Real Travelling is owned by Gap 360 Ltd, a UK Limited Liability company whose registered office is at Aldgate Tower, 2 Leman Street, London, E1W 9US, and whose trading office is at 121/123 Mt Pleasant Rd, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN1 1QR. All correspondence should be directed to the Tunbridge Wells booking office.
Part of the ethos of our organization is to treat everyone fairly. For you, our customer, this means that we are committed to dealing honestly and openly with you every step of the way, from the moment you book with us, to the time you return home from your trip.
To start with we want to ensure that you fully understand the terms and conditions of your booking. We know that you are often presented with long detailed legal terms and conditions when you purchase items online and many people simply tick the box agreeing to the terms without bothering to read them, but you really do need to read and understand our terms.
We have done our best to make these booking terms easy to understand, and they are very important as they are the basis for your booking with Real Travelling. As part of the booking process, you must acknowledge in writing that you agree to them and the trip is sold to you subject to these terms and conditions.
In the following booking terms and conditions, "we", "us" and "our" refer to Real Travelling.
"You" and "your" refer to the customer whose name appears on the booking and for whom the trip is being arranged; "trip" includes all the arrangements we put in place for you overseas.
Real Travelling complies with the General Data Protection Regulations which form part of the UK 2018 Data Protection Act.
In order to process your booking and to ensure that your travel arrangements run smoothly and meet your requirements, we need to use the personal information that you provide. We take responsibility for ensuring that proper security measures are in place to protect your information.
We must pass your information on to the relevant suppliers of your travel arrangements such as airlines, hotels, and transport companies. The information may also be provided to public authorities such as customs/immigration if required by them or as required by law.
Controls on data protection may not be as stringent outside the European Economic Area as the legal requirement in the UK, or your country of residence. We will only pass information to any person responsible for part of your travel arrangements. Where you provide us with personal details, you consent to this information being passed on to such organizations, or companies responsible for your travel arrangements. If we cannot pass on this information, we cannot provide your travel arrangements.
Real Travelling complies with relevant data protection requirements and has in place an effective policy for protecting your privacy. The policy is available for you to see. The main points are:
We will collect and use the personal data you give us fairly and lawfully. Your data will include contact information, personal information and preferences, and will be used for us to gauge your suitability for the trip you are booking and to help us correctly make arrangements for your trip. We will pass on many of the details you give us to the overseas staff and suppliers so that they can properly prepare you for your trip.
To fulfil particular promotional activities we may need to share your details with approved 3rd parties. For any promotional activity, we will provide details of participating 3rd parties and any options you have to receive correspondence from them.
Some of your data could be sensitive, such as your religion or health details. We require this data to ensure that your trip preparations can be properly made and you consent to its use.
You can request to see all the personal data we hold about you at any time, and we will show you. We will explain to you why we need the data and to whom it will be passed.
We will amend any date that changes, such as an address change or contact details.
You have the right to opt-out of future marketing approaches from us but must inform us if you do not wish to be contacted.
The information you provide to us will only be held for as long as is necessary for the purpose for which it is collected.
We will not give away or sell your data to any organization other than the ones we deem necessary for the proper organization of your trip.
To request what information we hold about you, or to request your data be deleted at any time, please email [email protected] and our Data Protection Officer will deal with your request.
Our website pages use HTTPS security encryption.
The Real Travelling website uses cookies for the purpose of collecting data. Please see our cookies page for further information.
You can book with Real Travelling fully confident that the monies you pay to us are secure.
Real Travelling is a member of The Association of Bonded Travel Organisers Trust Limited (ABTOT) which provides financial protection under The Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 for Real Travelling (membership number 5183), and in the event of our insolvency, protection is provided for Non-flight packages.
ABTOT cover provides for a refund in the event you have not yet travelled or repatriation if transportation was included in your package. Please note that bookings made outside the UK are only protected by ABTOT when purchased directly with Real Travelling.
In the unlikely event that you require assistance whilst abroad due to our financial failure, please call our 24/7 helpline on 01702 811397 and advise you are a customer of an ABTOT protected travel company.
You can access The Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 here.
Travelling without insurance is a huge risk. It is a requirement of booking with Real Travelling that you have adequate travel insurance.
