BOOKING CONDITIONS

In these conditions the expressions “Unicorn Trails”, “we” and “us” mean Unicorn Trails Limited, registered in England with company number 3805366 and registered office 17 The Acorn Centre, Chestnut Avenue, Biggleswade, Bedfordshire, SG18 0RA. You are requested to read these booking conditions carefully as these with the information contained in the "About This Brochure" section of our brochure are the basis of your contract with Unicorn Trails Limited. We may from time to time update our terms and conditions and the latest version is always available from our web site. If you are partially sighted then we can make these available in large lettering or if you require any further assistance then you can contact us on 01767 600606.


Making a booking

1. To make a booking you (or your parent or guardian if you are under 18) must complete, sign and complete a booking form to us with a deposit equal to 20% of the holiday price or any other amount advised to you by Unicorn Trails. If you are booking within 8 weeks of the start date of your holiday, the full holiday price must accompany our booking form. If more than one person is named on the booking form the first named person confirms that he/she and all persons named on the booking form are fully aware of and accept the booking conditions. The first named person will be responsible for all payments due in respect of arrangements purchased.  
2. When we receive a completed booking form and your deposit (or if appropriate, the full holiday price) we will issue and send you a confirmation invoice. Your contract with Unicorn Trails comes into existence when such a confirmation invoice is issued. Please check this invoice carefully as soon as you receive it and raise any queries you have immediately. No responsibility will be accepted by us if you do not inform us of any inaccuracies in any document within 10 days of the issue, 5 days for tickets.
3. The balance of the price for your holiday is due 8 weeks before the holiday start date and must be received by us not later than that date. If we do not receive the full price by that date we reserve the right to treat the arrangements as cancelled by you and to apply the cancellation charges set out in paragraph 7a) below.
4. If you have any special diet or other requests please indicate these on the booking form. We will try to make suitable arrangements but cannot guarantee to be able to do so.
5. Any payments made by you to a travel agent appointed by Unicorn Trails are at all times held by the travel agent on our behalf.
   
   Alteration / Cancellation / Curtailment.
   By You:
6. Should you wish to make any changes to your holiday once it has been confirmed, the person who signed the relevant booking form must notify us. We will do our best to make the changes requested although we cannot guarantee being able to do so. If we are able to make the changes we will do so, subject to payment of any increased holiday costs and to any cancellation or amendment charges imposed by our suppliers. We also reserve the right to charge a reasonable administration fee to cover our administrative costs. Where the requested change is to the date of your booking or to alter your booking to another ride, our ride operators are entitled to impose a cancellation charge equal to the amount that would be payable under paragraph 7a) if the booking had been cancelled by you at the date of the alteration request.
7. If after your booking has been confirmed you are unable to proceed with your holiday you may transfer you booking to another person introduced by you who fulfills any conditions of the holiday booked (including riding ability). You will not, however be able to do so if there is a waiting list for places in which case the available place must be offered to the next person on that list. To be entitled to make this transfer, you must notify us in writing that you are unable to proceed and the name of the proposed transferee not less than 14 days before the holiday departure date. You will be required to pay all costs and any charges incurred by us in making the transfer or imposed by suppliers of your holiday components as a result. You must also ensure that the transferee completes and signs a new booking form and delivers it to us before the holiday start date. Some travel arrangements, such as flight bookings at certain fares, cannot be altered or transferred and any alteration or transfer will incur a 100% cancellation charge.
8.  
1. You may cancel your booking with us at any time before the start date of your holiday providing the person who signed the relevant booking form notifies us in writing. The date of cancellation will be the date written notice is actually received by us so you are recommended to use recorded delivery. As we incur costs from the time we make your booking and because ride departures are often confirmed and other bookings taken for the same group on the basis that there are a certain number of participants and we may not be able to resell your place, the following charges will be payable to Unicorn Trails by the person making the cancellation. Charges are expressed as a percentage of the total holiday price excluding any amendment charges and insurance premiums (which are non-refundable) and depend on the date cancellation is received by us: up to 70 days charge equals deposit only; 30-70 days charge equals 50%, less than 30 days charge equals 100%. Where we have sold you air tickets we will try to recoup, and will pay onto you, whatever we can in respect of cancelled air travel subject to a reasonable administration charge for our efforts. Cancellation charges for flights can be up to 100% at any time however depending on the airline and type of fare booked.
2. If, having started your holiday arrangements with us you decide not to or are unable to use any of the services to be provided to you by us, you will not be entitled to any refund or compensation for the unused service.
3. If the reason for your cancellation is covered under the terms of your insurance policy, you may be able to reclaim these charges.
   
