TERMS AND CONDITIONS
Yellow Hat Travels Terms & Conditions
Please read these terms and conditions carefully; by paying any amount - you agree to be bound by these conditions which forms an agreement between Yellow Hat Travels and yourself.
By booking on behalf of another person or persons, you represent and warrant that you have obtained all required consents to enter into a contract with YHT on their behalf and are deemed to be the designated contact persons.
ALL BOOKING CONDITIONS
All trips and packages exclude travel insurance, infrastructure / city tax per person per night, and anything not included or mentioned in itineraries. It is your responsibility to research the city tax due and payable by you on the trip.
Travel Insurance is strictly recommended to cover and protect yourself during your travels
Yellow Hat reserves the right to alter, add or remove items that may have been previously broadcasted on our social media or anywhere else at any time for operational and/ or cost reasons.
Only the items listed on this invoice will form part of our contractual obligation to you in relation to the trip being paid for. Please read carefully before accepting our quote.
Prices advertised are based on a per person rate, sharing a double room, unless otherwise stated.
Prices are subject to change due to airfare increases, currency fluctuations, economic conditions and availability.
PASSPORTS, VISAS, HEALTH AND TRAVEL DOCUMENTS
It is your responsibility as a booking client to check and fulfil the passport, visa, health and immigration requirements applicable to your itinerary. Whilst our Consultants may assist/ guide on requirements, we do not warrant this guidance to be accurate and to be relied upon. It remains the traveler’s responsibility to check the up to date position in good time before departure.
Passports: If you are South African, your passport MUST BE VALID FOR AT LEAST 6 MONTHS AFTER YOUR
DATE OF RETURN on any trip. You will not be allowed into a country if your passport expires before the 6
month period.
If you are a South African permanent resident travelling on a foreign passport, you must make
sure you have the right documentation from Home Affairs to travel.
Your travel documents have to be in the name appearing on your passport and / or Home Affairs records.
Visas
Visa requirements vary depending on the passport you hold
It is the responsibility of each traveller to secure a visa for travel and or transit through the country (ies) of intended travel .
Non South African citizens must confirm the visa requirements for country (ies) of intended travel or transit with the relevant Embassy or Consulate.
Yellow Hat Travels shall, upon request by Traveller, provide the documentation required for the Visa application to the traveller and or visa agent as identified by the Traveller . Where YHT has expressly consented to acting as a go between with the Visa agent and/ or office, the Traveller agrees to submit all document(s) required for visa processing promptly.
Traveller shall pay visa fees directly to the Agent and / or Consulate processing the Visa
The decision of visa grant, duration of the visa validity,
number of entries permitted in respect of each such visa, is at the sole discretion of the issuing country . Traveller has the responsibility to ensure before travel that the visa issued for entry and / or transit is valid for the duration of the trip to be undertaken and aligned with the Airline ticket issued to the Traveller.
In the event the visa application made by the Traveller and/or agent on the Traveller’s behalf - is denied for any reason whatsoever -Yellow Hat Travels shall not held liable . In addition, failure to travel as a result of a visa denial - will result in forfeiture of all amounts already paid and committed by YHT to service providers in preparation for trip ( in line our terms and conditions).
Medical: It is your responsibility to ensure that you are fit to travel and to take all necessary medication and or vaccinations.
Check with your travel doctor which vaccinations are required by the country you are visiting or visit
We do not accept any responsibility for costs incurred if a Traveller cannot travel or is unable to complete their travel as a result of health requirements and /or issues.
Travellers are urged to ensure they have Health cover whilst travelling.
In addition, failure to travel as a result of a health formality ( including covid ) - will result in forfeiture of all amounts already paid and committed by YHT to service providers in preparation for trip .
Malaria and Other Tropical Diseases: We strongly recommend that the necessary precautions be taken in this regard and recommend that you check with your doctor before departure or a medical practitioner well versed in tropical diseases.
TRAVELLING WITH CHILDREN
All children under the age of 18 require the following when travelling internationally:
• Valid Passport, valid for at least 6 months after their return.
• Any required visas for the destinations they are travelling to or through.
• Unabridged Birth certificate (this may be called a Birth Certificate or other name if from a different country but it must contain full details of BOTH parents of the child).
• If travelling with one parent, consent from the other parent is required in the form of a Parental Consent Affidavit as well as a certified copy of that parent's ID.
• If travelling without either parent, consent from both parents is required in the form of a Parental Consent Affidavit, as well as a certified copy of both parent's ID's.
• If the Parents surname on the Unabridged Birth Certificate is different to that of the surname on the passport eg Maiden name vs Married name, please travel with a certified copy of your Marriage Certificate as well.
