Terms and conditions

1. SCOPE AND APPLICATION

Discover Photography understands the importance of our customers’ privacy. This Privacy Policy describes the treatment of information we collect from and about you when you visit our websites or use our apps and other services that contain a link to this Privacy Policy or otherwise refer to or provide the URL to this Privacy Policy (collectively, the “Services”). Our Privacy Policy also describes other sources we use to obtain information about you; tells you how we use, share and protect your information; and what choices you have about how your information is used and shared. By using the Services, you agree to the terms and conditions of this Privacy Policy and consent to our collection, use and disclosure of your personal information in the manner set out below.

We do not knowingly permit children under age 13 (in the United States) or age 16 (in the EEA) to register for any content, product or Service. We do not knowingly collect, use or disclose personal information about users under age 13 (in the United States) or age 16 (in the EEA), except as permitted by law. In recognition of the need to provide additional privacy protections for children, we have a separate privacy policy that applies to those sites and apps that are directed to them.

For purposes of this Privacy Policy, “personal information” means information that identifies a specific person or that is about an individual who can be identified, such as full name, email address, newsletter choices, magazine or product purchases, consumer product preferences.

2. COLLECTION OF INFORMATION

Information You Provide Directly to Discover Photography

If you are interested in obtaining information, products or services from Discover Photography or participating in certain activities, you may need to provide us or our service providers with information about yourself. For example:

If you register for a Service to become a member, receive a newsletter, or get information about Discover Photography events, you may be asked for your name, email address, mailing address, phone number and other information

If you order a product from us or one of our business partners, you may be asked for your name, postal address, email address, telephone number and your credit card number.

If you are ordering a product as a gift for another person, you may be asked for that person’s name, postal address and phone number in order to enable us to deliver the gift to the recipient.

If you participate in an activity such as a survey or sweepstakes, you may be asked for your name, email address and birth date, and also to provide other types of information such as gender and personal interests, which may be associated with other personal information that has been obtained from or about you.

Sensitive Information. We ask that you not send us, and you not disclose, any sensitive personal information (such information related to racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religion or other beliefs, health, criminal background or trade union membership) on or through the Services or otherwise.

Information We May Collect Automatically

In addition to information you choose to provide to us, Discover Photography and our service providers also use standard technologies to automatically collect certain additional information. For example:

• IP Address and Other Identifiers. When you access and interact with our services, Discover Photography and our service providers may collect information about your visits in order to permit you to connect to and obtain the Services and to understand the frequency with which specific visitors visit various parts of our Services. For example, we may collect your Internet Protocol (“IP”) address, which identifies the computer or service provider that you use to access the Services, or information about your browser type, authentication identifiers, and other software and hardware information. If you access the Services through a mobile or other device we may collect your mobile device identifier, geolocation data (including your precise location), or other transactional information for that device. We may combine this information with other information that we have collected to make our Services and our communications to you more targeted to your interests.
• Social Media Information and Content. If you access or log into a Service through a social media service or connect a Service to a social media service, the information we collect may also include your user ID and/or user name associated with that social media service, any information or content you have permitted the social media service to share with us, such as your profile picture, email address or friends lists, and any information you have made public in connection with that social media service. When you access the Services through social media services or when you connect a Service to social media services, you are authorising Discover Photography to collect, store, and use such information and content in accordance with this Privacy Policy.
• Cookies and Other Tracking Technologies. Our Services may also use cookies. Cookies are small text files that are stored on a user’s computer and allow websites to remember information about users. We and our service providers use cookies for a variety of purposes in order to enhance the quality of our sites. We use transient (also called “session ID”) cookies to provide continuity from page to page. A session ID cookie expires when you close your browser. We also use persistent cookies. Persistent cookies allow our online store and certain other parts of our site to recognize your browser when you return after your first visit to that part of our site. Cookies allow us to personalize your return visits to our site and to save you time during certain activities, such as checking out from our online store. You have the choice to set your browser to accept all cookies, reject all cookies, or notify you when a cookie is set. (Each browser is different, so check the “Help” menu of your browser to learn how to change your cookie preferences.) You can manage the use of Flash technologies, with the Flash management tools available at Adobe’s website
• It is up to you whether to allow us to send you cookies. Please note that by blocking any or all cookies you may not have access to certain features, content or personalization available through the Services.
• Web beacons and other tracking technologies. The Services may use other tracking tools, including so-called “pixel tags,” “web beacons,” “web bugs,” “clear GIFs,”etc. (collectively “Web Beacons”) to collect user activity information about your activities on the Services. These are small electronic images embedded in web content (including online ads) and email messages and are ordinarily not visible to users. Like Cookies, Web Beacons enable us to track pages and content (including ads) accessed and viewed by users. Also, when we send HTML-formatted (as opposed to plain text) emails to you, Web Beacons may be embedded in such emails to allow us to monitor readership levels so that we can identify aggregate trends and individual usage to provide our audiences with more relevant content or offers. Web Beacons in emails may recognize activities such as when an email was opened, how many times an email was forwarded, which links in the email were clicked on, etc. Web Beacons cannot be declined when delivered via a regular web page. However, Web Beacons can be refused when delivered via email. If you do not wish to receive Web Beacons via email, you will need to disable HTML images or refuse HTML (select Text only) emails via your email software.
• Third Party Tracking. Third parties that support the Services by serving advertisements or providing services, such as allowing you to share content or tracking aggregate the Services usage statistics, may also use these technologies to collect similar information when you use the Services (such as websites and emails). These third parties may also use these technologies, along with activity information they collect, to recognize you across the devices you use, such as a mobile device and a laptop or other computer. Discover Photography does not control these third-party technologies and their use is governed by the privacy policies of third parties using such technologies. For more information about third-party advertising networks and similar entities that use these technologies, see www.aboutads.info/consumers, and to opt-out of such ad networks’ and services’ advertising practices, go to www.aboutads.info/choices.
• Please visit our Cookie Policy for more information on the Cookies and other tracking technologies present on our Services.
• Information Contained in User Content
• Some parts of our Services may allow users to post or transmit messages, comments, screen names, computer files and other materials. You should be careful about what personal information you choose to make public through these Services.
• Information from Other Sources
• To the extent permitted by law, Discover Photography and our service providers may supplement the information we collect from and about you with information from other sources, such as publicly available information about your online and offline activity from social media services, commercially available sources and information..

