The following terms and conditions (‘booking conditions’) form the basis of your contract with Aussie2Italia T/A Women Save Time Pty Ltd (‘A2I’, ‘we’ or ‘our’). Please read them carefully as they set out your and our respective rights and obligations. These Terms & Conditions were correct at time of publication.
Our terms and conditions are divided in two sections — those of generic nature that are consistent across all travel we provide; and those of a specific nature that relate to particular holiday packages.
Not all our tours are fully guided tours. Some tours are partly guided and others are fully independent with no guide services. Please read inclusions carefully and ensure you understand what you have purchased. If numbers are low or for other unforeseen circumstances we have the right to make changes to our services at any time without notice. We will always do our best to provide services promised but sometimes due to unforeseen circumstances services or inclusions may change without notice.
General Conditions
By asking us to confirm your booking, we are entitled to assume that you have had the opportunity to read and have read these booking conditions, that you agree to them and that you agree to them applying to your holiday arrangements that you book with us and which we agree to make, provide or perform (as applicable) as part of our contract with you. References in these booking conditions to your ‘holiday package’ are references to the tour package you have booked with A2I. References to ‘excursions’ are references to short trips or tours included or available as part of your holiday package.
Governing Law
These booking conditions are governed by the law in force in Victoria, Australia.
Before You Book
Price Validity
Published prices are valid at the time of publication but are subject to change and exchange rates. They may be varied by advertising or special offers, or changed after the publication date for any reason, including without limitation, to cover changes in government taxes and charges, exchange rate variations, fuel surcharges, a force majeure event or other material increases by suppliers. The most up to date pricing is on our website. Prices will be confirmed at time of booking. All holidays are subject to availability at the time of booking and note nothing is confirmed until deposit is paid.
Transfers
Airport transfers are often included on the first and last day of the holiday package at designated times. No refund will be given for unused transfers. Transfers cannot be re-routed to other pick-up points or destinations. Passengers who miss the pre-booked transfers must make their own way to/from the hotel at their own expense. A group transfer is generally a shared transfer and the type of vehicle used will normally be dependent upon the size of the group.
Group Tours & Signature Experiences
Minimum and maximum group numbers apply on some Group Tours or Signature Experience inclusions. If your first choice is unavailable you may be asked to choose an alternate.
Public Holidays & Festivals
Most countries have public holidays, religious or otherwise. Festivities may temporarily disrupt your holiday and some religious holidays may result in a reduction of facilities and entertainment.
Superdeals & Special Offers
Conditions apply. Full terms and conditions relating to any deal or special offer on your booking will be confirmed in writing.
Other Special Offers
Special deals and offers other than those advertised herein may be promoted by A2I after the program is released. These new offers do not apply to existing bookings unless otherwise stated.
Booking & Paying For Your Holiday
All costs are quoted in Euro and the exchange rate used is the day we pay Italy.
No bookings are made on your behalf until a non-refundable deposit is paid. We strongly suggest you have travel insurance in place before paying any deposit money.
Depending on your departure date, when you are happy with accommodation, we request a 30% deposit for bookings. This money as explained is passed onto Italy and therefore paid in EURO.
All prices are quoted in Euro and you will pay in AUD on the exchange rate of the day we pay Italy, as the agent then needs to on-pay your deposit to the accommodation.
Trains cannot be booked until 90 days out but they will book as soon as they can, similar with some inspections or tours — but we are guided by our operator to what is required. Often we quote and prices are not yet fixed or can change at any time without notice.
Final payment is normally due between 30–60 days before departure and once paid all documents and final itineraries are produced and sent to you 2 weeks before your departure. If your payment is late or changes are made by the client this can affect the date of your final documentation. A2I takes no responsibility for this.
Booking Fee Refund
We take a planning fee of $597 AUD and will refund $500 AUD at final payment if clients, being fair and reasonable, act within the following points:
- Amount of services booked must be a minimum of 7 nights accommodation and services or €2,000, whichever is the greater.
- Clients cannot split services (i.e. only book limited services to receive the refund).
- The client does not request more than 3 quotations or make more than 6 changes before agreeing to services booked.
- The client pays all invoices on time.
If any of the above is not adhered to, the refund of $500 will not be made at final payment.
Airfares
Air travel is not booked or arranged by us and we take no responsibility for change of dates, late flights or any other issue with airlines. A2I is not liable for delays or disruptions of air travel and cannot change or alter accommodation due to airline delays or disruptions. Please check your dates and information you send regarding your flights carefully, and ensure on receipt of your tour documents that your itinerary is correct.
