Terms and Conditions

Company information

The tour operator for your trip is Balkan Trails S.R.L., tour operator license #757, issued by the Ministry of Tourism in Romania, business address: 29 Mihai Sebastian St., building S7, ent. A, apt. 37, sector 5, 050784 Bucharest, Romania.

Booking a tour with the aforementioned tour operator constitutes your agreement to the Terms & Conditions below.

Booking a tour

A booking request shall be considered valid only if sent in writing, via email, to [email protected]. Travelers are welcome to contact the tour operator via telephone in order to obtain information before booking, but the tour operator cannot accept a booking request over the telephone.

All tours on the BalkanTrails.com website can be booked as displayed on the site, or they can be further customised. Customising the itinerary is a service we offer free of charge. Customisation options include (but are not limited to): different selection of hotels, certain sights the traveler wishes to include or skip, a change in the duration of the tour, the pursuit of specific interests the traveler might have (certain type of architecture, local performances, etc.).

The tour operator will always offer ideas and suggestions for further customisation of the itinerary. However, since all tours are private and organised on request only, the traveler is also responsible for sending the tour operator any relevant information that can assist with customising the tour (special interests, requirements, etc.).

Some itinerary changes (hotel upgrades, additional features) might incur additional costs, which will be added to the total tour package price.

Hotels

Along with the agreed - upon final itinerary, the traveler will receive a list of hotels that will be used for the tour for his/her review. The hotels listed on the website will be used for most tours, unless:

a. the traveler requests a different selection of hotels or

b. some of the hotels do not have available rooms for the selected dates (in which case hotels substituted will be comparable to those listed on the website)

The hotel list sent to the traveler will have the hotel names displayed clearly (with the number of stars listed next to the hotel's name) and web links to the homepage of each hotel.

The traveler is responsible for reviewing the hotels (homepage of each hotel, reviews available online, etc.) before giving the tour operator permission to book the hotels. If the traveler needs any additional, specific information about any of the hotels or the facilities available, the tour operator will promptly offer this information. The hotels will not be booked until permission to do so is received from the traveler.

In the unlikely event that issues related to the hotels appear during the tour (room facilities not functioning properly, etc.) the tour operator will offer a different room in the same hotel or a different hotel altogether, at no extra charge. Complaints originating from the fact that the traveler did not review the hotels before giving permission to the tour operator to book them will not be considered valid (for example, in a situation where the traveler is expecting a 5 star hotel even though a 4 star hotel was offered for review and was deemed approved by the traveler prior to the tour's start).

Payment

Only at the moment when all hotels are booked and confirmed, a 10% deposit of the total cost of the tour package is required. The balance is due 15 days prior to the start of the tour. If a reservation is made within 15 days of the start of the tour, the entire cost of the trip is due once all the hotels are booked and confirmed.

The tour prices do not include airfare, and are subject to change.

As payment options, we accept credit card payments or bank transfers.

Please note we cannot accept credit card information over e-mail or telephone.

Cancellation and refunds

All cancellation requests must be made in writing, over e-mail.

Cancellations made 60 days or more prior to departure will receive full refund of the deposit. 59 to 30 days cancellations will receive full refund of the deposit, minus any cancellation fees assessed by providers of services such as, but not limited to, hotels and transportation providers. 30 to 16 days cancellations will be subject to loss of the deposit. 15 days or less will be subject to loss of 100% of total tour price.

Insurance

The tour packages do not include insurance. We strongly recommend the purchase of trip cancellation and interruption insurance (covering expenses related to the cancellation or interruption of your trip due to illness, accident, or other unforeseen circumstances - in case you need to cancel or interrupt your trip at the last moment, such insurance might be your sole source of reimbursement), as well as trip medical insurance (that would cover some of the medical care costs while at your destination, in case medical assistance is needed). We also recommend baggage insurance in case your baggage is lost or stolen, or damaged at any point before, after, or during your tour.

Passports and Visas

You will need a valid passport or ID card (EU citizens only) for traveling to Bulgaria and/or Romania. Please check with the appropriate consulate or embassy for visa requirements.

Obtaining accurate information about whether a visa is required for the trip, application procedures, Covid-19-related requirements, and documents needed is the sole responsibility of the traveler. The tour operator will not be held responsible if the traveler is denied entry to any of the countries included in the tour due to incomplete travel documents.

Changes to the itinerary

Itineraries and other arrangements are subject to change at any time due to unforeseen circumstances or circumstances beyond the tour operator's control. All efforts will be made to operate the tour as planned and advertised, but changes may occur after the final itinerary has been issued. If any changes occur, all efforts will be made to replace the planned features with equivalent ones.

Air arrangements

No responsibility will be accepted for mistakes or errors in airfare bookings made by third parties. The tour operator will communicate with the customer regarding the exact travel dates and times involved with the tour, and it is up to the traveler to ensure the correct arrival and departure flights are booked.

Smoking

No smoking is allowed inside the vehicles used for operating our tours. If you are a smoker, please let us know, smoking rooms can be arranged, depending on availability.

Included with your tour:

The services of an English-speaking guide/driver, as well as private air-conditioned transportation. Entrance fees and guided tours of the sights included in your itinerary. Your guide will be available with his services at any other sights you might decide to visit, but you will have to pay the entrance fees on your own and in some cases, the entrance fee for the guide. All breakfasts, plus other meals as per the itinerary of each tour. Special features (home-hosted meals, folklore shows, etc.) as per the itinerary of each tour. Accommodations every night while on tour (with breakfast included), based on each tour's hotel list. Airport transfers.

PAYMENT OF THE TOUR PRICE CONSTITUTES YOUR ACCEPTANCE OF THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS SET OUT HEREIN.