GENERAL CONDITIONS FOR THE PARTICIPATION OF A TRAVELER IN A PACKAGE TRAVEL
(Under Presidential Decree 7/2018, pursuant to Directive EE 2015/2302).
Please read the following General Terms of Participation carefully before signing up for one of our organized trips. Participation in any organized travel of our travel agency requires careful consideration of the schedule of the specific trip and means the unconditional acceptance by the traveler/traveler of the General Terms of Participation, according to the N.D. 7/2018. The General Conditions of Participation indicate general information, as well as the rights and obligations of the two parties to the organized trip, while regarding the specific information (destinations, prices, days and hours of departure and return, means of transport, accommodation, visits, etc.), concerning each organized trip separately, you must consult the current schedule and the relevant price list.
ORGANIZER – TRAVEL AGENCY
Our travel agency, under the name “D. MICHAS AND CO, G.P.” and the distinctive title “ORION TRAVEL”, based in Livadeia, Boufidou street no.32 MH.T.E 1350E60000004300, hereinafter referred to as “Travel Agency”, is a member of the Association of the Tourist and Travel Agencies in Greece (Member Number of HATTA 8712) and is a travel organizer, either alone or in a consortium cooperation with other tourist agencies or operates as an intermediary between other tourist agencies as well as transport, with the ultimate aim of selling these organized trips to the traveler/tour operator.
GENERAL: The information, data and recommendations contained in the General Conditions of Participation have been checked by our office, for their validity and accuracy, are of a general nature and apply as such, unless something more specific or different is mentioned in the schedule of each trip. The programs, including the price list currently in force, are valid for the period indicated on them. Information and details of travel plans may change, due to extraordinary changes in circumstances. In this case, you will be notified immediately in the most appropriate manner.
REGISTRATIONS – PARTICIPATION IN ORGANIZED TRAVEL: Registrations are made by visiting our offices or the offices of our partners, by mail (postal or electronic) info@oriontravel.gr, fax, telephone and through our website (www.oriontravel.gr), provided (in order to reserve seats on the specific trip): 1B of the payment of the advance or the full amount, in cash, by credit/debit or prepaid card or by transfer to the tourist office, within 48 hours, and 2nd of the unconditional acceptance and compliance with these General Conditions. For valid registration, the journey in question must be indicated on the proof of payment of the advance, with the dates of departure and return and any other distinguishing features. The right to participate in the trip is guaranteed by the payment of the full value of the trip and the related charges 10 full days before departure, unless otherwise specified in the relevant Agreement. Any non-payment of the full value of the trip in the time provided, gives the right to our Travel Agency to cancel the reservation and, if necessary, to request cancelation fees, in accordance with the cancelation conditions provided herein. The contractor, representing his family or group, is obliged to inform all his/her represented travel companions of the details and conditions of the journey. Participants via a third party have the same obligations as the representative who registered them on the trip, and the tourist office makes all relevant information available to them on request. On organized air tours, your escort will be at the arrival airport and services begin and end with arrival and departure from/to the destination airport of the excursion respectively. The Travel Agency reserves the right to replace the Head/Escort during the outing/travel. In some cases the escort is carried out with local representatives. Our Travel Agency bears no responsibility for the days and hours of operation of the markets, museums and archeological sites.
TRAVEL PRICES – CHARGES, ETC.: The value-price of trips refers to our applicable price list. Travel prices are calculated on the day the price list is issued, based on the cost of the services of each trip, the cost of fuel or other energy sources, the applicable fares / surcharges, all kinds of taxes or fees, the exchange rate of foreign currencies in relation to the € (Euro), as well as any other cost factor (e.g. minimum number of participants etc.). Our travel agency, having exhausted all forecasting possibilities, reserves the right to adjust prices when the above cost factors change. In particular, the price of the trip can change up to 20 days before the start of the travel services. In case of a significant increase in the price (i.e. more than 8% of the value of the trip) for the above reasons, the traveler may terminate the contract without paying a termination fee and reimburse the exact amount paid by our travel agency not responsible and not obliged to any type of further compensation. If the traveler terminates the package travel contract for that reason, the traveler may accept another package of equivalent or superior quality. The tourist office also has the right, for a limited period or for a limited number of seats, to pre-sell seats at more favorable prices, subject to special conditions of cancelation fees. Children’s charges vary from free accommodation, without food, in hotels and ships, to a small discount (for ages 2-12, usually, and only when they pay two adults in the same room/cabin). Specifically for excursions to Greece, the residence tax of Article 53 N is not included in our indicated prices. 4389/2016, applicable from 1 January 2018. The charge is per room/suite per night: Hotel 3*: € 1,50, 4*: € 3,00, 5*: €4,00 and according to the law, is paid by the customer directly to the hotel. In case of any change in the way the above tax or other tax/fee is paid, our pricing policy will be amended accordingly.
