Booking Terms & Conditions
Please ensure that you read the following Booking Terms and Conditions carefully, as they apply to the package holiday that you have booked with The School Tour Company.
References to “you” and “your” will include the Group Leader and all participants named on the booking (the group).
References to “us”, “we” and “the Company” mean The School Tour Company.
Group Leader means the person authorised to act as the representative of the school/group named in the booking, that is the authorised representative of the school/group named in this booking (the group), who has the permission of each student/participant (and when the member of the group is under 18 years of age, the authority of a parent or legal guardian) to deal with us on their behalf, including disclosing the names of each student/participant, their date of birth, and their parent or legal guardian’s email address (where applicable), and that all persons travelling are aware of these Booking Terms and Conditions.
1. Booking
Your booking is made with The School Tour Company (the Company) at the address of 4th/5th Floor, 121/122 Capel Street, Dublin 1, D01 V3P0, Ireland, TA Licence Number 0794.
You are authorising the Company to act as your agent and we will arrange for you to enter into a contract with the provider(s) (travel service provider(s)) of the travel related services, including among others, airlines, hotels, insurance companies, coach hire companies, transfer companies and various destination management companies.
You are bound by the terms and conditions of booking of the relevant travel service provider(s) (copies of which are available on request). We are acting as your agent in arranging your booking and the travel service provider is the principal or the agent to the principal. A contract will only exist when we have received the required first deposit amount per student/participant and have acknowledged receipt of this, sent you your confirmation letter and booking form. This form needs to be signed by the Group Leader and returned to us as soon as you receive it. On signing the booking form the Group Leader is accepting the following conditions on behalf of all members of the group. Once we receive the signed booking form, all aspects of your booking are formalised.
The Group Leader will be our point of contact for all aspects of the tour (including group/passenger payments), unless we are advised otherwise in writing.
2. Deposits/Payment
The full deposit amount is generally €300 per student and the deposit is non-refundable. Full payment is required 12 weeks prior to departure date. The passport name and date of birth for all passengers that are travelling will be required at the time of booking. Higher or lower deposits may be required depending on the destination and overall cost of the tour, and the cost of the airline seats. You will be advised of deposit amounts in your quotation.
Deposits are non-refundable (unless the cancellation is covered by insurance). Deposits can be paid by bank transfer or by using the online payment portal. You will be provided with a booking reference number should you wish to pay online.
Full payment is required 12 weeks prior to departure date. The Group Leader will receive all invoices applicable to the tour and final payment date will be clearly indicated. If we do not receive full payment by this date then we reserve the right to charge applicable cancellation charges as outlined in clause 6a. We will not be in a position to pay final balances to our suppliers if we have not received your final payment and this could put certain aspects of your tour in jeopardy.
3. Passenger Names
For groups paying online it is the responsibility of the person who enters the student’s information on the payment portal at the time of booking to ensure that the passenger’s name and date of birth are correct. If paying by ETB/bank transfer then it is the Group Leader’s responsibility to ensure that all passenger names provided to us at the time of booking are as per passport and they must be sent via email. If any changes are to be made once airline seats have been purchased then name change fees will apply, see clause 7(a).
4. Insurance Cover
Insurance cover is included for every passenger unless you have indicated otherwise. Insurance cover commences from the moment we receive your deposits. If our travel insurance is not taken then we need confirmation in writing that another travel insurance scheme will be covering the tour arrangements.
5. Price changes
All tour prices are based on the current exchange rates that apply at the time of booking.
6. Cancellations
(a) By the Group Leader
The Group Leader must advise the Company by email as soon as he/she receive a cancellation. Cancellation of a booking is effective only once it has been received in writing to the Company from the Group Leader and any cancellation charges will be calculated from this date. Deposits are non-refundable but can be transferred to a replacement passenger, where an applicable name change fee may apply. Our cancellation charges are as follows:
29 – 56 days prior to departure – 80% of the tour price.
