Terms and Conditions
Terms and conditions of booking a Tour with Redleaf Tours Japan
Booking Procedure
The following booking conditions, together with the information set out on the relevant tour page of the Redleaf Tours Japan website (www.redleaftoursjapan.com) will form the contract between you and us for your holiday with us.
In this contract a reference to "you" and "your" include the lead-named person on the confirmation invoice (who must be at least 18 years old at the time of booking) and all persons on whose behalf a booking is made.
“We” “Our” Us” are Redleaf Tours Japan of www.redleaftoursjapan.com
“Meeting Point” means the place specified by us in the Tour Pack as the place we will meet and start your Tour.
“Tour” means a holiday organised by Redleaf Tours Japan.
“Tour Pack” means whatever documents we send to you in hard or soft copy to provide information about your Tour.
The contract between us comes into existence when we send out our confirmation invoice which confirms your booking. You will have undertaken to pay for the holiday you have booked and we will have undertaken to provide you with the holiday we describe in the brochure / on our web site.
If you make a booking on behalf of others as well as yourself, we shall take it that you have the authority of each of those other people to enter into that contract and that you and they have agreed to be jointly and severally liable to us. You now accept personal liability for the acceptance and compliance of each of those people, with these contract terms.
If we are unable to accept your booking, we will of course return your payment to you immediately.
For you to make a booking, we require your deposit and a completed booking form. Our confirmation invoice will be sent to you by post or email. We may decline your booking for any reason and we do not have to give you the reason. If that happens we will return your money to you immediately and in any event within 30 days.
What is included in the price of a Redleaf Tours Japan tour?
• travel from the Meeting Point to your return to the departure point;
• accommodation and all meals in the itinerary (unless otherwise stated in the itinerary);
• services of tour leader (except on self-guided tours or as otherwise arranged).
What is NOT included?
• return flights to the Tour destination;
• all other costs incurred before you board transport at the Meeting Point and after you return to the departure point;
• travel insurance or any other insurance personal to you;
• passport and visa costs;
• vaccinations and medication, before, during and after the Tour;
• food and drink over and above what we include in the Tour;
• gratuities you choose to give, in addition to any we give on your behalf where we consider appropriate.
Payment procedures
Deposits
To reserve your bookings, We will ask you to send us a non-refundable $500 deposit for each person (see Refund exceptions below).
Payment and failure to pay
The last date for payment of the balance of the cost of your holiday will be due to us at least 12 weeks before the Tour Start Date. We will tell you that last date for payment after we have confirmed our acceptance of your booking.
If you do not pay us before the last date for payment, we reserve the right to treat your booking as cancelled. If we do that, you accept that a cancellation fee will be due to us.
Late Bookings
Any holidays requested less than 12 weeks prior to the departure date must be accompanied by full payment at the time of booking.
Surcharges
The prices given on our web site and in our brochure are calculated at costs current at the time we fixed them. If costs rise or adverse currency exchange rates apply, you agree that we may increase prices at any time to a maximum of 5% of the advertised cost of the Tour. If we do this we shall tell you the costs which have risen and the percentage by which they have risen.
No matter what the increase, we shall not increase the cost less than 6 weeks before the departure date.
If we increase the price of your Tour by more than 5%, you are free to cancel. In that circumstance we will return to you all money paid to us.
Refunds
Deposits are non-refundable (exceptions below) but in some cases may be transferable to another tour from us. As stated on our web pages, a minimum number of participants are required in order for the Tour to go ahead. Therefore we have a right to cancel any Tour for which there are insufficient reservations. In the event of any such cancellation, all deposits or other payments made specifically to Redleaf Tours Japan will be refunded in full.
Cancellations by you
If you cancel your booking either through failure to pay the balance due or for any other reason, we may charge a cancellation fee calculated as follows:
• After 7 days of booking loss of $500 deposit
• Between 46-89 days before departure 50% of the holiday cost
• Within 45 days of departure (or failure to join the holiday) 100 % of the holiday cost.
The above dates refer to the date that we receive notice of cancellation from you.
If circumstances force you to leave the Tour early, you will have to bear any additional costs yourself.
If you are unavoidably prevented from joining the Tour, you may transfer your place to another person, providing this person meets any conditions which may apply to the booking and that we are informed of the transfer not less than 28 days prior to the Tour Start Date.
In any circumstances giving rise to cancellation, we will consider allowing you to transfer the money you have paid, to some other Redleaf Tours Japan Tour you choose. Whether we do so is in our discretion, for which we do not have to give a reason.
Cancellation by us
We reserve the right to cancel any Tour, for which there are not enough bookings, not less than four weeks prior to departure. In the event of our cancellation, your deposit (and any other payment you may have made to us) will be refunded in full, or, if you prefer, transferred to an alternative Tour from us.
Payment Type
All payments to us may be made by electronic transfer for which full information will be provided at the time of booking.
Alternatively, payment may be made by cheque payable to Redleaf Tours Japan. We shall take account of your cheque on the date it is cleared into our account.
You agree that all these provisions are reasonable.
