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ABeR - Alternativ Bus Reisen GmbH   

Behringstr. 42 - 44  *  22763 Hamburg  *  Phone + 49 - 40 - 393 393  *  Fax + 49 - 40 - 39 00 589

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Booking Terms


Here in short is what it means once Alternativ Bus Reisen GmbH accepts your booking. If your booking is accepted, a contract is, in fact, made between you and us, so it is important that you should know what our responsibilities are to you - what we promise to do - and, in turn, what you undertake on your part. Our basic responsibility is to provide you with the vacation you have booked within the specifications and terms stated in the conditions below. Your basic responsibility is to pay the full price of your selected vacation and accept the stated conditions.


A) We, Alternativ Bus Reisen GmbH promise you:


1. Your Reservation

On receipt of your signed and completed booking form and deposit, subject to availability and at our discretion, we will reserve your place on your selected tour. When we send off our confirmation/invoice to you, or the travel agent through whom you booked, your booking is confirmed and accepted by us and only then is a contract made between you and us.


2. Our Price Promise

Prices in this sites are expressed in German Marks unless otherwise stated and are correct only as at March 1st, 1997. We reserve the right to increase or decrease prices to compensate for any changes in currency fluctuations, tariff rates, fuel and transportation costs, taxes or levies of any involved government or any other costs beyond Alternativ Bus Reisen GmbH's control. We will notify your travel agent of any price increases. However, expect as provided below, that Alternativ Bus Reisen GmbH guarantees that:

- if prices go up within eight days of departure, Alternativ Bus Reisen GmbH will absorb any further price increases during the said period and will not pass them on to you (except in the case of Late Bookings);

- there will be no price increases after vacation fare has been paid in full or has been received by Alternativ Bus Reisen GmbH from your agent. The above price guarantees do not cover or apply to any increases due to taxes, levies or impositions of any involved government which will have to be paid by you.


3. Change Of Booking

On rare occasions, we may be forced to change or cancel your vacation and we reserve the right to do so eight days prior to departure. We will try to give you as much notice as we can to offer a comparable alternative but if the alternative is not acceptable 10 days after our notice, we will offer you a full refund, or you may transfer to another vacation without paying any transfer fee. Changes in travel routes or overnight accommodations, as described in the travelog, cannot be considered a change in booking particularly where such alterations are the result of decisions made by you or by your travel-group. On our "Cross-Country Tours including Flight" of two weeks duration or longer, any stopovers, changes of airlines, schedule changes of two days, and any extension or reduction of travel time by a single day do not entitle you to cancel your reservation without a penalty. If the alteration is due to force majeure (circumstances such as political unrest, acts of God, and closure of ports beyond Alternativ Bus Reisen GmbH's control), we will give a full refund less reasonable expenses incurred by us.


4. Tour Details And Conditions

The information in our web sites is correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of going to show (March 1st, 1997) but we cannot guarantee that any item or amenity mentioned will always be available especially where we have no control over it. Alternativ Bus Reisen GmbH will do their best at their discretion to select campsites and accommodations (on a budget basis), sight-seeing tours and transportation to give you good value for money. It is important that you comply with conditions and rules imposed by and / or actions of carriers, subcontractors, campsite / hotel / motel / club managers / owners etc. While we cannot accept any responsibility for any loss as a result of such actions or as a result of any omission of any such third parties, we will give every reasonable assistance in helping to resolve any dispute so occasioned.


5. Our Responsibilities And Liabilities

As Tour Operator, Alternativ Bus Reisen GmbH makes arrangements with carriers, hotels and other independent suppliers to provide you some or all the travel services you purchase. These parties are independent suppliers over whom we have no direct control. Alternativ Bus Reisen GmbH is responsible to you for arranging and conducting your vacation only. Unless caused by its own negligence, Alternativ Bus Reisen GmbH is not responsible for and accepts no liability in respect of any claims, losses, damages, costs or expenses arising out of:

- personal sickness, injury, disease, accident or death, however caused, including without limitation, where same results from your conduct whilst on vacation;

- loss or damage to or delay of baggage or other property unless resulting from Alternativ Bus Reisen GmbH's negligence in which case Alternativ Bus Reisen GmbH's liability shall be limited to your total vacation cost;

