Booking Conditions

Purely California is a trading name of Purely Travel Limited. All holidays sold are subject to the following conditions which comply with the Tour Operators Code of Conduct. These conditions and other information, separate publicity material or our web site form the contract between us. When you have booked your holiday and we have issued a confirmation, a contract exists between us. All holidays are offered subject to availability.
 
The Contract
These booking conditions shall form the contract between Purely Travel Limited and the client. When a booking is made, the ‘lead name' on the booking guarantees that he or she has the authority to accept and does accept on behalf of the travelling party the terms of these booking conditions. No contract shall exist until such time as Purely Travel Limited have received payment of the deposit and has signified its acceptance of the booking by issuing and sending a confirmation e-mail. On receipt of this written confirmation, it is essential that you check the details on the invoice carefully and advise us immediately of any errors and/or omissions. Please ensure that all names are shown exactly as written in each passenger's passport. Any dispute arising over our contract will be dealt with under English Law in a court in your area of residence within the UK.
 
Payment
When booking a package including flights with a tour or accommodation a deposit of 10% is required at time of booking. Final payment must be received at least 8 weeks before departure.  Accommodation only bookings made online - the full balance will be taken from the debit/credit card entered on our secure booking site at time of booking, If the value of your accommodation only booking is over £500 and is made more than 8 weeks in advance, you can now just pay a deposit of £50.00 per person with the balance due 8 weeks before departure. To take advantage of this offer, please call us to make your booking on 0844 80 444 80 and we will be happy to make the reservation for you.
 
If we do not receive the balance by the due date we will treat the booking as cancelled by you and you agree to pay the cancellation charges as described in the Cancellations/Refunds section. Any monies paid by the customer to an agent is at all times held on behalf of Purely Travel Limited. We can accept cheques, made payable to Purely Travel Limited (except for bookings within 28 days of departure), credit or debit cards. A 2% charge will be added if payment is made by credit card. If the card is in a name other than the traveller, we will require written or faxed authorisation from the card holder, including a photocopy of both sides of the card itself, before any documentation can be released. Any fraudulent use of credit cards will be reported to the police.
 
Holiday price
All our prices are quoted in £'s sterling (GBP). The prices on our website, and in supplementary promotional material, are guide prices only to help you with budgeting before calling us. We will give you an exact price quote at the time of booking and once you have accepted this and a booking has been made and confirmed, we will hold that price. The only additional charges or reductions we can pass on to you are those which may result from Government action, increased transportation costs (including the costs of fuel), dues, taxes or fluctuations in the exchange rate. Where the increase or decrease occurs within 30 days prior to your scheduled UK departure date or is not greater than 2% of the total cost of your holiday, we will not pass on any additional charges or reductions. Reductions in holiday price will only be made to the extent that the reduction in charges directly reduces the cost of providing your holiday. The cost of all standard taxes are included in our prices.
 
Not Included

  • Hotel parking charges (unless specified)
  • Hotel extras and sundry items such as safes, minibars, etc.
  • Visa fees, porterage, personal expenditure
  • Government action, increased transportation costs (including the cost of fuel), dues, taxes,    embarkation or disembarkation fees at ports & airports or fluctuations in the exchange rate.
  •  Security charges introduced or increased after you have booked which affect transportation costs
  • Hotel parking charges (unless specified)

 
Wherever we are constrained to increase the holiday price before the agreed date of departure, then you are entitled:

  • To take a substitute holiday of equivalent or superior quality if we are able to offer you such substitute
  • To take a substitute holiday of lower quality if we are able to offer you one in which case we will return to you the difference in price; or
  • To have all the monies paid by you refunded.

 
Changes or cancellations by you:
If you wish to change your booking after the confirmation invoice has been issued, the person who originally made & paid for the booking should contact us and we will try to meet the request. All changes are strictly subject to availability at the time of request. Any change to your booking within 30 days of departure will incur the full cancellation charges listed below. If we are able to make the change requested, you agree to pay us a non-refundable administration fee of £50 per person, plus any additional charges imposed by our suppliers.
 
Important notes:
We cannot be held responsible for any portion of your holiday that is not arranged by Purely Travel Limited, such as a change in your flight arrangements. Should you need to change elements of your Purely Travel arrangements, the relevant administration fee or cancellation charges will apply. Many suppliers do not permit us to change names or travel dates and impose full cancellation charges. We will pass these on to you in addition to our administration charge, where applicable. Some accommodation types, particularly self-catering, cruise ship cabins and hotel rooms with reductions for 3+ people, are priced according to the number of occupants. If fewer people travel than originally booked there will be extra charges to pay which will be advised to you when you make the changes.
 
Cancellations/refunds
If you or any member of your party wishes to cancel your booking once a confirmation invoice has been issued, the person who made & paid for the booking must notify us in writing either directly to Purely Travel Limited or through your agent. The cancellation charges you will be required to pay will be calculated from the date we receive written notification. Please note we cannot refund deposits or amendment fees.

We strongly recommend that you take out the full travel insurance, which includes cancellation cover. As we incur costs from the time you make your booking, you agree that if you cancel your booking, you will compensate us for our expenses and losses as per the table shown below.