We recommend that you purchase insurance when you book your trip because you are then covered for trip cancellation. You must give us proof that you are insured no later than 30 days before departure. We cannot allow uninsured customers to travel with us, so if you do not provide proof of insurance we will cancel your trip and the cancellation charges will apply.
It is a requirement of travelling with Real Travelling that whichever insurance policy you choose, it must cover you for evacuation and repatriation.
In the event that you do not book travel insurance with us, and fail to provide us with adequate proof of insurance (a policy name, number and details from a recognized insurance provider) before your departure, we will regard your trip as cancelled and you will not be eligible for a refund.
It is essential that you understand what risks your policy covers. Some policies do not include deep sea diving, bungee jumping, horse riding or extreme sports. Some policies do not cover paid work or volunteering. Others require you to pay medical services locally and claim back when you return to the UK. Still more policies cease if you return to the UK unexpectedly, interrupting your trip. It is your responsibility to know what your policy covers. Real Travelling cannot be held responsible if you are un-insured for an activity or event despite you believing that your policy covered you.
You are responsible for ensuring that your possessions are safe at all times. You should include baggage insurance with your health insurance and make sure that you are adequately covered.
We cannot be held responsible for your baggage and possessions except when they are specifically in our care or the care of our suppliers. When your baggage is stored on vehicles or in accommodations it is at your risk and it is your responsibility to see that it is correctly and safely stored. We strongly recommend that you obtain appropriate baggage insurance for all your possessions and most good travel insurers will supply this at a reasonable price.
Real Travelling is an agent for CT Travel Group who hold ATOL license 5158. If you book flights with us your booking will be handled by Real Flights, part of Real Travelling, acting as an agent for CT Travel Group. Payment for flights will be to CT Travel Group and they will issue the tickets and any relevant ATOL confirmation invoices. Your contract for these flights is with the ATOL holder CT Travel Group.
It is your responsibility to ensure that your passport is up to date and not about to expire. You should have at least 6 months left on the passport past the date you plan to return to the UK, as some countries require this. We will offer you advice about whether or not you need a visa to enter any country on your trip, but we are not responsible for obtaining visas for you. We will provide you with the contact name and numbers of the consulate or embassy of the country for which you are required to obtain a visa and it is your responsibility to ensure that you receive a visa in your passport prior to travel. We cannot be held liable if the advice we have given you is superceded by very recent visa changes instituted by a country's embassy. You may choose to use a visa service to obtain visas for you at your own cost. We strongly advise you to regularly check with the relevant embassy to ensure that recent changes have not occurred. It is your responsibility to ensure that any visa granted to you does not expire while you are in that country, or even before you arrive if you are booking many months before travel. No matter where you are headed to, you must ensure that you have the correct entry documentation. Some countries require a yellow fever certificate or other inoculation. Your Real Travelling trip advisor can help you with advice about this, but we cannot be held responsible for any omissions or changes that occur. We advise you to review the websites for the embassy or consulate of each country you plan to visit for the latest regulations. If you are travelling to or via the USA or Canada, there are special electronic travel requirements for all non citizens.
Due to the covid 19 pandemic, some countries have added further entry requirements for international travellers, including (but not limited to) proof of negative PCR corona virus test, proof of full covid vaccination and/or quarantine periods upon arrival. You must ensure you comply with all requirements and have all relevant documentation to show airline and immigration officials in order to gain entry. These regulations are subject to regular amendments as the pandemic changes over time and it is your responsibility to keep yourself updated with any new requirements. We recommend you continually check the relevant FCDO advice and embassy websites as Real Travelling cannot be held responsible if you are unable to travel to your destination due you not adhering to the latest entry requirements.
We are not medically trained and your Real Travelling travel advisor cannot issue advice about whether a trip should be booked or not due to medical issues. You are advised to see your GP before you travel and seek their advice about inoculations and medicines you might need.
We do issue you with a checklist for what you should be prepared to pack and take with you, but these are guidelines only and we cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions.
If you suffer from a pre-existing medical condition (including any mental health issues) that may affect your ability to participate fully in the trip as described in our brochure and on the website, you must advise us at the time of booking your trip so that we can pass this information on to the trip coordinator overseas.
We may ask for a medical form to be completed by your doctor if you have any medical conditions before we can confirm your place on the programme. As such you should not book any flights or make any other travel arrangements until you have returned your medical form to Real Travelling and your place has been approved by the local team.
