Terms and Conditions

Please read our Terms & Conditions carefully. They constitute the terms on which you enter into a contract with Bamboo Travel Limited (hereafter referred to as "Bamboo Travel", "we", “our” or "us"). They contain some exclusions and limitations of liability. If any part of this agreement is found to be invalid or unenforceable, then the remainder of these Booking Conditions will not be affected and will remain valid and enforceable.

In these booking conditions, ‘you’ and ‘your’ means all persons named on the booking form (including anyone who is added or substituted at a later date). If there is anything you do not understand or want to know, please contact us before booking.

1) Booking your holiday

(a) To secure your booking, you should complete and sign the Bamboo Travel Booking Form and send it to us with a deposit of £300 per person or any other amount as advised by us at the time of booking and confirmation that you have appropriate insurance cover. If booking within 10 weeks of departure, full payment is required at the time of booking.

(b) On receiving your Booking Form and the requisite payment, we will reserve your holiday and issue you with a Confirmation and Final Invoice. It is at this time that a Contract is made between you and Bamboo Travel that is subject to these booking conditions. We will normally confirm your booking within 5 working days although in some cases more time may be required as we will need to communicate with our suppliers in Asia. If for any reason we are unable to confirm your holiday and you are not satisfied with the alternative that we propose, we will refund your payment in full.

(c) The deposit is part payment of the holiday and full payment of your Final Invoice is due not later than 10 weeks prior to departure. Please note that if we do not receive all payments due (including any surcharge where applicable) in full and on time, we are entitled to assume that you wish to cancel your booking and we shall be entitled to cancel the booking, retain your deposit and apply the cancellation charges as set out in paragraph 5.

(d) When applicable, your travel documents will be sent to you approximately two weeks prior to your departure. If booking within two weeks of departure, documents will be sent to you as soon as possible, or made available for collection, or sent by courier upon payment of a fee.

(e) Special requests should be indicated on the Booking Form or made in writing at the time of booking. Although we will try to arrange for reasonable special requests to be met, we cannot guarantee that they will be, and we will not be held liable if any special request is not met.

(f) If your booking is made through a travel agent, we will address all communications to that agent. All monies paid by you to a Bamboo Travel appointed travel agent under or in contemplation of this contract are held by that agent on our behalf until they are paid to us.

(g) Where you book only a single component of a holiday (e.g. an hotel, without flights), we act only as a booking agent for the supplier concerned, and accept no liability for the provision of the product/service involved.

2) Acceptance of booking

(a) Your booking is only accepted on the understanding that you realise that Asia can be an unpredictable region. We cannot be held responsible for the consequences or effects of flight cancellations, strikes, wars, riots, sickness, quarantine, government intervention, adverse weather conditions, mechanical breakdown, local political conditions or any other unpredictable or unforeseen circumstances that may have a consequential or material effect on the contents or timing of your holiday.

(b) We also ask you to note that infrastructure standards in Asia are often quite different from those accepted as usual in the UK. This can include inter alia levels of service and the reliability of transport, food, accommodation, communications, power and water supplies. You should also be aware that the legal and health & safety requirements of many countries are lower in standard than those to which we are accustomed in the UK.

 3) Insurance

(a) It is a condition of our acceptance of your booking that you take out insurance at the time of booking and it is your responsibility to do so. We cannot be held responsible if you purchase an inadequate insurance policy or if you fail to notify your insurance company of any factors affecting your particular requirements for cover. If you fail to take out adequate travel insurance it will be deemed that you have indemnified Bamboo Travel from any consequential loss.

4) Bamboo Travel Price Policy

(a) Your Confirmation will contain details of what is included in the price of your package. Any items not detailed on your Confirmation are not included in the price of your package.

(b) The price of a tour may be varied at any time before we have accepted your booking. We reserve the right to make changes to and correct errors in quoted prices at any time before your holiday is confirmed. We will advise you of any error of which we are aware and of the then applicable price at the time of booking. Please note that changes and errors occasionally occur and you must check the price of your chosen holiday at the time of booking.

