Terms and Conditions

Terms and Conditions
1. Our Contract
a. All bookings are made with Turkbang Turizm Tekstil. İnş. Ve Gıd. San. Tic. Ltd. Şti. trading as OBSERVER TRAVEL (hereafter referred to as OBSERVER TRAVEL, us or we). Travelistanbul.co and Transfersistanbulairport.com are also registered trademarks of and operated by Turkbang Turizm Tekstil. İnş. Ve Gıd. San. Tic. Ltd. Şti.
b. By booking a product with us you will be deemed to have read, understood and accepted these Booking Terms & Conditions (which constitutes the entire agreement between you and us) and your booking will be accepted by us on this basis. The services to be provided are those referred to in your booking confirmation/invoice.
c. A 'Client' (You) is all persons named on the booking form intending to travel with OBSERVER TRAVEL. A 'Product' is any service sold by OBSERVER TRAVEL. A contract between you and us comes into existence when we have confirmed the booking in writing and issued a Confirmation.
f. The person submitting the booking form (that incorporates these terms and conditions), either in hard copy or online warrants that s/he has full authority to do so on behalf of all persons whose names appear thereon, and confirm that all such persons are fully aware of and understand these terms and conditions. We reserve the right to decline any booking at our discretion without further explanation.

2. Information and Pricing Policy. Before a booking is confirmed, we reserve the right to amend brochure prices due to any circumstances outside our control, such as but not limited to changes relating to governmental action, increases in transportation costs (including scheduled airfares and the cost of fuel) changes in any dues, taxes, or fees chargeable for services (including landing taxes or embarkation/disembarkation fees at airports), increases in admission fees and exchange rates.b. Bank transfers are accepted as the full amount payable as published. We can only accept credit card payments in Turkish Lira (TRY). The full amount payable in Turkish Lira is calculated by taking the daily exchange rate on the date of sale multiplied by the full amount published and payable. The Daily Exchange rate can be found at www.tcmb.gov.tr. Your bank will use their exchange rate when charging your credit card for the amount of Turkish Lira that was withdrawn by us. We accept no responsibility for variations in the final transaction amount due to foreign currency and other fees and exchange rates used by banking institutions.
c. Any reduced prices or discounts that become available after you have paid your deposit will not apply to you. If you wish to cancel your booking to take advantage of a cheaper price, normal cancellation conditions will apply.

3. Deposit & Final Payment
a. Group Tours, FIT (Independent) & Private Tours: A 30% deposit is required within 7 days of booking to hold a place for you on a group tour. In the case of FIT and private tours, a further deposit may be required by a specific hotel, tour operator, cruise line, airline, or other principal. Final payment is due 42 days prior to departure. If your booking is made within 42 days of the departure date, then the full amount is payable at the time of booking. In the case of FIT and private tours, a further deposit may be required by a specific hotel, tour operator, cruise line, airline, or other principal. Final payment is due 42 days before departure. If your booking is
made within 42 days of the departure date, then the full amount is payable at the time of booking.
b. Gulet cruises: Clients are required to pay a non-refundable deposit of 30% of the total booking cost must be paid within 7 days of booking. Full payment is required 60 days before departure.
c. Accommodation, Day Tours, and products with a total value under 350 Euro: Full payment must be received within 7 days of booking.

4. Child Travel
a. The minimum traveler age for escorted group tours is 8 years.
b. Persons under 18 may book any of our tours only if they are traveling with a parent or legal guardian. There can be no exceptions to this policy.
c. Children of any age are welcome to participate in Day Tours, Independent and Semi-Independent Tours, Private Tours, and Private Gulet Charters..

5. Child Discounts
a. Children aged from 8 - 12 years of age traveling on Escorted Group Tours, Private Tours, Semi-Independent Tours, Mini Stays, and sharing a room with two accompanying adults will receive a discount of 25% off the full rate. The child discount cannot be combined with other discounts. At the time of booking, whichever available discount is the highest will be applied to a booking.
b. Children aged 0 - 7 traveling on a Day Tour will be free of charge. Children aged 8 - 12 years traveling on a Day Tour will receive a discount of 50% off the full rate.

