Mai Journeys Booking Terms & Conditions. Please read this agreement thoroughly and carefully before booking a trip; it contains important booking terms & conditions regarding the trip you are purchasing including, but not limited to, our rights to cancel or alter the tour, our cancellation and refund policies, and a limitation of our liability and other important disclaimers.
If you make a booking on behalf of other participants, you guarantee that you have the authority to accept and do accept these Terms on behalf of the other participants in your party.
Please read carefully. These Booking Terms & Conditions form a legally binding agreement.
PRICES & BOOKINGS
- Prices quoted on this website are correct at time of publication.
- All rates are subject to change until paid in full as external factors may affect exchange rates, transportation taxes and operational costs. The trip price is only guaranteed once full payment has been received.
- The stated price on the website is a cash price.
- The price for payment by MasterCard or Visa Card is 3.5% additional. We do not accept American Express.
- In the case of international payments, you must ensure that the full amount invoiced is received by Mai Journeys after all bank charges have been levied.
- To make a booking on a Hosted Tour, you must send through a completed booking form with payment for a deposit of $500.00 – $1500.00 per person (dependent on Tour).
- In most circumstances, there will be interim payments where certain services must be secured in advance.
- Balance of tour cost is to be paid no later than 8 – 10 weeks prior to the departure date, dependent on travel.
- Bookings made within 8 weeks of departure must be paid in full.
- If the balance of the tour – and any other monies due to Mai Journeys – is not paid in accordance with this time frame, Mai Journeys may treat this as a cancellation.
- Any coupons, receipts and / or tickets that are issued externally, are subject to the Terms & Conditions specified by those suppliers, not by Mai Journeys
- Bookings must be made in the names that appear in your passport. Failure to provide us with correct names at time of booking can result in additional costs being charged by suppliers to amend names.
- The Contract between Mai Journeys and you, the Client, will be final and binding with effect from the date of acceptance of the deposit by us, and notification of that acceptance has been sent to you.
INSURANCE
- Comprehensive travel insurance is mandatory to travel with Mai Journeys.
- It is advisable to obtain insurance at the time of confirmation/paying a deposit.
- Travel insurance must cover personal injury, medical treatment, repatriation, and evacuation expenses, including helicopter rescue and air ambulance internationally.
- It is recommended that travel insurance also address personal property and trip cancellation coverage.
- You are responsible for ensuring that your policy covers all optional and included activities listed in the trip itinerary, and ensuring that there are no exclusion clauses that would limit the coverage that you might reasonably need.
- Clients acknowledge and agree that where they request Mai Journeys to book travel insurance, that they, the Client, have undertaken a due diligence and have satisfied themselves that the travel insurance is adequate to insure the risks of the client.
- Clients acknowledge and agree that they do not in any way rely upon, nor expect, Mai Journeys to be an expert in the selection of the insurance package, the policy or the premium rate to be paid in respect of the provision of the policy or the terms and conditions of the policy. Nor whether the insurance is adequate to protect the needs of the clients.
- Mai Journeys is not an expert in travel insurance or in the terms and conditions that form part of a travel insurance policy.
- The clients agree and acknowledge that in arranging such travel insurance, clients and Mai Journeys are not entering into any contract for Insurance Policies.
- The clients acknowledge and agree that Governmental Travel Warnings may void travel insurance, and that it is the responsibility of the clients to monitor warnings.
FORCE MAJEURE
Clients agree and acknowledge that Mai Journeys cannot, and will, not be held responsible or liable for changes to itineraries, accommodation or in relation to travel arrangements due to any Force Majeure, pre-Tour or during a Tour. “Force Majeure” is a result of any matter, manner or thing outside of the care and control of Mai Journeys, including without limitation; inclement weather, explosion, flood, tempest, fire, terrorist activities, war or threat of war declared or undeclared, sabotage, civil unrest, Acts of God, government intervention, epidemics, pandemics, sickness, quarantine, local conditions and events, unpredictable, or predictable.
