Booking: PLEASE read the section highlighted in red below under Cancellation Charges before making a booking, specifically the European Union (Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements) Regulations 2019. Although these Regulations DO NOT APPLY to a self-guided trip as we are only providing accommodation and no transport or tour guide, in the spirit of how we run our business we shall adhere to these Regulations and by making a booking you accept all these Terms & Conditions. All bookings are accepted subject to hotel availability. Please complete a Tour Booking Form upon receipt of which we shall contact the hotels to reserve your rooms. We shall then send you a Booking Confirmation requiring a deposit of £145 per person to be paid immediately.
Payment: Payment should be made to the BN European Tours Limited (“the Company”) account at the HSBC bank. With our Booking Confirmation we shall send you paying-in slips for our account or alternatively provide you with the account details for you to pay on-line.
Confirmation: Upon receipt of payment of the deposit we shall send you a receipt and secure your hotel rooms. The balance must be paid eight weeks prior to departure. Failure to pay the balance when due may result in cancellation of your booking. Payment in full is required for a booking made less than eight weeks prior to departure. A formal invoice showing full payment will be included with your Tour Information Pack.
Single Room Supplement: If you specifically request a single room when booking then the relevant supplement is payable with the balance of your tour. If you are a solo booking – but are willing to share – then provided we take a booking from another like-minded solo rider there would be no supplement due. Such bookings would be allocated on a strictly first-come, first served basis and until all balances are paid we cannot guarantee a booking made on this basis. In the event that we do not take a booking from another like-minded solo rider, or if having taken two bookings on this basis one subsequently cancels, then the remaining booking would, unfortunately, have to pay the single room supplement.
Cancellation Charges: If you wish to cancel a Tour booking the following cancellation charges will apply:
| Period of notice: | Charge: |
| More than 56 days | Deposit per person (i.e. non-refundable) |
| 29 – 56 days | 50% of total cost per person |
| Less than 28 days | 100% of total cost per person |
If you choose to withdraw from a tour once it has started, no refund will be given.
In the event that we have to cancel a tour and/or there is a major change to the itinerary due to circumstances beyond our control i.e. “Force Majeure” events – which include, but are not limited to, war, threat of war, terrorist activity, natural disasters, industrial action etc then no refund or compensation payments will be made. Please ensure you have suitable travel insurance in place for such eventualities.
The provisions of the European Union (Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements) Regulations 2019 in respect of “extraordinary circumstances” DO NOT APPLY to a self-guided trip as we are only providing accommodation and no transport or tour guide HOWEVER, in the spirit of our business, the Company will follow the Regulations as follows:
In the event that the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office advise against travel to a particular country as a result of the Covid-19 “Coronavirus” pandemic (or any other pandemic) and this affects your planned Tour then you may transfer your deposit and balance to another date in the same year (subject to availability) however if this is not possible, then any balances that have been paid will be refunded by the Company and any deposits may be transferred to another Tour in the next year.
The Company is not required to pay any additional compensation as the reason for the Tour not taking place is outside of our control.
This ONLY applies when a Tour cannot take place due to the FCDO travel advice. We shall only ever run a Tour to countries approved by the FCDO for travel for leisure purposes – regardless of what colour list they appear on. It does not apply to any non-immediate departures that are not currently affected – i.e. several months in advance. We shall decide approx 4 weeks in advance of the scheduled start date of a Tour if it can go ahead. Any cancellations for Tours due to a disinclination to travel, failure to have the necessary vaccinations, failure to have a negative PCR test (or other acceptable test) will be subject to the Cancellation Charges as set out above.
In the event we have to cancel because you have not paid the balance of the booking cost then no compensation payments will be made.
Your Responsibilities
You must be in possession of a valid British or EU passport (or Visa if required) with 6 months validity remaining. You must bring the originals of your driver’s licence, insurance certificate, green card and registration document. It is a legal requirement in Europe to carry these papers with your bike.
COVID travel requirements: It is your responsibility to ensure you have taken the necessary PCR or Antigen test at the appropriate time prior to travel. The cost of all tests and – in the event of a positive test result – the cost of any additional accommodation and travel is your responsibility. You must download the NHS COVID Pass to provide proof of vaccination status for entry into EU countries – the paper Vaccination Status Certificate may be a useful back-up.
Please check if prior notice to your insurer is required for a trip abroad as otherwise your cover may be invalid. You should also have European cover for breakdown and repatriation of your bike, yourself and any pillion. This cover should also include the costs of any hire vehicle required.
You must bring an EHIC (European Health Insurance Card) – or the replacement GHIC (Global Health Insurance Card) -this will be required in the event that you need medical treatment. Failure to do so will leave you liable for any medical expenses.
You should arrange suitable travel insurance to cover cancellation of your holiday and repatriation in the event of illness or accident.
You must ensure your bike is in a roadworthy condition to complete the trip – minimum tyre tread is 1.6mm in France. There is no need to adjust your headlamp, but you should affix a GB sticker to your number plate.
You are responsible for your own navigation and arrival at the hotels as per the Tour itinerary. If you wish to change the itinerary once the Tour has started e.g. change of hotel or add on extra nights then this is entirely your own undertaking as are any additional charges incurred.
It will be your responsibility to comply with any legal requirements for riding in Europe; a summary of the main points will be included within your Tour Information Pack however this will only be a summary and you should make yourself aware of each country’s requirements.
Our Responsibilities
We shall send you a Tour Information Pack 3 – 4 weeks before the start of the Tour and only after you have paid your balance. This will include a full itinerary with hotel details and suggested routes for the Tour. These will be in a GPX file for use with Garmin sat navs. The routes will be constructed using the latest version of Basecamp – but please note that although these are the same tried & tested routes as used on our Fully Guided Tours they are intended as a guide only as different sat navs can calculate the routes differently.
In the event you have any special dietary requirements you must mention this on the Booking Form. We shall forward the details to the relevant hotels however the hotels are ultimately responsible for the preparation of meals.
We cannot be held responsible for anything beyond our control e.g. the unavailability of any amenities or the closure of any attractions.
Other Self-Guided Considerations
In booking on a Self-Guided Tour you accept that there will not be the back-up as usually provided by the Company on a Fully Guided Tour i.e:
There is no luggage van
There is no Company representative on hand to help with any problems that may arise
In the event of an accident you are responsible for handling the incident – calling emergency services if necessary. The Company cannot be held responsible nor can we be called upon to help as we may be running a Guided Tour at the same time.
In the event of any delays you will be responsible for rescheduling hotel accommodation etc. The Company cannot be held responsible for any unavailability or additional costs incurred.
Complaints Procedure
In the first instance please make us aware of any issue whilst you are on the Tour. We will endeavour to resolve the problem as soon as possible.
Should you feel that we have in any way not met our obligations for the Tour then please put your complaint in writing to the following address:
BN European Tours Limited
Downsview House
141-143 Station Road East
Oxted
Surrey
RH8 0QE
or e-mail: bneuropeantours@gmail.com