• Documents must be original or certified as a true copy of the original by a commissioner of oaths or the equivalent commissioning authority in your country of Nationality and certified copies must not be older than 3 months before your last travel date.
• For all applicable details on these regulations please refer to the Department of Home Affairs official
communication.
DOMESTIC TRAVEL WITHIN SOUTH AFRICA
• Domestic Travellers are required to have proof of their identity such as a South African ID, Drivers license or passport.
• Infants and Children under the age of 18 and must travel with their birth certificate or ID (if 16yrs or
older).
PRICES AND PAYMENTS
Bookings can be made by calling us, by sending an email or through our website.
An invoice will be issued and sent to a designated email address of Traveller, with the itinerary for the trip booked and price.
The invoice will be the final contract between YHT and the Traveller . Traveller’s are urged to read the items listed as included in the trip and not to rely on any other media or communication in relation to the trip.
Payment of the deposit will represent the acceptance of the YHT offer as per invoice and the terms and conditions stipulated therein .
Trips are priced per person, based on two people sharing a hotel occupancy. Single rooms may be available at an additional cost.
Payment plan
To reserve a spot on our bookings- full and final payment as indicated in our quote may be made or alternatively you may subscribe to our flexible payment plan subject to our terms and conditions
For the flexible payment plan, a non-refundable and non- transferable deposit amount (stipulated in your invoice) will be required from each traveller - followed by payments for the balance of the amount outstanding- to be completed within 3 months of your date of travel except where prescribed otherwise by YHT from time to time.
For privately curated trips, the deposit amount required will vary depending on costs, with a minimum of 50% deposit and full payment to be completed 6 weeks before your travel date, except where prescribed otherwise by YHT from time.
Failure to complete payment within the stipulated period - will result in the forfeiture of the deposit.
By paying this deposit- you are expressly granting Yellow Hat authority to enter into contract on your behalf - with various suppliers ( Airlines, Hotels and transport providers etc ) to facilitate your holiday .
Once YHT contracts on your behalf - you will be subjected to the supplier’s terms and conditions for cancellations and or refunds - should the circumstance arise for any reason whatsoever.
Should any amount above the deposit have been paid prior to cancellation of the trip at YOUR instance - the balance remaining amount will be credited to you - as per Supplier terms and conditions. Please note that the majority of suppliers do not refund or charge hefty penalties.
For overseas trips - some of the items ( accommodation and internal transfers etc) are quoted on foreign currency price - foreign currency pricing - translated into the rand value applicable at the time of quote . On request - the traveller may be advised of the foreign priced component of the trip and the rate at which the quote was calculated. Fluctuation of currency at the time of travel -will be for the traveller’s cost and or benefit .
YHT reserves the right to cancel or postpone trip in the instance where ground conditions or unavoidable price hikes significantly affect the quality and/or cost of the trip.
YHT Group trips require a minimum of 12 Travellers . Despite our marketing efforts, YHT cannot guarantee that a group of 12 individuals will subscribe to each of our trips. Where the group does not make the required number - YHT may convert a group trip to a private trip with adjusted costs - to allow for the trip to continue .
Travellers will be given an option to continue with the converted trip or to postpone trip to the next available Group trip . This is NOT to be considered as a cancellation and therefore no refunds will be payable under these circumstances.
In the case where cancellation is at YHT instance - we will undertake to refund travellers the cost 30 ( thirty) working days from our date of notice of cancellation.
Where the cancellation is at the instance of the Traveller -credit voucher will be issued either for future trips and / or gifting someone else to travel ( T’s and C’s apply ) within 12 months of issue of credit voucher
Airline Tickets
Unless instructed otherwise in writing by the Traveller before issue, YHT purchases non refundable airline tickets as our strategy to keep costs low.
Whilst we seek to make your travel comfortable- and to book flights with a minimal amount of layovers - some lengthy layovers are unavoidable due to cost factors . Where a Traveller wishes to avoid entirely or minimise long layovers - they may advise YHT in advance and a different pricing arrangement may be made for the Traveller .
YHT uses all IATA accredited airlines and at time of booking, YHT identifies the cheapest yet fast option to our destination. Where a Traveller has a specific Airline they wish to use or avoid using, they may advise YHT in advance and a different pricing arrangement may be made for the Traveller.
Accommodation and ratings
On any of our European tours, Egypt tours, Greece tours and more, accommodation is provided in twin accommodation, which may be two single beds or a double bed.
