The Terms & Conditions below apply to all bookings made with Tradewinds Travel Group Ltd trading as Tradewinds, Aegean Escapes and Lux Places which are all part of Tradewinds Travel ATOL Number 11706 when booking a UK package holiday

The following terms and conditions form the basis of your contract with us.  Please read them carefully as they set out our respective rights and obligations.  By asking us to confirm your booking, we are entitled to assume that you have had the opportunity to read these terms and conditions and agree to them. By entering into a booking and making a payment to us it is implicit that you have accepted these terms and conditions and all parties are bound by them.

Except where otherwise stated, these booking conditions apply to all holiday arrangements which you book with us and which we agree to make, provide or perform (as applicable) as part of our contract with you. All references in these booking conditions to “holiday”,  “booking”, “contract”, “package”, “tour”, “reservation” or  “arrangements” mean such holiday arrangements unless otherwise stated.

In these booking conditions, “you” and “your” means all persons named on the booking (including anyone who is added or substituted at a later date) or any of them, as the context requires and “lead name” means the person who makes the booking.  “We”, “us” and “our” means Tradewinds. 

Before You Book

1.1 Choosing Your Holiday

We hope your holiday will live up to expectation, so it is very important that you choose the right holiday. Our staff are always happy to advise and give you their professional opinion; however we recommend that you also conduct your own independent research to ensure you are happy with the arrangements made.  

Please visit the Foreign & Commonwealth Office website at https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice or visit www.gov.uk/travelaware. Packed with essential travel advice and tips, these websites offer a wealth of country-specific information. The advice can change so please check regularly for updates. 

1.2 Confirming Your Holiday

When you decide to confirm your holiday with us, please ensure that you cancel any other flights which may have been held for the same dates/airlines, by other Tour Operators/Travel Agents. Failure to do so, may result in the airline subsequently cancelling the flights we have booked, and additional costs being incurred to re-book.

1.3 Hotel Grades

Choosing the right hotel can be a dilemma, especially when travelling to long haul destinations. Whilst most hotels have official star ratings locally, in some cases these cannot always be relied on. We have categorised all hotels to give a general guide as star ratings. Standards can however vary between hotels of the same class, in different countries, and even in the same country. For example, city hotels which often cater for business as well as leisure travellers may have generally higher standards than a beach resort where the atmosphere will tend to be more relaxed. It is important to carefully read the individual hotel descriptions. 

1.4 Single Rooms

It is an unfair fact of life that single travellers generally have to pay over the odds for a room, often up to twice the price each person in a twin room might have to pay. Please note that the standard and location of single rooms is not always comparable to that of twin/double rooms, even when you pay the single supplement.

I) Why are single travellers asked to pay more for their room? 
If a single person occupies a double room they will usually be asked to pay extra (a single supplement). Hotels price their rooms, as doubles or family rooms and they do not reduce the rates if it is occupied by a single person. The costs to the hotel of providing the room – heating, lighting, cleaning etc are the same regardless of how many people occupy that room. This also applies to self-catering units where, for example, three people may choose to occupy accommodation priced for four.

II) Why are single rooms sometimes smaller than doubles or family rooms? 
Hotel design may mean that single rooms are smaller and sometimes less well appointed. While there is normally a supplement for these rooms, the overall cost will usually be less than when a single person occupies a double room. We do not make additional or excessive profits from these supplements. The prices we charge reflect the costs of under occupancy of the rooms contracted to us by the hotel.

1.5 Twin Or Double Rooms

Accommodation in all hotels, regardless of the rating, are based on twins or doubles unless otherwise stated.

1.6 Children

If you are travelling with young children, it is important to note that child seats are not provided for transfers and the legislation varies from country to country.  If you specifically require a car seat, we advise you to either take your own with you, or contact us, and we will do our utmost to try and arrange this for you - there may well be an additional charge for this.

1.7 Minimum Stays

Minimum stays are required at certain hotels for certain periods. Where applicable these will be advised at time of booking. Any changes to reservations that take the stay into the minimum stay period at a different rate will be calculated and advised before amending a booking. A fee may well be levied by the hotel or supplier in this case

1.8 Early Or Late Departures

Generally hotel rooms will be available between approximately noon and 3pm, and are to be vacated between 10 am and noon, irrespective of your arrival or departure times, unless we have stated otherwise. Should you wish your room to be ready prior to noon on your day of arrival or available after 10 am for an afternoon or evening departure, it is possible to reserve the room at the time of booking at a cost no greater than an extra night price.

