SECTION B: BEFORE YOU TRAVEL
Travel Insurance
Obtaining Comprehensive Travel Insurance is a mandatory requirement of travelling with The Pigment Trail and we would strongly suggest that you should buy as soon as we confirm the trip is going ahead (if you don’t already have it) so that you have cover in case you need to cancel before travel.
Comprehensive Travel Insurance should include, but is not limited to:
– Personal accident, medical expenses, medical emergencies such as illness or injuries while you’re away, repatriation if injured, ill or hijacked.
– For reasons which means you cannot travel.
– Missed flights
– Trip cancellation insurance to receive reimbursement for flights and other non-refundable expenses should The Pigment Trail trip be cancelled by you or by The Pigment Trail for reasons set out in these Terms & Conditions, including, but not limited to, the tour not reaching the minimum numbers to run.
– It is your responsibility to ensure that you have read and understood all the details of your travel insurance policy. This responsibility includes ensuring your policy covers all activities (optional and included) listed in the Essential Holiday Notes itinerary.
– You are also responsible for ensuring that the policy does not contain exclusion clauses which would mean you cannot access the cover you might reasonably need.
– We cannot be responsible for any costs you incur as a result of failing to take out adequate travel insurance.
You are responsible for understanding the specifics of your travel insurance policy, ensuring that your policy covers all optional and included activities listed in the trip itinerary, and ensuring that there are no exclusion clauses (e.g., air delays due to mechanical issues) that would limit the coverage that you might reasonably need. If you have current health insurance coverage, check your insurance policy to see if it provides the coverage described above while traveling outside your country. It is your responsibility to verify your insurance policy details with your insurance provider to ensure The Pigment Trail’s requirements are satisfied. You also agree to assume all costs of medical care, evacuation, transportation, and related costs.
As stated on the Essential Holiday Notes, we require your travel insurance policy number and the insurance company’s 24 hour emergency contact number two weeks before travel. If you have not provided it by the first day of your trip you will not be able to join the trip. If you have travel insurance connected to your credit card or bank account please ensure you have details of the participating insurer, the insurance policy number and emergency contact number with you rather than the bank’s name and credit card details. Please contact your bank for these details prior to arriving in India.
Passports and Visas
It’s your responsibility to make you have valid travel documents – including passports and visas.
Check the latest advice from your embassy or consulate for Government Foreign Travel Advice. Please note, this can be subject to change.
Any information provided to you is merely provided as a courtesy and it is your sole responsibility to ensure you have met all travel requirements for each destination in your itinerary. The Pigment Trail is not responsible for delays, changes, or cancellation costs due to incorrect, incomplete or expired traveller documents. In the event that you must cancel, delay or reschedule your trip due to expired or missing travel documentation, you are responsible for all associated costs to rectify the situation. If you are unable to join your trip, you will not be reimbursed or refunded any amounts as per the cancellation terms listed in this document.
Visas
Visas are your responsibility. The entry requirement for entering a country can change at any time, so it is important that you are aware of the latest information. Please check the Indian consular website (see website link below) for detailed and up-to-date information for your specific nationality. Any questions, please let us now.
Please ensure you know the requirements for you and allow enough time to acquire the visa.
Visas for passport holders for UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Germany, USA, and a selection of other nationalities:
You can complete the application for an E-Tourist Visa (eVT) at https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/evisa/tvoa.html. It allows travellers to pre-register and pay for their visa prior to travel to India. Having done this, you will be able to collect this visa upon arrival at one of 16 designated airports in India, providing you meet certain conditions.
NOTE:
– Please be aware of strict conditions regarding application and travel (check under Eligibility section of their website).
– E-visas are only available for entry of up to 60 days. If you plan to be in India longer you will need to apply for a tourist visa at an Indian visa application centre in your home country.
– Tourist visas are available in Single and Multiple Entry. Be sure to check the date you require a visa from and the length of time you will need to cover, especially if you change countries during your trip.
– Please note that travellers entering India overland from Nepal are required to apply for a visa in advance their home country. Visas will not be issued on the Nepal/Indian border. The E-Tourist Visa does not apply to travellers entering India overland.
For your visa application you need to include the following information under the local contact section towards the end of the application: Mr Kalyan Singh Jhala, Karohi Haveli, Udaipur (Outside Chandpole on Lake Udaipur – Rajasthan 313001 India). India Phone: +91 96801 81111.
The information regarding visas can change at any time. It is important that you refer to the only official visa online site for India: https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/evisa/tvoa.html
This is the only official visa online site. Other sites exist, but are run by either visa service companies or scammers so may not be reliable.
Passport Validity
You are responsible for understanding if your passport meets the requirements for travelling to India. If you need to apply for a passport or to renew one, you should do this well in advance of travel. Check the latest advice from embassy or consulate for Government Foreign Travel Advice. Please note, this can be subject to change.
For UK passengers: The current advice is that your passport must be machine readable, with 2 blank pages for your visa and valid for a minimum of 180 days at the time of your visa application. However, the guidelines regarding passport validity on arrival in India are unclear. To avoid possible problems at immigration, make sure your passport is valid for a minimum of 180 days at the time of entry into India. Please refer here for more details: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/india/entry-requirements
Health Advice
It’s your responsibility to make you have valid followed health advice before you travel. Check the latest advice from your embassy or consulate for Government Foreign Travel Advice. Please note, this can be subject to change. For up to date UK Government health & travel advice please visit www.gov.uk/foreign-traveladvice, www.hpa.org.uk and www.nathnac.org and contact your GP. Please also see our Essential Holiday Notes for more information. We can’t accept any liability for your failure to do this. If we or your carrier are fined because anyone on your booking didn’t have the correct documents/vaccinations, etc., you’ll have to reimburse us.
