INTERNATIONAL TOURS – Terms & Conditions

As at 3 April 2024

To register your interest in a tour, a deposit of $500 and a completed booking form must be received and acknowledged by Blue Dot Travel (BDT). If you are planning to book your own international flights, we also require an interim payment of $2,500 payable within 60 days from receipt of your booking form. Your deposit and interim payments are non-refundable. Your final payment becomes due 90 days prior to departure. If you are booking less than 90 days out from tour departure, your tour payment is due in full.

On certain tours, we may be required to pay additional deposits to book special cruises, ferries, expedition ships, pre-paid entrance fees, special permits, internal flights, etc which may require an additional payment, in which case you will be advised in advance. Should you cancel after you have made a booking, these additional special payments are non-refundable. If any payments are not received by the due date, the booking may be considered cancelled.

Bookings made less than 90 days before departure may incur additional costs due to flight seat and fare availability.

Blue Dot Travel operates under a “fluid” pricing policy in that costs for a tour may change at any time. We reserve the right to amend our prices for any tour, without notice, at any time up until final payment has been received by us, due to but not limited to exchange rate fluctuations, increases in fuel costs, airport charges, airfares or increase in other service provider’s fees. All prices are quoted in Australian dollars and must be paid in Australian dollars. It is quite possible that individual travellers will have paid a different price to others on the same tour for various reasons including but not limited to the reasons listed above. For payments by Mastercard or Visa we add 1.75% to cover merchant fees. For payments by American Express we add 1.75% fee. Once incurred, any credit card fees are non-refundable.

A booking may be accepted on a share room basis on the condition that the person requesting the share reservation agrees that we accept no responsibility for any incompatibility between the persons sharing. Regardless, no guarantee is given that a share room will be available. If not available, at the time of final payment you agree to pay the single supplement. If you choose to pay a single supplement for a tour at one or more destinations, and a single room cannot be provided, a refund for the single supplement component will be made for any night that a single room was not available. A single supplement means you will receive a room by yourself. The size of the room may (or may not) differ to that of a standard twin or double room.

All travellers accept there is a risk of contracting Covid, influenza or a respiratory virus while on tour. By joining the tour, you accept this risk and understand
that you may travel with someone who has contracted one of these conditions at some stage of the tour. Blue Dot Travel is governed by the rules and regulations of the country we are travelling in. If a traveller contracts Covid 19 or a respiratory illness while on a Blue Dot tour, the traveller must make every effort to isolate and wear a face mask (N95 preferred) wherever possible and practical. This may mean sitting separately at mealtimes and as separately as possible on transport for a period of up to 5 days. To reduce the possibility of transmission, the affected client will be seated at the rear of our transport. Any costs associated with isolation, medical treatment, transport to or from medical facilities, etc. will be borne by the traveller. No refund will be available for missed elements of the tour during this time. Please retain all receipts for these costs, as they will be important when making your travel insurance claim. Due to the effect that Covid-19 has had on the travel industry, we are no longer able to apply any loyalty customer discount to tour costs. We do hope to implement a loyalty program in the future when the industry has fully recovered from the effects of Covid-19.

Personal travel insurance is not included in the tour price. Every effort is made to ensure the safety of all participants however, we insist that you take out a personal travel Insurance policy as a condition of us accepting you on the tour. Each traveller is responsible for ensuring they have the correct level of cover for their individual circumstances. It is the traveller’s responsibility to check that your insurance policy (especially those offered by your credit card company), covers you comprehensively for the entirety of the tour you have booked on. You must read your travel insurance PDS with an emphasis on what is and what is not covered. Your travel insurance must be in place before your first interim payment is made. In the event of cancellation, please refer to the penalties listed in sections 9 – Tour Amendments, Cancellations and Postponement. Depending on the reason for cancellation, these charges may be recoverable under your travel insurance policy, please check with your provider.

From July 1, 2024, Blue Dot will be implementing a new customer loyalty programme. Blue Dot Travel clients who are travelling with us on between their 4th and 7th small-group international tour will receive a $250 loyalty discount.