28 or less prior to departure – 100% of the tour price.
Many reasons for cancellation (other than disinclination to travel) are covered by your insurance cover; please check our insurance booklet. If the reason is insurable, a cancellation invoice will be sent to the insurance company and full money will be refunded minus the premium and excess charge. Please note that cancellations could increase your tour price if it affects the student/teacher ratio.
(b) Cancellations by the Company
Without prejudice to your statutory rights, we reserve the right to make changes to your holiday arrangements at any time.
7. Alterations to your Booking
(a) By the Group Leader
Should the Group Leader wish to make any changes to the tour then the Company must be notified as soon as possible. Changes can only be made once they have been confirmed by the Group Leader to the Company in writing. We will endeavour to make the changes, if they are practical, at a minimal cost; however, this is dependent on costs imposed by our suppliers at the time of change, and availability. Please be aware that if there are any changes requested to be made to airline dates/routes or names, then substantial costs may be incurred by the airlines. Name change fees are strictly enforced by all airlines and these can vary depending on the airline – please note some airlines do not permit name changes. The passenger that is cancelling from the tour is obliged to pay this fee for their replacement or if it is in error then the passenger/group leader is obliged to pay same. Name changes must be confirmed in writing. If the group leader wishes to add extra passengers to the group then the Company will try their best to facilitate you. The Company does not guarantee a place on the tour and places are subject to the written confirmation of the Company. Receipt of payment does not constitute confirmation of a place on a tour. Please note that surcharges may apply due to increased airfares etc.
(b) By the Company
While the Company’s aim is to satisfy your requirements and expectations from the time of booking, occasionally we have to make alterations to your tour due to changing circumstances and we reserve the right to do so at any time. If any changes have to be made to your tour the Company will advise you as soon as possible and endeavour to ensure that the same standards are met and a satisfactory alternative is provided. In the unlikely event of the Group Leader not being satisfied with alternative arrangements that the Company have been obliged to make, then compensation will be agreed in accordance with clause 8.
(c) Changes by Airlines
Any change in departure or arrival airport and flight schedule will not entitle you to cancel or change other arrangements. Refund and booking conditions for that particular airline will prevail. Please note that a change of airport, airline or flight time of less than 5 hours is not deemed as a significant change.
8. Compensation, Significant Changes/Cancellation
Where we cancel your booking or where you do not accept a significant change and choose to cancel your booking, we will pay you compensation.
You will not be entitled to compensation where the cancellation or significant change is due to unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances.
Unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances means a situation beyond our control (or your control, if you are invoking such a situation), the consequences of which could not have been avoided even if all reasonable measures had been taken, including warfare, other serious security problems such as terrorism, significant risks to human health, such as the outbreak of a serious disease at the travel destination, or natural disasters such as floods, earthquakes, or weather conditions which make it impossible to travel safely to the destination as agreed in your booking, natural disasters, fire or other destruction of any vessel, craft or vehicle to be used in connection with a holiday, riots, civil commotion, exercise of legislative, municipal, military or other authority, strikes, activity or attraction temporary or permanent closures, industrial action, requisition of equipment, mechanical breakdown, shortage of fuel, insolvency or default of any carrier or service supplier connected with a holiday, fraud perpetrated against us or any other reason beyond our control.
9. Passports & Visas
It is your/a parent’s or guardian’s (in the case of a minor) responsibility to check with the relevant Embassies and/or Consulates for your specific passport, visa and immigration requirements and to comply with such requirements. It is your/a parent’s or guardian’s (in the case of a minor) responsibility to ensure the validity of passports for the destination(s) of their tour. We do not accept any responsibility if you cannot travel or suffer any other loss because you have not complied with these. Up to date travel advices can be obtained from the Department of Foreign Affairs, www.dfa.ie/travelwise. Most countries now require passports to be valid for at least 6 months after your return date. You agree to reimburse us in relation to any fines or other losses we incur as a result of your failure to comply with any such requirements.