3. USE AND DISCLOSURE

Discover Photography and our service providers may use information that we collect from and about you for a variety of business purposes, including:

• to maintain and manage your account, deliver content and services that you request, improve the services and enhance your experience on our services;
• to process and track your product or service orders and provide the services and content you request;
• to communicate with you about the content and Services or other products, content or services in which you may be interested, or to respond to your inquiries or comments;
• to contact you. Discover Photography may periodically send notifications related to the services such as notifications of changes to the Services or policies;
• to offer you branded, co-branded or other services, products, or features, such as travel services and products. By virtue of such relationships, we may share the information you submit in connection with the service with the third party (provided that you have consented to this). The third party’s use of your information will be governed by the third party’s privacy policy;
• to deliver relevant advertising and marketing. Discover Photography and our service providers may use the information we collect from and about you as described in this Privacy Policy to deliver relevant ads to you when you use the Services (on any of your devices) or another service (on any of your devices). As noted above, third-party advertising networks and advertisers may use cookies and similar technologies to collect and track information such as demographic information, inferred interests, aggregated information, and information about the different devices you use and your activity on such devices, to assist them in delivering advertising that is more relevant to your interests. The information may also be used to deliver more relevant advertising to you across marketing channels, including email. If you would like to opt-out of such ad networks’ and services’ advertising practices on the device on which you are accessing this policy.
• If you want to stop receiving Discover Photography promotional materials, please email Discover Photography instructions in our communications.
• to allow social sharing functionality. If you log in with or connect a social media service account with the services, we may share your user name, picture, and likes, as well as your activities and comments with other Discover Photography users and with your friends associated with your social media service. We may also share the same information with the social media service provider. By logging in with or connecting your services account with a social media service, you are providing your consent to us to share information we collect from and about you with the social media service provider, other users and your friends and you understand that the social media service’s use of the shared information will be governed by the social media service’s privacy policy. If you do not want your personal information shared in this way, please do not connect your social media service account with your account and do not participate in social sharing on Services;
• to perform business analyses or for other purposes to improve the quality of our business, the Services, and the products and services we offer;
• To protect the rights of Company and others. There may be instances when Company may use or disclose your information, including situations where Company has a good faith belief that such use or disclosure is necessary in order to: (i) protect, enforce, or defend the legal rights, privacy, safety, or property of Company, our Company Affiliates or their employees, agents and contractors (including enforcement of our agreements and our terms of use); (ii) protect the safety, privacy, and security of users of the Company Services or members of the public; (iii) protect against fraud or for risk management purposes; (iv) comply with the law or legal process; or (v) respond to requests from public and government authorities;
• to complete a merger or sale of assets. If Discover Photography sells all or part of its business or makes a sale or transfer of its assets or is otherwise involved in a merger or transfer of all or a material part of its business (including in connection with a bankruptcy or similar proceedings), Discover Photography may transfer your information to the party or parties involved in the transaction as part of that transaction; or
• in accordance with your consent.

In order to make our content, Services and advertising more interesting and relevant to you, we may use the information we collect from and about you to make inferences and predictions about your potential areas of interest. When the information collected from or about you does not identify you as a specific person, we may use that information for any purpose or share it with third parties, to the extent permitted by applicable law.

Discover Photography will disclose your personal information as described in this Privacy Policy, including:

• with entities that help us to manage and provide the Services, including development of our websites and applications, maintenance and support, personalization, payment processing, email distribution, measurement and improvement, sweepstakes/contest administration, booking, fulfilment, and operation of travel services and products, and promotions management, only to the extent that these entities need the information to perform their services or as required by law;
• with our Discover Photography Affiliates. You agree and consent that may share your information with Discover Photography Affiliates for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy. This may include transferring information to other countries (including countries other than where you are based) that have a different data protection regime than is found in the country where you are based which may include countries outside of the EEA including the United States. Users who visit Discover Photography Affiliates’ services should still refer to their separate privacy policies, which may differ in some respects from this Privacy Policy;
• with identified entities whose products or services you specifically use or request to receive while you use the Services;
• with our business partners, such as travel operators. Their use of your personal information will be governed by their own privacy policies;
• with third parties in in the ordinary course of business in order to process your requests and fulfil your orders for video content offered through the Services;
• with your consent, with other selected third parties so that they may send you promotional materials about goods and services that they offer;
• in response to legal process and when we believe that doing so is required by law (including laws applicable to our Affiliates and service providers), may be necessary to protect any person’s property, rights, or safety, or to investigate a potential violation of law, will help to enforce any terms of use or other legal agreement, or in the event of a corporate transaction, such as a divestiture, merger, consolidation, bankruptcy or asset sale;
• in accordance with your consent.

