Booking conditions
The person who accepts these booking conditions does so on behalf of all the individuals included in their booking, such that all are bound by these booking conditions. They accept these conditions on behalf of themselves and all other persons named on the booking and represent that they are authorised to accept these conditions on their behalf. All persons named on the booking form, or if only one person is named, are hereafter referred to as “you”.
All travel arrangements and activities described in our marketing materials and tour itineraries will hereafter be referred to as “tours” or “travel arrangements”. All bookings are made with First Light Travel Limited, hereafter referred to as the “company”, “we” or “us”. No variation of these conditions may be made unless this is done in writing by a director of the company.
These booking conditions represents your entire agreement with us. You agree that this agreement does not transfer any rights or legal redress to a third party, except you as a participant.
Prices quoted by us are based on exchange rates and costs applicable at the time of quoting, but are not fixed until your booking is confirmed by us.
Travel arrangements that we can provide to you will be detailed in our travel quote. Inclusions in our quote are limited to those items specifically mentioned in our quote to you. Items not specifically included in your quote do not form part of the services for which we have quoted.
If you have special requests or medical requirements please let us know at the time you book, or if not known at time of booking then prior to your departure. We will advise the relevant suppliers of your requirements, but we cannot guarantee that such requests will be met. Furthermore, we have no liability to you if such requests are not met.
Deposit
A non-refundable deposit of 20% of your land arrangements and 100% of any flights, guided walks and travel insurance is required at time of booking. Your part or full payment for your travel arrangements indicates your acknowledgement of these booking conditions and your agreement to be bound by them. We will confirm our acceptance of your booking in writing, and it is at the time we send out this confirmation that a contract comes into existence between us.
Balance
Payment for the balance of the tour arrangements is due 10 weeks prior to your departure date. Should this final payment fail to reach us when due, we reserve the right to treat your booking as cancelled. We will let you know in writing when your final payment is due, and won’t cancel your tour arrangements without first letting you know your balance is overdue.
If you book less than 10 weeks prior to your departure date then full payment for your travel arrangements will be payable on booking.
If you make your reservation through a travel agent we shall address all communication to the agent, and they will be bound by the same conditions had you booked direct. All payments by you must be paid via your agent, and any monies paid by you to your travel agent are not deemed received by us or credited to your account until actually received by us from your agent.
After we have confirmed your travel arrangements, and including while you are travelling, if you wish to make any alterations to your holiday we will make every effort to accommodate these, but cannot always guarantee that this will be possible. Where possible, these will be subject to any amendment, cancellation or other charges imposed by suppliers, plus AU$250 to cover our administrative costs. To avoid any confusion, requests for amendments must be made in writing.
We will provide you with an electronic copy of your travel documents after your final balance payment. Please check all documentation and tickets thoroughly and notify us as soon as possible of any discrepancy. We cannot accept any liability if we are not notified of discrepancies within 7 days of dispatch or before you begin your travel arrangements.
You must be in possession of a valid passport, visas, permits and certificates as may be required for the tour. It is your sole responsibility to make sure that you have all necessary visas, health requirements for your entire journey, including transit visas where required. We do not accept responsibility for changes in regulations for visas or any particular requirements for visas and will not be held responsible for your failure to obtain the necessary visas. Any information and advice given by us on visas, vaccinations, climate, clothing, baggage, etc. is given in good faith.
Many of the best activities are weather dependent. If something is cancelled outside of your control then talk to the operator or that activity and see if they can get you on another departure. If not let us know as soon as possible as we may be able to fit a similar activity into your itinerary elsewhere. At the end of your holiday we can work out any necessary reimbursements and refund in a one off payment.
With the exception of travel vouchers unused because of weather or operator cancellation, unused vouchers are refunded at our sole discretion. Product and service providers are unable to authorise any refund on our behalf.
Cancellations by you
If you wish to cancel your travel arrangements before or after departure you must let us know in writing. Your cancellation will be effective from the date of physical receipt by us. Cancellation charges are expressed as a percentage of the total tour price and based on the number of days’ notice before the day of commencement of any tour arrangements we have made for you.
- > 70 days before departure – loss of deposit
- 69-31 days before departure 30% plus any cancellation fees imposed on us by our suppliers
- 30 days or less before departure 100%
Cancellations by us or our suppliers
In the unlikely event that we or one of our suppliers becomes unable to provide any part of the services you have booked we will endeavour to make similar alternative arrangements for you at no extra charge, or if we are unable to provide a suitable alternative that you are happy with we will refund to you our cost of those services.