If your Tour / Trip / Getaway / Escape cannot proceed due to any reason as per above, or due to Covid19 specifically, to the best of our ability, we will reschedule your travel arrangements. We will issue you with a credit equal to amounts paid for the rescheduled tour. However, Mai Journeys cannot be responsible for your unavailability on any re-scheduled tour date due to COVID-19. Any credit issued by us for a rescheduled tour must be used within a specified period of time, and paying any additional amounts if the rescheduled tour is more expensive is your responsibility. There is no redemption for cash, no refund for unused portion of the credit and the credit cannot be split.
If we cancel your travel arrangements due to Covid19, neither of us will have any claim for damages against the other. However, where possible, we will refund payments made by you less unrecoverable third party costs and less fair compensation for work undertaken by us up until the time of termination and in connection with the processing of any refund.
HEALTH REQUIREMENTS AND MEDICAL CARE
- Medical vaccinations are entirely your responsibility and must be arranged prior to departure.
- We can take no responsibility for cancellation of your trip if you are not allowed to depart or continue your travels due to illness.
- We reserve the right in our sole discretion to accept, decline, or remove anyone from a trip (at departure or during the trip) who we judge to be incapable of meeting the trip’s physical demands.
- In the event any medical care is administered to you during the trip, Mai Journeys assumes no responsibility for the medical care provided to you.
- You are solely responsible for all costs of medical care and related transportation, if any, that are provided to you during the trip.
- Mai Journeys does not tolerate drug use of any kind during our trips and strongly encourages responsible alcohol consumption.
- Mai Journeys reserves the right, at your sole expense, to deny participation in an activity or in the remainder of any trip itinerary if you illegally use drugs, alcohol, or other banned substances during a trip.
ILLNESS PREVENTING COMMENCEMENT OR CONTINUATION
If due to any illness, suspected illness or failure to satisfy any required tests (such as a temperature test in relation to Covid-19):
- an airline or other common carrier refuses you carriage;
- a hotel or vessel refuses to accommodate you; or
- we or our suppliers (acting reasonably) exclude you from the trip
If you are consequently prevented from commencing or continuing your trip, then:
- if you have already commenced your trip, we will provide you with reasonable assistance to arrange alternative travel arrangements or to continue the trip. This will be at your cost.
- if you have not commenced your trip then we will not be in a position to provide such assistance.
We will not be liable to refund the cost of your trip (or any part of it) because we would have already paid (or committed to pay) suppliers and we would have already performed significant work preparing for the delivery of your trip and servicing your booking.
We will not be responsible to you for any loss or expenses incurred in connection with your booking (for example, airfares and visa expenses) if you are prevented from commencing or continuing your trip in these circumstances.
VISAS & PASSPORTS
- Passports & visas are entirely your responsibility and must be arranged prior to departure.
- If you are unable to travel due to not being able to obtain, or not having, the appropriate visa we reserve the right to retain the cost of the trip.
- We will advise on visas (if applicable) and may provide assistance if required.
- It is your responsibility to ensure that your passport is current. All international passengers require a current passport with at least 6 months validity. You may need a re-entry permit to New Zealand / Australia if you are not travelling on an NZ or Australian passport.
- For security reasons, airlines require your name exactly as it appears in your passport. It remains your responsibility to advise these details. If you do not provide the correct information and we have to re-issue airline tickets or other documentation, we will be compelled to pass on any additional costs to participants requiring document re-issue.
PRICE CHANGES & AMENDMENTS
- Please note prices are based on current exchange rates and may be subject to alteration prior to payment.
- Currency fluctuations can happen at any time, and until full payment is received your travel cost is subject to any increases.
- To fix the price we recommend you pay in full as soon as possible.
- If you wish to amend your booking after you have paid your deposit, this may incur an amendment fee.
- Prior to documents being issued – per amendment from $ 100 (All Destinations)
- After documents being issued – per amendment from $150 (All Destinations)
- If any additional service is added to your booking NO amendment fee will apply.
CANCELLATION
- All cancellations must be in writing, be stated clearly and intentionally, and be made by the person who signed the Booking Form.
- After departure date, no refund for any unused portion of the tour or services will be given.