Discover Photography and its Affiliates, service providers, business partners and other individuals described above, may be located outside of your country of residence, including, among others, in the United States (Canada and EEA). These countries may have different data protection regimes than is found in the country where you are based.

When information we collect is aggregated, anonymized or otherwise does not identify you, we may use that information for any purpose or share it with third parties, to the extent permitted by applicable law.

4. INFORMATION SECURITY

We take a number of commercially reasonable administrative, technical, personnel and physical measures designed to safeguard information in our possession from loss, theft and unauthorized use, disclosure or modification. However, no one can guarantee the complete safety of your information.

5. USER ACCESS AND CONTROL

If you would like to access, review, correct, update, suppress, delete or otherwise limit our use of your personal information you have previously provided directly to us, you may contact us using the mechanisms provided below. We will try to comply with your request as soon as reasonably practicable.

You may opt out of having your personal information used or disclosed for certain purposes.

• If you no longer want to receive marketing-related emails from us on a going-forward basis, you may opt-out of receiving these emails be clicking “Unsubscribe” or “Update my Preferences” at the bottom of any marketing email.
• If you would prefer that we do not share your personal information on a going-forward basis with business partners for their direct marketing purposes, you may opt-out of this sharing.
• If you continue to receive our communications in error after expressing an opt-out preference, please let us know so that we can investigate the situation.

6. OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Changes in this Privacy Policy. We may amend this Privacy Policy at any time by posting the most recent version of the Policy on the Services, along with an indication of the date on which the Policy was amended most recently. Any changes to this Privacy Policy will become effective when we post the revised Privacy Policy on the Services. If we make any material changes to this Privacy Policy in the way we collect, use, and/or share personal information through the Services in a manner that expand our rights to use the personal information we have already collected from you, we will notify you and provide you with a choice about our future use of that information.

Data Retention. We will retain your information for the period necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy unless a longer retention period is required or allowed by law.

Remember that even after you cancel your account, or if you ask us to delete your personal information, copies of some information from your account may remain viewable in some circumstances where, for example, you have shared information with social media or other services. Because of the nature of caching technology, your account may not be instantly inaccessible to others. We may also retain backup information related to your account on our servers for some time after cancellation or your request for deletion, for fraud detection or to comply with applicable law or our internal security or recordkeeping policies. It may not always be possible to completely remove or delete all of your information due to technical constraints or, contractual, financial or legal requirements.

Third-Party Sites. If you click on or interact with a hyperlink or advertisement that you find on the Services, you may leave our Services or send information to a different website or application. Our Privacy Policy does not apply to your interactions with third-party websites or mobile apps, even if you find a link to them on or access them through our Services, and so you should read the privacy policy of the third-party provider to see how your personal information will be treated on its site. We have no control over such third-parties, their Internet sites, or their products or services.

Collection of Personal Financial Information by a Payment Service. In some cases, we may use an unaffiliated payment service to enable you to purchase a product or make payments on a third-party payment service provider website (“Payment Service”). If you wish to purchase a product or make a payment using a Payment Service, you will be directed to a page operated by that Payment Service. Any information that you provide to a Payment Service will be subject to the applicable Payment Service’s privacy policy, rather than this Privacy Policy. We have no control over, and are not responsible for, any Payment Service’s use of information collected through any Payment Service.

7. THE GDPR AND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FOR INDIVIDUALS IN THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AREA (“EEA”)

If you are a resident of the European Economic Area (“EEA”) and the Services are targeted to you, please note:

• The EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a new comprehensive data protection law that updates existing EU laws to strengthen the protection of “personal data” (any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person, so called “data subjects”) in light of rapid technological developments, the increasingly global nature of business and more complex international flows of personal data. The GDPR replaces the current patchwork of national data protection laws with a single set of rules, directly enforceable in each EU member state. The GDPR takes effect on May 25, 2018.
• We may need to collect and process the types of Personal Information listed above in order to provide the Services to you or because we are legally required to do so. If you do not provide the information that we request, we may not be able to provide you with the Services. We may use the Personal Information for our legitimate business interests, including those listed above.
• We do not knowingly permit children in the EEA under age 16 to register for any content, product or Service. We do not knowingly collect, use or disclose personal information about users under age 16, except as permitted by law. In recognition of the need to provide additional privacy protections for children, we have a separate privacy policy that applies to those sites and apps that are directed to them.
• If you would like to receive an electronic copy of your Personal Information for purposes of transmitting it to another company, you may contact us.
• Regarding the section entitled “Location of Data” in Section 6, above: Some non-EEA countries are recognized by the European Commission as providing an adequate level of data protection according to EEA standards. The full list of these countries is available at http://ec.europa.eu/justice/data-protection/international-transfers/adequacy/index_en.htm. For transfers from the EEA to countries not considered adequate by the European Commission, we have put in place adequate measures, such as standard contractual clauses adopted by the European Commission to protect your Personal Information. “Other” from the drop-down menu and providing a brief description in the text box available.
• Regarding the section entitled “Data Retention” in Section 6, above: We keep your Personal Information for as long as needed or permitted in light of the purpose(s) for which it was obtained. The criteria used to determine our retention periods include (i) for as long as we have an ongoing relationship with you and provide the Services to you; (ii) as required by a legal obligation to which we are subject; or (iii) as advisable in light of our legal position (such as in regard of applicable statutes of limitations, litigation, or regulatory investigations).
• You may lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority competent for your country or region.