A2I Deposit Cancellation
Deposits are non-refundable so please ensure you are covered by travel insurance before you pay any money. Once you have confirmed your accommodation and services and money is paid onto third parties, this money is non-refundable also. Travel insurance is strongly recommended before paying any money.
Travel Insurance
Travel insurance is not included in your holiday package. For your protection, you are required to purchase comprehensive travel insurance that includes (without limitation) coverage for the full cost of your holiday package, medical expenses, loss of luggage, land content and airfare charges that may occur due to cancellation, impossibility of performance or other frustration, disruption, loss of deposit or strikes. PLEASE NOTE some credit cards offer limited coverage and we strongly recommend you do not use this as travel insurance — rather ensure you have a quality travel insurance policy.
Travel Information & Documents
After booking you will receive an invoice with all important information relevant to your holiday package. We strongly recommend you check the details carefully and read the included information. Please ensure that you check your flight timings against your services carefully, particularly early morning departures. Approximately 30–14 days before departure you will receive your final itinerary. However, in the case of late bookings, changes or late payment, information may be delayed and A2I takes no responsibility.
We guarantee most tours to run with a minimum of 2 passengers. If any tour drops to under 10 passengers then tour costs for entrance, tour guides or other services may/will have an additional levy as it will no longer be a group rate. This will depend on numbers on the tour at final payment. It is the client's responsibility to check services booked are correct prior to final payment.
Final Payment
At final payment the client will receive a list of services which have been booked on their behalf. It is the client's responsibility to check that all services required are included and that all dates, times and services are correct. The client's invoice will be reflective of this list and by paying the final invoice the client accepts the services as final and correct for the money paid. Once paid the client accepts that what we have provided is correct and no refunds or changes can be made.
If any changes are required after this point a change fee of $500 per change will be charged.
It is the client's responsibility to check all final documentation before departure. We take no responsibility if clients do not check their itinerary before they travel against the services that we have booked. We suggest a HANDOVER where we go through all final documentation but this is up to each client.
IMPORTANT: After 7 days of receiving FINAL DOCUMENTS our documents are moved into storage. We cannot resend or access documentation after the 7 days. If clients need information resent, a fee of $500 will be charged and it could take up to 5 business days to resend. Please print out all documentation and check all details within 7 days of receiving information.
Special Requests
Where a special request (e.g. diet, room location, twin or double bedded room, a particular facility at a hotel, or particular meals) is an important factor in your choice of holiday, you must advise us when your booking is made. We will pass your request onto the hotel or other supplier but cannot guarantee that it will be accommodated. A2I will also pass on any dietary requests to suppliers but we strongly recommend that you check directly with your tour leader or supplier during your program. The provision of any special request does not constitute a term of your contract with us. Confirmation that a special request has been noted or passed on to the supplier, or the inclusion of the special request on your confirmation invoice or any other documentation, is not confirmation that the request will be met. Unless and until specifically confirmed, all special requests are subject to availability.
Credit & Debit Card Surcharges
If you pay A2I by credit or debit card, surcharges will apply. NOTE: If paying by credit card a delay of up to 7 working days may occur before it hits our account. Please ensure you pay your invoice with enough time or late fees could occur. Your payment will be considered PAID only once money has cleared our bank account.
Accuracy
A2I has endeavoured to ensure that the information provided about accommodation, itineraries etc. is correct to the best of its knowledge at the time of publication. However, advertised descriptions, facilities and prices may change after publication. We recommend that you confirm the details of your chosen holiday package at the time of booking. Some information is given for guidance only. Final details will be shown on your final documentation. Holiday package or excursion itineraries may change or be different from those described in our collateral as a result of local conditions, weather conditions or annual events. A2I will endeavour to notify you of any significant changes prior to your departure.
Disruption to Itinerary Arrangements
Itineraries are intended as a guide only and are subject to alteration without notice. Alterations may be necessary for various reasons including, without limitation, road, rail, river or weather conditions, strikes or other reasons beyond A2I's control. If conditions render any routes unsafe, A2I reserves the right to provide alternative services including, but not limited to, accommodation in substitute land arrangements. A2I will not be liable for any direct or indirect costs that you incur as a result of any event beyond our control which necessitates a change in your itinerary. You are not entitled to any refund for any alterations to your itinerary caused by such events. A2I cannot guarantee exact arrival and departure times for carriers and operators used by A2I, and A2I will not be liable for failure to make connections with any other services or attractions beyond its control.
