Tour Albania - Kosovo - North Macedonia

Booking conditions
“Balkan Insight accepts reservations and bookings according to the following conditions ;

1. Your Contract with “Balkan Insight “

a) Terminology

Group tour is prearranged tour for a group of people, where the price per person includes travel, accommodation and meals. A component is an individual group tour or Independent Travel package (a package is combined by Independent Travel services in a region during your entire stay in that region). Extra services are pre & post group tour or Independent Travel package hotels and transfers in the joining or departing cities.

b) Bookings & Payments

Bookings will be accepted until all available places are filled. They will be considered valid only if confirmation is followed immediately by and advance payment of 30% of the total cost.

c) Contract

To secure a booking “Balkan Insight” Ltd requires a non-refundable deposit as above per person per component. Full payment is required if 30 days before travel is due to commence (or at an earlier stage for some components). This payment is deemed to be confirmation that the client has read and accepts the “Balkan Insight”Ltd booking conditions and the risks involved in the travel). Clients booking through a travel agent or by telephone, fax, email or online will be deemed to have read the booking conditions and accepted them. A booking is accepted and becomes definite only from the date when “Balkan Insight”Ltd has issued a confirmation invoice to the client who makes the booking or their authorized travel agent. It is at this point that a contract between “Balkan Insight”Ltd and the client comes into existence. “Balkan Insight”Ltd reserves the right to decline any booking at our discretion.

The contract is between “Balkan Insight”Ltd and the client, being all persons named on the booking as travelling or intending to travel with “Balkan Insight”Ltd . The person making the booking (which is subject to these terms) warrants that he/she has full authority to do so on behalf of all persons named, and confirms that all such persons are fully aware of and accept these conditions.

The contract, including all matters arising from it, is subject to Albanian law and the exclusive jurisdiction of its respective courts. No employee of “Balkan Insight”Ltd other than a director has the authority to vary or omit any of these terms or promise any discount or refund.

For special events, congresses and seminars please refer to Terms and Conditions in your event application regarding payment and cancellation policy.

3. Changes

3a. Changes by You

A change of departure date and/or component to another must be requested in writing by the person who made the original booking. It must also be accompanied by the administration charge per person per component (plus additional deposits if applicable), unless the request is within 60 days of departure in which case cancellation charges will be applied as detailed in clause 4. The original component deposit and cancellation charges will apply based on the departure date of your original component (if changing to a later date) regardless of the length of the new component.

Any changes to extra services must be confirmed in writing by the person who made the original booking and must be accompanied by the administration charge per booking in addition to the cost of any extra services required. Whilst every reasonable effort will be made to accommodate changes and additional requests their availability cannot be guaranteed. Changes to extra services already booked will incur the administration charge. Extra services may be added up to one calendar month before departure without charge however.

CHANGES TO FLIGHTS ALREADY PURCHASED All changes made to the itinerary are restricted as well as subject to airline fare rules, whichever is more restrictive; all our tickets do not allow any date or name changes after the ticket is issued. For any itinerary where changes may be permitted, change fee is charged by “Balkan Insight”Ltd plus Airline penalties and any fare difference.

3b. Changes by Us

While “Balkan Insight”Ltd will do its best to operate all components as advertised, by accepting this contract the client accepts that it may prove necessary or advisable to vary or modify a component itinerary or its contents due to prevailing local conditions. “Balkan Insight”Ltd reserves the right at any time either before or during a component to cancel or change any of the facilities, services or prices described (including flights, transport, accommodation or other arrangements) and to substitute alternative arrangements of comparable value without compensation and accepts no liability for loss of enjoyment as a result of these changes.

If a major change becomes necessary “Balkan Insight”Ltd will inform the client as soon as reasonably possible if there is time before departure. The definition of a major change will depend on the individual component and circumstances and is at the sole discretion of “Balkan Insight”Ltd. When a major change is made the client will have the choice of accepting the change of arrangements, or within 7 days notification of the change, purchasing another available component or cancelling the component and obtaining a full refund, provided that the major change is not because of force majeure.

Force majeure is war, threat of war, riot, civil strife, industrial dispute, terrorist activity, natural or nuclear disaster, disease, fire or adverse weather conditions, technical or maintenance problems with local transport or “Balkan Insight”Ltd vehicles, changes imposed by cancellation or rescheduling of flights by an airline or main charterer, the alteration of airline or aircraft type, or other similar events beyond the control of “Balkan Insight”Ltd. “Balkan Insight”Ltd is not liable for any penalty charges associated with non-refundable airfares, in the event of a change to a component departure time, date or airport. All costs incurred due to force majeure such as transportation, communication, accommodation, food or other similar items will be passed to the client by way of local surcharges. See clause 6.

4. Cancellation

4a. Cancellation by You

The client may cancel the booking at any time provided that the cancellation is made to“Balkan Insight”Ltd in writing. Written notification is essential even if verbal notification of an intention to cancel has been given. Cancellation charges will be applied as shown below calculated from the day written notification is received by “Balkan Insight”Ltd. In addition to the charges shown below airlines may impose 100% cancellation charges and the cost of a new ticket. The date used for calculating cancellation charges will be as follows:

Group tours, Independent Travel & extra services:

60 days or more = Forfeit of all deposits*.