10. Special Requests
Special requests (e.g. dietary requirements) must be made in writing and shall be communicated by the Company to the relevant supplier. The Company shall use reasonable endeavours to fulfil such requests. No liability shall attach to the Company for failure to comply with a special request and such requests do not form part of this contract.
11. Complaints/Difficulties while on tour
Should the Group Leader have any complaints before or while on tour you are asked to contact the Company using the contact details you have been provided with.
If any difficulties are experienced while travelling or when abroad then the emergency numbers must be used to inform the Company of these difficulties in order to rectify the situation as soon as possible. If the Group Leader is unhappy with a particular aspect of your tour we ask you to contact the supplier on the emergency numbers you may have for them in your travel documents (e.g. coach company, hotel agent). If problems are not discussed with them at the time suppliers reserve the right not to assist or acknowledge the complaint when the group are back in Ireland, as they would not have had the opportunity to resolve the problem at the time. If the difficulty you have encountered cannot be rectified then contact the Company’s emergency number/office number in order for us to liaise with the suppliers involved.
If the matter is not resolved or cannot be resolved while you are on tour then it must be sent to us in writing no later than 28 days from returning from your tour, as the Company will not accept liability for any complaints received outside this period.
12. Our Responsibility to You
We are responsible for the proper performance of all travel services included in your booking. You must inform us without undue delay of any failure on our part or our suppliers’ part to perform or properly perform any of the travel services included in your booking.
We shall not be liable for any failure to perform or improper performance of the contract where the failure or improper performance is (i) attributable to you or (ii) attributable to a third party unconnected with the provision of the travel services included in your booking, and is unforeseeable and unavoidable, or (iii) is due to unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances as outlined in clause 8.
Limitation of Our Liability
In the case of damage other than death or personal injury, or damage caused intentionally or negligently on our part or that of our suppliers, the amount of compensation which we will pay to you will be limited to three times the cost of the holiday.
Also, our liability will not exceed any limitation applicable under any international convention governing or relating to the provision of the travel service complained of in the place where they are performed or due to be performed, even if that convention has not been ratified or applied in Ireland.
For international transport by air, the provisions of the Warsaw Convention/the Montréal Convention may apply. For international transport by water, the provisions of the Athens Convention may apply. In respect of rail travel, the Berne Convention, in respect of carriage by road, the Geneva Convention, and in respect of hotels, the Paris Convention may apply.
This means that we are to be regarded as having all benefits of any limitations of liability contained in any of these conventions or any other international conventions applicable to your holiday. Further, the operating carrier or transport operator’s conditions of carriage will apply to you and form part of your contract with us and with the transport company or carrier.
A copy of the conditions of carriage applicable to the holiday and the conventions referred to above can be supplied on request. We are entitled to deduct any money which you receive or are entitled to receive from the relevant supplier from any payments we may make to you.
In the event of any liability on our part for injury, illness, or death, no payment will be made unless the following conditions are complied with:
- You must advise us in relation to the injury or illness while at the resort and must also write to us within 28 days of the completion of the holiday.
- You transfer any rights that you may have, in respect of such injury, illness or death against any person to us or our insurers.
- You must co-operate fully with us to enable us or our insurers to enforce such rights.