8. CONTACT US

If you have additional questions regarding this privacy policy, please contact us at:

Email: info@discoverphotoworkshop.com

To make a booking you must send us a signed, completed Booking Form and a deposit of 25% of your selected travel arrangements (minimum £200 or equivalent). We will then invoice you for the remainder of the cost, which you must pay not later than 12 weeks before departure. The booking is not accepted and no contract exists until the date shown on the confirmation issued by Discover Photography. Notification of cancellation must be made to the Company in writing.

Bookings made by credit card more than 1 week before departure will not be deemed accepted until we have received a signed booking form in our office and we have issued a confirmation. If a signed booking form is not received within 10 days of the booking being made, the booking will be deemed cancelled, the deposit will be forfeit and the place will be released for resale. Bookings made by credit card less than 12 weeks before departure (i.e. when full payment is due in booking) will be subject to the cancellation conditions below regardless of whether a booking form has been received in our office.

If you do not pay the balance of your holiday cost within 12 weeks of departure your booking will be terminated and you will lose your deposit.

The person who signs the booking form is the ‘lead name’. He or she must be over 18 and jointly and/or severally responsible for payment of the total holiday price together with any amendments made to the booking and subsequent cancellation or amendment charges that may be payable. He or she also agrees to provide full and accurate information to the remainder of the party in relation to the booking. By signing the booking form, it is confirmed that himself and/or herself and all the other members of the party, including any that may be added at a later date, agree to be bound by these conditions. When you book your Holiday you will have to pay either the deposit per person dependant on the package booked; or the full cost of the Holiday if it is 10 weeks or less before date of travel. Any special requests other than those, which are a standard part of your Holiday, have to be advised to us at the time of booking your Holiday. We will endeavour to pass this information to the Companies or third parties with whom we operate. Any such action or note made of your request on the invoice confirms the fact that we have received your request but does not and should not be deemed to be a guarantee that either we or the relevant supplier or third party with whom we have contracted can or will meet with your request. Where possible we will try to help but no guarantee as to any requests given or noted on your invoice unless we have specifically confirmed the request separately in writing.

If, after our confirmation has been issued, you

• (I) make a change to your existing booking, we will charge an amendment fee of a minimum of £30 per booking for each change or
• (II) wish to change to another of our tours or change departure date, we will try to make the changes, provided that notification is received in writing at our offices from the lead name at least 60 days before departure and you pay a minimum of £40 per person to cover our administration costs. Any alteration, whether a change to an existing booking or a change to another tour or departure date, will be subject to payment by you of any costs imposed by any of our suppliers providing the component parts of the tour. Any alteration by you within 60 days of departure will be treated as a cancellation of the original booking and will be subject to the cancellation charges set out in Clause 4 below.

Discover Photography Responsible Travel is essential to our ethos. We design and operate our photography tours in remote areas that gives the highest long-term economic benefit to the host country and surrounding communities whilst maintaining or improving the environment.
We will provide regular and ongoing training in the principles and practices of responsible travel, both to our office staff and those employed directly or indirectly.
We aim to develop long-term relationships with all our partners overseas so that the economic benefit is ongoing.
We aim to achieve zero litter policies everywhere.
We aim to work with all our overseas partners to increase the skill sets of our local staff.
We aim to ensure that our type and scale of tourism is appropriate to local conditions and does not overload local infrastructure.
We will take into consideration economic, environmental and cultural issues when looking at new destinations.
We aim to minimise water and atmospheric pollution from any specific tourism development we use.
We aim to work closely with all relevant local bodies and authorities to help preserve or improve the environment and deliver a long-term benefit for the host community.
We will attempt to operate our holidays in a way that encourages positive cultural exchanges.
We will encourage our clients, through our literature, staff and leaders, to act in a socially responsible way.
We will attempt to impart an insight and understanding of the host culture and community to our clients so that they can gain more from visiting them.
We will encourage and train our local partners and staff to gain an insight into the culture and way of life of our clients.
We attempt to integrate the ethos of responsible travel throughout our organisations.
We run our office in a responsible manner by using fair-trade products, monitoring, and where possible reducing, our energy usage, as well as recycling.

Where you are unable to travel for genuine reasons you can transfer your booking to another person, subject to the following:

you must notify us in writing at least 21 days before departure; and
your request is accompanied by written proof of your reason for being unable to travel (such as a doctor’s certificate), all original travel documents which you have received and the full name and address of the transferee; and
the transferee must fulfill any conditions that apply to the booking; and
payment by you of an administrative charge of a minimum of £40 per person and all costs which those supplying your travel arrangements impose.

Before you enter into a contract with us, we reserve the right to change any of the facilities, services or prices described in our brochures or website. If a change occurs you will be advised at the time of booking.

