Application terms & conditions
By submitting your application for a Practical Program (fieldwork or travel program) you (the “Participant”) confirm that you accept and agree to these terms.
You will enter into a binding legal agreement with GVI Travel Limited or GVI Programs Limited (depending on the applicable program), which trade as GVI (“GVI”, “we”, “us”, “our”). Please ensure you read them carefully and do not hesitate to ask any questions about them before you complete your booking.
We reserve the right to amend these terms at any time. All amendments to these terms and conditions will be posted online. Please make sure you check regularly to see any amendments that may have been made.
Services Provided
GVI agrees to organise a Program as agreed upon in writing between you and GVI (being “your GVI program”). Our services are those outlined in the “what’s included” section of the website program page.
Please note, program details, activities and/or sample itineraries as defined are based on currently available information or activities. GVI and its partners reserve the right to make changes to your GVI program and/or substitute program activities with activities of a similar nature or merit based on the needs of our local communities and in-field partners. We will do our utmost to keep you updated on any changes prior to your GVI program commencement where possible.
Any information we provide, including but not limited to information about insurance, flights, visas, vaccinations, healthcare, climate, baggage, group sizes and special equipment is given in good faith for informational purposes only. For the avoidance of doubt, the information provided by GVI is merely guidance for the participants to make their own decisions, and GVI and its partners cannot be held responsible for firstly, any loss incurred as a result of the information provided, nor secondly, any consequence arising from potential inaccurate information as the case may be.
Application Process
During the application process you will be asked to provide the following information:
• Legal name
• Phone Number
• Email Address
• Date of Birth
• Medical history – including mental health, current medications, vaccination status and any medical requirements
• Dietary requirements
• Citizenship & country of residence
You confirm that all information you provide during the application process is complete and correct.
You must immediately update GVI if this information changes prior to your program commencement or during your program. Failure to provide complete, accurate and truthful information on the application will be grounds for cancellation without refund.
Privacy Policy and Data Protection
Personal Data and Data protection is handled in line with our Privacy Policy.
Documentation Required
Insurance
You are required to secure travel and medical insurance to protect you against losses caused by travel, loss or damage of baggage and or personal effects by any means, non-refundable airfare, emergency security or medical evacuation and other medical expenses including medical coverage for exposure/infection of any viruses. It is strongly recommended that you purchase trip cancellation cover to protect yourself against losses relating to your inability to travel for medical reasons or if someone in your family takes ill or dies suddenly as our “Cancellation & Refunds” policies outlined below will still apply to these instances. The policy must cover the entire duration of your GVI program and include all activities you may undertake during your GVI program such as manual, conservation work where applicable. GVI and our partners cannot be held responsible for loss or damage of personal effects by any means whatsoever. The details of your insurance policy must be provided prior to program commencement for your protection.
Health & Medical Forms
In the event your medical history changes following your acceptance onto a GVI program, and either your treating physician has determined that you are no longer physically or mentally fit to participate in a GVI Program, you will have the following options:
• Cancel your program and book a later start date. The new start date will need to be signed off by a doctor, confirming you are physically or mentally fit to travel. GVI reserves the right to require additional documentation to support this sign off; or
• Cancel your program and claim your program fees from your travel insurance. Please note many travel insurance plans do not cover mental health. Please read any plans carefully prior to purchasing insurance to ensure you are covered for any eventuality.
For certain locations or programs, you may be required to be fully vaccinated with a vaccine approved by the WHO, or you may need to be free of certain viruses, prior to arriving on your GVI program. If this is required for your selected program:
• It is your responsibility to plan in advance to ensure you have sufficient time to receive the required doses or tests.
• You will be required to supply evidence of the required vaccination or test (such as an official government vaccination card) prior to program commencement. This information will be handled in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
• Medical exemptions for vaccination will only be permitted in limited circumstances and must be requested during the application process. A letter from your doctor outlining the medical condition or disability which prevents you from receiving the relevant vaccine and citing the WHO guidelines pertaining to that medical issue will be required. GVI reserves the right to accept or reject the request for an exemption at its sole discretion.
