Terms and Conditions

1. Service description

TAB is the owner and operator of the www.tourisme-albanie.com,  TAB  is a registered Albanian travel company, which offers a vast range of tourism and related services.  

 1. Your Contract with ‘’Tours Albania & Balkans’’ Ltd   VAT number: L52304047S

Group tour is prearranged tour for a group of people, where the price per person includes travel, accommodation and meals, or other services . A component is an individual group tour or Independent Travel package (a package is combined by Independent Travel services in a region during your entire stay in that region). Extra services are pre & post group tour or Independent Travel package hotels and transfers in the joining or departing cities.

Bookings will be accepted until all available places are filled. They will be considered valid only if confirmation is followed immediately by and advance payment of 20% of the total cost.

To secure a booking TAB requires a non-refundable deposit as above per person per component. Full payment is required if 15 days before travel is due to commence (or at an earlier stage for some components). This payment is deemed to be confirmation that the client has read and accepts the TAB booking conditions and the risks involved in the travel). Clients booking through a travel agent or by telephone email or online will be deemed to have read the booking conditions and accepted them. A booking is accepted and becomes definite only from the date when TAB has issued a confirmation invoice to the client who makes the booking or their authorized travel agent. It is at this point that a contract between TAB and the client comes into existence. TAB reserves the right to decline any booking at our discretion.

The contract is between TAB and the client, being all persons named on the booking as travelling or intending to travel with TAB. The person making the booking (which is subject to these terms) warrants that he/she has full authority to do so on behalf of all persons named, and confirms that all such persons are fully aware of and accept these conditions.

The contract, including all matters arising from it, is subject to Albania law and the exclusive jurisdiction of its respective courts. No employee of TAB other than a director has the authority to vary or omit any of these terms or promise any discount or refund.

The balance of all monies due, including any surcharges applicable at that time, must be received by TAB not later than 28 days before departure. For certain components full payment must be received at an earlier stage before the component starts. You can pay to TAB by bank transfer, cash, and credit card (Visa and Mastercard). However, a 4% fee is payable if payment to TAB is made by credit card. In the case of non-payment of the balance by the due date TAB will treat the booking as cancelled by the client and apply the appropriate cancellation charges.

Local funds plus any local surcharges must be paid on Day 1 in the destination of travel or as instructed in the documentation or by local staff. Failure to pay will result in the client being excluded from the component without refund. Local surcharges are non-refundable for any unused elements of the component. Refer to clause 6 for further details.

Monies paid to a travel agent are held on behalf of TAB whom is bound by these booking conditions in full.

A change of departure date and/or component to another must be requested in writing by the person who made the original booking. It must also be accompanied by the administration charge per person per component (plus additional deposits if applicable), unless the request is within 60 days of departure in which case cancellation charges will be applied as detailed in clause 4. The original component deposit and cancellation charges will apply based on the departure date of your original component (if changing to a later date) regardless of the length of the new component.

Any changes to extra services must be confirmed in writing by the person who made the original booking and must be accompanied by the administration charge per booking in addition to the cost of any extra services required. Whilst every reasonable effort will be made to accommodate changes and additional requests their availability cannot be guaranteed. Changes to extra services already booked will incur the administration charge. Extra services may be added up to one calendar month before departure without charge however.

While TAB will do its best to operate all components as advertised, by accepting this contract the client accepts that it may prove necessary or advisable to vary or modify a component itinerary or its contents due to prevailing local conditions. TAB  reserves the right at any time either before or during a component to cancel or change any of the facilities, services or prices described (including transport, accommodation or other arrangements) and to substitute alternative arrangements of comparable value without compensation and accepts no liability for loss of enjoyment as a result of these changes.

If a major change becomes necessary TAB will inform the client as soon as reasonably possible if there is time before departure. The definition of a major change will depend on the individual component and circumstances and is at the sole discretion of TAB. When a major change is made the client will have the choice of accepting the change of arrangements, or within 7 days notification of the change, purchasing another available component or cancelling the component and obtaining a full refund, provided that the major change is not because of force majeure.

