Booking
Put simply, we need a completed booking form and a deposit to accept your booking. But you should read all this stuff first:-
Before you book What to think about before you decide to book with us.
How to book How to pay a deposit and complete our booking form.
Later Payments What money will be due later and when.
International Payments Useful if you are not UK based.
Flights How to arrange flights.
Before you Book
Most of our holidays involve considerable commitment, experience and fitness from our clients, so please take the time to make an informed decision before sending us your non-refundable deposit. Please at least take the time to print a few files, read through them carefully and think about your holiday. Better still email or phone us and ask us some questions about your holiday. Be honest with us about your level of fitness and your previous experience. You can check with us that there is space available on your chosen itinerary and, more important, check that it is a suitable itinerary for you.
If you are not sure whether to book with us or one of our competitors please have a look at our Customer Satisfaction page, to see our record of running enjoyable, interesting and well-organised expeditions and holidays. If you need any more general information about us at 'Andes' and the way we run our holidays and expeditions visit our general information page where we also have a page which includes information on your financial protection. You may also want to read our data protection policy before booking.
Please read our warning on altitude before booking any of our expeditions to high altitudes (over 4000m). It's also worth reading the comments about our style of expedition, as we offer more interesting and adventurous trips than the majority of companies, with much smaller groups.
How To Book
You need to send us two things:-
1. BOOKING FORM .... Please read our booking conditions at the bottom of this page first. Then print out, complete and sign our short PDF booking form and post this to us. You can also send it back to us as an email attachment. Whichever you choose, we do need a copy of your signature on the booking form. The PDF form should print best, but if you can't use the PDF form click here for an HTML booking form or here for a Microsoft Word booking form
2. DEPOSIT.... Our normal deposit is £500 per person (Euro700 or US$800 or equivalent in any other major currency). Please pay by cheque (preferred) or send us your deposit through the PayPal system. You can also make a bank transfer - please email us for our bank details. If you use Paypal or make a bank transfer please don't forget to send us your booking form, stating which trip you want to book.
Postal address for booking forms and cheque deposits :- Andes, 37a St Andrew Street, Castle Douglas, Kirkcudbrightshire, DG7 1EN, SCOTLAND.
Later Payments
We require an interim payment of another £500 or equivalent at 6 months before departure. Then the balance is due 3 months before departure.
1. Interim Payment Because of the problem booking and holding international flights at good prices for our customers we now require an interim payment of £500 (Euro700 or US$800 ) six months before departure. If you book later than six months before departure you will need to pay a deposit of £1000, or two successive instalments of £500. This is in accordance with our booking condition nos. 2, 4 and 5 as modified from 31st December 2010.
2. Balance Any balance you owe us will be due three months before your scheduled departure.
International Payments
Please click on the following link for information about international payments. These are easiest to make using PayPal but we can also accept electronic bank transfers.
Flights
All of our prices are land-only and do not include your flights.
We normally arrange flights for UK based customers through our London based travel agents, Journey Latin America, (ATOL 2828) at very competitive prices. We make no charge for this service and many customers find it convenient as we are then all booked to fly out on the same plane. We use scheduled airlines such as KLM, Air France, Iberia and LAN. Regional departures are often available from Glasgow Edinburgh, Manchester etc. If you prefer to use a particular airline or a particular departure airport please state this on your booking form.
If you prefer you are welcome to arrange your own flights to fit in with the holiday itinerary. Please note that if booking flights yourself it is better to pay only a deposit in the short term in case we do not have sufficient fully paid customers to run the expedition.
If you are based abroad it will usually be easier for you to arrange your own flights, either with a local travel agent or directly with the airline on the web. Please check with us that the flights you are booking are suitable for the expedition before committing to any payment.
Questions??
If you have any questions about the booking process please contact us
or by phone 01556 503929 (use +44 1556 503929) if calling from outside the UK
or write to us at Andes, 37a St Andrew Street, Castle Douglas,
Kirkcudbrightshire, DG7 1EN, SCOTLAND
Booking Conditions
Varied from 31-12-2010 with changes to booking conditions nos. 2., 4. and 5.