In certain locations ( for example Greece and Italy ) - a twin is commonly accepted as referring to two separate mattresses contained in one large frame. YHT as a first option and where possible, will book in hotels with two separate beds . We do not guarantee this to be possible at all times.
Room numbers are allocated by the hotel - without any involvement of YELLOW HAT . We are therefore not in a position to guarantee you a room with a view, unless you opt for an upgrade- to which we will be happy to connect you with the hotel directly for additional payment .
Please note that in some properties, lifts may not directly service all floors and access to and from these floors may be by stairway only and that porter services are not standard in all hotels.
To ensure your comfort, YHT books in hotels with a minimum of 4 stars . Standards and ratings may however vary between countries, as well as between suppliers and YHT cannot guarantee the accuracy of any ratings given by supplier.
Safety standards in some countries may differ from those applicable in South Africa . We strongly advise that all customers seek to minimise their exposure to injury by familiarising themselves with relevant safety information that may be posted around the hotel or anywhere else.
Communication between YHT and Traveller
YHT will always be available to assist with any questions you may have regarding your trip - however formal engagement takes place 6 weeks before your date of travel. Details of trip and itinerary will be circulated.
You may submit payments to Yellow Hat Travels directly to our FNB account listed.
All group trips ( tickets ) will be confirmed and circulated 8 weeks before travel and not before .
If you are using our flexible payment plan option, first payment deposit is non-refundable and non- transferable, per
person (equivalent to the first month’s instalment payment as per payment agreement) or other amount
determined by Yellow Hat Travels in its sole discretion at the time of booking to reserve your space. You may
submit payments to Yellow Hat Travels by making an online payment or by bank transfers. Please note that electronic payments may take up to two (2) business days to process. If you are paying by this method you will need to pay at least two (2)business days prior to the actual due date. Please provide us with Proof of Payment for the bank confirmation for faster
reconciliation at our end. You must notify us of your payment once it has been made. Travel documents will
not be issued until full final payment with cleared funds is received.
If we do not receive all payments due in full and on time, we reserve the right to treat your booking as
cancelled by you. The price of your travel arrangements has been calculated using exchange rates known at
the time of your booking enquiry.
SERVICE FEE
These fees cover the costs incurred by Yellow Hat Travels in servicing your travel reservation. We also reserve
the right to charge an additional service fee for any additional services rendered, such as changes to your
booking. Please be advised that service fees and products are non-refundable in case of a cancellation.
REFUNDS
Yellow Hat Travels reserves the right to determine the quantum of refund payable in case of cancellation or
amendment of a tour due to any circumstances. Such refund would be based on various factors like the
number of participants in the group, the cancellation policies of suppliers like hoteliers, airlines, coach operators, inflations, airline price changes etc. and the decision of Yellow Hat Travels on the quantum of refund shall be final.
Even in case of tour for which the payment was made in foreign currency with or without part payment in South African Rands, the said refund shall be made only in South African Rands at the prevailing buying rate of exchange on the date of refund as per existing Rules & Regulations.
Refunds (if any) for amendments and / or cancellations will be paid directly to the Client by Yellow Hat Travels.
In case of refund in foreign currency component, the said refund shall be made in Rands only at the prevailing
buying rate on the date of refund as per existing statutes, rules and regulations. It would take at
a minimum of sixty (60) business days to process such refunds if any.
BOOKING AMOUNT AND FINAL PAYMENT
We require a minimum deposit as booking. Final payment for the relevant booking is required no later than 6
weeks prior to departure unless otherwise stated. Some airfares or services must be paid in full at the time of
booking. Depending on the seasonality to the destination of travel, peak period, any events (such as trade
fairs, exhibitions, etc), the booking amount is subject to change without prior notice.
CHANGES AND CANCELLATIONS BY YOU
Fees will apply where a booking is changed, cancelled or postponed or tickets or other travel documents are re- issued. Where we
incur any liability for a cancellation fee or charge for any booking which you cancel, you agree to indemnify and reimburse us for the amount of that fee or charge.
As the tour/services to be provided to you are booked in advance from the relevant supplier/third party
providers, cancellation of such services earmarked for such product or service, the terms and conditions
and cancellation policy of the relevant supplier/third party providers would be applicable in addition to
the Terms and Conditions. Any cancellation of tour / services has to be in writing clearly stating the reasons for cancellation. You expressly agree to the foregoing terms. Upon cancellation, Yellow Hat Travels has the right to levy such cancellation charges as may be levied by the relevant supplier/third party provider from time to time. Such cancellation policies may be subject to change without prior intimation. Therefore any cancellation of tour / services booked by the Client will be subject to the cancellation policies of Yellow Hat Travels and the relevant supplier/third party service provider.