Tour Information
Approximately 4 weeks before the Start Date, we shall send you a pack of information relating to your Tour. This information will include:
• location of Meeting Point and time of meeting;
• climate and clothing recommendations;
• any important details relevant to a particular site that we may visit.
Accommodation
Accommodation will be in a variety of Japanese hotels and inns (including Western style, and Japanese style “Ryokan” [inn] and “Minshuku” [Japanese family-run bed and breakfast]. We will discuss your exact accommodation requirements when you have made a booking, but please note:
• We reserve the right to change accommodation to that stated on our website itineraries - (see below "changes of itinerary").
• Single rooms are normally available at an extra cost. However, if you so wish, it may be possible for you to share a room.
• accommodation in some places will be of a different standard than comparable accommodation in the Australia. Japanese pillows and futon beds are very different to western style.
Changes of Itinerary
Despite careful planning, it is possible that a site may become inaccessible due to matters outside our control, for example through weather events, natural disaster or political turmoil.
We may therefore decide to make changes to the itinerary to accommodate either of the above possibilities. We will tell you of any such change as soon as we decide to make it. If that happens, you may transfer to an alternative holiday. If your chosen alternative is of a lower price we will refund the difference. If it is of a higher price, you must pay the difference
Baggage restrictions
We have to work within the restrictions laid down by any carrier we use. Policies vary from one carrier to another and from time to time. We will tell you the exact allowances and terms after you have made a booking with us.
If you have an unusual requirement, perhaps for medical reasons, do contact us and we will try to help you immediately.
Travel Insurance
It is a condition of booking our tour that you take out appropriate travel insurance. You must send us proof of cover when you make payment of the balance due for your Tour. We cannot approve the cover you have bought and are not responsible if it is inadequate.
Cover should be obtained not only against normal travel risks, but against additional risks appropriate to the destination country. In particular, local road transport insurance may be inadequate, so you should check that your cover includes accidents happening whilst you are a passenger in a vehicle.
We advise that you should also check that any valuable optical equipment is covered either in your travel policy or your home contents policy.
Passport, Visa and Health Requirements
Please note carefully:
• to be absolutely safe, it is a good idea to make sure your passport is valid for at least six months after the date of return of your Tour;
• remember to apply for any necessary visa in good time;
• check with your GP what vaccinations and medication you may require and allow time to obtain it.
Limitations on our liability
We want you to enjoy a perfect holiday with Redleaf Tours Japan. We shall do our best to make your holiday special for you. Nonetheless, we must make clear the limitations in law. We are not liable to you for:
• any event which happens before you board our transport at the Meeting Point or after you leave our transport at departure;
• any problem arising from your failure to reach the Meeting Point on time, for whatever reason; (though we would do our best to help you in any way we reasonably could);
• any aspect of goods or services you buy or accept other than those arranged by us;
• medical problems or physical difficulties, even if you have told us about them in advance (it is absolutely essential you inform us of any pre-existing medical conditions the Booking Form);
• medical emergencies;
• your own carelessness or negligence in any aspect of your behaviour whilst with us;
• laws, culture and standards of service and behaviour in any country we may visit;
• changes we reasonably make to an itinerary or to accommodation or any other aspect of the management of a Tour;
• problems or issues which we could resolve whilst on a Tour but which you raise only after your return.
Furthermore:
• We and you are subject to international conventions, when they apply. This may limit the amount of a claim you may be make, against us or anyone else.
• the services and features included in your Tour are those specified in our web site. If you choose to buy other goods or services during your holiday, those are not part of the package we provide, even if arranged through our Tour leader. Accordingly we are not liable to you for any happening in connection with that service or those goods.
Help we need from you
Participation & Behaviour
Your Tour Pack will provide details about your chosen holiday, but the following are contractual matters:
• Most tours require reasonable physical fitness and appropriate footwear. You should be prepared to walk throughout the day (as indicated in the Itinerary), sometimes on uneven or slippery surfaces.
• To satisfy the majority of our clients, we apply “no smoking” rules in the same way that they are applied by law in the Australia. Please note however, that smoking is permitted in some countries we may visit so we cannot prevent third parties from smoking in a bar or restaurant.
• If we provide medical help to you, whether or not you specifically ask for it, we will provide receipts for all costs (for your insurer) and you now agree to repay us that cost on your return from the Tour.
• If at any time, it is our opinion (given by any of our staff or Tour leaders) that you are acting in a way which may cause accident, injury, discomfort or extreme displeasure to any other Tour member, we may exclude you from the programme for the remainder of the Tour. You will understand that this extreme action will not be taken lightly but may be necessary to protect the health, safety or enjoyment of other clients.
Complaints
We shall try our utmost to provide a happy and fulfilling holiday, but if we fail in any way, do please raise any issue with your Tour leader immediately. If your complaint cannot be satisfied or it is not dealt with to your satisfaction at the time of reporting it to the leader(s), then you should give us full details in writing, immediately on your return. We cannot respond to verbal complaints.
The validity, construction and performance of this agreement shall be governed by the laws of the State of NSW, Australia. Any dispute arising in connection with this agreement shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the NSW courts.