1.9 All Inclusive & Hotels For Couples

Some hotels specified ‘for couples’ cater for mixed sex couples only and in some countries, such as Sri Lanka and Dubai same sex couples are illegal. We recommend that if you are a same sex couple, you thoroughly research your chosen hotel/destination before you book, to ensure it is suitable.

Hotels often place restrictions on restaurants and meal arrangements. All Inclusive does not necessarily mean that unlimited food and beverages are available 24-hours a day and it is uncommon for minibars to be included in such packages. Individual hotels will operate different policies and full details will be provided locally.

1.10 Public Holidays

Virtually all countries have public holidays, religious or otherwise. The festivities may temporarily disrupt your holiday and some religious holidays such as Ramadan, which affects many Muslim countries may result in a reduction of facilities and entertainment. Others are somewhat chaotic but great fun to be a part of. We suggest that you take this into consideration when selecting your departure date. The appropriate Tourist Offices are happy to supply more detailed information or you may wish to refer to the internet.

1.11 Other Hotel Guests

Many hotels, especially in cities and major resorts, accommodate weddings, conventions and conferences. Also, at certain times of the year, some destinations have an influx of groups such as students, associations or clubs. The hotels we feature are shared with guests from many countries with different cultures and customs. We have no control over the acceptance of bookings at the hotels that we feature. We are therefore unable to accept responsibility for any inconvenience caused by such groups or their activities.

1.12 Holiday Seasons

Most of the destinations we feature are available all year round. Some do have quieter 'off peak' periods when you can take advantage of uncrowded beaches and a more personal attention from hotel staff at excellent prices. At this time it may be necessary for hotels to scale down the size of some of their facilities, such as restaurants, to match demand. Similarly, during peak periods hotels experience full occupancy which may result in a livelier atmosphere and slower service in busier facilities.

1.13 Meals

i) Meals, if included, are based on table d’hôte menus or a meal voucher system, unless specified otherwise in the text. Holidays which include main meals generally commence with dinner on the day of arrival at your hotel and terminate with breakfast (on half board) or lunch (on full board) on the day of departure. All Inclusive packages generally finish at check-out time on your day of departure between 10am and noon. After this time, payment for any additional meals must be made direct to the hotel. No refunds on meals not taken can be given.

ii) Special diets of any kind (including vegetarian) can seldom be catered for adequately within the constraints of a table d’hôte menu and cannot be guaranteed. We would therefore strongly recommend that anyone with special requirements takes a holiday where no meals (or only breakfast) are included and simply buys the most acceptable dishes from the à la carte menu available locally.

iii) Where breakfast is included this will more commonly be continental breakfast, although full breakfasts are provided at certain hotels. Please ask at the time of booking if this is important to you.

iv) Supplements for optional meal plans offer you the opportunity of being able to budget for extra costs before you go. In some cases you may find the cost of the meal cheaper locally, however we regret that it will not be possible to refund the difference either during or after your holiday.

v) Pre booked meals may be subject to dining in the main restaurant only and on occasion it may be necessary to be seated with other hotel guests. If you have paid a half board supplement it may be possible in some hotels to ask for a credit from the table d’hôte dinner to be used against a meal in an à la carte restaurant. Please note that the value of the voucher will generally be considerably less than the half board supplement included in your holiday price.

vi) Hotels often place restrictions on restaurants and meal arrangements. All Inclusive does not necessarily mean that unlimited food and beverages are available 24-hours a day and it is uncommon for minibars to be included in such packages. Individual hotels will operate different policies and full details will be provided locally.

1.14 Upgrading Your Flight

A longhaul flight is generally not a joyride when flying in economy class on scheduled or charter flights. Flights are often full, your choice of seats may not be available, and it may not be possible to obtain seats together. In many cases a choice of upgrade options may be available, to give you a more comfortable journey at a reasonable supplement. Please contact us for the best upgrade price for your flight

1.15 Flight Seat Requests, Airlines & Aircraft

We strongly recommend (particularly if you are flying economy class), that you check in early if you have particular seat requests. Tradewinds has no control over the allocation of seats by the airline and even if a request has been made with the airline to pre-book seats, no guarantee can be made that they will still be available on departure. The provision of particular seats does not constitute a term of your contract with us. Please note airlines operate both older and more modern aircraft within their fleet. We regret we cannot guarantee the type of aircraft you will travel on as this may be subject to change and general availability. Although some airlines offer the facility to book seats online, this is not always possible when booking a holiday through us, as the holidays we offer are based on special Tour Operator fares.