It is unlikely we will have to make any changes to your tour after you book. However, we plan the arrangements many months in advance and may occasionally have to make changes. Most changes are minor. If a major change becomes necessary, we will advise you of the change as soon as possible. Whether a change is ‘major’ depends on the nature of the tour and may include: a change to a lower standard of accommodation; In all cases, except where a major change arises from circumstances amounting to force majeure or consolidation (see below), we will pay you, as a minimum, compensation as detailed below:

Period before departure within which a major change is notified to you Compensation per person
Before balance due date Nil
Between balance due date and 14 days before travel £30.00
Between 13 days and the date of travel £40.00
Important notes: Compensation will not be payable if we are forced to cancel, or in any way change your tour for reasons of consolidation or force majeure, namely war, threat of war, riot, civil strife, industrial dispute, terrorist activity, health epidemics, natural or nuclear disaster, fire or adverse weather conditions or other similar events beyond our control and that of our suppliers. A change of tutor due to unforeseeable circumstances is not classed as a major change. Consolidation refers to the fact that the operation of the tour is dependent on a minimum number of persons booking the tour. If that number is not achieved, we reserve the right to cancel the tour. We strongly recommend that you make no travel arrangements to your point of departure from the UK until such time as your travel itinerary has been confirmed. If you make such arrangements which you are then unable to use due to a change in your itinerary we shall not be liable to you for the cost of those arrangements.

Sometimes it may be necessary to cancel your tour and we reserve the right to cancel your tour in any circumstances. In circumstances where we are unable to provide the tour booked, we will return to you all monies paid, including insurance when you have bought that from us, or where possible offer an alternative tour of comparable or higher standard. In case of a cancelled tour departure we strongly advise you not to book any connecting travel that is non-refundable or non-changeable or incurs penalties. We will not be liable to refund any incidental costs incurred for visas, vaccinations or other travel arrangements. If we are forced to cancel your holiday after departure we will, wherever possible, make suitable alternative arrangements. If we are unable to make such alternative arrangements, or you reject these for good reason then we will return you to your point of departure and refund you for any unused services, if appropriate.

Our obligations, and those of our suppliers providing any service or facility included in your holiday, are to take reasonable skill and care to arrange for the provision of such services and facilities and, where we or our supplier is actually providing the service or facility, to provide them and to do so with reasonable skill and care. You must show that reasonable skill and care has not been used if you wish to make any claim. Standards of, for example, safety, hygiene and quality vary throughout the transport and destinations that your holiday may involve. Sometimes these standards will be lower than those which would be expected to be found in the UK.

For claims which do not involve death or personal injury, we accept, and will only have, liability should we or our suppliers fail to satisfy the obligations detailed above. If we have liability we will pay you reasonable compensation (limited to 3 times the value of your holiday) if your enjoyment of the tour is adversely affected.

For claims which involve death or personal injury as a result of an activity forming part of your holiday, we accept, and will only have liability should we or our suppliers fail to satisfy the obligations detailed above. If we have liability, we will pay you reasonable compensation.

We shall have no liability where the cause of the failure to provide, or failure in, your holiday or any death or personal injury you may suffer is not due to any fault on our part or that of our servants, agents or suppliers, because it is either attributable to you, or attributable to someone unconnected with your holiday and is unforeseeable or unavoidable, or is due to unusual or unforeseeable circumstances beyond our control, the consequences of which could not have been avoided even if all due care had been exercised, or an event which neither we, nor our servants, agents or suppliers could have foreseen or forestalled.

If any international convention applies to or governs any of the services or facilities included in your holiday arranged or provided by us, or provided by any of our suppliers, and you make a claim against us of any nature arising out of death, injury, loss or damage suffered during or as a result of the provision of those services or facilities, our liability to pay you compensation and/or the amount (if any) of compensation payable to you by us will be limited in accordance with and/or in an identical manner to that provided for by the international convention concerned (in each case including in respect of the conditions of liability, the time for bringing any claim and the type and amount of any damages that can be awarded).

International Conventions which may apply include: in respect of international air travel, the Warsaw Convention 1929 (including as amended by the Hague Protocol of 1955 and by any of the additional Montreal Protocol of 1975) or the Montreal Convention 1999; in respect of rail travel, the Berne Convention 1961; in respect of carriage by sea, the Athens Convention 1974; in respect of carriage by road, the Geneva Convention 1973; and, in respect of hotels, the Paris Convention 1962. Copies of the relevant conventions are available on request. For the avoidance of doubt, this means that we are to be regarded as having all benefit of any limitations of compensation contained in any of these Conventions or any other international conventions applicable to your holiday.

If you choose to issue court proceedings in respect of a claim against us, you must do so within 1 month of your return from holiday or within 1 month of first discovering the matters giving rise to the claim, if this is later. If you do not, then our liability to you will be limited in all cases to the sum of £100.

Other than a set out above, and as is detailed elsewhere in these booking conditions, we shall have no legal liability whatsoever to you for any loss, damage, personal injury or death which you suffer arising directly or indirectly from any aspect of your holiday.

Any arrangements you make independently which do not form part of the tour are entirely at your own risk. Where you book any excursions or additional travel arrangements while on your holiday, we act only as your booking agent.

Travel insurance is mandatory for all clients while on one of our tours. If you have choose not to take the insurance scheme we offer, you are responsible for ensuring that you are in possession of travel insurance for the entire duration of the tour in respect of at least medical expenses, injury, death, repatriation, cancellation and curtailment, with cover/benefits equal to/greater than the insurance we offer. If you make your own insurance arrangements you must ensure that there are no exclusion clauses which limit cover for the type of activities included in your tour. Travel documents will not be issued unless you provide evidencing of the existence of your policy.

