Premium Boutique, Small-Group European Tours & Holidays
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Terms & Conditions

TERMS AND CONDITIONS – PLEASE READ CAREFULLY

WHAT’S INCLUDED IN THE PRICE

TRANSPORT:

At Quo Vadis Holidays, each particular trip includes a range of different types of transportation from full-sized 50 seat luxury coaches to 16-18 seat Mini Mercedes Sprinters. We strive to include high quality transportation for all of our trips.

  • At times when the contracted coaching is unavailable or due to EC regulations on drivers hours, it is necessary for drivers to take a 24 hour break once per week and on these days if a coach is required then a replacement coach may have in excess of 16-20 seats. Also due to limitations on daily driving hours there may be instances where a “transfer” or site-seeing coach is used and it also may have in excess of 16-20 seats. In the event of a breakdown and an emergency or relief coach is required then a coach with appropriate seating may also be used.
  • To maximise your holiday experience there are times when we shall be using local and regional transport. Such cases are in France using the TGV fast train or in Italy using public train to return from the Cinque Terre. This is done to maximise your local experience and/or because it is the quickest and most effective mode of transport for that days itinerary.

BAGGAGE ALLOWANCE AND PORTERAGE:

  • Baggage handling for one suitcase per person is included in most of our tours. Please refer to the Inclusions list for each particular trip to confirm whether it is included or not. Due to limited luggage space in our mini-coaches and EC regulations this suitcase/bag should have a weight that does not exceed 23kg(~50lbs) and dimensions exceeding 77cm(30in) x 56cm(22in) x 32cm(12.5in). Should these limits be exceeded then our promise to transport you or you luggage as indicated may be invalidated. Airlines may restrict checked luggage allowance by weight – e.g. a max of 23kgs/50lbs per person. Carry-on hand luggage is restricted to one piece per person, not exceeding 30cm x 28 cm x 14cm in order to fit under your mini-coach seat or in the overhead compartment. Carry-on/hand luggage is the responsibility of each tour member and must be taken off the motor coach yourself each day of the tour. Please also be aware on certain tours which include internal flights that these maximums per main suit-case may be dropped to 20kg.

TOUR DIRECTOR:

  • Your tour shall be escorted in English only by a professional multi-lingual Tour Director.

TOUR DRIVER:

  • As our mini-coaches are contracted through a third-party coach company our Tour Drivers will most likely be European nationals with many years driving experience however might not necessarily speak English. The drivers will change from destination to detination.

HOTEL ACCOMODATION:

  • Prices per person are based upon two persons sharing a twin-bedded room with a private ensuite with bath or shower.
  • The accommodations listed in our brochure or on our website are intended to be used on all departures; however, if a change becomes necessary for any reason (including location change), the accommodations substituted will be equivalent in standard to those shown.
  • Every effort is made to reserve only twin-bedded rooms. It may occasionally happen that an accommodation provides some double-bedded rooms instead. These rooms will be allocated to couples where possible.
  • Although triple rooms in some hotels are available, in our experience we find that they generally consist of a foldout sofa bed or a small collapsible “roll-away” bed. Also the rooms can be quite small to accommodate a third person and can often be quite unsatisfactory space-wise. Our recommendation for groups of three travelling together is to book a twin-room and a single and share the costs between the three of you for the two rooms and rotate your group through them during the tour.
  • Single rooms in Europe are usually smaller than double/twin rooms and often come with a small single bed. Paying for a single-room supplement ensures own room, not necessarily a twin-bedded room.
  • The standard of European hotels differs from country to country and differs greatly from Australasian and North American hotel standards. As a general rule a 4-star European hotel is equivalent to a 3 star North American/Australasian hotel. This however varies from country to country. Our aim at Quo Vadis is to provide hotels that are of European 4-star standard and as central as possible to the cities we stay in. On some occasions we stay in smaller cities and towns where this is simply not possible however we endeavor to secure hotels that provide a mix of quality, location, facilities and local experience.
  • Guests who are members of Hotel Frequent Traveller programs are not entitled to earn points with any of the hotels featured on a Quo Vadis Holidays tour.
  • In exceptional cases where private bath or single rooms as reserved by us are not available, refunds will be made by the tour director. Claims made in this respect cannot be made after the tour.
  • Any special room request will be made on a request basis only. Quo Vadis Holidays cannot guarantee special room requests although every effort will be made from respective hotels.

MEALS:

Breakfasts in Europe are generally a simple affair and in most hotels a simple Continental or buffet breakfast is provided. These vary from country to country and hotel to hotel. Some hotels may have a full buffet breakfast yet others, particularly in most Italian hotels serve a simple Continental breakfast. All your Breakfasts, Hotel Dinners, Highlight Dinners and Highlight Lunch are provided as per the itineraries.