1. Your booking is made with ANDES, 37a St Andrew Street, Castle Douglas, Kirkcudbrightshire, DG7 1EN, Scotland. John Biggar is the sole proprietor of Andes. Our VAT number is GB 751 2817 382. We will confirm your booking on receipt of a completed booking form and 500 pounds deposit per person (or equivalent in other currency). If booking less than 6 months before departure we require a deposit of 1000 pounds or equivalent.
3. For your full financial security we have arranged that all moneys paid to us are held in a trust account administered by our solicitors until completion of your holiday. Our solicitors are Williamson and Henry, 13 St Mary Street, Kirkcudbright, DG6 4AA. All cheques should be made payable to 'Andes Trust Account'. This arrangement is in accordance with the 1992 EC Package Travel Regulations.
4. An interim payment of a further 500 pounds is due six months before departure. The balance must be paid in full three months before departure. Bookings made less than three months before departure must be paid in full; with such late bookings we may have to pass on any additional land or flight costs to the customer.
5. Cancellation charges are as follows: More than six months notice - Deposit only. Six to three months notice - Deposit plus interim payment. Two to three months notice - 50% of cost (or deposit plus interim payment if higher). One to two months notice - 75% of cost. Less than one month notice - 100% of cost.
6. If we have to cancel an expedition for any reason all money paid to us will be refunded in full from the trust account run by our solicitors. We are not liable for any damages in respect of any cancellation.
7. The minimum number of customers we need to be able to run an expedition is three (four for all treks and downhill ski trips). Six weeks before departure we will let you know if we have insufficient numbers to run the expedition you are booked on. You can then choose between a full refund or a free transfer to another of our expeditions. We will only exceed our maximum number of customers in exceptional circumstances.
8. All customers must be insured for medical costs and repatriation in an emergency. Please send us a copy of your insurance policy as soon as possible after booking. We also recommend having good general travel insurance in place for other eventualities such as your cancellation, theft, curtailment etc.
9. Baggage and personal effects are at all times at the customers risk.
10. Customers who are British citizens will need a full British passport (valid for six months beyond the return date) for all our holidays. Visas are not currently needed by British citizens for any of the countries we travel to. Citizens of other countries may require visas.
11. The customer is responsible for any immunisations necessary. Full information on requirements is available in the expedition dossiers available on the website and on request to all customers and potential customers.
12 It is understood and acknowledged by the customer that the holidays we organise are all potentially hazardous as they involve travel in countries with poor general safety standards and adventurous travel in mountainous terrain and other remote areas. The customer understands that many places visited have no proper medical facilities. All risks and hazards of travelling in such remote and dangerous areas are assumed by the customer on signing the declaration and the customer and their heirs release Andes from any liability in connection with the above risks whatsoever. It is a condition of booking that the customer has read and accepted the risk assessment relevant to the itinerary booked.
13. The customer understands that all stated objectives and itineraries are aims only and that there is no contractual obligation on our part to reach the summit of any mountain. Andes will not be responsible for any delays or alterations to the stated itineraries caused by illness, weather, strikes, war, terrorism, political events and any other circumstances clearly beyond our control.
14. Members of an expedition must be reasonably fit and competent for the chosen activity as detailed in the dossier. Anyone who falls so far short of this condition as to seriously frustrate the ambitions or endanger the health of other expedition members will be asked to withdraw from the expedition without refund.
15. Customers accept responsibility for any Andes equipment entrusted to them and agree to pay for any loss or damage arising through misuse, carelessness or negligence. Customers are also liable for any additional expedition expenses caused by their lack of punctuality, carelessness or negligence, illness, lack of fitness or lack of competence.
16. On this type of holiday it is necessary that all customers follow instructions and guidance given by the leader and abide by the expedition leaders decisions and in signing the declaration the customer agrees to do so.
17. Complaints about your holiday must be made in writing to the above address within one calendar month of returning home.
1. We do not use cookies on this website.
2. We will not pass on your email address, land address or phone number to anyone without your permission.
3. On certain expeditions and treks it is necessary for us to pass on your name and/or date of birth and/or passport number to purchase permits etc necessary for the trek or expedition. We normally do this without asking specific permission. Please let us know before booking if you are unhappy about us doing this.