Whilst we are able to provide basic advice to clients regarding passports and visa requirements, you should check with the appropriate Embassy, Consulate or British Foreign Office for the exact requirements for your chosen tour and date of travel. It is your responsibility to ensure that you have the correct passport and visas to gain access to any country/region included in the travel arrangements which you purchase from us. If you fail to do so, we have no liability to you for any cost, loss or damage which you suffer, nor will we refund you the cost of any unused portion of your travel arrangements. In some cases, countries will refuse entry to clients who have criminal records. Should you be concerned about this, please check with the embassy or consulate of the countries to which you are travelling.

The safety of every individual travelling in our groups is of paramount importance. We follow strict procedures to ensure that all necessary precautions are taken to avoid risk and safeguard the wellbeing of all who travel with us. The objective is to provide a tour that is safe, enabling and encouraging a positive, pro-active approach to safety standards worldwide.

Health & Safety

Prior to confirming tour arrangements, all accommodation, transport and visits are checked to ensure they comply with the statutory risk regulations required in that location and pass the stringent standards of our risk assessment evaluation. These checks are carried out regularly to ensure the standards are maintained either by our own qualified staff or local agents.

Compliance Certificates

The validity of these is verified annually by our own staff or agents acting on our behalf who hold a specific brief relating to our requirements and standards. It is, additionally, a requirement that all suppliers used by us are adequately insured and hold the necessary legal liability insurance cover.

ACCOMMODATION

All accommodation will have been checked either by ourselves. We have confirmation that the hotels we use have certificates to cover all the essential features of health and safety such as fire certificates or the local equivalent, appropriate insurance cover and are checked for potential risks as laid out in our accommodation risk assessment form.

Please note that smoke alarms are not mandatory in every country. Certain accommodation units used may not be equipped with smoke detection systems. For further safety information about your tour accommodation please contact us. You may wish to take your own mobile smoke alarms with you on tour – these can be purchased from most DIY centres throughout the U.K.

HEALTH & SAFETY REGARDING COACH TRAVEL

All coach operators used have current and valid Operating Licenses and Adequate Public Liability Insurance cover. All UK coaches will be provided with seat belts, though this is not always the case in Europe, especially on airport transfer coaches. Please note that coaches in the USA do not have the facility of seat belts.

Drivers hours are strictly adhered to.

Each coach company has their own emergency procedures in place to deal with situations and breakdowns. Drivers are continually assessed to ensure competency, legal requirements and defensive driving techniques. Routine license checks ensure compliance with the requirements for the driving of PCV vehicles.

Overseas coach companies are required for transfers, we will only hire from reliable and established companies who have a proven record of excellence with us.

To ensure your safety when travelling by coach, we kindly request that all tour participants:

Remain seated when the coach is mobile
Use the seatbelts provided
Make note of emergency exits and glass-breaking tools
Avoid carrying glass bottles on board
Avoid opening emergency exits or pressing alarm buttons except in emergencies
Avoid distracting the driver(s) by talking to them unnecessarily while the coach is in motion
Are aware of the direction of oncoming traffic when boarding or alighting the tour coach
Remain seated in the event of breakdown and follow their driver’s instructions
Understand that onboard toilet facilities are for emergency use only (comfort stops will be made)
Will be liable for any reported damage to the tour coach while on tour
Help maintain a clean and healthy standard on board their tour coach at all times
Understand that we cannot accept responsibility for personal items left on board
A strict NO SMOKING policy for all passengers

HEALTH ADVICE FOR TRAVELLERS

The Health Advice For Travellers booklet can be obtained from your nearest Post Office. It is designed to help you enjoy a healthy journey and to deal successfully with any medical emergencies which might arise. The booklet contains essential information and advice on:

How to avoid the need for health care when abroad
How to plan for healthy travelling
How to obtain emergency medical treatment in countries throughout the world
How to obtain a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), which will provide you with free or reduced-cost emergency medical treatment in countries within the European Economic Area (EEA).
European Health Insurance Card – 
You can apply for an EHIC free of charge by:

By calling 0845 606 2030
By picking up an application form from the Post Office
Via the the European Health Insurance Card website
Only one application by either post / internet or telephone is necessary. In order to apply ensure you have the NHS or National Insurance Number, Surname/Family Name, Forenames and Date of Birth of each applicant. The cards are valid indefinitely unless you change your address.

Please note it is our experience that not all countries, clinics and hospitals accept an EHIC under every medical situation. Notable exceptions are the USA, China and Russia. We do recommend that Party Leaders carry sufficient funds (cash or credit cards) to cover any additional costs that may be incurred and claim a refund through insurance upon their return to the UK. In such instances all receipts should be kept (e.g. taxi to/from hospital) to assist with the insurance claim.

Inoculations

We recommend that tour participants consult their own GP or a recognised Travel Heath Advice centre for latest advice on inoculation requirements. We will require that tour participants with special medical or dietary conditions be declared on the appropriate final documentation.

Alcohol

No individual under the age of 18 years of age should consume alcoholic drinks unless express written permission from a parent or guardian can be produced. Where local minimum age limits differ to the UK, we still regard our groups as representatives of the UK and therefore UK rules regarding alcohol consumption will be applied. No party member, whether of age or under age, should consume alcohol to excess as this presents a serious health and safety risk. Under no circumstances should alcohol be consumed on tour transport.

Smoking

No individual under the age of 16 years of age should smoke. Where local minimum age limits differ to the UK, we still regard our groups as representatives of the UK and therefore UK rules regarding smoking will be applied. No party member, whether of age or under age, should smoke in accommodation bedrooms as this presents a serious fire risk, nor should they behave in any other way that might present a fire hazard. Smoking should always be restricted to designated areas. No smoking is permitted on tour transport.