• Participants who refuse to comply with any vaccination, testing or quarantine requirements will not be permitted to join or continue with their GVI program and will not be eligible for any refund of program fees or program credit.
Program Leaders are not medical professionals, and the standards of medical care in countries where GVI programs are held are likely to be lower than you may be used to. You, and your primary care physician, are responsible for ensuring you are able to manage your own mental and physical wellbeing, including administering any medication, for the entirety of your GVI Program.
It is your responsibility to visit a local travel clinic and ensure you have any necessary vaccines or medications (including all medications prescribed by a medical practitioner) for the full duration of your GVI Program. GVI cannot guarantee that you will not become infected by any illnesses while on your program (or travelling to or from your program) and you hereby release GVI, its employees, directors, partners and affiliates from any liability in this regard.
Prior to program commencement, you must supply us with emergency contact details of a friend or family member. We reserve the right to contact this person should we deem it necessary.
Other documentation
In order to comply with local visa and permit requirements, you may also be required to provide additional documentation, including, but not limited to, passport details, and flight arrival and departure information. A full list will be provided at the time of booking. If this information is not provided by the deadline stipulated at the time of booking, GVI may cancel your booking without refund.
Visas & Passports
It is your responsibility to ensure you have any necessary visas and a valid passport for your program.
Any visa information provided by GVI is done in good faith and for guidance purposes only. GVI and our partners cannot be held responsible for any country’s decision to change visa rules, deny a visa application, or refuse entry, exit or the right of passage (national and local laws governing immigration). We bear no liability for any losses you may incur arising from any such action. In certain cases, you may be required to enter the country on a specific visa to comply with local country laws and regulations.
Program Fees
GVI and its partners begin preparing for your GVI program as soon as you are accepted, which means we are unable to provide refunds except in the instances outlined in our “Cancellations & Refunds” section below.
GVI’s current program fees are displayed on the website and are subject to change, depending on factors which include (although not limited to) location and date of the program, without notice.
However, GVI will communicate the final price to the participant prior to their booking being confirmed. Information on what is included in your program fee will be displayed on the “What’s Included?” tab on the program page.
You will be quoted in the currency of your home country (e.g. country of current permanent residence) and are not eligible to pay in other currencies unless GVI does not offer the currency of your home country. GVI accepts payments in GBP, USD, EUR, CAD, AUD and ZAR. Currency exchange rates are set at GVI’s discretion and do not necessarily reflect current market exchange
rates.
GVI accepts payments by debit card, credit card or bank (EFT) transfer. In the event you pay by credit/debit card, GVI will charge any subsequent payments to that same card on the date they are due.
If you fail to make any payments on time, you will incur a late payment fee.
Should your payment not be received within 7 days of your payment due date, GVI reserves the right to cancel your program, without refund.
Cancellations & Refunds
Force Majeure
GVI reserves the right to cancel or curtail a Program for reasons of force majeure events (which are events that are outside of our control), such as (but not limited to):
• Acts of God such as natural disasters or disease outbreaks etc
• War
• Acts of terrorism
• Fire
• Acts or changes in sovereign law or other official government action (including any changes in visa requirements)
• Riots or civil unrest
For all programs, in cases of force majeure: your program fees will remain non-refundable, and you will receive a credit for the amount you have paid. The credit can be used for a program with an alternative start date or GVI destination. Your use of your credit will be subject to program availability.
GVI reserves the right to provide alternative destinations or program focuses. Credit is nontransferable and not redeemable for cash.
If your program is shortened or otherwise curtailed due to force majeure, your first recourse will be to claim the balance of your program fee from your insurance. In the event the reason for curtailment is not covered (or not typically covered) by insurance, GVI will provide a credit in the amount of your unused program fee which can be used towards a future GVI program. The credit amount will be calculated based upon the services that have been rendered to date, and not a pro-rata amount. Your use of credit will be subject to program availability. GVI reserves the right to provide alternative destinations or program focuses. Credit is non-transferable and not redeemable for cash.
In all cases of cancellation by GVI, GVI will not refund you for any additional expenses incurred by you related to your program (other than those expressly mentioned), including, but not limited to, airfare, visa expenses, insurance, documentation and equipment purchases. Please note this list is not exhaustive.