Force Majeure
Force Majeure means the occurrence of an event that is beyond A2I's reasonable control and which could not have been reasonably prevented by A2I, including but not limited to: (a) war, armed conflict, criminal damage, riot, civil strife, industrial dispute, terrorist activity or the threat of any such acts; (b) natural disaster (including flooding, fire, earthquake, landslide), adverse weather conditions, high or low water levels; (c) nuclear or other industrial accident causing environmental pollution or contamination; or (d) change in law, meaning, enactment or amendment (including repeal) in the law or administration of any law in Australia or any jurisdiction relevant to the booking contract, including changes or amendments in regulations or access to services, sites or countries caused by declared epidemic or pandemic events.
Termination or Change due to Force Majeure
If A2I, in its reasonable opinion, considers that any Force Majeure event prevents A2I (whether directly or through its employees, contractors, subcontractors and agents) from lawfully or safely providing any products or services subject of the booking contract with you, A2I may immediately by written notice: (a) terminate the booking contract (in whole or in part); or (b) change your travel arrangements as reasonably practicable to ensure your safety and invoice you for any additional costs.
Limitation of Liability in the Event of Force Majeure
In the event that A2I cancels or changes your travel arrangements in any way due to a Force Majeure event, A2I will not be liable to you in contract, tort, statute or restitution for any loss (including loss of deposit or purchase price and loss of enjoyment), damage, costs, charges, expenses or injury resulting from or in connection with: (a) the cancellation or change to your travel arrangements; or (b) the Force Majeure event. A2I is not liable to refund any part of the deposit or purchase price paid by you if A2I subsequently changes or cancels your travel arrangements in connection with a Force Majeure event. As you are required to purchase travel insurance to adequately protect yourself against these risks, your policy needs to respond to these risks.
Data Protection Policy
Any personal information (including sensitive and health information) that A2I obtains and retains from you or about you is necessary for our business purposes. Our Privacy Policy details why we collect this information, who we may disclose it to (including overseas recipients), and the main consequences if we do not collect it. It also contains information about how you may seek access to, or correction of, the personal information held about you, and our complaint resolution procedures. By providing personal or sensitive information to us, you are agreeing to the terms of our Privacy Policy.
Limitation of Liability
- Our holiday packages include the services of independent providers, such as hoteliers, cruise companies and other operators, who are not agents, servants or employees of A2I. Although we take care in selecting the independent service providers and the optional excursions conducted by some independent service providers, A2I is not responsible for the conduct of the independent service providers, their servants and agents or for any ramifications of that conduct. Optional excursions may include activities such as climbing, exploring, bike riding, swimming and snorkelling. You accept and assume the risk involved with these activities.
- If, in the opinion of any representative of A2I, your mental or physical condition, or general behaviour is such as to affect your own health and safety, render you incapable to care for yourself, cause you to become a hazard to yourself or other passengers or result in you becoming objectionable to other passengers or staff, you will not be permitted to embark or continue on the whole or any part of the holiday package. Abuse or harassment of any kind toward crew, suppliers or other guests may result in immediate removal from a holiday package. Guests will be responsible for arranging and paying for their own transport home if asked to leave. A2I is not liable to you for any costs associated with such decision and you will not be refunded for any part of the holiday package.
- A2I accepts no responsibility for any death, injury, illness, loss (including loss of enjoyment), damage, detention or delay (including mechanical breakdown) beyond its control.
- Any term, condition or warranty expressed or implied by statute or otherwise in respect of the holiday packages contained in any of our collateral are excluded to the full extent permitted by law. Nothing in these booking conditions excludes, restricts or modifies the application of the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth).
- To the full extent permitted by law, A2I's liability arising under or in connection with these booking conditions: (a) is limited to the re-supply of the products or services or the payment of the cost of re-supply; and (b) excludes liability for any indirect or consequential losses, howsoever caused.
- Your travel agent may/will forward deposits and other payments to us on your behalf, but your travel agent is not our agent for the purpose of receipt of monies. Receipt of deposits and subsequent payments by the travel agent does not constitute receipt of those monies by us. A2I reserves the right to cancel any ticket or booking or refuse to carry any passenger where payment has not been received by A2I within the specified time.
- Specific meal requests are requests only and cannot be guaranteed.