- delays and loss resulting therefrom due to government action, weather, mechanical breakdown, equipment failure, labor disputes, sickness, acts of God or any other causes beyond Alternativ Bus Reisen GmbH's direct control;

- acts or omissions, whether negligent or otherwise, of suppliers of services or their personnel (including, without limitation, transportation and accommodation services) or of any other person or body unless such a person or body is employed by us, or is an agent of ours, and is acting within the scope of his or her authority. In no event is Alternativ Bus Reisen GmbH liable for the acts or omissions of the independent third party contractors or of its own employees or agents acting outside the scope of their duties;

- loss of enjoyment, upset, disappointment, distress or frustration, whether physical or mental, resulting from any of the following:

a) any matter or topic described in sub-paragraphs above;
b) your failure to obtain the necessary documentation to travel;
c) your failure to arrive on time for initial departure or for connections within the tour or to stay within or join your tour at any time after initial departure;
d) your leaving the tour prior to its completion;
e) the need for Alternativ Bus Reisen GmbH to change itineraries or substitute accommodation or services, provided that Alternativ Bus Reisen GmbH makes every effort to supply the most comparable services and accommodations available;
f) cancellation of the vacation by Alternativ Bus Reisen GmbH provided that full refund of all monies paid is made to you.
g) Many of our activities are action and adventure oriented. Sports and similar activities inherently involve risks of injury greater than those that would be encountered if you were not participating in such, and therefore, by voluntarily taking part in any sports or other such activities, you thereby acknowledge and assume any of the risks inherent therein. In the absence of negligence on our part, or on the part of our affiliates, agents and representatives, neither we nor they accept any responsibility for, and shall not be liable for, any injury, illness, damage, loss accident, expense, delay or any other irregularity resulting from your participation in any of the activities made available to you.
h) We take every reasonable precaution possible to assure your comfort, safety and enjoyment while you are part in a Alternativ Bus Reisen GmbH vacation. Alternativ Bus Reisen GmbH vacations are generally for the young, and not for the frail or those not generally enjoying good health. A change of climate, food, time and varied cultural habits often affects travelers differently. We therefore recommend that you advise your doctor that you are taking one of our vacations and ask if he or she recommends anything for your trip, even for something as seemingly benign as an upset stomach. Since the brands of medication to which you are accustomed may be unavailable in places to which we are traveling, we recommend you bring your own supply of any medication you will require and carry such medication in your hand luggage. Prescription drugs should be carried in the original, labelled bottles. Should you fall ill during your Alternativ Bus Reisen GmbH vacation, we will make every reasonable effort to make prompt, sanitary, safe and proper medical care available to you. However, if at any time or anywhere treatments of any sort are suggested to you that do not meet your needs or expectations, you should not hesitate to contact your own doctor. Also, please note that the same sorts of activities that can expose you to certain types of diseases at home can just as easily expose you to those same diseases abroad. This information is provided only for your convenience and we are not responsible or liable for any damages resulting from your failure to confirm or ascertain health information or medical precautions, if any, for the places which you will be visiting.
i) Alternativ Bus Reisen GmbH is responsible for taking care to arrange and conduct your vacation properly. With you in mind, we have accepted applications from and have interviewed numerous potential employees, and then we select only those people whom we believe in our best judgment would be responsible and congenial, Tour Managers, Representatives and Drivers. Although we firmly believe, based on personal interviews and certain disclosures made to us by our employees, that all of our employees enjoy excellent health, we, like other tour operators, are legally unable to confirm this in most, if not all, instances.


B) You Promise Alternativ Bus Reisen GmbH:


1. Your Deposit

A deposit of DM 100,-- per traveler, plus a completed booking form for each vacation and the name of each passenger must be submitted to Alternativ Bus Reisen GmbH or their agents when you book your vacation.


2. Paying The Balance

The balance of the vacation fare must be paid not later than 4 weeks before the scheduled vacation departure date. If payment isn't made by then, Alternativ Bus Reisen GmbH may assume that you have cancelled and your deposit will be forfeited in full to Alternativ Bus Reisen GmbH Tickets and other documents won't be forwarded until full payment has been received by us. In the case of Late Bookings made within 4 weeks of the scheduled departure date, the full cost of the vacation will be payable immediately on booking. Make sure to pay the balance 4 weeks prior to departure, otherwise you will not be able to join the desired tour.