In accordance with EU directive (EC) no. 2111/2005, we are required to bring to your attention the existence of a ‘Community List’ which contains details of air carriers that are subject to an operating ban within the EU Community. The Community list is available for inspection at http://ec.europa.eu/transport/air-ban/list_en.htm.

We are required to advise you of the actual carrier(s) (or, if the actual carrier(s) is not known, the likely carrier(s)) that will operate your flight(s) at the time of booking.  We do this by listing carriers to be used or likely to be used on your holiday confirmation invoice. Any changes to the actual airline after you have received your tickets will be notified to you as soon as possible and in all cases at check-in or at the boarding gate. Where we are only able to inform you of the likely carrier(s) at the time of booking, we shall inform you of the identity of the actual carrier(s) as soon as we become aware of this. Any change to the operating carrier(s) after your booking has been confirmed will be notified to you as soon as possible. If the carrier with whom you have a confirmed reservation becomes subject to an operating ban as above as a result of which we/ the carrier are unable to offer you a suitable alternative the provisions of ‘If we change or cancel your holiday’ will apply.

1.16 Direct Flights

The flight routings used in connection with our holidays may be used on special fares which do not necessarily take the most direct route. Some itineraries require a change of aircraft en route. A flight that is described as direct is one where there is no need to change aircraft during the journey. However stops may be made en route for refuelling or to let passengers on and/ or off. Details of any stops will be given on your itinerary wherever possible. However, should you require this information at an earlier stage, please check with our Sales staff at the time of booking, or our HelpDesk once the booking has been invoiced.

1.17 Code Share Flights

It is a common practice for scheduled airlines to use a code share system, which may include you flying with a partner airline. Where this situation arises, it is not classed as a major change.

1.18 Low Cost Carriers

We provide a choice of scheduled and ‘low cost’ carriers to take advantage of the flexibility and pricing available. You should note that ‘low cost’ flights do not include in flight meals and hold baggage is always extra. If using a low cost carrier then full payment for the flight will be taken at the point of boooking. Low cost airline flight bookings are generally 100% non-refundable. To book particular seats on the flights or to add hold bags you will need to do this directly with the airline once your booking is confirmed with us and we have sent you the airlines booking reference for the flight

1.19 Special Requests

Where a special request eg. diet, room location, twin or double bedded room, a particular facility at a hotel, flight seat requests and/or particular meals etc. is an important factor in your choice of holiday, you must advise us when the booking is made. We are happy to pass your request on to the hotel, airline or other supplier but cannot guarantee that it will be accommodated. We will also pass on any dietary requests to airlines but we recommend that you check directly with the airline once your tickets have been issued. The provision of any special request does not constitute a term of your contract with us. Confirmation that a special request has been noted or passed on to the supplier or the inclusion of the special request on your confirmation invoice or any other documentation is not confirmation that the request will be met. Unless and until specifically confirmed, all special requests are subject to availability. For your own protection, you should obtain confirmation in writing that a special request will be complied (where it is possible to give this) where it is important to you.

1.20 Disability

If you have any medical condition or disability which may affect your holiday or any special requirements as a result of any medical condition or disability (including any which affect the booking process), please tell us before you confirm your booking so that we can assist you in considering the suitability of the arrangements and/or making the booking.  In any event, you must give us full details in writing at the time of booking and whenever any significant change in the condition or disability occurs. You must also promptly advise us if any medical condition or disability which may affect your holiday develops after your booking has been confirmed.  

Tradewinds complies fully with Regulation (EC) No 1107/2006 concerning the rights of disabled persons and persons with reduced mobility when travelling by air and is delighted to offer assistance to disabled persons or persons with reduced mobility provided that we are given full information about your specific requirements at the time of booking. Whilst we are happy to make a special request for you with the airline/s concerned, please be aware that we cannot guarantee the provision of highloaders for embarking/dis-embarking the aircraft.

1.21 Transfers

If you have booked a transfer, or if it is already included in your holiday, this will be a shuttle transfers from airports/hotels and vice versa unless otherwise stated on the appropriate pages or your documentation. You may upgrade to a private transfer through the portal once your booking is confirmed

1.22 Weather

We cannot be held responsible for disruption to your holiday due to bad or unusual weather conditions.