6. Airport transfers
a. Airport transfers, where included in the tour, are available upon the start of services, for inbound transfers, and on the final day of the tour for outbound transfers as per the tour itinerary. If you book pre-tour accommodation through us, the check-in date would be deemed as the start of your services with us.
b. Istanbul airport transfers where included in the tour are available for all flights from either Ataturk or Sabiha Gokcen airports.
c. Full flight details including arrival time and flight number must be provided a minimum of 48 hours before arrival. Failure to provide full and correct details may void the transfer entitlement.
d. Airport transfers are only available to and from tour hotels as specified by OBSERVER TRAVEL.

7. Luggage
In addition to any personal items such as a handbag or laptop computer, you are entitled to have one main piece of luggage and a cabin bag or day pack. Please note that some domestic airlines in Turkey have a luggage limit of 15kg. If your tour program includes a domestic flight and your luggage exceeds 15kg you will be responsible for any excess baggage fees.

8. Free Time
Certain periods during the tour may be designated as "free time". These periods are provided primarily to give the Client a chance to rest, relax, and/ or explore. The Client is free to use this free time as they wish. We do not accept responsibility for any loss, accident or injury which occurs during such 'free time'.

9. Tour Inclusions and Exclusions
The price of your tour includes all accommodation, transport, and sightseeing as listed in the inclusions section of your itinerary. Your tour price excludes any item not mentioned in the inclusions section of your itinerary. This includes, but is not limited to: air travel unless mentioned within the inclusions of the tour; airport arrival/departure taxes, visas, personal insurance, personal items such as, but not limited to, extra beverages at meals, food or snacks at times other than your meal included on the itinerary, laundry, telephone, fax or Internet/E-mail access charges, film, fees for taking photographs or videos in certain locations, fees for changing money, medical expenses, excess baggage fees, customs duties, shopping, and tips or gratuities. In short, if it's not mentioned in the inclusions section of the itinerary then it's not included.

10. Guaranteed Departure Products
Guaranteed Departure Products are guaranteed to depart on the dates advertised in the brochure except
where beyond the control of OBSERVER TRAVEL by Force Majeure or where the minimum number of passengers has not been met.

11. Minimum Number Products
Minimum Number Products are all Products that are not listed as Guaranteed Departure Products on our website. In the event that a minimum number of products fails to secure sufficient bookings on any departure date, we will inform you or your Agent. In such a case you will be given the option of changing to an alternative date or Product of comparable value or upgrading to another tour or a refund of all monies paid. In this case, we will use our best endeavors to find a suitable alternative.

12. Maximum Group Size Products
The maximum number of products includes all tours with a Greek travel component and Gulet cruises. A maximum limit of 20 passengers is set for these tours. Maximum gulet numbers vary according to available cabin space. Bookings will be closed and not be accepted after this limit is reached. This limit may be changed at our discretion without notice if extenuating circumstances necessitate this. The maximum group size does not apply to ANZAC Day products.

13. Gulet cruises
a. Availability must be confirmed with OBSERVER TRAVEL in writing before acceptance of any booking.
b. The departure date of a gulet cruise may not be changed by the client within 2 weeks of departure.
c. Single travelers must pay a single supplement. The option to twin share with another traveler is not available. The option for a cabin with two single beds is not available as most gulets only have double beds.
d. The departure date of a gulet cruise may not be changed within 72 hours of departure.
e. Children under 12 years of age are not permitted on cabin charter gulet cruises.
f. Young travelers aged between 12 – 17 years undertaking a cabin charter gulet cruise must share a cabin with an accompanying adult.