Drugs

Use or abuse of drugs and banned substances, or possession of the same, is forbidden under all circumstances.

Personal Conduct
 All tour participants should act in a responsible fashion during their tour and should not behave in a way likely to cause damage to property or damage or offence to other people. Any damage will be charged directly to those responsible for the person and we will be unable to assist with the funding of such payments.

TERMINATION OF THE TOUR

We reserve the right at all times to terminate the tour if the behavior of any party member is considered by the company, or by any other person in authority, likely to cause offence, distress, danger, damage or annoyance to other clients, company employees any third party or damage to property. In the event of such a termination our responsibility for the tour will cease, we will have no further contractual obligations to you including return travel and we will be under no liability to make refunds or meet any costs or expenses by you as a result. Any damage will be charged directly to those responsible and we will be unable to assist with the funding of such payments.

We are able to advise on mandatory health requirements; however, we are not medical experts. It is your responsibility to ensure that you obtain proper and detailed medical advice. Where you do not do so and either are not allowed to enter any country, or suffer personal injury or death, we have no liability to you for any cost, loss or damage which you suffer nor will we refund you the cost of any unused portion of your travel arrangements. Clients with existing medical problems, pregnant women and anyone who has recently visited other countries, should check requirements with their general practitioner.

By signing a Discover Photography booking form you agree to accept the terms and conditions, you agree to accept the authority and decisions of our employees, group leaders, agents and suppliers while on tour. If, in the opinion of any of these, your health or conduct appears likely to endanger the progress of a tour you may be excluded from the whole of, or a part of, the tour. In the case of ill-health we may make such arrangements as we deem necessary and recover the costs thereof from you. If you commit an illegal act we shall cease to have responsibility to or for you.
This is Adventure travel and many of our holiday destinations are in remote areas, within under-developed countries, where events are less predictable than is usually the case for example, Western/Easterm Europe or North America. The unexpected is normal in these areas and, despite painstaking planning and organisation, our adventure holidays can never be taken for granted like regular holidays. Many of the places that we visit do not have the same quality of emergency health and safety services that we are used to in the developed world. Internal flights can be cancelled, road transport is generally uncomfortable and unreliable, and hotels often do not approach the standards of the West.

IF YOU ARE NOT PREPARED FOR THIS, YOU SHOULD NOT TRAVEL WITH US.

This unpredictability also means that the itineraries that we put forward for each of our holidays should be seen as statements of intent, rather than as contractual obligations. A variety of factors, including weather, transport difficulties and political instability, might dictate that we change any itinerary. The trip leader will make any changes that are necessary, after consultation with the group. Only rarely will such changes be significant, and we will always do everything within our powers to minimise the effects of the enforced changes. We cannot be held responsible for the results of changes or delays, irrespective of how they are caused.

Before booking with us, take a moment to consider the challenging nature of your holiday travel provided by Discover Photography. Trips of this kind often require a substantial amount of flexibility from you during the journey. The itineraries outlined in the brochure and on our website must be seen as an indication of our intention, rather than a contractual obligation on our part. Unforeseen local conditions or events may sometimes necessitate changes to the itinerary, accommodation or means of transport. We accept your booking on the understanding that you realise the potential hazards involved in this kind of trip, including injury, disease or loss/damage to personal property, inconvenience and discomfort. Refunds will not be given for unused services.

• If you cancel your booking we will not refund your deposit, all deposits are non refundable and non transferable.
• The Client may, by notice in writing cancel his booking at any time. In the event of cancellation after the booking has been confirmed the booking contract is immediately cancelled
• The following cancellation charges are payable;
  90 days or more prior to departure = loss of booking deposit
  0-89 days = 100% of the total cost of the holiday
• Cancellation must be in writing signed by the person who signed the booking form and will be acknowledged by Discover Photography.
• We will let you know as soon as we can if we are forced to significantly alter or cancel your holiday. In these circumstances you can choose one of the following options. a) cancel your holiday and receive a full refund; b) accept a substitute holiday if we are able to offer you one. If appropriate we will also compensate you for the inconvenience unless the alteration or cancellation is because there are insufficient numbers to run the holiday or if the alteration or cancellation has come about because of unavoidable, unusual and unforeseeable circumstances beyond our control. We shall not be liable to you for any incidental expenses incurred by you as a result of any arrangements that you may have made, if you have made those arrangements before we have sent you final confirmation of your itinerary and previously advised you against incurring such expenses.

• All damages and breakages will be charged to the Client and must be paid for before vacating the accommodation. The Client undertakes to behave in an orderly fashion and not to disrupt the enjoyment of other Clients or in any way harm the reputation of Discover Photography. The holiday of any Client in breach of this clause shall be terminated forthwith and Discover Photography shall have no further contractual obligations towards him or her.

On an adventurous holiday it is necessary that you abide by the authority of the leader, who represents the company. Signing our booking form signifies your agreement to this, and if you commit any illegal act when on the holiday or if in the reasonable opinion of the leader your behaviour is causing or likely to cause danger, distress or annoyance to others we may terminate your travel arrangements without any liability on our part. If you are affected by any condition, medical or otherwise, that might affect your or other people’s enjoyment of the holiday; you must advise us of this at the time of booking.
Before you come on the holiday you must be covered by insurance, which must include adequate cover for baggage, medical expenses and the cost of repatriation, should you become too ill to continue, including helicopter rescue and air ambulance. If you join the holiday without adequate insurance you may not be allowed to continue on the holiday, with no right of refund. Any claims concerning matters for which you are insured must be directed to your insurers.