Force majeure is unusual and unforeseeable circumstances beyond our control, the consequences of which neither we nor our suppliers could avoid, even with the exercise of all due care, examples of which are war or threat of war, riots, civil strife, terrorist activity, industrial disputes, pandemics, natural disasters, fire or adverse weather conditions, or other similar events beyond our control. In such circumstances any refunds we provide will be less any unrecoverable costs.
We are not responsible for any incidental expenses that you may incur due to cancellations, including but not limited to any insurance excess or non-refundable flights/flight amendment fees.
Many of the tours and activities we offer require a degree of flexibility and must allow for alternatives due to weather or other conditions. The outline itinerary as given for each tour must therefore be taken as an indication of what each trip may accomplish, and not as a contractual obligation. The final decision on the itinerary and conduct of any tour will be taken by the tour operator in the interests of the group as a whole. It is understood that the route schedules, itineraries, amenities and mode of transport may be subject to alteration without prior notice due to local circumstances or events which may include sickness or medical breakdown, flight cancellations, strikes, climate and other unpredictable or unforeseeable circumstances.
Where we act as an agent only we cannot accept responsibility or liability for any failure, delay or omission on the part of any third party supplier in providing products or services to you where the booking has been properly processed by us.
We and our suppliers reserve the right to withdraw services and expel from any tour or activity any person who is causing risk to themselves or the environment, or negatively impacting on others’ enjoyment. In the event that this occurs, you agree that you will not be entitled to a refund of any sort and that you will be fully responsible for your travel arrangements from the point of expulsion.
It is essential that all travellers are covered by travel insurance before setting out on holiday, including but not limited to cover for personal accident, medical expenses, loss of effects, emergency evacuation, emergency repatriation, and all other expenses which might arise as a result of loss, damage, injury, delay or inconvenience. It is your sole responsibility to ensure your travel insurance is adequate for your purposes.
We want your holiday to be everything you thought it would be. If you have a complaint whilst on your tour you must inform both us and any relevant supplier immediately as most matters can be quickly resolved whilst you are on your tour, and failure to let us know of your concern may mean we are unable to provide any resolution. If we or our supplier can’t resolve the matter, make the complaint known to us in detail in writing within 14 days of your tour's scheduled completion and we will do our best to reach a settlement with you.
Should any part of your holiday arrangements booked with us not be as described in your personal itinerary or not be of a reasonable standard, subject to the conditions below, will refund to you an amount equal to our cost of that activity. The cost of any alternative arrangements made by us for you will be deducted from any refund due to you.
We accept liability in accordance with the statements above except where the cause of the failure in your tour arrangements is not due to any fault on our part, and is your own fault or choice, or due to unusual or unforeseeable circumstances which neither we, nor our servants, agents or suppliers could have anticipated or avoided even with the exercise of all due care.
Finally, it is a condition precedent of our acceptance of liability that you follow the procedures for the notification of complaints set out above.
Some activities, like scuba diving as one example, require a minimum level of experience in order to participate and we expect you to be honest with us in assessing your level of fitness and abilities. Where applicable we will advise you of these requirements in good faith. You accept full responsibility for ensuring you have the relevant experience, licences and certifications required to participate in these activities and carry documents to that effect. You also agree to not hold us responsible for refusal to carry by us, our agents or suppliers due to your lack of documentary evidence or insufficient experience, licences or certification.
You agree to reimburse us or our suppliers for any of equipment lost or damaged whilst in your care where that loss is entirely your fault.
By agreeing to these booking conditions you confirm that you are in good health for the activities which you are undertaking and have advised fully any medical history of heart or lung disorders, asthma or epilepsy, or insulin or drug dependency. You agree that you will not participate in activities if you are feeling unwell or know of medical conditions that could be affected by your participation.
Your contract with us and any matters arising from it shall be exclusively subject to New Zealand law and to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Courts of New Zealand. If any part of this agreement is deemed invalid or impossible to implement according to the law, that part shall be composed according to the law in a way that expresses the intent of the parties in the best possible manner, while the rest of the contract shall remain valid.
You declare that you have carefully read the terms and conditions stated above, accept all of those conditions, and acknowledge that there are certain risks and dangers inherent in travel. These risks include, but are not limited to, travelling in vehicles, hiking over rocky or uneven terrain, participating in adventure activities of an extreme nature, participating in sports involving water, aviation, and/or the possibility of accident or illness in remote areas without the possibility of immediate evacuation or availability of medical supplies or facilities. You are voluntarily participating with knowledge of those dangers and hereby agree to assume all and any risks, including injury and death. You therefore release and discharge the company and its owners, employees, subcontracted activity and service providers, and business partners from liability for bodily injury, death, property damage or theft, and any of the consequences thereof, arising from my participation in the tour. You enter into this release of liability on behalf of yourself, and those members of your travelling party, including those who are under 18. You certify that you are the parent or guardian of any such minors.