1.23 Special Offers

Please note that many of the hotels and tours included in our special offers are also featured on our website. Any offers/facilities detailed therein are not applicable to late bookings or special offers unless otherwise stated. If you have booked already we cannot apply any special offer retroactively without cancelling your original booking in line with our standard cancellation policy which will involve fees, loss of deposit and possibly further cancellation charges

Booking & Payment

2.1 Your Commitment To Us

When you wish to confirm a holiday booking you must pay a deposit or in some cases the full amount at the time of booking. The amount will be specified to you either online or via email depending on how you are booking. A deposit is non refundable in all cases

If booking online you are committed to paying the deposit or balance (whichever is applicable at the time) once you check the box that agrees to our Terms & Conditions. This is recorded with your contact details and IP address in line with Data Protection to avold fraudulent activity. Please make payment immediately

If booking via email or telephone you are committed to paying the deposit or balance (whichever is applicable at the time) and will be advised the amount, acceptance of this is acceptance of our Terms & Conditions which are viewable on our site. Please make payment immediately

Please note some airlines have certain ticketing deadlines and some hotels have certain booking and cancellation conditions and these may affect any cancellation charges – please refer to 3.3 - Cancelling your holiday. When you make a booking, the lead name confirms that you understand and have accepted these booking conditions and our Important Holiday Information which forms our booking conditions. We reserve the right in our absolute discretion to refuse to accept any booking without necessarily specifying a reason. Many airlines now require the full name of all passengers travelling. We will therefore ask you at the time of booking to provide us with all first forenames (as shown in your passport) as well as titles, surnames and dates of birth.

In some cases we will accept payment in US Dollars or Euros. When this is the case you will be advised of the full amount required to be paid in that currency and given our US Dollar or Euro bank account details for you to wire the payment to. All charges for wire fees and any intermediate bank fees must be covered by you so that the amount we receive is the amount that we have invoiced. Failure to do so will invoke part or full cancellation in line with 2.2 or 3.3 below

2.2 Non Payment & Late Payment

If for any reason any reservation is not paid in full on the due date specified then we reserve the right to cancel all or part of the reservation. There will be no refund for partially paid holidays that we have had to cancel due to a shortfall in payment. It is your responsibility to check the payment dates and make the payment via Bank Transfer quoting your Booking Reference, or contact us 24 hours before the payment date to arrange a payment link via Credit/Debit Card with the respective card payment fee

If you wish to retain a reservation that you have missed the payment deadline for then this will be recalculated at the current price. We have no control over this and it is at the suppliers (hotel, airline, ground handler) discretion what the new rate will be. To avoid this please pay promptly by your due date

2.3 Our Commitment To You

We will arrange to provide you with the various services which form part of the holiday you book with us. Before your booking is confirmed and a contract comes into existence, we reserve the right to increase or decrease, and correct errors in advertised prices and to change any of the information. Changes will be made known to you at the time of booking. The prices we advertise are based on specially negotiated airfares to be booked in a specific airline booking class. At the time of booking, if there is a lack of availability in the specified class on any particular flight, we will endeavour to secure seats for you in an alternative economy class and you will be told the amount of the applicable flight supplement / higher deposit before you book.

A booking is not accepted until you have paid the deposit or full payment (whichever is applicable at the time of booking). The date shown on the invoice is the date of booking. It is important to check the details on the invoice when you get it. If any details appear to be incorrect or incomplete, please contact us immediately as it may not be possible to make changes later. We regret we cannot accept any liability of any inaccuracy as the details you provide are the details we adhere to. We will do our best to rectify any mistake notified to us but you must meet any costs involved in doing so. Once your booking is confirmed, you will be given a reference number. Your booking reference is unique. It is important that you do not give your reference number to anyone outside of your party.

The flights we arrange are ATOL protected providing the person who pays for the booking is a UK citizen. For further information, visit the ATOL website at www.atol.org.uk.

If you book arrangements that are supplied by a third party (e.g. accommodation only), the financial protection referred to above does not apply. This may also apply to certain elements of your travel where the flight may be covered by an ATOL agreement but the accommodation, tour, transfers etc are not as they may be provided by a third party

2.4 Paying For Your Holiday

Full payment must be received by the due date. If we have not received full payment by the due date we reserve the right to treat your booking as cancelled by you and forfeit any payments to date by way of cancellation charges, or the price may be recalculated as in 2.2 above. If we do not cancel straight away because you have promised to make payment, you must pay the cancellation charges shown in 3.3 depending on the date we reasonably treat your booking as cancelled. If you make a holiday booking within 10 weeks of your departure date then you must pay the full cost of the holiday at the booking stage.