COVID-19 Requirements
Before booking and before you travel, ensure that you check the latest Government travel requirements and A2I updates which include on-tour protocols. This may include obtaining proof of negative test results prior to embarkation, completion of health questionnaire, mask wearing, requirement to isolate if COVID-19 symptoms present during tour, and removal of passengers from the tour if deemed necessary by medical staff. Compliance is mandatory and anyone refusing to comply can be denied access to the tour or removed from the tour at A2I's absolute discretion.
Medical Assistance
A2I does not employ medical staff on its tours. If you require medical attention, local medical services can be contacted immediately. You are responsible for all charges that result from visiting a medical facility, or for a medical practitioner visiting you. A2I is not responsible for the type or quality of the medical services you may receive.
Local Purchases
A2I is not responsible for any items you may purchase locally (e.g. jewellery, furniture). You acknowledge that you are solely responsible for any import duty or freight costs.
Personal Belongings & Lost Items
For security reasons, valuables should be kept to a minimum and packed in your hand luggage along with your medicines. It is your responsibility to look after your property at all times and you must ensure you are adequately covered by comprehensive travel insurance in the event of any loss.
Smoking
Government regulations forbid smoking in tourist coaches; however frequent stops are made for those wishing to smoke. Smoking is not permitted in hotel rooms or on transfers. Requests for smoking/non-smoking rooms will be passed on to hotels but cannot be guaranteed.
Responsible Service of Alcohol
Our staff are trained in the responsible service of alcohol and are obliged by law to refuse service to any guest who, in their reasonable opinion, appears to be intoxicated or behaves in an aggressive or offensive manner.
Service Enquiries
If a problem occurs during your holiday you should, in your own interests, advise your tour director so that steps can be taken to resolve the matter. If you remain dissatisfied, any complaint must be made in writing to A2I within 30 days.
Luggage Limits
Each passenger is entitled to take one piece of luggage which they can carry without assistance and that does not exceed 160cm (63 inches), or weigh more than 23kg (50 pounds). Dimensions for checked baggage are calculated by adding together the width, height and depth of the piece of baggage. Some holiday packages may have restricted luggage limits, but note YOU MUST BE ABLE TO CARRY YOUR OWN LUGGAGE.
Walking & Activity
Our tours are for active people who can walk 30 minutes at a fast to reasonable pace without assistance. You must be able to carry your own luggage and get your own luggage on and off trains, up and down stairs without assistance. People who do not meet these requirements should not book our tours and may be asked to leave if unable to meet these requirements. If this happens all arrangements will be at the passenger's expense and no part of the tour will be refunded.
Additional Services & Changes
While we are flexible and wish to offer great services to our clients, any changes made less than 60 days prior to departure can affect final documentation being ready on time or your departure. Therefore any changes within 60 days will have an administration fee of $500 AUD per change.
Early Bird Rates
There are two types of early bird rate which offer passengers a discount. Both are only available if rooms are available:
- Pay deposit more than 6 months before the tour.
- Pay the total tour price in full at any stage.
Single Rooms & Single Supplements
Our single supplement is dependent on room types available at the time of booking. A single room in Italy is a small room with a single bed with private facilities. These rooms are small and often at the back of hotels, so they are NOT premium rooms. We suggest and book single rooms that are DOUBLE ROOMS but for single use for all our tours unless clients request Italian single rooms. If you require a small Italian single room to keep your cost down we understand that and will book it on your behalf. At no time do we take responsibility if you are unhappy with the size of the small room as we strongly advise booking a DOUBLE ROOM for single use.
Extra Services & Independent Touring
While we strive to ensure all of our clients are happy when we book extra services or independent touring services on their behalf, we do not give breakdowns of each cost. Our agreement with our operator in Italy is to provide our clients with one total cost, not individual costs. This includes reservation fees, local taxes (other than the tourist tax for accommodation, which is charged by the Italian government per person per night and paid directly to hotels in most cases) and booking fees. Included in the cost is our customer planning and support while in Australia and customer service support while in Italy with an English-speaking contact in local time.
Photography
Any photos taken on the tour or shared by participants in our tour chat become property of A2I and may be used in marketing material. Sharing photos of others or without others' permission in our group chats is the responsibility of the person sharing and A2I takes no responsibility. A2I assumes that all people within shared photos have agreed to the photo and these terms & conditions. A2I asks that all photos are shared with good intention and are above-the-line content. Participants may be asked to leave the tour for sharing inappropriate images or making inappropriate comments.
Respect
A2I asks all tour participants to respect staff, other participants and service providers at all times. Any comments of a sexual nature will not be tolerated, nor will any below-the-line behaviour. Inappropriate comments or remarks causing others to feel uncomfortable is not acceptable — even as a joke. If this behaviour continues, participants may be asked to leave the tour at their own expense and no services will be refunded.