If you wish to change any part of your arrangements after our confirmation of quote has been received and
payment made, you must inform us in writing as soon as possible. We have no obligation to make these
changes, however we will do our best to help. We are unable to provide a refund to you until we receive the
funds from the relevant supplier/ third party provider. Cancelled bookings will incur charges. These charges
can be up to 100% of the cost of the booking, regardless of whether travel has commenced or not. Where we can meet a request, all changes will be subject to bookings already made and supplier policies.
Administration fee will be charged. Administration fee that we charge is excluding any charges levied by
ground operators, hotels or airlines over the supplier charges to make refunds for changes, modifications and
cancellations. You should be aware that these costs could increase when this is a group booking. It should also
be noted that a reduction in the numbers traveling in the group from those originally booked may have an
effect on the overall price per person or refund. In other words, the price per person may be increased as your tour price
will be re-calculated for the new party size. The price of your new travel arrangements will be based on the
prices that apply. These prices may not be the same as when you first made your booking. Where we are
unable to assist you and you do not wish to proceed with the original booking we will treat this as a cancellation by you.
If your arrangements are a package and if any member of your party is cancelling, that person(s) may transfer
their place to someone else (introduced by you and satisfying all the conditions applicable to the arrangements, including an agreement to these booking conditions) providing we are notified in writing and
you pay an amendment fee and meet all costs and charges incurred by us and/or incurred or imposed by us or
any of our suppliers. Both you and the person to whom you would like to transfer your arrangements shall be
jointly and severally liable for the payment of any balance due and for any additional fees, charges or other
costs arising from the transfer. If you are unable to find a replacement, usually no refunds will be given for
passengers not travelling or for unused services. As most airlines do not permit name changes after tickets
have been issued for any reason, for flight inclusive bookings, you will have to pay the full cost of an alternative flight (if available) if you wish to transfer after tickets have been issued.
Note: Certain arrangements may not be amended after they have been confirmed and any alteration could
incur a cancellation charge of up to 100% of that part of the arrangements.
Cancellations must be made by the Tour Group Leader in writing by letter or email and will take effect when
received by us. Since we incur costs in cancelling your arrangements, you will have to pay the applicable
cancellation charges up to the maximum. In addition please note that certain travel arrangements e.g. many
scheduled transport providers and additional options such as excursions, a 100% cancellation fee may apply as
soon as the booking is made. Where we have organised your flights, if you are travelling on a scheduled flight,
we cannot give you any refund (if one is due) until we have received your old travel documents, including
tickets and airline can give refund. Free of charge places are given based on the pay members of the group. If
any of these paying members drop out this will affect the group and thus your refund. Therefore any differences may
have to be covered by the remainder of the group.
CHANGES MADE BY US
Occasionally, we have to make a change and we reserve the right to do so. A significant change is one where
we or our suppliers significantly alter any of the main characteristics of your arrangements. Examples of
significant changes include the following changes when made before departure:-
• A change of accommodation area for the whole or a significant part of your time away.
• A change of accommodation to that of a lower standard or classification for the whole or a significant
part of your time away, and this will be when supplier rates change, unless you would like to keep same and top up.
• A change of outward departure time or overall length of time that your arrangements cover of twelve
hours or more.
• A significant change to your itinerary, missing out one or more destination entirely.
• Where we or our supplier can no longer fulfil any special requirements that we have accepted and confirmed on our confirmation and this will have a significant impact on your arrangements.
In case of Yellow Hat Travels exercising its discretionary rights to alter, amend or cancel any tour or holiday
advertised, the Client who has booked for such tour can exercise one of the following options:
a) To continue with the tour as altered or amended; or
b) To accept any alternative tour, which Yellow Hat Travels may offer; or
c) To unconditionally accept the return of the tour cost charges (after deduction of the actual expenses
incurred by us on your booking like visa, travel insurance, ticket voiding charges and other overheads as applicable from case to case) in full and final settlement and Yellow Hat Travels shall not be liable to pay the Client, compensation, consequential loss, damages, additional expenses or interest charges over and above as is computed by Yellow Hat Travels as per these 'Terms & Conditions'.
The Client will not be entitled to make any grievance or any claims thereafter in respect of the same. In case of
the Client travelling on an amended tour, the legal relation between the parties shall not change only by virtue
of the altered/amendment. The Client opting to continue with the tour arrangements as altered or amended
shall pay additional charges, if any, levied.
There shall be no refund if the Client does not or cannot utilise any service included in the tour cost or paid for services like meals, rooms, entry tickets, excursions.
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