Travel Agencies

What information am I entitled to receive prior to beginning my trip?

Consumers are entitled to receive the following information in written form and with sufficient time in advance to the trip date:

• Schedule, stops, connection flights and transport category
• Contact details of the local representative of the agency that is responsible for the organisation of the trip in the country we will be travelling to
• Document containing the terms and conditions for the combined trip
• The information provided, in written form, by a travel agency is mandatory and must be both correct and true. It shall not include false or misleading advertisement

What is the maximum amount I will have to pay, out of the total cost of the trip, as a deposit?

The maximum amount that may be requested is 40% of the total cost of the trip, unless the service provider requests from the travel agency full payment in advance. In each and every case, you will have to be provided with a receipt stating the amount perceived as well as the concept of payment. At the time of final payment, the amount that was paid as a deposit in advance must be subtracted from the total price of the trip. 

What details must be contained in the contract signed with the agency?

• The date, the time and place of departure
• The means of transport the customer will be using to travel as well as its characteristics, the category, date, time and place of departure and return.
• The destination or the destinations of the trip and the respective dates
• Details about the accommodation, the category and the meals included, should such services have been booked.
• The itinerary
• The visits and excursions included
• The trip price, the schedule and the selected payment method
• All terms and conditions that have been agreed upon at the time of making the reservation
• The consumer shall be informed about the his/her obligation to communicate in written form or through any other means of communication to the provider, to the agency responsible for the organisation of the trip or to the retailer, any breach in the execution of the contract that the consumer has noticed as fast as possible
• Any special request that the consumer may have applied for at the time of making the reservation to the agency responsible for the organisation of the trip or to the retailer and that has been accepted by both.
• The name and the address of the agency responsible for the organisation of the trip as well as the final vendor's address.
• Should the realisation of the trip depend from a minimum number of people, the due date for contract cancellation must be specified.
• At the time of contract formalisation, the travel agency will have to hand over to the user or consumer the tickets, or any other documents that relate to the booked services as well as enclose an invoice or a payment receipt stating the total price paid by the client. The invoice or the payment receipt related to the services must clearly state separately the price for each service and the surcharge for management fees.

What costs do I have to pay in case I cancel the trip?

In case you wish to cancel the trip, you will have to pay the management fees; the cancellation fees, duly justified, as well as a sanction (the amount of the sanction varies depending on the case), according to the days remaining to begin the trip:

If the trip is cancelled 10 to 15 days prior to the trip, the consumer will be charged 5% of the price of the trip
If the trip is cancelled 3 to 10 days prior to the trip, the consumer will be charged 15% of the price of the trip
If the trip is cancelled 48 hours prior to the trip, the consumer will be charged 25% of the price of the trip

If you do not appear at the scheduled time of departure, you will not be entitled to any refund of the paid sum, unless you reach an agreement with the travel agency. 

Regarding the booking of combined trips, the travel agency has the obligation to inform the consumer about an insurance that covers the cancellation fees should the consumer not be able to go on the trip due to unexpected reasons.

Which rights can I make use of if the travel agency cancels the booked trip?

When the reasons of the cancellation are not attributable to the consumer, then the consumer will be entitled to a refund of the sum s/he paid or to a similar trip of the same or superior quality. 

The travel agency shall pay the consumer a compensation that will in no case be less than 5% of the total price of the trip. This compensation paid by the travel agency shall not be paid in case of the following:

a) When the trip is cancelled due to the fact that the minimum number of travellers has not been reached, as long as this cancellation clause has been previously announced and the cancellation is notified at least 10 days in advance prior to the scheduled departure date of the trip.

b) When the trip is cancelled due to reasons that are beyond the control of the agency (strikes, wars, catastrophes...)

I booked and paid a combined trip and now the agency, due to the increased fuel price, has informed me that I have to pay a higher price. Is this true?

In general, prices shall not be modified. However, the contract may consider clauses that allow variations in the price of the means of transport used during the trip, including the price of fuel, the fees and taxes relative to certain services that are offered within the scope of the trip as well as changes in currency exchange rates. In any case, the price shall not be increased 20 days prior to the trip departure date. 

What can I do in case the terms of the contract are not fulfilled during the trip?
The agency must try to find a solution without increasing the price of the service and refund the consumer with the difference in price in case the services offered are less than the ones that were agreed upon initially. Should the consumer continue the trip, this means s/he agreed to the new conditions. Should s/he not accept them, the agency should have to provide the consumer a means of transport to return without any additional cost.

I booked a trip and one week prior to the date of departure, the hotel category was changed (to a lower-class hotel). What can I do?

First of all, you have to request the travel agency to notify any change in written form. After this, you may decide if you accept the new conditions or rather prefer to cancel the contract. In case the modifications are accepted by the consumer, you may request for a refund of the price difference between the previous hotel and the new, lower-class hotel. Should you however decide to cancel the contract and in order to obtain the refund of the paid sum, you should notify the travel agency about your wish to cancel the contract in written form and within three days after receiving the travel agency's notification in written form, .