14. Amendments & Cancellations by You
a. You can cancel at any time. The cancellation fees apply as follows. The cancellation will be effective as of the time that we receive a written request from you or your Agent. The following cancellation charges will apply:

Days before Departure	Group Tours / FIT & Private Tours	Day Tours / Transfers / Accommodation	Gulet Cruises
43+ days	Deposit	Nil	60+ days	Deposit
42 - 29 days	25%	Nil	60 - 31 days	25% (Deposit)
28 - 14 days	50%	Nil	30 - 16 days	50%
13 - 3 days	100%	Nil	15 - 0 days	100%
2 - 0 days	100%	100%

b. After your booking has been confirmed proposed amendments must be provided to us in writing by 'the Lead Client and will incur an administration fee of equivalent to EUR 50.00 except for the first change that will incur no fee or as otherwise agreed. No requested change can be guaranteed.
c. If any number of your party is prevented from traveling because of death, injury, or serious illness of the client, close relative or friend, redundancy or jury service, it may be possible to transfer the booking to another suitable person or departure date or tour of similar standard and cost provided that written notice is confirmed by OBSERVER TRAVEL.
d. If a refund is payable to you either because of an amendment or cancellation, the refund amount will be calculated according to these conditions and with consideration of evidence of exceptional circumstances. All bank fees incurred for processing/transferring the credited amount to the client will be the responsibility of the client.
e. No refund is given for a partially used Product.
f. No refund is available on bookings that received a discount due to a special offer or promotion.

15. Cancellation by OBSERVER TRAVEL
a. All OBSERVER TRAVEL Products are subject to a minimum number of participants as noted within the 'Notes' section of the website itinerary.
b. We reserve the right to cancel any confirmed booking in any circumstances, however, we will not cancel Guaranteed Departure Product except in the unusual circumstances of force majeure, defined here as war, the threat of war, riot, civil strife, industrial dispute, terrorist activity, natural or nuclear disaster, fire, adverse weather conditions, flight cancellation or any other external circumstances beyond our control.
Compensation is not available if we are forced to cancel or in any way change a tour due to force majeure. However, where we are unable to provide the tour booked, we will return to you any monies paid to us or offer an alternative date or holiday of comparable standard.

16. Change of Hotels and Itinerary
a. We publish all product information in good faith and we will use our best endeavors to operate all Products as advertised. However, we reserve the right to change the tour itinerary at any time.
b. If we make a major itinerary change before departure if time permits, we will inform you as soon as possible before your departure. A major change is one that affects at least one day out of five of the itinerary. When a major change is made, you may choose between accepting the change, obtaining a refund of money paid on the land portion of your trip, or accepting an alternative tour of the same or lesser value.
c. We reserve the right to change an itinerary after departure due to local circumstances or events outside our control. In such emergency circumstances, any additional costs of necessary itinerary alterations will be covered by you. We are not responsible for any incidental expenses that may be incurred as a result of a change of itinerary, including visas, vaccinations, or non-refundable flights.
d. The hotels listed on our website are intended to be used on all departures, however, from time to time hotels may be changed in order to meet operating requirements and local conditions. We reserve the right to substitute hotels without prior notice. If a change becomes necessary for any reason, including alternate hotels for additional departures on the same date, or hotel location changes within or outside itinerary cities, the hotel substituted will be of equivalent or higher standard, when available, to those shown. No refunds are provided for hotel changes. Full cancellation penalties as noted above apply.

17. Accommodations
a. Organized tour accommodations are based on twin/double/triple share accommodation.
b. Single travelers may share a twin room with another traveler of the same sex, if available. If a same-sex room share is not available then the single room supplement will be payable. Room shares are arranged in order of booking.
c. For pre and post-tour accommodations the entire room will be reserved for you. We cannot arrange shared pre and post-tour accommodations for single travelers. Payment of a single supplement is required in this instance.
d. We will make every effort to accommodate people traveling together in their requested room type, However, this cannot be guaranteed.
e. Special requests such as bed types, smoking preferences, and connecting rooms are subject to availability.
f. If you are booking a triple room, please note that in some hotels, the third bed may be a “fold-away” bed. The availability of triple rooms is limited. We are not liable if a hotel can only provide a fold-away bed, and no compensation is payable to you in any such instance.
g. Single rooms may be smaller than a twin-bedded or double room.
h. The advertised hotels are intended to give an idea of the type of accommodation that may be expected. The actual hotels used for any given tour may change due to many reasons such as group size, availability, time of year, hotel standard has dropped or simply we found a better hotel. We update the website immediately if and when any changes take place. If and when we do change hotels it will be to a hotel of equal or higher standard and will be at no extra cost.

