TERMS & CONDITIONS

INFORMATION YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT YOUR HOLIDAY (Please read carefully)

To make a booking  

You must complete our booking form and accept our terms and conditions on behalf of all your party. A deposit of £60 per person is required. Payment should be made by cash, cheque or internet banking. Written confirmation of your booking will be sent within 7 days of receipt of your booking form.

Paying for the balance  

Full payment for UK holidays must be paid at least 4 weeks before departure, for continental holidays, full payment must be paid 8 weeks before departure. If you book within 4 weeks of departure full payment is payable. If the balance is not paid on time we reserve the right to cancel your holiday and retain your deposit to cover any administrative costs. Payment should be made by cash, cheque or internet banking.

If we change your holiday

It is possible that we may have to alter some details of your holiday, for example, ferry timetable changes, hotel closures. If this becomes necessary we will inform you as soon as possible. If the change is significant you may a) accept the changes, or b) cancel your booking in which case you will receive a full refund.

If we cancel your holiday

All holidays operated are subject to a minimum number of bookings. If this number is not achieved by the ‘balance due date’ the tour may be cancelled. All monies paid to John Martin Coaches will be refunded. In the event of any Force Majeure, we reserve the right to cancel at any time, in which case you would receive a full refund.

Changing your booking

If, after confirmation has been issued you wish to make any changes we will do our utmost to make the changes, providing they are received in writing  from the person who signed the Booking Form. £30 will be charged to cover administration costs. Any changes made after the ‘Balance Due’ date will be treated as a cancellation and subject to the charges shown in the box below.

If you cancel your booking

You or any member of your party may cancel your holiday at any time, notice must be given in writing and we reserve the right to apply cancellation charges as shown, these may be reclaimable from your insurance policy;

Notification received :                                           Cancellation charge :
More than 28 days before departure                      Deposit
15 – 28 days                                                                       50%
8 – 14 days                                                                         70%
1 –   7 days                                                                         100%
Departure date                                                                 100%

PLEASE NOTE : DEPOSITS WILL NOT NORMALLY BE REFUNDED

Your Holiday price

One your deposit is paid, your holiday price is guaranteed, with the following exceptions; substantial alterations in transport cost i.e. fuel, ferry operators etc., of Government action in changing or imposing new taxes. No increase in price will be made less than 30 days prior to departure and if the increase is less than 2% John Martin Coaches will absorb the cost. Should a price increase be necessary, we will advise you as soon as possible. If you find this increase too high and you inform us straight away, you may cancel your booking and a full refund will be made.

Travel Insurance

For all overseas holidays you MUST have insurance and for all UK holidays we highly recommend insurance, to cover medical and repatriation costs, personal injury, loss of baggage and cancellation charges. For UK holidays, if you have decided not to purchase travel insurance you must complete the disclaimer on the booking form. You are free to choose any travel insurance company but you may like to consider: Gold Cover Insurance Services Tel: 01892 615511 Email: enquiries@goldcover.co.uk or Coaching Insurance Consultants, 11 Harvest Bank, Hyde Heath, Amersham, Bucks, HP6 5RD. Telephone: 01494 783595.

Financial Security

To ensure the security of your holiday payments and in compliance with the ‘Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018’, John Martin Coaches operate a Trust Account. This means there is a fund of money to available to repay you before departure or repatriate you whilst you are on holiday, in the unlikely event that we become insolvent.

Passport Requirements

A passport is essential for all holidays outside the UK. It is the responsibility of the traveller to ensure their passport and visa requirements are in order before they travel. We are unable to make refunds to passengers unable to travel through failure to obtain a passport in good time or are not in possession of the correct documents. Passport must be valid for at least 6 months beyond the length of your stay. If you renewed your current passport before the previous one expired, extra months may have been added to its expiry date. Any extra months on your passport over 10 years may not count towards the 6 months needed. If you do not hold a UK passport you must check with the Embassies or Consulates of the countries to be visited. Republic of Ireland – It is not a legal requirement for UK citizens to have a passport when travelling to Ireland as they are part of the Common Travel Area. But we recommend you take either a passport or some other official photographic identification.

TRAVELLING TO EUROPE – The new EUROPEAN TRAVEL INFORMATION AND AUTHORISATION SYSTM (ETIAS) is due to be intrduced for all UK travellers aged between 18- 70 from May 2023. This must be applied for at least 96 hours before travelling and can be completed online. It will coast 7euros (£5approx.) and will last for 3 years. Although if you renew your passport in this time, you will need to apply for an ETIAS agian. Further information will be available in due course.

GHIC – Healthcare cover abroad

The GHIC (Global Healthcare Insurance Card) has replaced the EHIC. This card allows access to ‘medically necessary state-provided healthcare’ when you’re visiting an EU country. Not all state healthcare is free in the EU and you may have to pay for services that you would get for free on the NHS. NB. Your GHIC is not a substitute for travel insurance. It may not cover all health costs and never covers repatriation costs. Make sure you have travel insurance as well as your card. You can apply for this card on the NHS website.

Luggage

As we have limited luggage space you must notify us if you want to bring any items other than on medium sized suitcase (MAX. 18KG) and hand luggage per person. Some tours will involve and overnight stay and therefore may also required an overnight bag. If you need to bring a walker or folding wheelchair you MUST advise us at the time of booking.

Wheelchairs

We are able to carry a small number of folding wheelchairs in the luggage compartment but you MUST advise is at the time of booking. PLEASE NOTE – IT IS NOT POSSIBLE to bring walkers or folding wheelchairs on holidays that include overnight stops and ferry crossings. We regret we are unable to carry battery powered wheelchairs or mobility vehicles.

Special Needs/Requests

If you have any special requests, such as lower floor rooms, special diet, etc., please advise us at the time of booking. We will gladly pass on your requests to the hotel(s) or other suppliers but cannot guarantee the hotel or other supplier will meet the requirements.

Excursions

these are included in the price of most of our holidays, refunds cannot be given for passengers who do not wish to go on these excursions. Admission to houses, gardens etc. are not always included in the price of you holiday unless stated in the holiday description.

Hotels

Some amenities described in this brochure (e.g. swimming pool, lifts) may occasionally need cleaning or servicing and therefore we canoot guarantee they will always be available. Hotel entertainment is often subject to demand and therefore may be cancelled if there is lack of demand or insufficient numbers staying in the hotel.

Personal Belongings

John Martin Coaches shall not be liable for any loss or damage to luggage or personal belongings unless due to John Martin Coaches negligence. Money, passports and other valuable items should be carried with you and not be left unattended on the vehicle or in suitcases.

Problems

If you experience any problems during the course of the tour, please advise the driver so steps can immediately be taken to rectify the problem. Any problems or complaints will be investigated by us if you inform us in writing within 28 days of your return.

John Martin Coaches reserve the right to refuse a booking or terminate a holiday in the event of unreasonable conduct which in John Martin Coaches opinion is likely to cause damage distress or annoyance to any other passengers, employees, property or other third party.