In all other cases where GVI cancels your program, GVI will provide you with a credit of your program fee paid to use towards an alternative start date or GVI destination. The use of your credit will be subject to program availability. GVI reserves the right to provide alternative destinations or program focuses. Credit is non-transferable and not redeemable for cash. Should you decline the offer of credit, GVI will provide you with a full refund of your program fees paid. GVI will not refund you for any other expenses incurred by you related to your program, including, but not limited to, airfare, visa expenses, insurance, documentation and equipment purchases. Please note this list is not exhaustive.
In cases of curtailment outside of force majeure, GVI will provide a transfer to a similar program or destination for the remaining duration of your program. Should the new destination or program be of a higher cost than the original destination, GVI will absorb that cost. In the event GVI is unable to find an alternative destination or program, credit in the amount of your unused program fee will be issued to use towards a future GVI program. The credit amount will be calculated based on the services that have been rendered to date, and not a pro-rata amount. The use of credit will be subject to program availability. GVI reserves the right to provide alternative destinations or program focuses. Should the offer of credit be declined, you will be eligible for a refund of the credit amount.
In all cases where GVI provides refunds, the refund will be made back to the original method of payment. In the event the credit or debit card has expired, the cardholder must contact their bank on how to recover the funds. GVI will not refund alternate accounts or individuals. All refunds incur a processing fee of R 170 for each payment that is refunded and can take up to 180 days to process in full.
Should you wish to transfer your program to an alternative date and/or location, then the provisions applicable to cancellations will apply (i.e., you will be considered as having cancelled your original program and any credit received may be used to book an alternative program).
• If you cancel your program more than 48 hours before its start date, then GVI will provide you with a credit of your program fee paid (less your program deposit) to use towards an alternative start date or GVI destination. However, if you cancel your program 48 hours or less before its start date, then you will not be entitled to a refund or program credit.
For all programs, the use of credit will be subject to program availability. Credit is non-transferable and not redeemable for cash. Credit must be used (i.e., the program must be booked) within a period of 12 months starting on the original program’s start date.
If you choose to curtail your program, you must claim the balance of your program fee from insurance, as your fees are non-refundable.
Package Travel and Linked Travel
Arrangements Regulations
The Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 (“PTR”), applies to Program packages which include two of the following:
• Carriage of passengers (e.g. flights or train tickets);
• Accommodation;
• Rental of cars; and/or
• Any other tourist service which accounts for a significant portion of the value of the package.
In addition, in order for the PTR to apply:
• The Program package must also have one point of sale (e.g. it will not apply for groups where flights or activities are paid for separately); and
• The participant must be a resident of the UK or European Union. Participants based outside of the UK and European Union are not covered under PTR.
Depending on the custom itinerary designed for the program, PTR may or may not apply. The participant will receive information about the applicability of PTR prior to concluding an agreement with GVI.
PTR does not apply to a vast majority of the programs offered by GVI. However, only where PTR does apply (as communicated to you by GVI):
• if the program is cancelled due to force majeure, the participant will be entitled to a full refund;
• the participant will be eligible to transfer the package to another participant who meets the
PTR requirements outlined above, upon the provision of sufficient notice to GVI and subject to additional fees being payable, where applicable; and
• the participant will be eligible for insolvency protection as outlined in the PTRs.
For more detailed information about these regulations please visit this website.
Alterations
We plan arrangements for the program many months in advance and may occasionally have to make changes, most of which are minor. All programs are subject to availability. Future start dates for destinations or programs cannot be guaranteed.
If a major change becomes necessary, we will inform you of the change as soon as possible. When a major change occurs, you will have the choice of either:
• accepting the change; or
• cancelling the program, in which case any refund or credit will be dealt with in accordance with the above terms that are applicable when you cancel the program.
On Your GVI Program
Health & Safety
You must always respect and follow the health and safety procedures as set out by GVI, the Program Leaders and/or the representative in the host country.
GVI and its partners reserve the right to search your bag, room or property where there is deemed a health and safety, legal or other serious risk, such as the possession of illegal and illicit substances, including marijuana.