Any Blue Dot Travel client who is travelling with us on their 8th or more small-group international tour will receive a $500 loyalty discount. Importantly, no other discounts can be combined with this loyalty discount, including any early bird or special one-off discounts. Our loyalty discount may only be applied to our international small-group tours. The discount is not available on extension tours, Australian tours, private tours or expedition cruises.

The client acknowledges and agrees that the tours offered by BDT may be adventurous in nature and that he or she travels at his/her own risk. A minimum level of fitness is required to be able to participate on a BDT tour. You must be able to walk at least one thousand metres at a reasonable pace without requiring a stop, be able to carry at least your own bags and be able to walk at least up three flights of stairs unassisted. It is the client’s own responsibility to obtain and maintain any appropriate travel documents, eg, a valid passport, any valid visas, permits, vaccination certificate or the like.

The client has an obligation to disclose to BDT any pre-existing medical condition or allergies when booking the tour and the company reserves its right to refuse
a booking with a client suffering from any such condition. The client also has an obligation to carry their own medical needs including legal prescription medicines and basic medical kit.

You agree to carry a mobile device so that the airlines can contact you directly and advise of any cancellations and disruptions regarding your flights.

For client’s choosing to make land-only bookings with BDT, the client will have sole responsibility for managing their own flights and changes to these flights before and whilst on tour including all necessary transfers, hotels etc. BDT does not accept any responsibility for any loss, delay or additional expenses incurred in a delay in joining the tour or for flight amendments. Further, Blue Dot Travel cannot arrange/book transfers from airports to hotels and visa-versa when the client has booked their own flights.

It is the traveller’s duty to ensure they have checked the most up-to-date travel itinerary prior to the tour departure as travel itineraries can and do change frequently. These are available on our website. These are available on our website.

Amendments, cancellations and postponements must be notified to BDT in writing. Any non-flight portions of the tour which Blue Dot has already prepaid are non-refundable and non-transferable.

In the event of a Force Majeure, where Blue Dot Travel’s contractual obligations become impossible or impracticable to fulfil, due to an event or effect that
Blue Dot or our partners could not have anticipated or controlled, we may also amend, cancel or postpone a tour. Factors beyond our control may include (but are not limited to) civil unrest, a natural disaster, epidemics, pandemics or other emergencies in the areas to be visited. Blue Dot Travel is obliged to cancel a tour if the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade (DFAT) issues a travel warning prior to departure advising “Do Not Travel”. The cancellation of a tour due to the DFAT travel warning can be implemented by Blue Dot Travel regardless of the departure date of the tour.

If these circumstances take place prior to departure when client monies have, or could reasonably be expected to have been expended on purchasing elements
of the tour, i.e. domestic and international flights, hotel accommodation among other things, then BDT will refund all monies that can be recovered from the recipients of those expenses less a service fee of $500 per traveller, without entering into any legal dispute, this being the limit of its obligations. Further, Blue Dot Travel is not obliged to postpone or rerun the tour at an alternate date.

BDT’s general policy is to have no more than 16 clients on any tour unless otherwise stated. If less than 10 people are booked on any tour, the trip
may proceed without a tour leader accompanying the group. This will be at the sole discretion of BDT. An in-country guide will still be provided in these circumstances. Should there be too few people booked for any tour, we reserve the right to cancel the tour no later than 60 days before scheduled departure. In this event, a full refund will be made, and BDT will not be liable for any claims made or any additional costs incurred by you including but not limited to flights, transfers and permits paid directly by you. Some tours have accommodation and transport limitations meaning that maximum traveller numbers may be less than 16. Tours require a minimum of travellers to proceed which is at BDT’s discretion.

We reserve the right to vary the itinerary, accommodation and forms of transport should any conditions make it preferable, appropriate or necessary to do so. We will provide alternative services as close as possible to those listed. Wherever possible we shall advise you of such changes prior to departure, however we accept no responsibility for any alterations made for any reason, or for any associated loss or damage. If any additional expenses are incurred through delays, accidents, or disruption of planned itineraries because of force majeure or if it is considered advisable by our management, such expenses are to be borne by the traveller. It is possible that a route change could be necessary due to inclement weather, political restrictions or any other cause. Route changes will always be at the discretion of the group leader and the local operator. We will not be responsible for postponement or delay caused by delayed flights or schedule changes at any point in tour. No refund will be available in the event of any route or itinerary changes including hotel accommodation.