Some of our hotels, tours, airport transfers etc are booked and paid for in local currencies. The price that you are quoted at the time of booking will represent the current exchange rate between Sterling GBP and the local currency - usually USD or EUR. Prices are only guaranteed if paid in full at the time of booking. These rates will be recalculated at the time of making your final balance payment, if paying a deposit initially, and if there is a currency exchange rate change in a negative position then this will be added to the cost of the final balance as a currency surcharge. We urge all customers to pay in full as soon as possible to avoid the volatility of foreign currenct fluctuations

2.5 Pricing Errors

Whilst we make every effort to ensure the accuracy of the pricing information provided, regrettably errors may occasionally occur. When we become aware of any such error, we will endeavour to notify you at the time of booking (if we are then aware of the mistake), within 7 days of the time of booking or as soon as reasonably possible. If a booking is already in place, you will have the choice to continue with the chosen itinerary at the corrected price or amend to a different holiday. We reserve the right to cancel the booking if you do not wish to accept the price that applies to your holiday or any quoted alternatives and cancellation charges may apply if you do not accept the new price or an alternative offered at a comparitive price to the original booking.

2.6 Travel Insurance

It is important that you have travel insurance cover that it is adequate and suitable for your particular needs and is a condition of booking with us. If you have failed to take out insurance, and advised us incorrectly that you have it, and have to cancel your booking, you will be charged in accordance with our normal terms and conditions – see 3.3 – Cancelling your holiday. Furthermore, if you require medical/any other form of assistance whilst on holiday you will not be covered and you in turn may incur significant costs. Please read your policy details carefully and take them with you on holiday.

2.7 Travel Information & Documents

After booking you will receive an invoice. We strongly recommend that you check the details carefully and read all of the information provided. Please ensure that you check your flight timings carefully on your tickets. The correct timings, using the 24 hour clock, may have been adjusted since you received your invoice.

Approximately 10-14 days prior to departure you will receive your flight e-ticket, hotel vouchers, tour vouchers, transfer vouchers and any extra vouchers such as airport lounges, car hire etc (where applicable) in our "My Booking" portal together with your final itinerary. Please do not contact us prior to this period for documentation, as in most cases we are unable to provide this until our suppliers have provided us with it and that is usually 14 days before departure. In cases where we have receieved documentation unusually early we will upload to the "My Booking" portal as soon as we have it.

Changes & Cancellations

3.1 Changes Or Additions To Your Holiday

If you want to change any part of your holiday arrangements after the invoice has been issued, we will do our best to make the change, but it may not be possible. If you wish to change hotels then we will charge the new hotel price, which may be higher, and payment will also have to be made in full at the time of the change. If we agree that you may change your booking to a holiday of lower value, and then you cancel that holiday, we reserve the right to levy cancellation charges on the value of the original booking. Airlines normally regard name changes as a cancellation and rebooking, and any alteration may incur a 100% cancellation charge in respect of the air fare.

3.2 Transferring Bookings

Transferring your booking to another name/person is not possible and if this is required then this will be treated as a cancellation

3.3 Cancelling Your Holiday

If you or anyone on your holiday booking decides to cancel the holiday, the lead name must notify us of the decision as soon as possible. We will provide you with a Cancellation invoice so that you may claim from your Travel Insurance to cover any losses due to your Cancellation. We would strongly recommend that you take out appropriate travel insurance which provides cover against cancellation fees

3.3 Group Booking Cancellations

If you are part of a group booking that has a specially negotiated rate then the cancellation fee is normally 100% whether you are choosing to cancel or whether you have failed to pay the balance at the designated time. This is due to your cancellation impacting the rates on other travellers in the group and may affect any free rooms offered to group leaders based on the negotiated rates. This is non-negotiable. Similarly if all or part of a group cancels then the booking is non refundable

3.4 Flight Tickets

In all cases the flight element of a booking is 100% non refundable. In some cases airlines will permit us to change dates or destinations for a fee so if this is what you require then please let us know and we will advise you of what your options are

3.5 Hotel, Tours and Airport Transfers

Each of these will have different cancellation terms and conditions depending on the date that you wish to cancel relative to the date of the check-in or use of the service. If you need to cancel then we will calculate the cost of each element and advise you accordingly

Other Changes

4.1 Website Accuracy

We rigorously check the information about accommodation, resorts, itineraries etc, to ensure it is correct to the best of our knowledge. Advertised web copy descriptions and facilities may change before and after you book. Please check the up to date position at the time of booking. Please bear in mind that hoteliers, restaurateurs, night club owners etc, may wish to maintain or improve their facilities, or even take a break themselves. Flight times, carriers and routes are given for guidance only as there may be changes. Final details will be shown on your tickets. Tour, excursion, cruise or safari itineraries may change as a result of local conditions. Circumstances such as these, or weather conditions, time of year or other situations beyond our control etc, may cause some of the amenities we have described to be unavailable or different from those advertised. When we are told of any significant or long term changes we will always endeavour to advise you prior to your departure.