   By Unicorn Trails:
9. The information and particulars included in the Unicorn Trails Limited brochure, web site and in any information sheet or itinerary prepared by us has been carefully checked and great care is taken to ensure that such information and particulars are accurate at the time of publication. However itineraries are often planned far in advance and changes and errors can occur. Whilst we will always try to avoid changes and cancellations, we must reserve the right to make cancellations and any changes to any published details at any time. If you contact us about a proposed booking and changes have been made to the published information, we will endeavor to inform you of all such changes before your booking is confirmed. Once your booking has been confirmed we will try to ensure your trip is run as booked but in very rare circumstances it may be necessary to make changes after confirmation and we must reserve the right to do so. Any necessary changes will usually be minor but very occasionally it may be necessary to make a 'significant change'. A significant change is one made before departure that materially affects your confirmed holiday (on the basis of the information you have given us at the time of booking). Such changes include the following: i) a change in the dates of your holiday (where we have sold you air tickets for an international flight, this is a change in your flight departure or return time by more than 12 hours), ii) where we have arranged your flight, a change of departure airports (except as between airports serving the same city) to one which is more inconvenient for you, iii) a change to a materially lower standard of accommodation for the whole or a significant proportion of the trip, or iv) a change to the whole or a significant proportion of your riding program such that the programme is materially different from that booked. Where such a significant change is necessary we will notify you as soon as possible. If there is time to do so before your departure we will offer you the choice of the following options: i) accept the change; or ii) if we are able to offer you one, book a substitute trip provided that if the substitute trip is more expensive than the original, you pay the difference in cost; if the substitute trip is less expensive the difference will be refunded to you; or iii) cancel and (subject to paragraphs 12, 13, and 14 which apply where the change is necessary because of force majeure or low bookings) receive a full refund other than insurance premiums or administration charges paid. If you chose to cancel and receive a refund in these circumstances, we will in addition pay you compensation as set out in paragraph 9.  Our liability to you if significant changes are necessary is limited to offering you these choices and to the compensation as set out in paragraph 9 if appropriate.  Where it is necessary to make a minor change to your arrangements (i.e. any change that is not a ‘significant’ change as described above including but not limited to: changes to the actual carrier operating your flight/connecting flight/transfer; changes to aircraft type; change of accommodation to another of a similar standard) we will do our best to notify you but we are not obliged to do so and you are not entitled to any refund or compensation as a result of any such minor change.
10. If for some very unusual reason (other than any fault of yours, including non-payment by you of any money due) or as a result of ‘force majuere’ as defined in paragraph 12 (paragraph 13 then applies) or low bookings (paragraph 14 then applies), we are obliged to cancel your holiday, we will offer you a substitute holidays if one is available. If you book a substitute which is less expensive than the original, we will refund you the difference in price. If the substitute is more expensive, you must pay the difference. If you do not wish to book a substitute or we cannot offer you one, we will give you a full refund (other than of insurance premiums / amendment charges paid). In addition you will be entitled to cancellation compensation as follows: 70 days or more before commencement nil; 14 to 70 days before commencement £50; 1 to 13 days before commencement £100, Less than one day £200.
11. Your booking is accepted by us on the understanding that you realize that the infrastructure and standards relating to travel, accommodation and safety in the place to which you are traveling may be lower than the UK. Both we and our local operators will do our best to make sure arrangements, including travel services, transport and connections run smoothly but this may not always be possible due to flight cancellation, weather, mechanical breakdown or other unforeseen circumstances and there will be no refund or compensation for any unused services.
    
    Delay
12. We are unfortunately unable to make special arrangements for you in the event of delays or cancellations at your outward or homeward point of departure or on your outward or homeward journey (or, where you are making your own travel arrangements, in the event of delays or changes to any of these arrangements) or to refund or compensate you in the event of any such delays.  Your airline or carrier may however be able to help you.
    