(c) After a Final Invoice has been issued we reserve the right to vary your holiday price in certain limited circumstances. A surcharge will only be levied to reflect increases in transportation costs (including fuel, air fares, increased aviation insurance & security costs), dues, taxes (including a change in VAT), fees chargeable for services (including landing taxes and embarkation or disembarkation fees at ports and airports), government action, or adverse exchange rate variations.

(d) All efforts will be made to avoid the imposition of  a surcharge, however if imposition is necessary and if the imposed surcharge would increase the total holiday price by 10% or more, you may cancel your booking within 14 days of the date of issue of our Supplementary Invoice and obtain a full refund of all payments made to us, except for amendment charges previously incurred and any supplementary deposit (i.e. deposit in excess of the standard £300 per person) that was required at the time of booking.

5) Amendments & Cancellation

(a) Alteration by You

(i) We will do our best to accommodate any changes you wish to make to your holiday, but these will be subject to an amendment fee of £25 per booking, together with all communication charges or other expenses that may be incurred by us as a result of these changes. These charges will be payable whether or not we succeed in confirming your requested alteration. Alterations to some services may be subject to a cancellation charge that will be advised to you at the time of the change. If changes are made within 10 weeks of departure, then the cancellation charges detailed in paragraph 5(b) below will apply and the revised arrangements will be treated as a new booking. Any request for alterations must be made in writing.

(ii) If you make changes to your itinerary after commencement of travel, any additional costs must be borne locally by you. No refunds will be made for products booked and then not used due to changes made by you.

(iii) If you wish to transfer your booking to another person, you may do so provided the reason for the transfer is personal illness, the death or serious illness of a close family member, jury service, redundancy or unavoidable work commitments. Requests for a transfer must be made in writing at least 30 days prior to departure and must be accompanied by documentary proof of the reason for the transfer, full details of the person who will replace you, any outstanding balance due for your holiday, a payment of £50 to cover our administrative costs and any such amount as our suppliers will require to effect the change. Please note that, in some cases, suppliers such as airlines treat name changes as a cancellation, levying 100% cancellation charges and requiring full payment for a new ticket.

(b) Cancellation by You

All cancellations must be advised to Bamboo Travel in writing and signed by the signatory of the Booking Form. The cancellation notification must also quote your holiday Reference Number. Cancellations are effective on the day that they are received by Bamboo Travel. The following cancellation charges will be payable, depending on the number of days prior to departure when we receive your notice of cancellation: 

Days prior to departure date when written advice of cancellation received

Amount of cancellation charges as a % of total holiday cost:

More than 70 days - Loss of deposit

70 - 43 days - 50%

42 - 29 days - 75%

28 – 21 days - 90%

Less than 21 days - 100%

To ensure that your cancellation notice arrives on time and there is no dispute as to the arrival date we would suggest that you send the notification by recorded delivery post.

If there is cause to cancel your booking you should refer to your holiday insurance policy. If cancellation is caused by illness or certain other unavoidable causes, the policy may apply and you may be able to recover the cancellation charges. In this connection, you are reminded that once a deposit has been paid and we have confirmed the booking, a contract exists and that we are entitled to make a claim in law for the above cancellation charges even if you have not completed payment of the balance of the holiday cost.

Important Note: If you cancel a scheduled flight reservation for which tickets have been issued, 100% cancellation charges will apply unless the air tickets are returned to us. If air tickets have been returned to us then charges as detailed in the table above will apply. In certain cases airlines/hoteliers may levy higher charges than those shown above. We reserve the right to pass these on. You will be advised of this at the time of cancellation.

(c) Alterations by Bamboo Travel

(i) Great care is taken to ensure that descriptions, information and prices given on our website and in our brochure are accurate at the time of publication. Changes and errors can occur however and we reserve the right to make changes (including the price) and correct errors in advertised details at any time before your booking is confirmed.