Force majeure is war, threat of war, riot, civil strife, industrial dispute, terrorist activity, natural or nuclear disaster, disease, fire or adverse weather conditions, technical or maintenance problems with local transport or TAB  vehicles, changes imposed by cancellation or rescheduling of flights by an airline or main charterer, the alteration of airline or aircraft type, or other similar events beyond the control of TAB. TAB is not liable for any penalty charges associated with non-refundable airfares, in the event of a change to a component departure time, date or airport. All costs incurred due to force majeure such as transportation, communication, accommodation, food or other similar items will be passed to the client by way of local surcharges. See clause 6.

The client may cancel the booking at any time provided that the cancellation is made to TAB in writing. Written notification is essential even if verbal notification of an intention to cancel has been given. Cancellation charges will be applied as shown below calculated from the day written notification is received by TAB. In addition to the charges shown below airlines may impose 100% cancellation charges and the cost of a new ticket. The date used for calculating cancellation charges will be as follows:

60 days or more = Forfeit of all deposits*.

59 – 28 days = 50% of total cost;

27 days or less = 100% of total cost.

Clients who have booked 2 or more group tours will be subject to the above conditions based on the start dates of each group tour booked. Any discounts received due to booking additional group tours will be deducted from the refund amount owing for the cancelled group tour or invoiced separately if further payment is required.

TAB reserves the right to cancel a component in any circumstances but will not cancel a component less than 4 weeks before the component starts, except for force majeure, or the client’s failure to make all payments, or one of the conditions detailed in Clause 5. Unless the client fails to pay the final balance TAB will, upon cancellation, return all monies paid excluding payment for travel insurance and administration charges or offer an alternative component of comparable standard.

Travel insurance is mandatory for all clients of TAB. Clients together with their personal property including baggage are at all times solely at their own risk. Clients are wholly responsible for arranging their own insurance. A suitable insurance policy should provide adequate cover for medical expenses arising through illness or accident prior to or during the component and loss of component monies through cancellation or curtailment of the component for insurable reasons. TAB is able to assist clients in obtaining a suitable insurance policy. Clients making their own arrangements should ensure that there are no exclusion clauses limiting protection for the type of activities in their component. Clients should satisfy themselves that any travel insurance arranged through TAB is what they require and should arrange supplementary insurance if need be. Proof of adequate insurance will be requested at the start of your component. Failure to provide this will result in the client being prevented from joining the component without refund.

It is the responsibility of the client to be in possession of a valid passport, visa permits, vaccinations and preventative medicines as may be required for the duration of the component.

All clients are expected to satisfy themselves prior to booking that they are fit and able to complete the itinerary of their chosen component as described by TAB. Clients are also expected to accept that the components described constitute “Adventure Travel” and that travel to and facilities in developing countries will not be to similar standards which they may be accustomed to at home.

Clients agree to accept the authority and decisions of TAB’s employees, tour leaders, and agents whilst on components with TAB. If in the opinion of such person the health or conduct of a client before or after departure appears likely to endanger the safe, comfortable or happy progress of a component the client may be excluded from all or part of the component, at his or her own expense, and without any refund. In the case of ill health TAB may make such arrangements as it sees fit and the associated total costs of these arrangements including expenses of TAB must be paid for by the client. If a client is excluded as above or chooses to leave of their own free will or leaves due to ill health or any other reason there will be no refund of the component price, extra services surcharges, local fund or any local surcharges. All services forming part of the whole package booked will be forfeit though may be recoverable through your travel insurance in some circumstances.

All participants in components operated by TAB are expected to obey the laws and regulations of the countries visited and any failure to do so will relieve TAB of all obligations that they may otherwise have under these booking conditions.

Anyone suffering from illness or disability or undergoing treatment for any physical or medical condition must declare the true nature of such condition at the time of booking and make arrangements for the provision of any medication or other treatment which may be required during the component. Failure to make such disclosure will constitute a breach of these booking conditions and result in such persons being excluded from the component in which case all monies paid will be forfeit.

If the client has a complaint about any of the component arrangements the client must bring it to the attention of the tour leader or other representative of TAB at the time so that they may use their best endeavors to rectify the situation. It is only if TAB is made aware of any problems that there will be the opportunity

TAB holds the right to change the terms of use at any moment without previous notice. Changes take effect at the moment of denunciation. Visitors are obligated to notice those changes and adapt to them.