Identity of Air Carriers
We are obliged to inform you at the time of booking of the identity of the operating carrier(s) which is/are due to perform, or likely to perform, your flight and if there are any changes to the operating air carrier(s) we are obliged to inform you of any such change(s) as soon as possible. If we do not know the identity of the operating carrier(s) at the time of booking, we must inform you of same as soon as such identity is established. In all cases, we are obliged to inform you of the identity of the operating air carrier at check-in or on boarding, where no check-in is required for a connecting flight. In accordance with EU Directive- (EC) No. 2111/2005, we are required to bring to your attention the existence of a ‘Community Blacklist’ which contains details of air carriers that are subject to an operating ban within the EU Community. The EU Community list is available for inspection at
https://ec.europa.eu/transport/sites/transport/files/air-safety-list_en.pdf
EU Regulation 261/04
If your flight is cancelled or delayed, your flight ticket is downgraded, or boarding is denied by your airline, in circumstances which would entitle you to claim compensation against the airline under EU Regulation 261/04 (‘Reg 261/04’), you must pursue the airline for compensation due to you. Reimbursement of the cost of a flight that forms part of your holiday does not automatically entitle you to reimbursement of the cost of your holiday from us. We have no liability to make any payment to you in relation to Reg 261/04. If for any reason you do not claim against the airline and make a claim for compensation from us, you must at the time of payment of any compensation to you make a complete assignment to us of the rights you have against the airline in relation to the claim that gives rise to that compensation payment. If the airline does not comply with its obligations under Reg 261/04, you should report this to the Commission for Aviation Regulation, further information can be found at https://www.flightrights.ie/. To avoid over-compensation, we are entitled to deduct any money which you have received or are entitled to receive from the carrier under Reg 261/04 from any compensation payments we make to you.
13. Your Responsibilities
Where as a result of your actions either or both of the following incidents occur: (i) there is a delay or diversion to the means of transportation included in the package, (ii) the accommodation in which you are staying is damaged, you agree to indemnify us against any claim (including legal costs) made against us in relation to the occurrence of such incidents.
We reserve the right to terminate the contract with you if your behaviour or conduct either prior to or during a holiday is likely to endanger your safety or wellbeing or ours (including our representatives, contractors, agents, and employees) or that of others, and the cancellation charges as provided for in Clause 6a shall apply.
14. Data Protection
The Company is committed to protecting your personal information. Any contact details supplied will only be used for administration purposes by the Company. On occasion we will have to provide personal information to our suppliers and agents in order to enhance the tour service. Please note that airlines are required by laws in the United States and other countries to give border control agencies access to passenger data. Accordingly, any information the Company has regarding any passengers’ travel arrangements may be disclosed to customs and immigration. Please see our GDPR section on the website for further information.
15. Complaints
During your Holiday
If you are unhappy with any of the travel services you have booked, the Group Leader should inform the local supplier without undue delay (i.e. the coach company or hotelier), if the supplier is unable to remedy the situation, to your satisfaction, please contact us using the contact details we have provided to you in your travel pack.
When you Return
If the matter is not resolved or cannot be resolved while you are away, then you must follow this up by writing to us within 28 days from returning from your holiday.
16. Insolvency Protection Arrangements
The EU Directive on Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements 2015/2302 requires us to provide security for the package holidays booked with us and for your repatriation in the event of our insolvency.
We hold a Travel Agent’s licence (number T.A. 0794) issued by the Irish Aviation Authority, The Times Building, 11-12 D’Olier Street, Dublin 2, (email: info@iaa.ie) and as a requirement have arranged an approved secured bond.
17. Assistance we will provide to you if you are in difficulties on holiday
If you are in difficulties and you have contacted us looking for assistance, we will provide you with appropriate assistance, without undue delay, in particular by:
- Providing appropriate information on health services, local authorities and consular assistance.
- Assisting you in making distance communications and helping you find alternative travel arrangements.
If the difficulty for which you require assistance was caused intentionally by you or through your negligence, or due to the actions of a third party unconnected with the provision of the travel services included in your booking, we shall not be liable for the costs of any alternative travel arrangements or other such assistance you require and we reserve the right to charge you a reasonable fee for any assistance we provide, which will not exceed the actual costs we incur.
18. Governing Law & Jurisdiction
These Booking Terms and Conditions and any agreement to which they apply shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of Ireland and each of the parties hereby submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Courts of Ireland in regard to any matter arising from or touching upon these booking terms and conditions and any agreement to which they apply.