(ii) After a Confirmation Invoice has been issued, we make every effort to operate all holidays as advertised. In very rare circumstances, we may have to modify a holiday before you depart or cancel a confirmed booking. Most changes are minor. Occasionally we have to make a ‘major change’. When we refer to a ‘major change’ in these Booking Conditions, we mean one or more of the following – a change of flight time by more than 12 hours, a change of international airport (except between airports serving the same city), a change of destination or a change to a lower standard of accommodation for the whole or a major part of the time you are away.

(iii) In the case of major changes or cancellation, we will notify you direct, or through your travel agent, as soon as practicably possible and offer you the choice of alternative arrangements, or a refund of all money paid. If you choose another holiday which is more expensive, you must pay the difference, but if it is cheaper, we will make the appropriate refund.

(iv) If a major change is made, we will also pay you compensation as set out below subject to the following exceptions. Compensation will not be payable and no liability beyond offering the above choices can be accepted where we are forced to make a change as a result of unusual and unforeseeable circumstances beyond our control, the consequences of which we could not have been avoided even with all due care. 

Period before departure within which a major change or cancellation is notified to you or your travel agent

Amount of compensation payable per person:

More than 70 days - NIL

70 - 43 days - £10

42 - 29 days - £20

28 – 21 days - £30

Less than 21 days - £40

(v) In all cases, our liability for major changes is limited to offering you the above mentioned options and, where applicable, compensation payments. We regret we cannot pay any expenses, costs or losses incurred by you as a result of any change or cancellation. No compensation is payable for minor changes or where we make a significant change more than 70 days before departure.

(vi) Occasionally, we may be forced by ‘force majeure’ (see clause 5 (d) (ii)) to significantly change or terminate your holiday after departure but before the scheduled end of your time away. This is unlikely but if this situation does occur, we regret we will be unable to make any refunds (unless we obtain refunds from our suppliers), pay you any compensation or meet any costs or expenses you incur as a result.

(vii) A minor change is any change which does not come under the definition of ‘major change’ as set out in paragraph 5(c)(ii) above. Although we will try to notify you of minor changes, we are not obliged to do so, nor are we obliged to offer you the opportunity to change your booking or receive a refund.

(viii) If Bamboo Travel becomes unable to provide a significant proportion of your holiday after it has commenced, suitable arrangements will be made for you at no extra cost to you or, alternatively, you will be returned to your point of departure and given a pro-rata refund for ground arrangements not received.

(d) Cancellation by Bamboo Travel

(i) If you fail to pay the balance of the holiday price at least 10 weeks (70 days) before departure, we will treat your booking as cancelled and levy the cancellation charges set out in paragraph 5(b) above.

(ii) If we are obliged to cancel your holiday in any other circumstances, we will endeavour to offer alternative arrangements of a comparable standard or will give you a full refund. If cancellation is due to force majeure or circumstances otherwise beyond the control of Bamboo Travel, we will be entitled to deduct from your refund any reasonable expenses that we may have incurred.

For the purposes of these booking conditions force majeure means any event which we or the supplier of the services in question could not foresee or avoid even with all due care. Such events may include, but are not limited to, the actual or threat thereof the following – war riots and civil strife, terrorist activity, natural or nuclear disaster, weather conditions, fire, flood, drought, industrial disputes, government action, airport regulations and closures or technical transportation problems which may affect the service of hotels abroad or the scheduling of aircraft or other transport or any other similar events outside of our control.

6) Responsibilities of Bamboo Travel

(a) We shall be liable to you for the proper performance of the obligations arising from this Contract irrespective of whether such obligations are to be performed by us or by other suppliers of services contracted by us. However we will not be liable if such failure to perform is attributable neither to any fault of Bamboo Travel nor to that of another supplier of services because:

(i) such failure to perform is attributable to you; or

(ii) such failure being attributable to a third party unconnected with the provision of the services contracted for; or

(iii) such failure is due to a case of force majeure, as described in clause 5(d)(ii), or

(iv) such failure is due to an event which Bamboo Travel or the supplier of the services, even with due care, could not have foreseen or forestalled.