Real Travelling must receive the completed medical form back which confirms that you are fit to travel on your programme within 3 weeks of the form being sent or 14 weeks before your first trip start date (whichever comes first) in order for your trip to be fully confirmed. Real Travelling are not responsible for any fees your doctor may charge you for completing the form.
If you fail to return the completed medical form to us within 3 weeks of being sent the form or 14 weeks before your first trip start date (whichever comes first), or if you only declare a medical condition to us after your booking as been confirmed, we reserve the right to cancel your place on the trip if we have concerns about your health and safety on the programme. In this case our standard cancellation terms and conditions will apply.
It is your responsibility to take any medicines you may need with you. In the event that you cannot participate in any part of the trip because of a medical condition or you fail to disclose a medical condition to us whilst on the trip, we will not be able to refund any portion of the trip fee.
At the time of booking, or before you depart for you trip, we will ask you to provide us with the name and number of someone who we can contact in case of emergency. We reserve the right to contact this person in the event that Real Travelling or a member of the local staff are concerned about your welfare, or the welfare of others on your trip due to your actions or behaviour.
The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) provides excellent and up-to-date advice for UK citizens travelling abroad.
You agree that Real Travelling is not responsible for providing information or guidance with respect to local customs, travel advisories, weather conditions, specific safety concerns, physical challenges or laws in effect in any locations where a tour, product or service is operated. You acknowledge you have considered the potential risks, dangers and challenges and your own personal capabilities and needs, and you expressly assume the risks associated with travel under such conditions.
Our responsibility to you is to provide you with the services that you have booked with us, whether provided by Real Travelling directly, or our overseas suppliers and subcontractors. We coordinate with overseas suppliers and subcontractors to the best of our abilities to ensure that the information we give you is correct. We will not make misleading statements and we will use care and skill in making the arrangements for your trip. Once we have provided the information about your trip to you, and you have booked, we will provide you with further details, such as specifics about airport transfers, accommodations and other matters.
We check the information that we provide to you carefully, but things can change and any errors or omissions are inadvertent and we cannot be held responsible for them, other than to refund you for any services which you have not received as a direct result of our negligence. We cannot be held responsible for changes made to your trip as a result of weather, political or terrorist threats or other events beyond our control.
We will update the information on the Real Travelling online customer portal and it is your responsibility to check this for changes once we have notified you. We are not responsible where the failure to perform the services for your trip is neither due to us or our sub-contractors or suppliers but is attributable to you or a third party unconnected to us and is unforeseeable or unavoidable, or is due to circumstances beyond our control, the consequences of which could not have been avoided even if we exercised all due care and attention. We are not responsible or liable for an event which we, our employees, agents, suppliers and subcontractor could not, even with all due care, have foreseen or forestalled.
During our trips you may have the opportunity to participate in optional activities which are not included in your trip price. Real Travelling does not own, operate or control any of the companies or individuals which provide the optional activities or excursions. You are responsible for all risks associated with the transportation to/from, and your participation in, or visitation to, any place, activity or excursion not listed as an inclusion. Any assistance given by the our team or the team on the ground in arranging, selecting, or booking, any optional activities is purely at your request and we make no warranties and expressly disclaim any liability whatsoever arising from participation in optional activities. You acknowledge and agree that any liability for loss, damages, death, personal injury, illness, emotional distress, mental suffering or psychological injury or loss of or damage to property associated with any optional activities you decide to participate in is the sole responsibility of the third party providing that service or activity. You should ensure that any optional activity or activities you decide to book outside of your programme with Real Travelling are operated by reputable companies and that your travel insurance covers you for such activities.
In the event you suffer a serious emergency overseas which cannot be resolved locally, you should call our UK emergency hotline which will be given to you in your pre-departure information.
If you are unhappy with the services we provide to you before you depart the UK please contact your Real Travelling trip advisor by email or telephone. In the event the trip advisor cannot solve the problem or satisfy you, please email our Customer Service Manager outlining the problem and what you expect us to do about it. We will do our best to resolve the issue fairly. When dealing with complaints Real Travelling cannot accept online chats, Facebook messages, text messages etc as appropriate means of communication. You must email our office on [email protected] or email your travel co-ordinator.