OBLIGATIONS – TRAVEL AGENCY RESPONSIBILITIES: Our travel agency has the obligation to coordinate and perform in the best possible way the travel available to travelers. However, having exhausted all possibilities of anticipation and care, it is not responsible for the wrong actions and omissions of third persons and their associates, as well as for extraordinary situations such as cancelations, delays or changes of routes of various modes of transport (planes, ships, buses, trains, etc.) or in the event of exclusion (‘embargo’) of areas due to terrorist acts, strikes and other causes of force majeure. Our travel agency cannot anticipate or control any delays of charters or of routed planes or ships for technical or meteorological or other reasons (and therefore travelers should not plan significant personal activities or combine other travel, days of departures/arrivals). It should be stressed that our travel agency is not in a position to anticipate or control circumstances outside its sphere of influence which may lead to the cancelation of the journey or to damage caused by failure to perform or improper performance of the agreed travel services. Typical examples of such cases are: strikes, accidents, diseases, epidemics, organic disturbances due to local conditions, altitude, climate, due to meals not included in the travel schedule or due to inadequate sanitation from external factors, injuries or hardships due to war, coups, terrorist actions, hijackings, earthquakes, weather conditions, fires, epidemics, toxic infections and any other emergency or force majeure. In the above cases, our travel agency is not liable for any damage caused by them, but will exhaust all efforts to support and care for travelers in every way, without this establishing a liability or obligation to cover the relevant exceptional expenses, which should be covered, as in cases of force majeure, by the travelers themselves. Reasonable complaints during the journey should be immediately and on the spot to the escort (or, in the absence thereof, to our travel agency), and to the provider of the specific service, in writing. If the problem identified could not be solved on the spot, after your return from the trip, you will have to submit in writing to our office any relevant complaint within 7 working days, together with any documents or other evidence you have available to justify it. After 7 days, our travel agency has no obligation to answer any requirement. If damages arise as a result of non-performance or improper performance of package travel services, the compensation to the customer shall be limited to what is stipulated in the international conventions binding the country and governing such services. In particular: Compensation based on the failure H perform or improper performance of the package travel services shall be limited to twice the value of the individual travel price. In order to be able to make an organized trip, a minimum of 25 (twentyfive) participants (not including children under the age of 12) is required. For long journeys, the minimum number of participants is limited to 15 (fifteen) people or the number determined by the excursion program. If this number is not filled in, our office reserves the right to cancel the specific trip, and must inform the customers who have declared participation in it and reimburse them the money they have paid, without any other obligation. Benefits not mentioned in the descriptions of the programs of organized travel or referred to as optional, either not offered at all by our travel agency or available at extra charge beyond the indicated prices, if they can finally be implemented. Our travel agency bears no responsibility for the voluntary events, which are held by the local bodies. After the completion of your trip, our travel agency will issue the statutory tax documents, which will be received by our offices during the business days and hours of the financial services (Monday to Friday 09:00-17:00).
OBLIGATIONS – TRAVELERS’ RESPONSIBILITIES : Because other persons usually participate in the organized trip, it is necessary to have the appropriate social behavior and the complete compliance of travelers with the travel schedule and the suggestions of escorts or guides and their timely arrival at the gathering places for the various benefits of the program (flights, transfers, tours, excursions, meals etc.). If the delay or inconsistency of the traveler results in a restrictive loss of flight, excursion, travel or other service, the traveler should reconnect with the group at his own risk and expense, without the right to refund for the service lost or for the whole trip if he fails to reconnect. Our travel agency will make every effort to assist him without any obligation or responsibility. At airports and ports you will have to be at least two (2) hours before your departure. If there is no escort on the trip, you must confirm your next flights with the airline on site and make sure which time and from which airport and station (terminal) your flight departs. In the event of a traveler interrupting his or her journey by his or her own decision and leaving the team, he or she shall not be entitled to any further service or compensation and the liability and costs of any movement outside the group shall be borne solely by him or her. In the same way, our office bears no responsibility for services of the package which were not provided to the traveler by his negligence or liability, due to his illness or sudden accident. If the customer is prevented from participating in the organized travel to which he/she has booked, he/she may transfer his/her reservation (informing our Agency in writing) to another person who fulfills the conditions for participation in the specific trip, at the latest 7 days before the start of the travel services, while for maritime transport the corresponding deadline is 10 working days before departure. The replacement (transferee) and the original participant (transferor) are themselves responsible to our Travel Agency, to pay to it any outstanding balance of the amount and any additional costs of this transfer. It is clarified that any change should be exactly within the same framework and acceptable as all service providers on the package (commercial companies, hotels, etc.) accept the changes. In the case of air carriers in particular, it should be pointed out that the change of personal details of the passenger is not allowed, but only the cancelation of the existing reservation and the reservation of a new seat, where possible and at the appropriate cost. Our tour operator will not be liable if this is not possible and the consequent compulsory cancelation of the reservation will be made in accordance with the cancelation conditions set out herein or by the service providers. In the case of air tickets issued on a return or multiple journeys, it is not always possible to use individual parts of the ticket. The user should contact our travel agent directly in order to be informed of the policy applied by each airline