  • Any special meal requirements will be made on a request basis only. Quo Vadis Holidays cannot guarantee special meal requests nor will it assume any responsibility or liability if clients’ special meal requests are not fulfilled.

SIGHTSEEING:

As detailed on the itineraries there are MANY wonderful excursions and entrance fees as included in your tour. On some occasions a local English-speaking guide is used where necessary as listed. Quo Vadis Holidays will aim to provide headphones for certain tours however no refund will be made if they cannot be provided for operational reasons.

PREMIUM HIGHLIGHTS:

At Quo Vadis Holidays one of our points-of-difference are our many highlight included excursions and dinners. If for any reason these are unable to be provided (ie. weather etc.) then no refund shall be given (or value attached). We shall however endeavor as much as possible in these very extreme circumstances to provide an experience or highlight of similar value where possible.

  • The carriers, accommodations, and other suppliers (referred to as “the Suppliers” (including but not limited to trains, cruises, ferries, motor coaches, hotels, and restaurants) providing optional activities and excursions (“the Services”)in the area of the holiday itinerary that are available for the booking are not run, supervised or controlled in any way by Quo Vadis Holidays. These services are provided by local operators or other third parties that are entirely independent of Quo Vadis Holidays, which has no control over the operations of these independent contractors. Quo Vadis Holidays has no liability for any such activity or excursion or for any act(s) or omission(s) of the organiser or operator or for any of its agents or employees or any other person(s) connected with the activity or excursion.

TIPS AND TAXES

All tips are included for services on tour provided by dining room waiters and hotel cleaning staff. Where porterage is specified as being included, tips are included for the porters. Unlike most tour providers, at Quo Vadis Holidays the tips for your Tour Director and Tour Driver are included in the tour price and you do not need to pay any more once on tour. If you feel your road crew did an outstanding job on your tour then it is completely at your discretion if you wish to further tip them but there is no expectation to do so. In restaurants in Europe for good service, a tip of 5% of your bill total is satisfactory however please ensure that it has not already been included in your bill. Your Tour Director will advise you how to recognise this in each country. For local expert guides, if you feel they have done a good job then you may tip them after their guided tour however this is completely up to each individual. Your Tour Director will advise once on tour recommended amounts.


WHAT’S NOT INCLUDED IN THE TOUR PRICE

Airfares to and from Europe, airport taxes and charges imposed by third parties, visa and passport fees, insurance, laundry, phone calls, beverages, meals not detailed in the itinerary including beverages during Hotel Dinners, tips to local city guides, items of a personal nature, excess baggage and optional excursions.

AIR TRANSPORT:

  • No flights or airport transfers are included in the base tour price other than those internal flights that may be listed in the Inclusions for each particular trip. Quo Vadis Holidays is not responsible if an airline cancels, reschedules, or delays flights for any reason. If you miss your departure flight it is your responsibility to work with the airline you are ticketed with to reach your destination. Quo Vadis Holidays is not responsible for any additional expenses you may incur prior to joining your holiday. Quo Vadis Holidays is not responsible and will not provide any refund for portion of holidays missed due to cancelled, rescheduled, missed or delayed flights. Please ensure you have appropriate comprehensive Travel Insurance to cover for this.

AIRPORT TRANSFERS:

  • These may be purchased through your own travel agent or travel provider. Quo Vadis Holidays takes no responsibility for transfers. For information on other modes of transport to/from the airports please see the appropriate section on our website.

PAYMENTS:

Non-Refundable Deposit: A non-refundable AU$250 deposit per person (this may be higher or lower for specific trips) per tour is required 7 days from booking to confirm your tour reservation. Your reservation will automatically be cancelled if the deposit is not received within the specified period.

Final Payment:

  • Is required 100 days prior to tour departure.
  • Payment in full is required at the time of booking for reservations made less than 100 days before the tour departure date.
  • Quo Vadis Holidays reserves the right to cancel the reservation and apply cancellation charges should payments not be received within the above-specified periods.
  • Quo Vadis Holidays or your participating travel agent shall,on the receipt of any monies, hold such monies for each and every person named in the booking until the booking is confirmed at which time those monies shall be remitted promptly by them to us. All such monies received by us will be deposited as required by law. We will be entitled to keep for each account any interest earned on such monies. It is a condition of our confirmation of your booking through Quo Vadis Holidays or your participating travel agent, whether by way of deposit or otherwise in respect of your tour, may be disbursed by us and when we see fit or in respect of the services to be provided or fees payable under the tour program, and the payment of a deposit or otherwise for your tour shall be deemed to be a direction to disburse such monies as aforesaid.
  • Travel documents and instructions for joining your tour will be sent to you approximately 21 days before departure of your tour provided that full payment has been received.
  • Payments may be made by bank transfer of credit card (see Booking Form for details). Credit cards accepted are Visa and MasterCard and will attract a 1.5% Credit card fee.