We do not accept any complaints by an individual, or individuals which purport to be on behalf of the group. We need to receive any complaints from everyone who is complaining, individually.
If you think we have failed in our services to you while you are overseas, you must first discuss the issue with the local staff who will do their best to solve the problem. If the problem is not solved, or if the local staff are part of the problem, please email our Customer Service Manager in the UK, or call the UK office on 01892 527392. Our office is open 09:00 - 17:30 Monday to Friday. We will do our best to resolve your problem fairly.
You must give us an opportunity to fix any problem when it happens, so you must contact us within 48 hours of any problem if you would like us to take any action. We do not make any compensation payments or refunds if this procedure is not followed.
If you do not speak with our local staff, or email us in the UK office, we cannot be held responsible for any issues you complain about, because you will not have given us the opportunity to put the matter right.
If, despite our best efforts and having followed the above procedure for reporting and resolving your complaint, you feel that it has not been satisfactorily settled, we recommend that it is referred for arbitration under the ABTOT Travel Industry Arbitration Service. An Independent Arbitrator will review the documents relating to any complaint and deliver a binding decision to bring the matter to a close. A fee is payable by each party when an application for arbitration is submitted.
Details of this scheme are available from The Travel Industry Arbitration Service, administered by:
Dispute Settlement Services
9 Savill Road
Lindfield
West Sussex
RH16 2NY
E-mail: [email protected]
This scheme cannot however decide in cases where the sums claimed exceed £5,000 per person or £10,000 per booking form, or not solely or mainly in respect of physical injury or illness or the consequences of such injury or illness, or solely or mainly in respect of a discrimination claim or any claim under the Equality Act.
Standards of accommodation, cleanliness, hygiene, health and safety and other services may be quite different from what you are accustomed to at home in the UK, and you should be prepared for this. We will do our best to prepare you for the likely standards you will encounter before you depart, but we cannot be held liable for any refunds as a result of complaints about standards which we have adequately described.
You agree to abide by these Real Travelling terms and conditions.
You agree to comply with the laws and regulations of the country(s) you visit on your trip, including drug and alcohol regulations and social conventions.
Your trip will have specific guidelines concerning the behaviour expected from you and you agree to comply with these. You will be advised of these before you depart and again when you are in your destination.
If you commit illegal acts, or if in the opinion of our local coordinator your behaviour is seriously unacceptable in any way and is disrupting the smooth progress of your trip or threatening the safety or enjoyment of the other participants, we will issue a warning to you. If you disregard this warning, or the initial breach of conduct is serious enough, you may be removed from the trip. If this happens, we will not be responsible for any refund to you, nor for any travel arrangements to get you back home. Further, we may claim expenses from you for any related costs that we incur as a result of your behaviour.
If you participate in an activity that is not specifically included in the trip provided by us, you do so at your own risk. If you have any complaint or suffer any injury or illness as a result of your participation in this activity we cannot be held responsible and your claim should be directed to the local supplier. In the event that you do not receive satisfaction, and we believe your claim is valid, we may help you pursue your claim, but we cannot be held responsible for any outcome and we may ask you to contribute to our costs in this regard.
Our trips operate in a variety of places around the world, some of which may be or may become politically unstable, suffer extreme weather, disease or other conditions which could cause you discomfort or even a risk to your safety. In booking your trip, you accept that this kind of trip can involve such hazards, and changes or disruption to your trip may occur. In the event you do not receive a specific part of your trip because of any event or condition beyond our control, we may decide to issue a partial refund for services lost, but we are not obliged to do so.
It is not possible for us to be responsible for events or the actions or failures of people and organizations over whom we have no control, and no claim can be made against us in this regard. We accept your trip booking on the basis that you agree and understand that there may be risks associated with the trip. We cannot be held liable or responsible for any delays, accidents, damage, loss, health issues or other issues resulting from the failure of people and organisations other than our own staff.
Some trips are entirely operated by third parties. We vet these third parties and arrange trips with them on your behalf, but any liability for claims you may wish to make against them lies with the third parties and not Real Travelling, although we will help you with claims in the event that we deem your claim fair and reasonable.
No matter where you live, your booking with us is accepted under English law and the Courts of England and Wales shall have the exclusive jurisdiction to decide on any disputes between us.