We follow the four P's on all of our tours:
- Polite — at all times we ask participants to be polite.
- Punctual — we ask all participants to be on time.
- Politics — we ask participants to refrain from discussing Australian politics while on tour.
- Patience — we ask participants to be patient with others.
Reviews
We do ask for your feedback and review of our services and hope that you will be able to share it with us. We expect feedback to be provided in a resourceful way — if there is an issue for you while you're away, tell us immediately so we may be able to change the outcome. While we love feedback, we ask that it is conducted in a way that is helpful and constructive.
Italian Operator
Our company in Australia is not part of the operating company in Italy. While we work closely together we are separate companies operating under different country rules and regulations. Our operator in Italy is very cost effective when booking services where they have service agreements in place (hotels, day tours, etc). They may not always be competitive when clients request services outside their service agreements. Part of booking with our Italian operator is getting a premium service of support while on the ground in Italy. Our operator is located in Rome and will always be on call for clients while in Italy. All quotations are given as a whole cost.
Payment of Invoices
It is the client's responsibility to pay on the invoice date and to ensure that all monies are clear in the account by the final date on the invoice. If paying by credit card, funds may take 5 to 10 days to clear the account and the final payment date means funds are cleared in the account, not just paid by the client. If funds are not cleared by the invoice date a late fee of $500 AUD will be charged and may result in bookings being lost or cancelled. It may also cause delays in final documentation and a handover not being completed.
Itinerary
A client is provided with a point-to-point itinerary for services. This is a clear list of inclusions as found in our quotations. A full electronic itinerary together with a PDF full itinerary is provided to clients within 2 weeks of final payment along with your FINAL DOCUMENTATION. This includes all information — services, vouchers, train tickets, city guides etc — and can be accessed online and offline on your mobile phone. If a full itinerary other than a point-to-point itinerary is required outside of final documentation, a $200 AUD fee will be charged.
Client Expectations / Process Once Deposited
While we always do our very best to meet client expectations, please be very clear on our deadlines as we work within services agreements and T&Cs of other service providers. Below are approximate times but these can move due to unexpected world events, late payments by clients, or changes by clients within 60 days of travel.
- Each client is asked to complete a booking form — information on this form is the client's responsibility to be accurate as this will be used across our services for bookings and to contact clients when in Italy. Any changes to this information — clients are responsible to resubmit the booking form online.
- Once deposit is paid from your quotation, hotel confirmations will be sent within 5–10 business days.
- Client is to check and confirm hotels within 48 hours.
- When the client approves hotels, deposit money is onward paid to the service provider immediately.
- Any changes within 60 days of departure cannot be quoted, only purchased, and will incur a change fee of $500 AUD.
- Around 30–60 days before departure, trains are booked on your behalf and we will send you train times to check.
- Clients are requested to okay times within 48 hours so we can secure train reservations. Once approved, tickets will be purchased on their behalf.
- Around 30–60 days before departure, other services will be purchased (day tours, Vatican, etc). Once confirmed we will on-pay for these services. Note: not all services are the same — some are instant purchase services.
- Once the above has been completed, a final invoice will be sent for client approval.
- Clients are requested to check within 48 hours the final list of services from Italy is correct — services, accommodation, dates etc.
- It is the client's responsibility to check all details are correct as your invoice will be raised on this final check. Any changes after this point will incur a change fee of $500 AUD.
- Your final invoice will be issued and the deadline is a HARD DEADLINE — if not paid on time a late fee of $500 AUD will be charged and/or your services may be cancelled and deposit withheld. If paying by credit card, funds may take 3–7 days to clear. Funds must be CLEARED before the hard deadline.
- Final documentation takes 2 weeks from final payment date, and we suggest you book in a handover call so we can answer any questions.
- All information will be sent to you in: (1) a master email with attachments; (2) an online electronic itinerary LIVE which you can access through a link, online or offline via the app. We recommend that you print all copies as a backup within 5 days of receiving final documentation.
- We move all information to a hard drive within 5–7 days from sending you your information — requests for documentation to be resent after this time will incur a $500 AUD payment.
By paying your deposit you accept our Terms & Conditions and confirm that you reach the minimum requirement with walking and activities set out here. By completing a booking form and agreeing to our T&Cs you are entering an agreement as a client of Aussie2Italia and are therefore responsible for paying invoices within the allocated time.