    Force Majeure
13. In the terms of a contract with us "force majeure" means unusual or unforeseeable circumstances beyond the control of Unicorn Trails and its suppliers and the consequences of which neither Unicorn Trails nor its suppliers, even with all due care, could foresee or forestall. It includes but is not limited to riot, civil unrest, war, terrorist activity and the threat of any of the foregoing, industrial dispute, natural disaster, extreme adverse weather conditions, fire and similar events outside our control. It also includes any other event or circumstance which the Foreign Office in London considers hazardous or threatening to tourists and as a result of which it is advising against non-essential travel to the country concerned.
14. On extremely rare occasions, circumstances or events which amount to ‘force majeure’ may affect the area to which you plan to travel. As a result Unicorn Trails and its suppliers may be unable to perform or complete the arrangements booked and may be obliged to change, cancel or curtail such arrangements at short notice. In these very unusual circumstances we will do our utmost to make suitable alternative arrangements for you but we will not be liable for a failure to do so, nor for any failure to provide the arrangements as originally booked. We regret we are unable to compensate you for any losses or expenses that you may incur as a result of changes or cancellations due to ‘force majeure’. We will only refund you payments for arrangements that are cancelled or curtailed as a result of ‘force majeure’ if and to the extent that we obtain refunds from our suppliers in respect of the same arrangements which we will endeavor to do. Where we are able to make acceptable alternative arrangements for you, the cost of these shall be deducted from any such refunds we obtain and you will pay any additional costs. If circumstances which amount to ‘force majeure’ exist before you commence your holiday but you are still able and wish to travel to your holiday destination and begin/continue with the arrangements as booked or altered in some way, we may require you to sign an acknowledgement accepting any risks involved before you start or continue with the arrangements.
    
    Low Bookings
15. Occasionally prices quoted for holiday arrangements assume a minimum number of participants. If this is the case we will notify you before your booking is confirmed. If the minimum number is not reached by the ten weeks before the commencement of the holiday, we reserve the right to;  a) cancel the departure or;  b) postpone the due date for payment of the balance until four weeks before the start date or;  c) with your agreement, continue with the arrangements for fewer participants at the necessary supplement payable by you. If we cancel as in option a) we will notify you in writing and will refund in full any deposit or other payment made to us by you for the arrangements (other than insurance premiums or amendment charges paid). If we postpone the payment date as in option b) we will notify you and then, before the new payment date, we will in writing either confirm the departure or notify you that the trip is cancelled. In the latter case we will also give you a full and prompt refund of any deposit or other payments made by you to us for the arrangements (other than insurance premiums or amendment charges paid). Cancellations for low bookings will not be made less than four weeks before the start date.
    
    Financial Security
16. The air holidays and flights in this brochure are ATOL Protected, since we hold an Air Travel Organiser’s Licence granted by the Civil Aviation Authority. Our ATOL number is ATOL 6431. In the unlikely event of our insolvency, the CAA will ensure that you are not stranded abroad and will arrange to refund any money you have paid to us for an advance booking. For further information, visit the ATOL website at www.atol.org.uk. In addition in compliance with the UK Package Travel, Package Holidays and Package Tours Regulations 1992 an insurance policy has been arranged with Travel & General Insurance Company plc to protect customers’ prepayments paid in respect of the ground handling aspects of packages where the customer is responsible for arranging travel to the destination, offered in this brochure (subject to the terms of the insurance policy), for: a refund of such prepayments if customers have not yet traveled; or making arrangements to enable the holiday to continue if customers have already travelled in the unlikely event of our financial failure.
    