59 – 28 days = 50% of total cost;

27 days or less = 100% of total cost.

Clients who have booked 2 or more group tours will be subject to the above conditions based on the start dates of each group tour booked. Any discounts received due to booking additional group tours will be deducted from the refund amount owing for the cancelled group tour or invoiced separately if further payment is required.

4b. Cancellation by Us

“Balkan Insight”Ltd reserves the right to cancel a component in any circumstances but will not cancel a component less than 4 weeks before the component starts,except for force majeure, or the client’s failure to make all payments, or one of the conditions detailed in Clause 5. Unless the client fails to pay the final balance “Balkan Insight”Ltd will, upon cancellation, return all monies paid excluding payment for travel insurance and administration charges or offer an alternative component of comparable standard.

5. Prices & Surcharges

All prices published in printed brochures and other printed media are “from” prices only and may vary from time to time due to exchange rates, operational costs or travel seasons or years. Correct prices are published on the “Balkan Insight”Ltd website and are valid at the time of booking. No refunds are payable if the price is subsequently reduced and all prices may be subject to surcharges as set out below. Prices are published in € (euro) or in ALL (Albanian Lek). Please note that payments in Albanian Lek will be made only in ALL (Albanian Lek) according to the currency exchange rate published by the supplier of services.

“Balkan Insight”Ltd reserves the right to increase the component price and / or local fund to take account of the following items: entrance charges, government action, currency, operations costs, transportation costs, including the cost of fuel, over flying charges, airport charges and increases in scheduled airfares. “Balkan Insight”Ltd will not surcharge if the increase is less than 2% of the component price (excluding local funds). “Balkan Insight”Ltd may apply the full costs of a surcharge if the increase is 2% or more of the component price (excluding local funds). If the surcharge results in an increase of more than 10% of the component price the client may cancel the booking within 7 days notification of the surcharge and obtain a full refund.

6. Travel Insurance

Travel insurance is mandatory for all clients of “Balkan Insight”Ltd. Clients together with their personal property including baggage are at all times solely at their own risk. Clients are wholly responsible for arranging their own insurance. A suitable insurance policy should provide adequate cover for medical expenses arising through illness or accident prior to or during the component and loss of component monies through cancellation or curtailment of the component for insurable reasons. “Balkan Insight”Ltd is able to assist clients in obtaining a suitable insurance policy. Clients making their own arrangements should ensure that there are no exclusion clauses limiting protection for the type of activities in their component. Clients should satisfy themselves that any travel insurance arranged through “Balkan Insight”Ltd is what they require and should arrange supplementary insurance if need be. Proof of adequate insurance will be requested at the start of your component. Failure to provide this will result in the client being prevented from joining the component without refund.

7. Passports, Visas and Vaccinations

It is the responsibility of the client to be in possession of a valid passport, visa permits, vaccinations and preventative medicines as may be required for the duration of the component.

8. Participation and client responsibility

All clients are expected to satisfy themselves prior to booking that they are fit and able to complete the itinerary of their chosen component as described by “Balkan Insight”Ltd. Clients are also expected to accept that the components described constitute “Adventure Travel” and that travel to and facilities in developing countries will not be to similar standards which they may be accustomed to at home.

Clients agree to accept the authority and decisions of “Balkan Insight”Ltd employees, tour leaders, and agents whilst on components with “Balkan Insight”Ltd. If in the opinion of such person the health or conduct of a client before or after departure appears likely to endanger the safe, comfortable or happy progress of a component the client may be excluded from all or part of the component, at his or her own expense, and without any refund. In the case of ill health “Balkan Insight”Ltd may make such arrangements as it sees fit and the associated total costs of these arrangements including expenses of “Balkan Insight”Ltd must be paid for by the client. If a client is excluded as above or chooses to leave of their own free will or leaves due to ill health or any other reason there will be no refund of the component price, extra services surcharges, local fund or any local surcharges. All services forming part of the whole package booked will be forfeit though may be recoverable through your travel insurance in some circumstances.

9. Local Laws

All participants in components operated by “Balkan Insight”Ltd are expected to obey the laws and regulations of the countries visited and any failure to do so will relieve “Balkan Insight”Ltd of all obligations that they may otherwise have under these booking conditions.

10. Illness or Disability

Anyone suffering from illness or disability or undergoing treatment for any physical or medical condition must declare the true nature of such condition at the time of booking and make arrangements for the provision of any medication or other treatment which may be required during the component. Failure to make such disclosure will constitute a breach of these booking conditions and result in such persons being excluded from the component in which case all monies paid will be forfeit.

11. If you have a Complaint

If the client has a complaint about any of the component arrangements the client must bring it to the attention of the tour leader or other representative of “Balkan Insight”Ltd at the time so that they may use their best endeavors to rectify the situation. It is only if “Balkan Insight”Ltd is made aware of any problems that there will be the opportunity to give solutions. Failure to complain on the spot will result in the client’s ability to claim compensation from “Balkan Insight”Ltd being extinguished or at least reduced.

12. General
“Balkan Insight”Ltd reserves the right to alter these terms & conditions at any time

13. “Balkan Insight “ Ltd Information
Address : Street “Frosina Plaku” 89/3 – Tirana , Albania
Company registration number: SN-12720-01-18
VAT number: L8139028T / LICENCE NR :LN-440-01-2018