In the event you break any local laws, we (and our partners) will bear no liability and will not be required to mediate the matter on your behalf with local authorities.
GVI’s Program Leaders reserve the right to make decisions on your emergency medical care where it is deemed essential to do so by the most qualified in-country staff member in the event you are not able to do so yourself. GVI will not be held liable for the outcome of such care.
GVI Experiences
The activities included in your program are dependent on the length of your program and are subject to scheduling requirements. It is a requirement that your travel insurance covers any activities you wish to undertake, and it is your responsibility for ensuring your travel insurance covers such activities. You are responsible for ensuring you are medically fit to participate in these activities, however, GVI and/or Program Leaders, in their sole discretion, reserve the right to restrict participation in certain activities if they feel it is in the best interest of health and safety. No refunds will be given in the event an activity is cancelled or you are unable or unwilling to participate in the activity. Such activities may be delivered by third parties and GVI accepts no liability on behalf of those parties for bodily injury, illness, death, medical treatment, or property damage which results from your participation.
Activities outside of GVI
International travel provides an opportunity for various tourist activities and experiences. GVI and our partners cannot bear any liability for activities that you choose to undertake that are not officially included in your GVI program. What is included in the program is laid out in the “What’s Included” tab on your chosen program’s itinerary on our website. These rules apply regardless of whether we introduce or recommend a given activity or provider.
Program Data
Program Media
By partaking in or allowing a minor under your care to partake in a GVI program, you give us (and our partners and affiliates) permission to take and/or use your image or the image of a minor, who is under your care, whether in photograph, video, or any other form of media (and including where the media was not produced or taken by GVI, but rather made available to GVI) (collectively referred to as “media”), in GVI’s media publications and other promotional, commercial or marketing material, which may include, but is not limited to, the posting of such media on social media and/or GVI’s website. In particular:
• you acknowledge and agree that your image, or the image of your child (as the case may be), may be taken and/or shared by GVI and/or other individuals or parents with access to GVI’s social media platforms.
• you waive any right to inspect or approve of the media that may be used.
• you waive any right to receive credit, royalties or other compensation arising from or related to the use of the media, as well as any other media or materials that you publish on social media or otherwise make available to GVI.
Complaints
You should direct any in writing to [email protected] where you will be requested to complete a complaint form. GVI will not engage with complaints made by third parties unless explicitly directed in writing by you. Where you are under 18, your parent or legal guardian must explicitly direct GVI to engage with a third party regarding you or your participation.
Personal Risk
You accept that you will be subjected to various emotional, physical and psychological demands by participating in a Program.
You also understand that certain risks may arise, including, but not limited to:
• hazards of travelling in remote areas;
• travel by automobile, van, bus, aeroplane, boat, train or any other means of conveyance;
• the forces of nature;
• civil disturbances;
• national or international conflicts;
• terrorism;
• arbitrary itinerary changes made by foreign governments or vendors;
• interacting with dangerous wildlife;
• personal injury or illness from the local environment;
• accident or illness in remote locations without immediate evacuation or medical facilities; or
• negligent acts of third parties.
You confirm and agree to all of the following:
• you understand these and other risks inherent in such a program;
• you also confirm that your participation is completely voluntary;
• you assume all risk associated with your fieldwork; and
• you agree to indemnify us and those involved in delivering the fieldwork component against any claims of any kind that arise from your participation.
These claims include those arising both directly and indirectly from your participation in the program.
Liability
GVI will not pay financial compensation which exceeds the amount of your program fee, as outlined in your acceptance email, except in cases of death or personal injury caused by GVI’s gross negligence.
In cases of death or personal injury caused by GVI’s gross negligence, any liability by GVI and/or its employees, partners and/or its agents is limited to the financial amount that will be paid out by the insurance policies in GVI’s name. If no compensation is received from these policies, then any and all liability whatsoever, including without limitation, claims grounded in negligence, is hereby limited to a maximum amount of R 40,000.
Application & Governing Law
English (UK) Law shall apply to this Agreement and the parties agree to submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English Courts.