Our cancellation charges increase the closer to your confirmed departure date your written cancellation is received at our offices. This is because there is a reduced opportunity for us to re-sell your holiday as we near departure date.

 

Number of days prior to departure when

written confirmation is received by us

Cancellation charge as a

percentage of total price

More than 56 days Loss of deposit
55 to 31 days 50%
30 to 8 days 90%
7 days to day of departure 100%
 

These charges will always apply unless the Foreign Office specifically advises against travel to the country in question - If the Foreign & Commonwealth Office advises against travel to a destination and your holiday arrangements have been affected, we will get in touch and advise you of the options open to you which will include changing your date of travel or a Purely Travel credit voucher to be used for a future date. 

 
If we have to change or cancel your holiday
We will do our utmost to deliver your holiday as booked. As we plan the arrangements many months in advance we may occasionally have to make changes and reserve the right to do this at any time.
 
Significant change

  • If we make a significant change, we will do so as soon as reasonably possible. If the reasons for the change are within our control, we will pay you compensation and you will have one of three options:
  • To accept the alternative arrangement or change to your holiday
  • To take a substitute holiday of equivalent or superior quality if we are able to offer you such substitute, and paying or receiving a refund for any price difference
  • To cancel your holiday and receive a refund of all monies paid by you in the form of a Purely Travel Credit Voucher.

 
Significant changes include, but are not limited to, changes involving:

  • Your destination area
  • A change of accommodation (except tours & cruises) to a lower star grading

 
Force Majeure
Force Majeure is any circumstance or situation which are due to unusual or unforeseeable circumstances which are beyond the control of Purely Travel Limited, which could not have been avoided even if all due care or all reasonable measures had been taken. Such incidents could be, but are not limited to:

  • War or threat of war
  • Riots or terrorist activity
  • Industrial disputes
  • National or nuclear disasters
  • Fire
  • Bad weather conditions, or impending bad weather conditions.
  • Cancellation or changes of airline/train schedules, cruise ship and escorted tour itineraries where these occur due to circumstances beyond our control or are altered for your safety.
  • Technical problems affecting transportation where these are beyond our control and the control of our suppliers.
  • Any other similar event which is beyond our control and the control of our supplier.

 
 Where your holiday is cancelled due to Force Majeure, compensation may not be available or appropriate but you will be entitled:

  • To take a substitute holiday of equivalent or superior quality if we are able to offer you such substitute
  • To take a substitute holiday of lower quality if we are able to offer you one in which case we will return to you the difference in price; or
  • To have all the monies paid by you refunded to you in the form of a Purely Travel Voucher.

 

Cancellation of an Escorted Tour
Escorted Tours are operated on a minimum numbers basis and therefore if they do not reach their required level of passengers booked, they can sometimes be cancelled by the company that operates the tour (usually at least 8 weeks before departure).  If a tour that you are booked on gets cancelled, we will offer you the possibility of booking onto an alternative tour, if available, (or any other travel arrangements) or you may claim a full refund.  Whilst we are happy to sell tours on their own, we would recommend that you book the flights through us, so that we are also able to amend or refund your flights.  If you choose to book flights or any other pre or post travel arrangements yourself, you may find that you are unable to reclaim the cost of these through your travel provider.


General Information
 
Your Responsibility/entry requirements for the USA
You must ensure that you and the rest of your party have valid passports, Travel authorization, any appropriate visas and vaccinations. We are not liable for any costs, delays or illness resulting from your failure to meet these requirements. All children must now have their own passport from birth.
 
When travelling to the US, you must either have the correct passport to travel on the Visa Waiver Programme (VWP), or have obtained the correct visa valid for your stay. You must also provide Advance Passenger Information for the US government prior to travel. Additionally, from 12 January 2009, all customers travelling under the VWP must have Travel Authorisation from the US government.

IMPORTANT: Travel Authorisation From 12 January 2009: if you are travelling under the Visa Waiver Programme, you must have Travel Authorisation. You can receive Travel Authorisation by completing the  https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov please be aware of other unauthorized websites offering this service at a charge. The application process may take up to 15-20 minutes and authorisation is normally granted immediately, but may take up to 72 hours.

We recommend that you apply for authorisation at the time of booking or at least 72 hours before your flight, to ensure that you are able to travel. Those making late bookings can still apply, but there is a risk that they may not receive immediate confirmation. Travel Authorisation became compulsory in January 2009. Once granted, Travel Authorisation is valid for multiple entries to the US for two years, unless any answers to the YES/NO questions on the form change or a new passport is required. You are also required to provide Advance Passenger Information to the US government each time you travel to the US.

If you have a resident permit 'green card', or are travelling on a visa, you will not need to apply for authorisation as you are not travelling under the Visa Waiver Programme. Visa Waiver Programme The VWP allows the citizens of certain countries to travel to the US without having to obtain a visa prior to travel. To qualify for the Visa Waiver Programme, each person wishing to visit the US must have either:

1a) An e-passport. If your passport was issued after 26 October 2006, you must have an e-passport to travel to the US on the Visa Waiver Programme (VWP).  e-passports are easily identified by a symbol on the front cover indicating that the document contains an integrated computer chip, for storing data.