If you have any complaint about the holiday, you must make it known at the earliest opportunity to the leader and/or our local representative, who will normally be able to take appropriate action. If you are not satisfied with their response and you feel your enjoyment of the holiday is likely to be significantly affected, please contact Discover Photography immediately and we will do our best to resolve the problem. If at the end of the holiday, you feel your complaint has not been properly dealt with, we shall try and agree a settlement with you, but you must first notify us of your complaint in writing within 30 days of your scheduled date of return.

• Discover Photography agrees to use all reasonable endeavours to provide the booked holiday as described on the web site, but will not be responsible if, having used all reasonable endeavours, it is unable to do so.
• Discover Photography accepts no liability (except where Discover Photography is proved not to have used due diligence) for any loss or damage incurred or suffered by any Client in connection with any mode of transport in any way arising out of the holiday.
• All baggage and personal possessions remain at all times and in all circumstances at the owner’s risk except where Discover Photography has proved not to have used due diligence.
• Whilst Discover Photography uses due diligence in its efforts to ensure that all descriptions of, or any information in relation to, holidays supplied to Clients are accurate, it shall not be liable in the event that an aspect of the holiday fails to comply with any description of information even if the Client specifically relied on that particular aspect in choosing or booking the holiday, provided Discover Photography has used due diligence.

Information on our website is posted in good faith and is updated regularly. However, we cannot guarantee the completeness and accuracy of the information on it. Prices shown on the website are believed accurate but, in the event of any inaccuracy or discrepancy, the price quoted by our on-line booking system will be taken as the valid price for the holiday in question.

Every effort has been made by our company to ensure that the information featured on this website represents is accurate as possible. However, as our programme is planned many months in advance, it may occur that some facilities mentioned may have altered or been temporarily withdrawn, due to reasons such as adverse weather conditions, lack of demand, reparation work, maintenance and so on, and therefore you should be prepared for this eventuality. Air conditioning, where mentioned, may only be available at certain times of the day or year, at the discretion of the hotelier. Some excursions may also not be operating at the time of your holiday due to the lack of demand and/or adverse weather conditions. It may also happen that a hotelier may decide to change meal service arrangements to buffet style or vice versa. Also, swimming pools are periodically emptied for cleaning and maintenance and may be temporarily unavailable. However, when we are told of any significant change, we will advise you when you book or, where you have already booked, before your departure if possible. We reserve the right to make any changes to any description or price contained in our website at any time after publication.

No charge will be made for each credit card transaction. There is also no charge for debit card payments.

If you or any member of your party have any medical problem or disability which may affect your holiday, please tell us before you confirm your booking so that we can advise as to the suitability of the chosen arrangements. In any event, you must give us full details in writing at the time of booking. If we reasonably feel unable to properly accommodate the particular needs of the person concerned, we must reserve the right to decline the booking or, if full details are not given at the time of booking, cancel when we become aware of these details.

Except where otherwise expressly stated in these Booking Conditions, we regret we cannot accept liability or pay compensation where the performance or prompt performance of our obligations under our contract with you is prevented or affected or you otherwise suffer any damage or loss. In these Booking Conditions ‘force majeure’ means any event which we or the supplier of the service(s) in question could not, even with all due care, foresee or avoid. Such events are likely to include war or threat of war, civil strife, riot, industrial dispute, actual or threatened terrorist activity, natural or nuclear disaster, fire, technical problems with transport, closure or congestion of airports or ports, adverse weather conditions and all similar events outside our control.

In order to process your booking, we need to collect certain personal details from you. These details will include the information requested on our booking form as well as, if applicable, special requirements such as those relating to any disability or medical condition which may affect the chosen holiday arrangements and any dietary restrictions which may disclose your religious beliefs.
If we need any other personal details, we will tell you before we obtain them from you. We need to pass on your personal details to the companies and organisations who need to know them so that your holiday can be provided (for example your airline, hotel, other supplier, credit/debit card company or bank).

We would also like to store and use your personal details for future marketing purposes (for example, sending you a brochure or details of a promotion). All details you give us in connection with your booking (including those relating to any disability or medical condition or your religious beliefs ) will be kept but we will obviously only use names and contact details for marketing purposes. Occasionally, we may sell clients names and contact details to other companies or organisations who offer goods or services which we feel may interest you. If you do not want us to do any or all of these things, please let us know as soon as possible.

We promise to keep all personal details you give us in connection with your booking confidential except as set out above. We will confirm the details we hold about you on request. We have appropriate security measures in place to protect this information.

When you arrive at your destination airport one of our representatives will meet you and show you to the coach that will take you to your resort. Approximate transfer times will be confirmed with your booking. These do not allow for delays caused by waiting for incoming flights or local traffic conditions. Access by coach to the accommodation is sometimes restricted, so we may not always be able to transfer you directly to the main entrance. If a hire car is to be provided as part of your holiday arrangements, and this is to be collected at the airport, our representative will show you to the car hire office to collect your car. If you have hired a car, no transfer arrangements will normally be provided for any members of your party. We do not undertake to transfer unconventional luggage to your accommodation. Please make your own arrangements for this, or call us at least 2 weeks before departure to see if the coach can accept the equipment.