(b) Our maximum aggregate liability under, arising from or in connection with this Contract shall be limited to a reasonable sum and in no circumstances shall be greater than twice the cost of the holiday as detailed on the Confirmation and Final Invoice. However nothing in this Contract shall exclude, restrict or limit the liability of Bamboo Travel for death or personal injury resulting from our negligence nor affect your statutory rights.

7) Your Responsibilities

(a) Before confirming your booking, we will advise you of current passport & visa requirements applicable to British Citizens. However, such requirements are subject to change and it is your responsibility to check current requirements with the appropriate Embassy or Consulate before departure.

(b) It is your responsibility to obtain all documents required for your holiday, to ensure that these are in proper order and to take them with you. We will not be liable if you fail to do so and you will be responsible for meeting any additional costs incurred by reason of such failure.

(c) On receipt of travel documents you have a responsibility to check all documentation and tickets to ensure that all the names and details are correct and correspond with your passports. Any errors or corrections must be reported to us as soon as possible. We cannot accept liability for incorrect details on your travel documents unless caused by our negligence.

(d) It is essential that you see your GP or a travel clinic before travelling to make sure that you have taken all the necessary health precautions. As some vaccinations require more than one visit you should visit your GP at least eight weeks prior to departure.

(e) The Foreign & Commonwealth Office Travel Advice Unit monitors all overseas destinations and offers safety advice to British travellers. You should contact the service on www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice for the latest information and advice before making a final decision on your destination.

(f) You are responsible for checking-in for flights at the correct time and for presenting yourself to take up all pre-booked components of your holiday. We cannot accept responsibility for clients missing flights as a result of late check-ins and no credit or refunds will be given if you fail to take up any component of your holiday. No credit or refunds will be given for lost, mislaid or destroyed travel documents.

If you miss your outbound flight for any reason, but continue with your holiday, you must notify the airline concerned to protect your return flight.

(g) All baggage and personal effects are at all times your own responsibility.

(h) If the behaviour of any member of any party is considered likely to cause offence, danger, damage or distress to others, we reserve the right at all times to cancel or terminate a holiday completely. If, for example, any airline pilot, driver, accommodation owner or manager, or senior member of our staff considers that the behaviour is unacceptable, they are authorised to terminate a holiday wherever and whenever necessary. If this situation arises, our responsibility will cease immediately and we will not be obliged to cover any expenses incurred by the party concerned and neither will we consider any claims for compensation or refunds whatsoever. We will also be within our rights to impose cancellation fees.

8) Transportation

(a) Air, rail, road and other departure times are supplied by the carriers. They are subject to inter alia, air traffic control restrictions, weather conditions, the need for constant maintenance and the ability of passengers to check in on time. There is no guarantee that departures will take place at the times shown either in our website, our brochure or on your tickets. The timings are estimates only. Bamboo Travel does not have any liability to you for any delays which may arise. Further, your dealings with all carriers are subject to the conditions of carriage of the carrier, some of which may limit or exclude liability. Any arrangements in the event of a delay will be in the sole discretion of the airline or other carrier involved. Please see Warsaw Convention 1927 (as amended) and the Montreal Convention 1999 (as amended) and the EC Regs No.2027-1997. Copies available on request.

(b) The types of aircraft used are determined by the carriers. While your Confirmation will contain information as to what types of aircraft are likely to be used for your tour, Bamboo Travel will not be obliged to offer you the opportunity to change your booking or receive a refund if the aircraft to be used is subsequently changed by the carrier.

9) Excursions

Please note that we do not provide excursions other than those outlined in your Confirmation and which form part of the arrangements booked and paid for in the UK. Our local representatives or guides may put you in touch with local organisers of excursions if you request but we have no liability for such excursions, as your contract for such excursions will be with a local company providing the services and not with us.