If you want to transfer the holiday to another traveller
You have the option to transfer your trip to another traveller who satisfies all the necessary conditions for the holiday and if we are given at least 21 days notice in writing. The transferor and transferee are both liable for the costs of any changes and payment of the balance of the package. There will be an £700 administration charge to carry out this transfer.
If you want to cancel your booking (rather than transfer to another person)
Only the Lead Name on the booking can ask us to cancel it or to remove any of the named passengers from it. After we have issued the holiday receipt, you must put your instruction to cancel the booking or cancel off any passenger in writing and send it to our correspondence address as stated on our confirmation invoice. Our trips are non-refundable.
Any cancellations made 120 days or more to the departure date will result in the retention of the deposit. Any cancellations made within 120 days will result in the retention of the full cost of the tour, as we will have made payments to our suppliers in advance. There are some exceptions to this as outlined in “If we change or cancel your holiday” below. As per the Travel Insurance section in this document, please ensure you choose the correct insurance policy to cover you in this situation.
In some cases, if a replacement traveller is secured, we may refund your funds paid less your deposit, less £675 administration fee and less any fees that were incurred to make the transaction. This option will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis and may not be applicable to your trip.
There are no exceptions to this cancellation and refund policy, including for reasons related to weather, terrorism, civil strife, pandemics, personal, family or medical emergencies or any other circumstances beyond our control. For this and other reasons, we encourage you to purchase trip cancellation and interruption insurance and travel protection (i.e., travel medical insurance and emergency evacuation services).
The Pigment Trail is not responsible for expenses incurred by participants in preparing for a trip (eg. non-refundable advance purchase air tickets, equipment, etc.) or for any additional arrangements pre- or post-departure date. The term applies whether the tour is altered, modified, or cancelled by us or by you for any reason. Because the tour may be cancelled when a minimum number of participants have not signed up, we recommend that you wait until we have confirmed with you approximately 3 months prior to the tour (sometimes sooner) that we have a sufficient number of participants.
If we change or cancel your holiday
While we endeavour to operate all trips as described, and remedy any changes where it is possible and appropriate to do so, we reserve the right in any circumstances to cancel or make changes to your holiday at our sole discretion.
When your booking is cancelled, then you agree that a full refund of trip payments made to us will constitute full settlement of any claims you may have against The Pigment Trail or our suppliers, partners, or travel intermediaries. When a tour is cancelled for foreseeable reasons, then you agree that a full refund of trip payments made to us will constitute full settlement of any claims you may have against The Pigment Trail or our suppliers.
In the rare event that The Pigment Trail is forced to postpone a trip for any unforeseen circumstance beyond the reasonable control of The Pigment Trail, such as, but not limited to, acts of nature, war, labour strikes, pandemics, earthquake, flooding, etc., The Pigment Trail will bank 100% of your paid fees as a credit to use for another trip. You will have the option to travel on your rescheduled trip date or transfer 100% of your booking amount to travel on another The Pigment Trail departure. In some but not all cases and depending on how close to your departure The Pigment Trail may have to reduce credit due to advanced payment to suppliers. We will use reasonable efforts to recover advanced payment and refund the balance when possible. However, The Pigment Trail does not guarantee recovery of any or all of the advance payments made, and the use of reasonable efforts to recover these payments will not include the institution of legal proceedings in foreign jurisdictions.
The Pigment Trail reserves the right to cancel any trip at any time for any reason, including if there are too few participants, or if the quality of the trip or the safety of travellers is judged by The Pigment Trail in our sole discretion to be compromised. In such cases, a refund of payment received by The Pigment Trail shall constitute full and final settlement. The Pigment Trail is not responsible for any loss incurred on account of non-refundable or non-transferable air OR travel tickets.
With the exception of circumstances out of our control, changes to your holiday can be major or minor. In the case of a major change (i.e. substantially affecting the performance of the package – for example a change to accommodation of a lower rating for all of your holiday or a change of holiday dates) or cancellation we will advise you as soon as possible and we give you the following options:
- Accept the new arrangements
- Take an alternative holiday subject to availability (if a lower price we will refund the difference; if a higher price you must pay the difference)
- Withdraw and accept a full refund of all monies paid (except for any amendment charges which arose before cancellation). We’ll also consider compensation where appropriate.
In the event of a minor change (any change that is not defined as a major change above or force majeure), the above options will not be available to you.
We ask that you appreciate and acknowledge that the nature of this type of travel requires flexibility and you should allow for alternatives. The itinerary provided for each trip is representative of the types of activities contemplated, but it is understood that the route, schedules, itineraries, amenities and mode of transport may be subject to alteration without prior notice due to local circumstances or events.
In the unfortunate event that Debra, or an immediate family member of Debra, experiences an untimely illness or death, The Pigment Trail reserves the right to find a suitable replacement to lead the excursion so that the trip will continue as planned.
We also reserve the right for any reason or at any time, at our sole discretion, to decline to accept or to retain any person on a holiday as a client particularly if their conduct is disruptive and affecting the enjoyment of other participants on the trip, and we shall be under no liability for any costs incurred by such a person as a result of our doing so.
If we have to cancel your holiday, we will notify you as soon as possible and give you a reasonable period of time to decide which of the options described above you would like to take. If we do not hear from you, we shall send a reminder to you, and if you still do not respond then we may cancel your Holiday and provide you with a refund.
No compensation will be payable if we cancel because of Circumstances Beyond our Control or because the minimum number of persons required to book the Holiday for it to take place (as described in your booking) has not been met. We can also cancel your booking if you fail to make payment on time.
Please note all refunds take a minimum of 14 days to process.