HOTELS/ACCOMMODATION/SHIPS AND OTHER MEANS OF TRANSPORT: All information, concerning the categorization or classification of hotels and accommodations mentioned in the programs of our organized or sold trips, is in accordance with the applicable legislation of each state for the tourist classification of hotels and accommodation, which may differ from country to country. The rooms of most hotels are home to two beds or a semi-double. The triple rooms are, in essence, double with an extra bed. Usually they are not particularly comfortable and the extra bed can be smaller than normal or sofa or foldable. The rooms are usually delivered from the hotel between 14:00-16:00 and are available to the tenants until 10:00 – 12:00 of the departure day (depending on the policy of each Hotel). If you wish to enter the room earlier or leave later, you will have to pay the relevant charge (if there is a corresponding availability). If, due to unforeseen difficulties, o organizer of the trip is forced to change a hotel with another class or higher, our travel agency is not obliged to pay any other compensation to travelers. In case of late arrival at the hotel, after the day or time of the scheduled arrival of the traveler, and if he has not informed the hotel in time, he has the right to cancel the reservation and to make the room available for the whole period of the reservation, if requested. In case of overbooking, our office will try to replace the room with another hotel room of the same class or if this is not possible with a hotel room of a lower class and will return to the customer the difference that arose, without
CANCELATIONS: Cancelations of participation on the part of the traveler are made only in writing to our office and, regardless of the date of the reservation (and if it is not possible to transfer his reservation to another person under the conditions referred to in Article 6 of the General Conditions of participation), are subject to the following cancelation fees per person, depending on the time of cancelation, and are regardless of whether the corresponding amounts have already been paid by travelers or not: For travel to Greece and abroad (and unless there is a different cancelation policy by the carrier or hotel), except for “long” travel and travel to the Russian Federation: · Up to 30 days before departure: 50 € for travel to Greece and 80 € for travel abroad, per person, for administrative expenses. · 29 to 15 days before departure: 40% of the total value of the journey. · 14 to 11 days before departure: 75% of the total value of the trip. · 10 days before departure until departure (non show – no show): 100% of the total value of the trip. For cruises different cancelation terms apply according to the terms of the contracts of each company that apply to each cruise trip. For individual/individual trips different cancelation terms apply according to the terms of each airline fare and the cancelation policy of each hotel. In cases of non-refundable fares (within or outside Greece), the cancelation fee is as high as 100% as determined by the airline or ferry company and refers to the tour schedule or the offer. For the trips described by the relevant programs of our Office as “long” and for trips to the Russian Federation, the cancelation fees are as follows: · Up to 2 months before departure, the entire advance payment (40% of the total value of the trip) for administrative expenses. · Up to 30 days before departure, 50% of the total value of the trip. · 30 days before departure until departure (non show – no show) 100% of the total value of the trip. The above applies even if the customer does not participate in all events of the program and/or uses his own means of transport (and if there is no different cancelation policy from the carrier or hotel). For departures in festive periods, periods of exhibitions of sports or artistic events, cruises or trips made by special charter flights or vessels, the above mentioned cancelation periods are likely to be longer and the retention rates higher as explicitly stated in the schedule of the particular trip. Charges are made regardless of the time of registration or whether the corresponding amounts have already been paid by travelers or not. If one of the two persons who have chosen to stay or stay in a double room cancels their participation, they will pay the appropriate cancelation fee. As long as the above cancelation fee does not equal 100% of the total value of the trip, the person who will eventually travel will pay the difference of their room, as they will necessarily stay in a single room
DISPUTE SETTLEMENT : We ensure that we are in line with current legislation, both at national and European level, on the proper use of personal data. For the provision of travel services, the traveler consents to the processing of his personal data, such as identification data and information concerning services he uses and his habits. Our travel agency and the traveler undertake to resolve in good faith any dispute that may arise during the performance of the contract of the package travel. If such efforts fail, the parties undertake to address the Dispute Settlement Committee of the Association of Tourist and Travel Agencies in Greece and to seek its mediation. If a friendly solution to the dispute is not possible, the Courts of Piraeus are competent