BDT reserves the right to exclude or remove a client from any tour if they fail to comply with our fair and reasonable instructions while on tour, if they prevent or impede other clients’ enjoyment of a tour, if they jeopardise the safety of other clients, if they engage in illegal or undesirable behaviour, or if they become a danger to themselves or other clients. If this happens, the client will not be entitled to a refund and BDT will not be responsible for any expenses that the traveller may incur if they are excluded from a tour for any of these or other unforeseen reasons.

If a problem occurs while you are away, it is essential and most practical to try to resolve it locally with the tour leader and or guide or tour provider. If you are unhappy with your hotel room please inform the Duty Manager so the situation may be rectified on the spot. If you have any other complaint please advise us promptly so that we can attempt to resolve the matter. If you fail to take these steps any claim for compensation may be reduced or denied. If you have an unresolved complaint this must be put to us in writing advising details of the efforts, if any, that were made with the tour leader, guide or local operator to resolve the issue. Please send this with supporting documentation within 30 days of return to Australia. No claim made after this period will be considered save to the extent that the law otherwise provides.

Blue Dot Travel may earn commissions from suppliers such as airlines, cruise operators and hotels. The amount of commission will vary from supplier to supplier depending on numerous factors including, but not limited to, the volume of business placed with the supplier. If a tour is cancelled by the customer, or cancelled due to DFAT travel warnings, Blue Dot Travel is not obliged to refund any commissions earned. The commission system in travel is considered standard practice.

As at 17 July 2023

To register your interest in an Australian tour, a deposit of $500 and a completed booking form must be received and acknowledged by Blue Dot Travel (BDT). This deposit is non-refundable unless previously advised by your BDT point of contact. Final payment becomes due 60 days prior to departure. BDT does not offer any loyalty discounts on any Australian Domestic tours.

On certain tours, we may be required to pay additional deposits to book special cruises, ferries, expedition ships, pre-paid entrance fees, special permits, internal flights, etc which may require an additional payment, in which case you will be advised in advance. If payments are not paid by the due date, the booking may be considered cancelled.

Higher deposit payments or even full payments are required for late bookings – please refer to your consultant at the time of booking noting that full payment is required for all bookings made 60 days or less from departure.

BDT is unable to book your domestic flights, bus or train tickets to get you to the starting place of the tour and for your return home from the finishing place. This is the sole responsibility of the traveller. BDT is not responsible should you miss any section of the tour due to delayed transport to the starting point.

Blue Dot Travel operates under a “fluid” pricing policy in that costs for a tour may change at any time. We reserve the right to amend our prices for any tour, without notice, at any time up until final payment has been received by us, due to but not limited to increases in fuel costs, airport charges, airfares or increase in other service provider’s fees. All prices are quoted in Australian dollars and must be paid in Australian dollars. It is quite possible that individual travellers will have paid a different price to others on the same tour for various reasons including but not limited to the reasons listed above. For payments by Mastercard or Visa we add 1.75% to cover merchant fees. For payments by American Express we add 1.75% fee. These fees include GST. Once incurred, any credit card fees are non-refundable.

Due to the effect that Covid-19 has had on the travel industry, we are not able to apply any loyalty customer discount to our Australian tours. We do hope to implement a loyalty program in the future when the industry has recovered fully from the effects of Covid.

A booking may be accepted on a share room basis on the condition that the person requesting the share reservation agrees that we accept no responsibility for any incompatibility between the persons sharing. Regardless, no guarantee is given that a share room will be available. If not available, at the time of final payment you agree to pay the single supplement. If you choose to pay a single supplement for a tour and due to non-availability of a single room at one or more destinations, a single room cannot be provided, a refund for the single supplement component will be made for any night that a single room was not available. A single supplement means you will receive a room by yourself. The size of the room may (or may not) differ to that of a standard twin or double room. At certain boutique accommodation, it is possible that there will not be a single supplement option even if you have requested and paid for a single supplement. In other words, on occasions, you may need to share. You will be compensated for this particular section of the accommodation if you need to share a room after paying for a single supplement.