4.2 Building & Development Work  

Many hotels and resorts are continuing to develop, sometimes rapidly and intensively and often with little or no advance warning. Whilst we have no control over such work, as a responsible agent, it is important to us that you are aware of any significant building/refurbishment work that may be going on during your stay. General refurbishment at hotels is necessary to maintain standards but if we are informed of such work where this can reasonably be expected to have an effect on your holiday, we will endeavour to notify you of it as soon as possible, however near to your departure this may be.

4.3 Flight Changes

Any flight timings and routings shown on our website and/or detailed within your confirmation invoice are for guidance only and may be subject to change. They are set by airlines and are determined by various factors including air traffic control restrictions, weather conditions, potential technical problems and the ability of passengers to check in on time. Any changes to such arrangements are outside of our control.

Airlines occasionally may change the type of aircraft used on a particular flight without advance warning. Scheduled and charter flight timings, and days of operation are subject to change. We will advise you of any significant changes. Minor timing changes will be shown on the flight tickets, which you should check carefully when received. Should the changes involve a reduction in the duration of your holiday, we will offer you a refund of any applicable costs. Any change in the identity of the airline, flight timings and/or aircraft type (if advised) will not entitle you to cancel or change to other arrangements without paying our normal charges except where specified in these conditions.

4.4 Changes Due To Circumstances Beyond Our Control

Except where otherwise expressly stated in these booking conditions, we regret we cannot accept liability or pay any compensation where the performance or prompt performance of our obligations under our contract with you is prevented or affected by or you otherwise suffer any damage, loss or expense of any nature as a result of "force majeure".  In these booking conditions, "force majeure" means any event or circumstances which we or the supplier of the service(s) in question could not, even with all due care, foresee or avoid. Such events may include, whether actual or threatened, war, riot, civil strife, terrorist activity, industrial dispute, natural or nuclear disaster, adverse weather conditions, epidemics, fire and other situations which are outside our control.

On Holiday

5.1 Flight Delays

In the event of a flight being delayed, your airline should arrange for the following to be provided, whenever practical, and subject to the airport being able to cater for this: over 4 hours, an appropriate meal, and for delays of at least 8 hours extending beyond midnight, overnight accommodation will be provided wherever possible. This is all at the airlines discretion and we recommend having travel insurance in place. However, this will depend on such factors as the expected length of delay, local availability of accommodation, immigration rulings etc. Where long flight delays result in lost holiday time, no refunds are given by hotels for unused accommodation, as rooms are held for delayed arrivals, not re-let.

5.2 Water/Electricity Supplies

In many of the less sophisticated destinations we feature, the water and electricity services struggle to keep up with the increased demands from tourism. Limited rainfall can put further pressure on their provision. Hotels do everything possible to maintain full services. However, occasional power cuts and/or water restrictions may be experienced.

5.3 Accommodation In The Tropics

In many hotels, especially beach resorts ‘insects’ in the rooms (e.g. cockroaches etc.) are almost inevitable. It should by no means be taken as a sign of dirtiness, as it is simply a fact of life in these destinations. Views from some hotel rooms may be partly obscured by palm trees and other vegetation that can grow very quickly in tropical climates.

5.4 Watersports & Other Activities

Many hotels offer watersports and other sporting activities, in some cases these may be free of charge. Please note that in the interest of your personal safety, the operators of these activities may require that you demonstrate your competence (for example a swimming test) prior to commencement and reserve the right to refuse participation for any reason if they feel this may compromise your or another guest’s safety. Please note there may be certain age restrictions for children/adults to do certain activities so please ensure you enquire locally.

5.5 Behaviour

Most people go on holiday for rest and relaxation, so if in our reasonable opinion or in the opinion of any airline pilot, hotel manager, tour leader or other person in authority, your behaviour is causing or is likely to cause danger, upset or damage to property or is persistently affecting the enjoyment of others, we reserve the right to terminate your holiday. Should this happen no refund or compensation would be paid and we will have no further responsibility for your holiday arrangements including return travel.