3. If You Cancel

Cancellation of your booking must be in writing and received by Alternativ Bus Reisen GmbH or the agent with whom you booked on or before the day by which the balance of the vacation fare must be payed. Cancellations are only effective on receipt whereupon your deposit is forfeited in full to Alternativ Bus Reisen GmbH If your cancellation is made after the due date for payment of your vacation fare, charges will be levied. The scale of charges, expressed as a percentage of the vacation fare, is as follows: More than 22 days notice: 20%, but at least the deposit is forfeited, 21 to 15 days notice: 40%, 14 to 7 days notice: 60%, 6 to 1 day notice: 80% and less than 1 day notice: 100%. If you fail to join a tour or join a tour after departure or leave it prior to its completion, no vacation fare refund can be made. Please note that if the reason for cancellation falls within the terms of any travel insurance policy which you hold, then any such charges will normally be refunded to you by the insurance company, subject to the terms of your insurance policy.


4. If You Change Your Booking

If after your booking has been confirmed, you wish to change to an alternative departure date of the same Alternativ Bus Reisen GmbH vacation or you wish to change to a longer vacation, you may do so subject to availability, by paying a transfer fee of $ 50 per person, plus any additional cost of the vacation, in which case only the transfer fee will be charged.


5. Vacation Details And Conditions

- Please read this travelog carefully for those items included in the price. No allowance or refund can be made for meals, accommodation, excursions etc. that you elect not to take.

- Any medical condition or physical disability requiring special attention or treatment must be advised in writing to Alternativ Bus Reisen GmbH when the completed booking form is first sent to us.

- There may be times when the tour-coordinator has to make a decision in the interests of your safety and well being. You agree to comply with the authority and decisions of the appointed tour-coordinator and the laws of any country through which the tour travels. If you do not so comply or if, in the tour-coordinator's opinion, you are not compatible with the general enjoyment and well being of other members on the tour, we reserve the right to refuse to let you continue with the tour. In such an event, you will be responsible for your own repatriation and related costs and have no claims against us.

- It is your responsibility to have a valid passport and all visas, permits and certificates required for your selected vacation as well as any necessary vaccinations and to comply with all applicable laws.

- You agree that our authorized representatives may take photographs and films of you while you are with the tour and that these may be used in our travelog and/or material without obtaining any further consents.


6. Insurance

We are able to offer comprehensive travel insurance at group discount rates. Complete details of the coverage limitations and exclusions are contained in the document of insurance which can be sent to you upon request. Alternativ Bus Reisen GmbH recommends this travel insurance strongly.


7. If You Have A Complaint

- Should you have a complaint, you should inform Alternativ Bus Reisen GmbH during the vacation, who will do their best to help you. If the matter can't be settled right on the spot, you should write to Alternativ Bus Reisen GmbH as soon as possible and in any case within 1 month of completion of your vacation so your complaint can be investigated. Claims may not be considered outside that time.

- These conditions and the booking form contain the entire contract between you and Alternativ Bus Reisen GmbH. No representation, term warranty or condition is expressed or implied by reference to any other writing, advertisement or conversation. This contract may only be varied in writing by a duly authorized officer or director of Alternativ Bus Reisen GmbH

- All disputes shall be dealt with according to German Law and be handled by the courts in Germany, unless we agree otherwise in writing. If any provision of this contract is held invalid or unenforceable by any court of competent jurisdiction, that provision shall be deemed to be re-written to give effect to the same purpose with the permitted limits of the law. The validity and enforceability of the other provisions shall not be affected. If you do not win any legal action taken against us, you agree to pay all our costs, including but not limited to reasonable lawyer's fees.

- Your contract is with us as the tour operating company. At any time and at our complete discretion we may then specify, as if you had agreed the provisions concerned directly with that company or person in the first place as well as agreeing them with us. We may at our complete discretion assign all or any rights and liabilities arising under or by virtue of this or any other contract with you. All vacations in this sites are operated by

Alternativ Bus Reisen GmbH
Behringstrasse 42 - 44
22763 Hamburg
Germany

Telefon: + 49 - 40 - 393 393
Telefax: + 49 - 40 - 390 05 89



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