Terms & Conditions

Terms and Conditions 2024

ABTOT Member 5495

1 Booking Arrangements    You are asked to book direct with us on the booking form supplied. Heritage Touring reserves the right to increase or decrease the tour cost prior to final contracts with the client. To confirm your reservation, you are asked to pay a deposit. When confirmation is sent it is at this time that a binding contract with Heritage Touring comes into existence. Payment of the balance is due no later than 8 weeks prior to departure.  Bookings made within 8 weeks of departure require full payment. Any balance due that is not received by us within the timescale may result in your travel arrangements being liable to cancellation by Heritage Touring. We consider appropriate travel insurance to be essential even in the UK.   Ensure you purchase this as soon as possible after booking so you are protected against the risk of having to cancel for reasons outside your control. 

Guests are requested to make their own way to the hotel or if applicable airport/rail station.  We are happy to advise where possible and will help arrange shared taxis from local stations, however unless specified as part of the arrangements to join the tour, we cannot be involved with individual travel arrangements.  

If you paid the tour deposit by debit/credit card the final balance will be taken from your card at this point unless you advise us otherwise before the due date.  If you prefer a bank transfer include the booking number and/or name as reference   Heritage Touring Ltd   Sort code 60 07 01     Account 38172119. Receipt and final information will be sent 14 days before.  Car parking is available at most hotel there may be a charge. Telephone the hotel direct if you need reserved disabled parking. If your travel involves booking trains or air tickets several months in advance it is advisable to check with the office that the tour has reached the minimum numbers. 

2 Cancellations by the Client:  Cancellations must be made in writing.  The effective date for cancellation is the date when we receive a written notice – cancellation charges are applicable as follows:

Tours cancelled 56 days or more before departure – Loss of deposit only.

28 to 55 days before departure – 50% of tour costs but not less than the deposit:

14 to 27 days before departure – 90% of tour costs:

  0 to 13 days before departure – 100% of tour costs:

You may be able reclaim the costs if you your cancellation is covered under the terms of your travel insurance. Covid-19: We will adhere to all government restrictions.  Please ensure your travel insurance includes cover for COVID-19 so if you are unable to travel through contracting Covid-19 you would be able to make a claim.

3 Amendments and Cancellation by Heritage Touring

(a) Holidays and tours featured are subject to availability at the time of booking.  A minimum number of guests are required for all tours, in the event of insufficient bookings being made and a tour being cancelled as a result, you will be notified at least 30 days beforehand and all monies refunded to you.  No further liability will arise for Heritage Touring once your money has been refunded.

(b) Our holidays are planned months in advance and some details might need final confirmation at the planning stage so occasionally tour content may change due in whole or part to circumstances beyond our control. If we change a significant element of the tour we shall inform you as soon as possible we would endeavour to offer you an alternative within the spirit of the tour’s theme where possible or you will have the option of cancelling the booking and receiving a full refund.   

Force Majeure:  We regret we cannot accept any liability, offer any refunds or pay any loss incurred or compensation  as a result of “force majeure” where events include, but are not limited to, war or threat of war, riots, civil strife, pandemics, epidemics, terrorist activity, industrial disputes, transportation difficulties, natural or nuclear disaster, fire or adverse weather conditions, insolvency of suppliers or other unusual or unanticipated circumstances which are beyond Heritage Touring or our suppliers control. 

Delays: We cannot accept liability for delays in travel arrangements in UK or to /from the UK where cancellation or delay is caused by adverse weather conditions, action of port authorities, air controllers, mechanical breakdown, strike, pandemics, industrial action or otherwise. In certain cases you may be able to claim from your travel insurance policy.

4 Complaints:  You must take up any complaints with the relevant supplier and our local representative at the time. Problems should be able to be rectified there and then. If you still remain dissatisfied, any complaint must be made in writing to us within 28 days of your return.

If, despite our best efforts and having followed the above procedure for reporting and resolving your complaint, you feel that it has not been satisfactorily settled, we recommend that it is referred for arbitration under the ABTOT Travel Industry Arbitration Service. An Independent Arbitrator will review the documents relating to any complaint and deliver a binding decision to bring the matter to a close.  A fee is payable by each party when an application for arbitration is submitted. Details of this scheme are available from The Travel Industry Arbitration Service, administered by: Dispute Settlement Services, 9 Savill Road, Lindfield, West Sussex RH16 2NY 

E-mail: admin@disputesettlementservices.co.uk 

This scheme cannot however decide in cases where the sums claimed exceed £5,000 per person or £10,000 per booking form, or not solely or mainly in respect of physical injury or illness or the consequences of such injury or illness, or solely or mainly in respect of a discrimination claim or any claim under the Equality Act.