5.6 Personal Belongings & Lost Items

For security reasons valuables should be kept to a minimum and packed in your hand luggage along with your medicines, camera, film, electrical or battery-operated appliances, as well as basic essentials such as a change of clothing and toiletries. It can be easy to lose items but it is your responsibility to look after your property at all times and you must ensure you are adequately covered by comprehensive insurance. If you lose any personal items whilst on holiday, please obtain a written report from a local representative, or police, to help with any insurance claim upon your return.

5.7 If You Have A Complaint While You Are On Holiday

If you have cause for complaint whilst on holiday, you must bring it to the attention of our local representative or agent and the hotel immediately and they will do their best to rectify the situation. It is unreasonable to take no action whilst on holiday, but then to write a letter of complaint upon your return. If you do not raise concerns immediately, this may affect our ability to investigate and take remedial action and it may impact on the way your complaint is dealt with.

5.8 Conservation

It is becoming ever more important to conserve the world’s natural resources, its landscapes, flora and fauna. Someone coined the phrase ‘Take only photographs; leave only footprints’ and a number of countries now use this to promote conservation. It would be hard to improve on this statement.

5.9 Maldives Conservation

The changes in season, wind direction and tides in The Maldives can cause the islands’ shape and beach width to change. It is becoming increasingly necessary for some islands to use sandbags and sand pumping procedures on their beaches, in order to minimize the effects of such beach erosion. Whilst such activity is most prominent in The Maldives, other tropical locations may also be affected.

5.10 Our Commitment To You

We promise to make sure that the holiday arrangements we have agreed to make, perform or provide as applicable as part of our contract with you are made, performed or provided with reasonable skill and care. Any claim you may have is directly with the airline, hotel, tour provider, transport provider and not with us as we act purely as a booking agent. At all times we recommend comprehensive travel insurance.

5.11 Curtailment

If you cut short your holiday and return home early in circumstances where you have no reasonable cause for complaint about the standard of accommodation and services provided, we will not offer you any refund for the remainder of your holiday not completed, or assist with any associated costs you may incur. Depending on the circumstances, your travel insurance may offer cover for curtailment and we suggest that any claim is made directly with them.

On Your Return

6.1 If You Had A Problem

If a problem remains unresolved during your holiday, you should make a complaint in writing to Tradewinds within 7 days of the completion of the holiday. Please remember to quote your holiday booking number and daytime telephone number. We will reply to you within 28 days of receipt of your letter, and pass on the details of your compliant to the respective operator as we act as an agent and not the principal

6.2 Law & Jurisdiction 

We both agree that English Law (and no other) will apply to your contract and to any dispute, claim or other matter of any description (hereinafter referred to as “claim”) which arises between us (except as set out below). We both also agree Tradewinds acts purely as a booking agent and any claim you have must be directly with the airlines, hotelier, tour operator or transport provider.

Data Protection Policy

For the purposes of the Data Protection Act 1998, we are a data controller. In order to process your booking or respond to an enquiry, we need to collect personal data from you. Depending on what’s required, the personal data we collect may include names and contact details, credit/ debit card or other payment information and special requirements such as those relating to any disability or medical condition which may affect holiday arrangements and any dietary restrictions which may disclose your religious beliefs (“sensitive personal data”). All references in this privacy policy to personal data include sensitive personal data unless otherwise stated.  The person who makes the booking is responsible for ensuring that other members of your party are aware of our booking conditions and this privacy policy and that they consent to your acting on their behalf in your dealings with us.

Appropriate personal data will be passed on to the relevant suppliers of your arrangements and any other third party (including banks and/or credit card issuers) who need to know it so that your holiday can be provided. The information may also be provided to government / public authorities such as customs, immigration and the security services if required by them, or as required by law.  Certain information may also be passed on to security or credit checking companies.  On occasions, we may use other companies to provide services on our behalf, such as mailing brochures and marketing material.  We only provide third parties with the personal data they require in order to deliver their services. Other than in relation to government / public authorities (over whom we have no control), we will take appropriate steps which are intended to ensure that anyone to whom we pass your personal data for any reason agrees to keep it secure and only uses it for the purposes of providing their services. If we cannot pass personal data to the relevant suppliers or any other third party as applicable, whether in the EEA or not, we will be unable to fulfil your booking.  In making your booking, you consent to personal data being passed on to the relevant suppliers and other third parties. We take appropriate technical and organisational measures which are intended to prevent unauthorised or unlawful processing of personal data and accidental loss or destruction of, or damage to, personal data.