CANCELLATIONS, REFUNDS & BOOKING CHANGES:

  • Notices of cancellation must be made in writing to Quo Vadis Holidays or your participating travel agent.
  • Your participating travel agent may charge you a revision or alteration fee for any change in booking/s,please refer to them directly for details of these.
  • There are no refunds for any unused services.

No. of DAYS Prior to Cancellation Fee as % of Total Tour Price
Tour Commencement:

> 6 months : Refund of deposit
Between 6 months and 100 days: Loss of deposit

100-60 days :25%
59-30 days: 50%
29 days or less: 100%

Illness or absenteeism: in case you have to withdraw from a tour after it has begun for reasons such as illness, be sure to obtain a medical certificate in support of any insurance claim. We regret that we are not able to make refunds for absences for a tour, including but not limited to missed meals or sightseeing.


GENERAL INFORMATION & CONDITIONS

Tour Prices: Are based on costs, charges, tariffs, rates, prices, taxes, levies and exchange rates as at at the time each trip is launched. Should any of these costs change, a surcharge may be made on the price of your holiday. If the total tour price increases by more than 10% passengers will have the right to cancel within 7 days of notification of the surcharge without penalty. No surcharges in respect of cost or currency fluctuations will be made once payment for the deposit of your land tour is received. In exchange for these guarantees no refund will be made if costs are reduced. Prices include the Goods and Services tax where applicable. All prices are in Australian dollars unless otherwise specified.

Tour Membership: Quo Vadis Holidays is a tour provider for guests of all ages however unless indicated, the minimum age for participation is 18 years of age. Our tours are designed for guests who are active and enjoy their free time to explore at their own leisure the wonderful places that we visit. We reserve the right to accept or decline bookings if we feel that guests are outside of our target demographic. A copy of your passport is required by Quo Vadis Holidays or your participating travel agent at the time of your booking.

– Quo Vadis Holidays strives to provide a safe, enjoyable and memorable travel experience for all passengers. We welcome all passengers with special needs or disabilities however please note the following:

  • Passengers are required to advise Quo Vadis Holidays or your participating travel agent in advance of any physical, medical or other special needs that require accommodation. As out tours include many walking city tours and sight visits which require guests to be able to walk through cities and locations which may have cobble-stones or uneven surfaces. Though we operate relaxed-pace holidays, guests are still expected to be mobile and fit enough to keep up with walking tours with local guides and be able to at times make their own way from a destination/city center to our accommodation.
  • All guests must ensure that they are medically fit for travel.
  • Quo Vadis Holidays or your participating travel agent do not provide personal devices of any nature to assist you with your tour if you are of special needs. A companion capable of providing such assistance must accompany any passenger who requires the services of a personal nature.
  • Quo Vadis Holidays or your participating travel agent do not employ any medical personnel. Any necessary medical attention will be provided by a local facility at the passenger’s expense. Quo Vadis Holidays is not responsible or liable for any losses or costs incurred as a result of medical services obtained whilst on tour or for the quality of the care or services received.
  • Quo Vadis Holidays may, in its sole discretion decline the booking of any passenger who cannot comply or refuses to comply with Quo Vadis Holidays terms and conditions. For the benefit of everyone on your holiday, Quo Vadis Holidays reserves the right to accept or reject any person as a tour participant, and to remove from the tour any participant whose conduct is deemed incompatible with the interests of the other participants. Quo Vadis Holidays is not responsible for and costs incurred in the event that a passenger is removed from a tour. Passengers agree not to hold Quo Vadis Holidays or any of their related entities liable for any actions taken under these terms and conditions.

Itinerary Variations:

– Quo Vadis Holidays strives to provide the best tour itineraries and features available. If such improvements can be made or if unforeseen circumstances beyond our control make changes necessary, we reserve the right to vary the itineraries and to substitute hotels. Trade fairs and other events occasionally cause changes from scheduled hotels. In these and in other cases substitute hotels may be used and will be of a similar standard whenever possible.

Holidays and Changes:

– During local or national holidays abroad certain facilities such as museums, sightseeing tours and shopping may be limited. In such circumstances and whenever possible, slight itinerary changes are made by Quo Vadis Holidays to minimise inconvenience to our passengers.  Holidays, closing days and other circumstances may necessitate a change of day of the week for scheduled highlight dinners, sightseeing or other activities. Quo Vadis Holidays cannot be held responsible for any closures or curtails for any reason.