To minimise the health risk to Blue Dot staff, contractors, customers, guides and the communities we travel to, plus to minimise disruptions whilst on tour, we ask that our travellers to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Please note that when travelling to any destination in Australia or overseas, it is each individual traveller’s responsibility to satisfy themselves as to the risks associated with COVID-19.

Personal travel insurance is not included in the tour price. Every effort is made to ensure the safety of all participants however, we insist that you take out a personal travel Insurance policy as a condition of us accepting you on the tour. Each traveller is responsible for ensuring they have the correct level of cover for their individual circumstances. It is the traveller’s responsibility to check that your insurance policy (especially those offered by your credit card company), covers you comprehensively for the entirety of the tour you have booked on. You must read your travel insurance PDS with an emphasis on what is and what is not covered. Your travel insurance must be in place before final payment is made. In the event of cancellation, please refer to the penalties listed in sections 7 – Tour Amendments, Cancellations and Postponement.

The client acknowledges and agrees that the tours offered by BDT may
be adventurous in nature and that he or she travels at his/her own risk. A reasonable level of fitness is required to be able to participate on a BDT tour. You acknowledge that there will be walks of around 2 – 3 kms in National Parks, Farms and bushland. You must be able to walk at least one thousand metres at a reasonable pace without requiring a stop, be able to carry at least your own bags and be able to walk at least up three flights of stairs unassisted. The client also acknowledges that they are choosing to travel at a time when exposure to COVID-19 is possible. BDT will take all reasonable steps to ensure your safety and may require clients to follow additional safety protocols on tour.

The client has an obligation to disclose to BDT any pre-existing medical condition or allergies when booking the tour and will be required to complete a COVID-19 Health Assessment prior to travel. The company reserves its right to refuse a booking with a client suffering from any such conditions. The client also has an obligation to carry their own medical needs including legal prescription medicines and basic medical kit. You agree to carry a mobile device so that we may contact you in the event of an emergency. It is the traveller’s duty to ensure they have checked the most up to date travel itinerary prior to the tour departure as travel itineraries can and do change frequently. These are available on our website.

Rather than cancelling a tour, travellers have the option
to postpone their tour up to 60 days prior to departure, subject to the tour running again within 12 months from the original departure date. Travellers may also transfer to an alternate tour within 12 months departure of the original tour. In these circumstances it is most likely that travellers would incur airfare penalties in the event that they have booked flights to the tour’s starting point. These penalties are over and above any BDT fees given that BDT does not book domestic flights for our tours. There may also be tour price increases from one year to the next and tour amendments fees may still apply.

BDT’s general policy is to have no more than 16 clients on any domestic tour unless otherwise stated. A tour may proceed with as little of 4 travellers booked on it. The decision to run or cancel a tour due to minimal traveller numbers is at the sole discretion of BDT. A full refund or travel credit will be made to travellers should BDT make the decision to cancel any tour due to limited traveller numbers. Further, BDT will not be liable for any claims made or any additional costs incurred by the traveller including but not limited to flights, transfers and permits paid directly by you.

We reserve the right to vary the itinerary, accommodation and forms of transport should any conditions make it preferable, appropriate or necessary to do so. We will provide alternative services as close as possible to those listed. Wherever possible we shall advise you of such changes prior to departure, however we accept no responsibility for any alterations made for any reason, or for any associated loss or damage. If any additional expenses are incurred through delays, accidents, or disruption of planned itineraries because of force majeure or if it is considered advisable by our management, such expenses are to be borne by the traveller. It is possible that a route change could be necessary due to inclement weather, political restrictions or any other cause. Route changes will always be at the discretion of the group leader and the local operator. We will not be responsible for postponement or delay caused by delayed flights or schedule changes at any point in tour. No refund will be available in the event of any route or itinerary changes including hotel accommodation.