10) Complaints

(a) If you have a problem during your holiday, please promptly inform our local representative and/or the relevant supplier (e.g. hotel) in resort who will endeavour to put things right. If your complaint cannot be completely resolved during your holiday, you must obtain written confirmation from the supplier or our local representative stating that your complaint has been lodged. Please follow this up within 14 days of your return home by writing to our London Office giving your original booking reference number and all other relevant information. It is therefore a condition of this contract that you communicate any problem to the supplier of the service in question and/or to our local representative whilst in the resort and obtain a written confirmation of the complaint lodged. If you fail to follow this simple procedure we cannot accept responsibility as we have been deprived of the opportunity to investigate and rectify the problem.

(b) Details of our local representative in each country that you visit, and who can be contacted in the event of a complaint, will be supplied with your travel documents. If your problem cannot be resolved locally, you should contact us and we will do everything within our power to resolve the matter satisfactorily.

(c) We will not be bound to address complaints which are not made within 14 days of your return from holiday, unless you have a good reason for the delay.

11) Your Financial Protection

(a) The flight inclusive holidays offered by Bamboo Travel are ATOL protected, since we hold an Air Travel Organiser's Licence granted by the Civil Aviation Authority. Our ATOL number is ATOL 9235. When you buy an ATOL protected flight or flight inclusive holiday from us you will receive an ATOL Certificate. This lists what is financially protected, where you can get information on what this means for you and who to contact if things go wrong.

(b) We, or the suppliers identified on your ATOL Certificate, will provide you with the services listed on the ATOL Certificate (or a suitable alternative). In some cases, where neither we nor the supplier are able to do so for reasons of insolvency, an alternative ATOL holder may provide you with the services you have bought or a suitable alternative (at no extra cost to you). You agree to accept that in those circumstances the alternative ATOL holder will perform those obligations and you agree to pay any money outstanding to be paid by you under your contract to that alternative ATOL holder. However, you also agree that in some cases it will not be possible to
appoint an alternative ATOL holder, in which case you will be entitled to make a claim under the ATOL scheme (or your credit card issuer where applicable). 

(c) If we, or the suppliers identified on your ATOL certificate, are unable to provide the services listed (or a suitable alternative, through an alternative ATOL holder or otherwise) for reasons of insolvency, the Trustees of the Air Travel Trust may make a payment to (or confer a benefit on) you under the ATOL scheme. You agree that in return for such a payment or benefit you assign absolutely to those Trustees any claims which you have or may have arising out of or relating to the non-provision of the services, including any claim against us, the travel agent (or your credit card issuer where applicable). You also agree that any such claims may be re-assigned to another body, if that other body has paid sums you have claimed under the ATOL scheme.

(d) Please note: Not all holiday or travel services offered and sold by us will be protected by the ATOL scheme

The Association of Bonded Travel Organisers Trust Limited (ABTOT) provides financial protection under The Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 for Bamboo Travel (membership number 5352), and in the event of their 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 Bamboo Travel.  

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.

Visit ABTOTs website here.

12) Data Protection Policy

In order to process your booking and to ensure that your travel arrangements run smoothly and meet your requirements we and your travel agent need to use the information you provide such as name, address, any special needs / dietary requirements etc.

We take full responsibility for ensuring that proper security measures are in place to protect your information. We must pass the information on to relevant suppliers of your travel arrangements such as airlines, hotels, transport companies etc. The information may also be provided to security or credit checking companies, public authorities such as customs / immigration if required by them or as required by law.

Additionally, where your holiday is outside the European Economic Area (EEA), controls on data protection in your destination may not be as strong as the legal requirements in this country. We will not, however, pass any information on to any person not responsible for part of your travel arrangements. This applies to any sensitive information that you give us such as details of any disabilities, or dietary / religious requirements. If we cannot pass this to the relevant suppliers, whether in the EEA or not, we cannot provide your booking. In making this booking, you consent to this information being passed on to the relevant persons. Where information is also held by your travel agent, this is subject to your agent’s own data protection policy.

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.

13) Law

Your Contract is with Bamboo Travel Limited, a company registered in England under no.5679342, whose registered office is 1E Elms Road, Clapham, London SW4 9ET. All matters concerning this contract will be governed by the law wherever you live in the United Kingdom or, if non-resident, English Law.