5  Conditions of Carriage:  This offer is the sole responsibility of the tour operator. It is not issued on behalf of, and does not commit any independent organization/carriers whose services are used.

6 TRAVEL REGULATION INSOLVENCY PROTECTION:  Under the terms of the “Package Travel, Package Tours Regulations 1992” a package exists if you book two or more different components with us (e.g. travel plus accommodation). Heritage Touring, in accordance with legislation and to provide you with financial security operate a client trust account. 

Heritage Touring Ltd is a company committed to customer satisfaction and consumer financial protection. We are therefore pleased to announce that, at no extra cost to you, and in accordance with ”The Package Travel, Package Tours Regulations 1992” all passengers booking with Heritage Touring Ltd are fully insured for the initial deposit, and subsequently the balance of monies paid as detailed in your booking confirmation form. The policy will also include repatriation if required, arising from the cancellation or curtailment of your travel arrangements due to the insolvency of Heritage Touring Ltd. For bookings made before 1 May 2023 this insurance has been arranged by Towergate Chapman Stevens through Evolution Insurance Company Ltd. In the unlikely event of insolvency, you must inform Towergate Chapman Stevens immediately on +44 (0) 1932 334140 or by email at tcs@towergate.co.uk 

Bookings made after 1 May 2023 are covered under The Association of Bonded Travel Organisers Trust Limited (ABTOT) which provides financial protection under The Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 for Heritage Touring Ltd, membership 5495 and in the event of their insolvency, protection is provided for non-flight packages.  ABTOT cover provides for a refund in the event you have not yet travelled or repatriation if transportation was included in your package.  Please note that bookings made outside the UK are only protected by ABTOT when purchased directly with Heritage Touring.  In the unlikely event that you require assistance whilst abroad due to our financial failure, please call our 24/7 helpline on 01702 811397 and advise you are a customer of an ABTOT protected travel company.

You can access The Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 here:  https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2018/634/contents/made or more about ABTOT https://www.abtot.com/

Policy exclusions: This policy will not cover any monies paid for Travel Insurance or any claim relating to Air Flights. Please ensure the company you have booked with has appropriate CAA / ATOL bonds in place.  This insurance does not replace normal cancellation or medical insurance that we always recommend should be taken out in the event of personal circumstances that arise if for any reason you cancel your tour.

7 Our liability: Subject to Clauses 1 to 6 of these Terms and Conditions

 (a) We accept responsibility, other than for personal injury, should any part of the holiday arrangement which you book with us not be supplied as described and not be of a reasonable standard.

(b) We accept responsibility where you suffer death or personal injuries as the result of an activity forming part of the holiday arrangements you book with us only to the extent that Heritage Touring is legally liable for such death or injury.

(c) Our acceptances of liability and obligation to pay compensation pursuant of clauses (a) and (b) above are strictly limited pursuant to all applicable laws.

(d) If any client suffers death, injury or illness arising out of an activity that does not form part of the inclusive holiday arrangements or excursion arranged through us, and providing we are legally liable, we may at our discretion offer advice and guidance to help you in resolving any claim you may have against a third party, providing we are advised of the incident within 90 days of the occurrence. Where legal action is contemplated our authority must be obtained prior to commencement of proceedings and be subject to you undertaking to assign costs recovered or any benefits received to us. Our costs in respect of the above on behalf of you and your party shall not exceed £500 in total. The contract and all matters arising from it are governed by English Law and subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales. Heritage Touring is the Trading Name of Heritage Touring Ltd.

Surcharges  – European Holidays
We will only levy a surcharge if a fluctuation in the exchange rate used to calculate your tour should increase our costs in excess of 2% of the total cost of the tour.  If any surcharge is greater than 10% of the cost of your holiday you will be entitled to cancel your booking and receive a full refund of all monies you have paid to us or alternatively purchase another holiday. You have 14 days from the issue date printed on the surcharge invoice to tell us if you want to choose this option.  If you do not tell us within this period we are entitled to assume that you do not wish to do so and will pay the surcharge. Any surcharge must be paid when the final balance is due as printed on your invoice or within 14 days of the issue date printed on the surcharge invoice, whichever is the later.   A refund will only be payable if the decrease in our costs exceeds 2% of the total cost of your holiday as set out above. Where a refund is due, we will pay you the full amount of the decrease in our costs. We promise not to levy a surcharge within 30 days of departure.  No refund will be payable during this period either.