Your personal data may be stored, used and otherwise processed within the UK and/or any other country(ies) of the European Economic Area (EEA). EEA countries are all member states of the European Union together with Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein. We may also store, use or otherwise process personal data outside the EEA. Data protection laws may not be as strong outside the EEA as they are in the EEA. Personal data will not be transferred to a country outside the EEA unless (1) the country to which it is transferred is one which the European Commission considers to provide an adequate level of data protection or (2) the personal data is transferred to a United States company which has signed up to the Safe Harbour scheme or (3) the personal data is transferred to a company which is required by our contract with them only to deal with the data in accordance with our instructions and to maintain appropriate security to protect the personal data which we are satisfied they have or (4) we are obliged to provide the personal data to a government / public authority in order to provide your holiday.

By making a booking with us, you agree to allow your insurers, their agents and medical staff to disclose relevant information to us in circumstances where we may need to act in your interests or in the interests of everyone in any group with whom you are travelling. For example, if you contract an infectious illness whilst on holiday, we may need to make special arrangements for you and ensure that you do not return with the group immediately.

We would also like to store and use your personal data for future marketing purposes (for example, sending you , special offers or other marketing material) unless you have told us that you do not wish us to do so. All personal data you give us (including sensitive personal data) will be kept but we will use only names and contact details for marketing purposes. If you do not wish to receive future marketing material, please notify us by email.

You are generally entitled to ask us what details of yours are being held or processed, for what purpose and to whom they may be or have been disclosed. Please identify any such enquiry as a Subject Access Request under the Data Protection Act 1998 and direct your enquiry to a member of our Customer Services team. Please be advised that we will charge a fee to respond to such a request.

We promise to respond to your request within 40 days of receiving your written request and fee. In certain limited circumstances we are entitled to refuse your request. If you believe that any of your personal data which we are processing is incorrect, please contact us immediately.

Health, Safety & Security Abroad

We take the safety and security of our clients extremely seriously. If the Foreign Office advises that people should not visit a particular country, then we would act on this and reserve the right to cancel your holiday. However we are sure you appreciate from press and television coverage that the political, economic and social conditions in many of the countries we feature are not as stable as we are used to in Europe. Sadly crimes against both people and their property are a fact of life the world over, and when in a foreign country it is very important to be extra vigilant and avoid drawing attention to yourself by wearing expensive jewellery, carrying expensive camera equipment etc. Travellers have the same responsibility for their personal safety and that of their possessions, as they do at home. Tradewinds holidays operate to many parts of the world, some of which do not conform to British health and safety standards. We request that all hotels comply with the local regulations applicable in their country for health and safety but we cannot guarantee that these meet British standards and therefore urge that you undertake reasonable precautions to protect your family and yourself whilst on holiday.

To make the most of your trip abroad, check out the Foreign & Commonwealth Office website at www.fco.gov.uk/travel.

Health & Vaccinations

Health facilities, hygiene and disease risk vary worldwide. You should take health advice about your specific needs as early as possible and ensure that vaccinations or preventative measures such as malaria tablets are taken early enough (which may be a month or more prior to departure) to be fully effective by the date of travel. It is your responsibility to ensure you are aware of all recommended and required vaccination and health precautions in good time before departure. Details are available from your GP surgery and from the National Travel Health Network and Centre www.nathnac.org Sources of information include the Department of Health free leaflet ‘Health advice for travellers’ (available on request Tel. 0207 210 4850), your specialist travel clinic).

Passports & Visas

Please remember that every traveller (including all children from birth) will need a valid passport to travel.  If your passport is endorsed in any way, requirements should be checked with the relevant embassy.  We are only able to advise on British passport holders, who should ensure a valid ten year passport is held for adults and a valid 5 year passport is held for children under 16. As many countries require passport expiry dates to fall a considerable time beyond the dates of travel, we would recommend that all passports are valid for a minimum of 6 months after your scheduled return to the UK. It can take at least six weeks to get a first adult passport, although renewal of an existing passport can be quicker. Requirements may change and you must check the up to date position in good time before departure. For more information visit the www.gov.uk website. 

Visa information can change at short notice, please check www.gov.uk for the latest foreign travel advice. 

It is your responsibility to ensure you are in possession of all necessary visas, travel and health documents before departure. All costs incurred in obtaining such documentation must be paid by you. We regret we cannot accept any liability if you are refused entry onto any transport or into any country due to failure on your part to carry all required documentation. Please check with your the immigration department of your destination for the latest visa, passport and health requirements