- In addition to the non-refundable deposit, cancellation of part – or all – of your booking may incur cancellation charges from ourselves and / or our suppliers which can be up the full price for those services.
- If you / the Client, makes any alteration to, or departs from, any portion of the tour, this will be at your own expense and liability.
- Mai Journeys and / or their Suppliers reserve the right to cancel a tour in the event the minimum number of passengers is not met. Clients must bear this in mind when booking non-refundable or non-changeable flights and insurance.
- In the event of cancellation by Mai Journeys caused by a group not reaching minimum numbers, we shall notify you prior to departure and offer you an alternative tour of an equivalent or lesser price & equal standard.
- If this is not acceptable, payments made to Mai Journeys in respect of the tour shall be reimbursed.
- We will not, however, be responsible for any other travel arrangements affect by, or any additional costs incurred, as a result of cancellation.
- As suppliers/operators, we reserve the right to make alterations to a tour without notice including alterations to the itinerary.
- Should it not be possible for a tour to begin from a scheduled departure city or date, due to political unrest, border closures, epidemics, pandemics, natural disasters, Government advice, force majeure or any other reason out of Mai Journeys or the service suppliers control, etc – we/they will make all reasonable efforts to begin the trip from an alternative location or an alternative date if at all feasible.
- However, all additional costs that the client may incur traveling to the alternative location, or alternative date, to join the trip, will be paid for by the client or their travel insurance company.
- The client acknowledges and agrees that for a whole series of reasons, Mai Journeys may have to alter the travel arrangements up to, including, and throughout the travel period.
- The clients agree that no claim for compensation can or will be made against Mai Journeys if such a change has to be made, as long as the change is made on the basis of reasonable justification and that alternative arrangements are put in place by Mai Journeys that are of the same quality as those set out in the travel arrangements.
- In all cases, it is up to the Client to have suitable insurance to cover any losses due to cancellation.
If you decide to cancel a tour, monies may be refunded less a cancellation fee per person as follows – calculated from the date which we receive written notice:
*Over 90 days before commencement: Deposit only
*90 days to 60 days before commencement: Deposit + 50% of the booking value
*Within 59 days or no show – 100% of the booking value
*No refund is available for cancellation after commencement of tour services not used.
You agree that these cancellation charges are reasonable, represent a genuine pre-estimate of our loss and are required to protect our legitimate business interests.
A name change is considered a cancellation and although we maybe able to substitute a different person into your booking, if cancellation fees are applied by the suppliers this will be passed to the newly booked guest via their invoice
There are no exceptions to this cancellation and refund policy, including for reasons related to weather, terrorism, pandemic, civil strife, personal, family, or medical emergencies or any other circumstances beyond our control. For this and other reasons, we encourage you to purchase trip cancellation and interruption insurance and travel protection. You should discuss this with your insurance provider.
SINGLE PARTICIPANTS
If you are travelling alone and wish to share a room, we will endeavour to match you with another single participant. We accept no responsibility for the suitability of the rooming partner. If at any time during the tour you consider the rooming partner to be unsuitable, we will arrange single accommodation (if available) the additional cost of which will be borne by you. If we are unable to find a rooming partner prior to departure, you will be required to pay the applicable single supplement to undertake the tour.
ACCOMMODATION
Whilst every effort is made to ensure hotel accommodation is on a twin share basis with private facilities, no responsibilities are accepted should the hotels change rooming arrangements. If by choice or circumstance a single room is required, the single supplement will apply. Requests for smoking /non-smoking rooms will be passed onto hotels but cannot be guaranteed in some properties. In heritage hotels, room size and layout can vary from room to room. You are responsible for any costs incurred because of damage or excess cleaning fees related to your accommodation.
DIETARY REQUIREMENTS
Special dietary requests are required to be notified to us at the time of booking. Although we will use reasonable endeavours to accommodate requests, we cannot guarantee requests will be met by suppliers. It is your responsibility to check that meals and beverages do not contain any allergens. We expressly disclaim any liability for meals or beverages that contain allergens.