    Prices
17. Unicorn Trails reserves the right to increase or decrease the prices of unsold holidays at any time. The prices in our brochures are calculated using exchange rates at October of the previous year. You will be given the correct current price for your chosen arrangements at the time of booking.
18. To guarantee the price quoted to you at the time of booking you may be required to pay part or all of the balance prior to the due date. If your holiday is paid as requested there will be no currency surcharges to your travel arrangements. If your holiday is not paid as requested there may be surcharges due to adverse currency movements as detailed in paragraph 19.
19. External factors beyond our control may affect the holiday costs e.g increases in transportation costs (including the cost of fuel),  taxes (eg VAT) or other fees chargeable for services such as landing taxes or embarkation or disembarkation fees at ports or airports, exchange rate fluctuations. Unicorn Trails reserves the right to increase the price of the holiday to take into account such changes. Such price increases after booking will be passed on by way of a surcharge. Even in this case we will absorb an amount equivalent to 2% of the total price excluding any amendment charges. Only amounts of more than 2% will be surcharged. If this means paying a surcharge of more than 10% of the original price, you will be entitled to cancel your booking and receive a full refund of all monies paid to us except for amendment charges providing you notify us within 14 days of the surcharge invoice. Should you decide to cancel because of this, you must exercise your right to do within 14 days of the issue date printed on the surcharge invoice. Any surcharge is payable with the balance of your holiday or by the date specified on the surcharge, invoice whichever is the later. No surcharges will be levied less than 30 days before departure. We regret that no refunds can be made in the event of favorable exchange rate fluctuations or any decreases in costs.
    
    Liability
20. Subject to paragraph 18 below, we accept liability for ensuring that our contract with you is properly performed and that the services we have agreed to provide under it are provided to a reasonable standard. We are not responsible however for any services which do not form part of our contract with you, for example additional services or facilities you purchase from your hotel or other supplier, which we have not agreed to provide. Additionally we cannot accept liability for any business losses. The laws and standards of the country concerned will be used as the basis for deciding whether the services in question had been properly provided. This will be the case even if the services did not comply with the laws and regulations of the UK which would have applied had those services been provided in the UK, except where the absence of a safety feature might lead a reasonable holiday maker to refuse to take the holiday in question.
21. We will not be liable for any loss, damage expense or inconvenience suffered or incurred (including death or personal injury) which is attributable to i) your own act or omission or that of one of your party, or ii) an act of omission of a third party not connected with the provision of the services or arrangements and which was unforeseeable or unavoidable, or iii) force majeure. Unicorn Trails’ liability is also conditional on your providing ourselves and our insurers with all assistance we may reasonably require and letting us and the supplier know of the complaint as set out in paragraph 25 below. If asked to do so you must assign Unicorn Trails or its insurers any rights you may have against the person whose act or omission gave rise to the liability and agree to cooperate fully with us and our insurers if we or our insurers want to enforce any rights which are transferred. In addition we limit our liability as follows: i) liability other than for death or personal injury  is limited to such amount as is reasonable taking into account the cost of the arrangements booked with us and the extent to which your enjoyment of them has been affected but (without prejudice to that) will not exceed the cost of the arrangements booked for the person affected (excluding insurance premiums and amendment charges); ii) liability for loss/damage of baggage and personal possessions is limited to £25 per person as you are expected to have taken out adequate insurance; iii) liability for death,  personal injury or any other loss suffered in the course of any of the services provided under our contract with you (including any air, rail, road or sea travel (and the getting on and off such transport) or from a stay in a hotel or similar accommodation) is limited in accordance with the provisions of all relevant international conventions relating to the provision of such services as if Unicorn Trails was a supplier of the service in question; iv) the contractual terms of the companies that provide transportation for your travel arrangements. These terms are incorporated into this contract and you can request copies of the transport companies’ contractual terms from our offices. Under EU law you have rights in some circumstances to refunds and/or compensation from your airline in cases of denied boarding, cancellation or delay to flights. Full details of these rights will be published at EU airports and will be available from airlines. However reimbursement in such cases will not automatically entitle you to a refund of your holiday cost from us. Your right to a refund or compensation from us is set out in clause 8. If any payments to you are due from us, any payments made to you by the airline will be deducted from this amount. If your airline does not comply with these rules you should complain to the Air Transport Users’ Council on 020 7240 6061 www.auc.org.uk
    