Tour Cancellation:

– Quo Vadis Holidays or your participating travel agent reserve the right to cancel or reschedule any tour departure in accordance with operating requirements or circumstances beyond its control. Minimum numbers of twenty are required for each tour with a maximum of forty for each.
– Quo Vadis Holidays or your participating travel agent are not responsible for any other travel arrangements affected due to our cancellations or re-scheduling of any tour departure. Appropriate Travel insurance in this regard is highly recommended for all passengers.

Covid-19:

The health and well-being of all Quo Vadis Holidays’ guests is of utmost importance to us as is the enjoyment of all of our boutique holidays.

For this reason, from 2022 onwards, it will be a requirement of all of our guests to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 with an approved/recognised Covid-19 vaccine. Your second dose should have been administered at least 14 days prior to starting your trip.

As most of our guests are from Australia and New Zealand, it will of course be a requirement to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 prior to departing your home country. Please ensure you have all the appropriate documentation and verifications with you in both electronic and hard-copy prior to travelling. You shall receive updated vaccine/covid advice in regards to your specific tour by Quo Vadis Holidays around 6-12 weeks prior to your trip beginning.

You may be asked to provide proof of your vaccination to your Tour Director at the commencement of your tour.

Please not that airlines and countries visited may have more stringent covid-19 polices than those above. we will endeavour to keep you up to date prior to the tour commencing with the latest updates for each country you shall be visiting. To make things run as smoothly as possible, your Tour Director will assist with country/border crossings in regards to vaccination verification throughout your trip.

Cancellation due to Covid-19: Should your tour need to be cancelled by Quo Vadis Holidays due to covid-19 prior to starting then you shall receive a full refund for monies paid to Quo Vadis Holidays for your trip. Please ensure you have appropriate Travel Insurance to cover any flights/other additional trips/etc that you may have booked to coincide with your Quo Vadis Holidays trip.

Cancellation/Missed trip sections due to covid-19: Should covid-19 affect our ability to visit certain sites or to complete specific sections your booked trip, you shall receive a refund for that missed sightseeing/section of he trip. This refund amount will be based upon the cost of the missed sightseeing or if a section of a trip, will be calculated based upon the entire costing of that missed section (including hotels, included meals, included sightseeing, transportation and guide costs).

Falling ill/contracting covid-19 whilst in tour: Should you fall ill to covid-19 whilst on tour and subsequently have to leave the tour, this will be at your own expense. Just as with any illness/accident whilst on tour, Quo Vadis Holidays highly recommends having appropriate Travel Insurance to cover you in the unlikely circumstance of falling ill. Please be sure you are covered for the complete dates of your tour and please validate that you have the appropriate level of coverage in the currency for your country of origin, in the following categories: Trip interruption; (to cover the cost of your trip, including air); Trip Delay; Emergency Evacuation/Repatriation; Medical Expenses from illness (covering individual or pandemic event; etc.)

These covid-19 policies are subject to change without notice.


THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE YOU GO

  • Tour Documents: Your tour documents, travel literature and pre-departure documentation will be sent to you ~ 6-8 weeks prior to departure provided full payment has been made. Please read this information carefully as it will contain essential information and helpful advice to make your holiday as enjoyable as possible.
  • Passports and visas: All passengers require a valid passport valid for 6 months after their return trip date and may require visas. Some countries require multiple visas. It is the passenger’s responsibility to ensure he/she travels with the appropriate documents. Your travel agent will advise you of the necessary documents required.
  • Travel Insurance: Quo Vadis Holidays strongly recommends that all passengers purchase comprehensive Travel insurance. Please ensure you have purchased the appropriate amount of travel insurance for any losses, cancellations, medical requirements or injuries or other events that could be covered.
  • Walking Tours: Many European cities do not allow our coach to stop or park close to the center of town or close to the major sights. We endeavor as much as possible to reduce the amount of walking required however passengers should note that in same places this is not possible and guests should be fit and capable enough of being able to walk reasonable distances. Good walking shoes are recommended for all passengers.
  • Optional Excursions: Quo Vadis Holidays aims to include as many premium highlights as included into its tour price. We do realise however in some of the major cities there will be a few highlights that our passengers will have seen or done before and so we exclude them from the tour price. As they are major highlights of each location you will have the option of booking and paying for these whilst on tour. A list of the Optional Excursions offered on each tour is provided on this website. Please note that for some excursions (ie. cabarets in Paris), bookings are required months in advance and so you will be notified well before your tour starts of these specific excursions as booking at the start of tour might mean you will miss out.
  • Smoking policy:  Whilst travelling on our coaches we have a no-smoking policy. Also, smoking policies in Europe change from country to country and venue to venue. We make ample stops whilst travelling and so there will be plenty of opportunity to smoke if you so wish.
  • Travel hints: Please refer to other sections of our website for other helpful hints for your holiday plans.