. Travel Insurance is, however, mandatory. Crete, and Greece as a whole, has an excellent network of privately-run health centres (your own Travel Insurance is essential) and medical help of a high standard is readily available. Please inform your Tour Manager immediately in the event of illness or injury. It is of paramount importance that you avoid dehydration by drinking plenty of water and, especially when travelling, only moderate amounts of alcohol; an excess can cause dehydration. Please make a point of consulting your doctor if you have ever had Deep Vein Thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, a family history of clotting conditions, treatment for serious illness, e.g. stroke, heart/lung disease; also if you have undergone surgery within the last three months. These are the instances in which we require you to supply a Medical Certificate of fitness to travel. Please inform and update us as necessary regarding any disabilities or special requirements of anyone in your party. We then have the opportunity to check that suitable arrangements are in place. We especially need to know of any mobility and dietary issues and/or assistance required, for instance at airports. This enables us to cater for your needs in as full and appropriate a manner as possible. Do please make use of the Special Requests section of your booking Form; the more information you give us, the better we will be able to meet your needs. It is not always possible to meet all requests, but you may rest assured that we will make every effort to do so. Please keep us up to date with any changes occurring after you have booked so that we may provide you with a safe and enjoyable holiday experience.
14. CLIENT BEHAVIOUR
We want all our clients to enjoy their Living Crete holiday. We are confident that we can normally rely on all members of our groups not to behave in a way which would detract from the well-being of others, e.g. by disruptive, abusive behaviour, playing excessively loud music or being unacceptably under the influence of alcohol or drugs. If, therefore, we consider the conduct of any member of your party likely to cause damage or distress to our other clients, we reserve, after reasonable considerable, the right to terminate your contract with us, in which case we have no further liability towards you. Smoking is not permitted on our coaches. We appreciate your co-operation in adhering to this policy, and structure our coach journeys to ensure reasonable comfort stops.
15. TRAVEL DOCUMENTS
It is your responsibility to ensure that each member of your party arrives at the stated departure point on time and in possession of a valid passport. Regularly updated information regarding passport validity and entry requirements is available on www.gov.uk. We cannot accept liability for disruption, loss or expense incurred due to incorrect personal travel documents, late arrival, missed flight etc. In particular, please check that your passport does not expire within 3 months of your anticipated return date. It is the responsibility of non-UK citizens to obtain passport and visa advice from the Greek Consulate before booking a Living Crete holiday. Since the name on any ticket must match the name on the passport, it is essential that you inform us as a matter of urgency of any change of name of any member of your party occurring after you have booked your holiday. It is by keeping us informed, and alerting us to any potential difficulties, that you give us the opportunity to provide the quality of service that we wish to provide. Living Crete Holidays reserves the right to modify itineraries, accommodation arrangements, etc., at their discretion in accordance with weather conditions, local events and so on. We further reserve the right to amend or curtail a holiday arrangement if this becomes necessary or advisable due to unforeseen circumstances (force majeure). No refunds can be given in respect of included excursions not taken. Admission fees are included in excursion prices only if so specified on our website. For general security purposes we suggest that you bring a copy of the photo page of your passport with you.
16. What if I am delayed?
Your travel insurance may cover this. If a flight is delayed, responsibility for your well-being usually lies with the airline.
17. Do I really need Travel Insurance?
Yes. It is essential in case of cancellation charges, medical and associated costs, personal injury and loss of personal property. Please advise us of your insurance details when completing your Booking Form. If you are not adequately insured, we reserve the right to reclaim from you any expense incurred by us whilst assisting you in the event of illness, etc.
18. What if problems occur through no fault of yours?
In the event of illness, injury or death of any member of your party arising from an activity that does not form part of your holiday arrangements booked with us, nor arranged in the UK with us, we will at our discretion render all feasible assistance. Our assistance with any legal proceedings is subject to conditions set out in Section 12.
19. Your Financial Protection
When you buy an ATOL-protected flight-inclusive holiday from us, you will receive an ATOL certificate. This lists what is financially protected, where you can get information on what this means for you and who to contact if things go wrong.
We, or the suppliers identified on your ATOL certificate, will provide you with the services listed on the ATOL certificate (or a suitable alternative). In some cases, where neither we nor the supplier are able to do so for reasons of insolvency, an alternative ATOL holder may provide you with the services you have bought or a suitable alternative (at no extra cost to you). You agree to accept that in those circumstances the alternative ATOL holder will perform those obligations and you agree to pay any money outstanding to be paid by you under your contract to that alternative ATOL holder. However, you also agree that in some cases it will not be possible to appoint an alternative ATOL holder, in which case you will be entitled to make a claim under the ATOL scheme.
If we, or the suppliers identified on your ATOL certificate, are unable to provide the services listed (or a suitable alternative, through an alternative ATOL holder or otherwise) for reasons of insolvency, the Trustees of the Air Travel Trust may make a payment to (or confer a benefit on) you under the ATOL scheme. You agree that in return for such a payment or benefit you assign absolutely to those Trustees any claims which you have or may have arising out of or relating to the non-provision of the services, including any claim against us or the travel agent. You also agree that any such claims may be re-assigned to another body, if that other body has paid sums you have claimed under the ATOL scheme.