    Safety and Behaviour around Horses
22. Whilst riding or in the vicinity of horses in the care of the operator or guide of your trip you must comply with the instructions of that person. It is a condition of your booking that you accept that the aforementioned guide or operator is entitled to require you to dismount or to refuse to allow you to ride if for any reason, including your inability, behaviour or health, they consider that you may endanger the safety or welfare of any person or the horses. If so required you have no claim and will not be entitled to any compensation or refund.
23. The guide, tour leader or person in authority on your trip may also alter  or terminate your participation in that trip immediately if he or she considers it reasonably necessary for the health or safety of any other person. If your participation is so altered terminated you will have no claim and not will not be entitled to any compensation or refund.
24. You are strongly advised for your own safety to wear a hard hat whilst in the vicinity of horses. Children under 18 will be required to wear a hard hat. You acknowledge that there are risks involved in horse riding and dealing with horses and understand that horses, as independent creatures, can be unpredictable or act unexpectedly. You also acknowledge that many of the trips we arrange include riding and other activities in areas that are remote and/or areas where there is potentially dangerous game, difficult terrain or other conditions that can be hazardous. Safety services and back up infrastructure may also be more limited than usual. By booking to take part in one of these trips, you confirm you understand and fully accept these risks. You understand that you may also be required to sign a separate acknowledgement and acceptance of personal liability by the local supplier before being allowed to ride or take part in a trip, and if you are not allowed to ride or take part because you refuse to sign, or to wear a hard hat if required, you will have no claim against Unicorn Trails or the supplier and will not be entitled to any refund or compensation.
    
    Information you supply
25. Your booking is accepted by us on the basis of information given by you on your booking form including details of your riding ability and your weight. Where these details are inaccurate, Unicorn Trails and its suppliers reserve the right to change your ride itinerary or booking or ask you not to ride and in these circumstances you will have no claim against Unicorn Trails and will not be entitled to any refund or compensation.
    
    Insurance
26. It is a condition of your booking with Unicorn Trails Limited that you take out a suitable travel insurance covering you for all medical expenses, injury, death and liability as well as cancellation and curtailment, baggage and personal effects for the entire duration of your trip at the time of booking. We strongly recommend our own insurance policy which specifically covers the type of holidays we offer. If you arrange your own travel insurance you must make sure there are no exclusion clauses limiting protection for the type of activities included in your holiday. Although insurance is your sole responsibility we may require evidence of suitable cover before accepting your booking.
    
    Travel Documents
27. General information regarding passport requirements, visa and health formalities will be sent to you on confirmation of booking. However such matters are subject to change and you must check current requirements before departure. It is your responsibility to ensure that you have all the necessary documentation for your holiday and Unicorn Trails Limited will nor be held responsible for your not complying with requirements current at the time of your departure or any losses or costs incurred from such omission on your part
    
    If you have a problem
28. If you have a complaint or grievance whilst on holiday you must immediately inform the guide or operator of your trip so that he/she can try to put it right. If the matter cannot be resolved locally and you wish to make a complaint, you should telephone or fax Unicorn Trails Limited (we will accept reverse charge calls) immediately. If you are still not satisfied you must notify us in writing, giving full details of the complaint, such that it reaches us not later than 28 days after the last day of your holiday. If you fail to do any of these things we cannot accept responsibility, having been unable to put it right immediately or investigate it at the appropriate time.
    
    Safety Standards
29. Please note, it is the requirements and standards of the country in which any services which make up your holiday are provided, which apply to those services and not those of the UK. As a general rule, these requirements and standards will not be the same as the UK and may sometimes be lower.
    
    Data Protection
30. Information you supply to us is passed on by us to our suppliers in connection with your booking in order to ensure that appropriate arrangements are made for your holiday. It may also be passed on by us to security or credit checking agencies, government or public bodies such as immigration or customs if required by them or by law. Where your booking is for a holiday outside the European Economic Area (EEA) information supplied by you may be passed on to the relevant suppliers who are outside the EEA and in making your booking you consent to this. Unless you request us not to we will hold your information and may use it to send you future brochures and offers. We value your privacy and will not pass your details onto third parties not connected with your booking without your agreement. You are entitled to a copy of your information held by us. If you would like to see this please contact us. We may make a small charge for providing this to you.
    
    General
31. Your contract with Unicorn Trails and matters arising from it are governed by English law and both parties submit irrevocably to the jurisdiction of the English Courts.
32. You agree that any photographs or film taken during a holiday arranged through us may be used in any publication or for promotional purposes.