OR

1b) A Machine Readable Passport. Passports issued between 26 October 2005 and 26 October 2006 to passengers wishing to use the Visa Waiver Programme must contain a digitally printed photograph. A photograph which is glued or laminated will not be acceptable for travel. Passports issued before the 26 October 2005 are exempt from this requirement.

AND
A Visa Waiver Form, which can be at the airport on departure or onboard the aircraft.

OR
2) A valid passport.

AND

A valid visa which must be obtained before travel from the US authorities.

Note
If you want your child to travel with a Visa Waiver form, they must hold their own Machine    Readable Passport or e-passport. The nationals of some countries can only travel to the US if they have a valid visa as they are not eligible for the Visa Waiver Programme.

Machine Readable Passports (MRP)
A Machine Readable Passport has the holder's personal details, eg. name, date of birth, nationality and their passport number contained in two lines of text at the bottom of the photo page. This text may be read by machine. These two lines of text indicate that the passport is machine readable.

Advance Passenger Information: The US government requires British Airways to collect Advance Passenger Information from passengers prior to travel. We strongly recommend that you provide your Advance Passenger Information to British Airways in advance of going to the airport. You can do this at any time in advance of your flight through Manage My Booking or when you check in at ba.com. If you do not have internet access, you can provide the information at an airport Check-in kiosk or airport Check-in desk on the day of arrival.

For more updated information on passport information and entry requirements please refer to the US embassy website www.usembassy.org.uk or the UK passport office www.ips.gov.uk
 
Special Requests
Whilst we shall endeavour to assist with any request, such as hotel room requests, these cannot be guaranteed. We regret that we are unable to advise you prior to your holiday if any request cannot be met. Many destinations/hotels have certain times of the year when certain facilities or attractions may close – should a feature be considered by you to be crucial to your holiday, it is essential that you declare your specific interest/requirement at the time of booking to enable us to verify and confirm availability of such a desired feature.
 
Disabled Clients
We strongly advise travellers with special needs/ disabilities to inform Purely Travel Limited at the time of booking. We will endeavour to assist and meet these requirements, however these cannot be confirmed or guaranteed.
 
Accommodation
We will endeavour to advise clients of building work when we have been informed by the hotel in advance, but we are unable to pass on information relating to work outside the hotel property. We are also unable to assess the safety of the beaches or the area surrounding the accommodation.
On rare occasions, situations may arise whereby upon arrival the hotel is overbooked due to circumstances beyond the control of Purely Travel Limited, the hotel may sometimes 'walk' clients to an alternative property of equal or superior standard.

Please note that check-in times at most hotels is generally permitted after 3.00pm. On check in, a credit card may be required for incidentals. Some hotels require at least one guest to be a minimum age of 21 years. Please advise us at the time of booking if no member of your party is at least 21 years of age.
Bedding: please note that although a triple or quad room confirms that the room is booked for 3 or 4 adults respectively, it does not imply nor guarantee 3 or 4 individual beds in the room. The following usually applies: Single rooms contain 1 bed. Double rooms may contain 1 large bed for 2 people, or may contain 2 single beds. Twin rooms usually contain 2 beds although may contain a large bed which will accommodate 2 people. Triple or quad rooms contain 2 double beds and are confirmed based on existing bedding. 1 BED PER PERSON CANNOT BE GUARANTEED. There may be a small charge for rollaway beds/cots, payable directly to the hotel.
 
Product Descriptions & Free Offers
Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of descriptions and information. However we are not always able to control all the components of the holiday arrangements and it is possible that an advertised facility may be withdrawn or changed. We cannot be held responsible for changes to the content of advertised free offers and we are unable to accept liability for loss of an advertised facility or withdrawal of free offers. Also, please note that pictures only present a representation of the product. Certain attractions advertised may be closed during public holidays.
 
Links To 3rd Party Websites
This site may contain hyper links to external websites owned and operated by third parties. Purely Travel Limited has no control over or association with such third party sites and no responsibility in relation to the accuracy or quality of the information contained within them.
 
Problems whilst on holiday
In the unlikely event of encountering difficulties whilst on holiday in North America it is essential to take up the matter locally. Failure to contact the hotel staff or our local ground handlers, whilst in resort, may affect your rights under this contract. Should any problem remain unresolved please notify our Customer Relations Department in writing within 28 days of your return.
 
Delivery of Documents
Once we have received your full payment, documents will either be sent at straight away or if your holiday package includes flights will receive you full documents approx 3-2 weeks prior to departure.
It is important that you check your documents on receipt. Please either notify us or your travel agent IMMEDIATELY if there are any errors /omissions.

Your Financial Protection

Purely Travel Limited is a fully bonded ATOL Licence holder, number 6874. When you book a package with us that includes flights and accommodation, you have the full financial protection that your money is safe and covered by this licence. ATOL stands for Air Travel Organiser's Licence and it is bonded through the Civil Aviation Authority.

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.

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).

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.

To help continuously improve our services, calls may be monitored or recorded for training purposes.
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