TRIP SAFETY AND TRIP ETIQUETTE
You must strictly comply with all local laws, respect local customs and culture, accurately assess your abilities, respect other trip members’ privacy, and follow the suggestions and advice of any assigned guide. The decision of Mai Journeys, the local guide or local supplier is final on all matters that may threaten the safety or interfere with the well-being of others. During the trip, Mai Journeys, the local guide, or supplier has the right to remove anyone who it determines to detract from others’ enjoyment of the tour.
IMAGES AND MARKETING
Mai Journeys and other traveller’s may take photographs and films of you while on tour. You consent to any such images being taken and grant a perpetual, royalty-free, worldwide, irrevocable license to Mai Journeys, its contractors, sub-contractors and assigns, to reproduce for any purpose whatsoever (including marketing, promotions and the creation of promotional materials by or with sub-licensees), in any medium whatsoever, whether currently known or hereinafter devised, without any further obligation or compensation payable to you.
COMPLAINT PROCEDURE
If you have a complaint during your trip, you must promptly notify Mai Journeys or your Guide/Host of the problem so that they can attempt to remedy the situation and allow you to enjoy the remainder of your trip. Please note, your notice to Mai Journeys or its suppliers of a complaint does not mean that we will accept liability or responsibility, but we will evaluate each complaint as it arises. If you are not satisfied after using this notice procedure, you can submit your complaint in writing to Mai Journeys within fourteen (14) days of the trip’s end date. However, Mai Journeys, and/or its suppliers will not accept any liability for claims received after the fourteen-day period.
FOREIGN & COMMONWEALTH ADVICE
You / the Client are responsible for making yourselves aware of all Foreign Office advice, State Department warnings, and any other sources available to you in regard to the safety of the countries and areas in which you will be travelling, and to make your decisions accordingly.
We will do our best to inform clients of relevant changes to Governmental Travel Advice, but it is up to the Client, not Mai Journeys, to know what the travel advice is to a certain country, or region of a country, and to be adequately insured to travel there.
We accept no liability if you choose to cancel a booking because of FCO advice or if you are not adequately insured to travel.
OUR RESPONSIBILITY / YOUR RESPONSIBILITY
- Your booking will be accepted on the understanding that you fully comprehend the potential risks and hazards that can be involved in some of the tours Mai Journeys offers/operates.
- This includes injury, discomfort, and inconvenience.
- You must also understand that you may be traveling to remote areas where possible problems may include forces of nature, terrorism, civil unrest, war, and accidents.
- You must also assume any associated risks with altitude, illness, disease, and physical exertion knowing that access to evacuation and/or suitable medical supplies and support may not always be available.
- At times we will use locally arranged transport including jeeps, coaches, trains, buses, river craft or helicopters as shown in the specific tour itinerary.
- Your booking is therefore accepted on the understanding that safety standards in parts of the developing world are not the same as in ‘first world countries’ and things like safety/seat belts are not often available.
THIRD PARTY CONDITIONS
All coupons, vouchers, receipts and tickets issued by Ground Operators, airlines, hoteliers and transportation companies and other service providers are issued subject to the terms and conditions of liability contained in those documents, which may limit or exclude liability for death, personal injury, delay, and loss of or damage to baggage and are subject to the laws of the country where the services are provided.
MAI JOURNEYS SELLING AS AN AGENT
We will inform you if we are selling travel arrangements as agent. Where we sell travel arrangements as agent, you agree that our responsibility to you is limited to arranging for you to contract with the principal supplier of the travel arrangements. You agree that you will be subject to the principal supplier’s booking conditions, and that any claim in connection with the supply (or failure to supply) those travel arrangements must be made directly against the principal supplier. We will in no way be responsible for the actions or failures of the principal supplier or any person engaged by them.
UPDATING OF TERMS AND CONDITIONS
Mai Journeys reserves the right to update and/or alter these terms and conditions at any time. It is your responsibility to be familiar with these terms and conditions.
ACCEPTING OUR COVID POLICIES FOR ALL UPCOMING TRAVEL
Please read our Covid19 policy in regards to our Guests, our Hosts, our Overseas Partners and our Guides. Link through HERE.
Please feel free to contact us should you have any queries regarding any of the above.