18. Travel Documentation
a. It is your responsibility to be in possession of a valid passport, visa permits, vaccinations, preventative medicines, and other medical certificates and all necessary travel documents.
b. We are not liable for damages arising from changes in regulations or laws to the necessary travel document requirements. We provide information about these matters in good faith, however without liability.
c. We are not responsible if you are refused entry to a country because you lack the correct passport, visa, or other documentation.
d. In the case of lost or stolen documents, while we are happy to assist in any way possible, we cannot be held responsible for any additional costs and you are not entitled to any reimbursement or compensation of paid travel expenses.

19. Travel Insurance
Under Turkish Law, adequate insurance is mandatory for all Clients to cover at least but not limited to personal accident, death, medical and repatriation expenses, loss of luggage, and cancellation or curtailment of a Product and should not exclude any planned adventure activities from the time of booking for the full duration of the Product as a minimum. A Client and their personal belongings are the sole responsibility of the Client. OBSERVER TRAVEL accepts no liability on the Client's behalf where OBSERVER TRAVEL has provided a Product of reasonable standard. You are fully responsible for arranging your own insurance. You will be asked to provide proof of your travel insurance on Day 1 of your tour. You will not be able to join the tour without it.

20. Health, Safety and Conduct
a. Prior to booking, all Clients are expected to satisfy themselves that they are fit and able to complete the itinerary of their chosen tour as described in the brochure. If you have any pre-existing medical conditions or illness you must declare the true nature of such conditions at the time of booking, and make arrangements for the provision of any medication or other treatment which may be required during the tour. Such a client is required to provide a medical statement from a General Practitioner to confirm they are fit to travel. Failure to make any such disclosure will constitute a breach of these booking conditions and relieve OBSERVER TRAVEL from any obligations and liability.
b. While we are happy to take special meal requests, we cannot be held responsible if they are not provided at hotels or restaurants during the tour.
c. It is your responsibility to have any inoculations that may be required for your intended destinations. You must advise OBSERVER TRAVEL of any allergies or other physical conditions that might affect you during the tour. We reserve the right to decline or accept any person as a member of the tour or to decline or retain any person if such person's physical condition, mental well-being or behavior interferes with the operation of the tour. There will be no refund in such cases.

21. Client Exclusion and Local Law
You agree to accept the authority and decisions of OBSERVER TRAVEL's employees and its supplier's employees and representatives whilst on tour. If in the opinion of such persons, your health or conduct before or after the departure appears likely to endanger the safe, comfortable, or happy progress of the tour, you may be excluded from all or part of the tour without prior notice or any liability on the part of OBSERVER TRAVEL. In the case of the Client's ill health, we may make such arrangements as we see fit and recover the costs thereof from the Client. Passengers agree to comply with the laws and regulations of the countries they travel. We will not be liable to any Clients who commit illegal or unlawful acts whilst on tour.

22. Liability of OBSERVER TRAVEL
a. OBSERVER TRAVEL Products and in particular, adventure activities, contain an element of risk to the personal safety of the Client that other package holidays may not contain. By accepting these Booking Conditions you are aware of the risks inherent in your chosen travel and you undertake such risks of your own volition. We accept no liability for Client's damages where we have fulfilled our Duty of Care to Clients by providing Products of a reasonable standard. We accept no liability if there has been no fault on the part of OBSERVER TRAVEL or its suppliers, and the reason for the claimed damages was either the Client's fault or a result of unusual circumstances beyond the control of OBSERVER TRAVEL by force majeure or otherwise and the consequences of which could not have been avoided even with all due care.
b. In respect of carriage by air, sea, and rail and the provision of accommodation, our liability in such cases will be limited in the manner provided by the relevant international conventions.
c. We accept no liability if you incur additional costs through delay, accident or disruption of the Product(s) beyond our control by force majeure or otherwise.
d. Optional activities not included in the tour price are not part of the tour or this contract. Although your tour guide may assist you in arranging optional activities this does not imply liability on our part. The contract for the provision of that activity will be between you and the optional activity provider.
e. Where you occupy a seat in a vehicle fitted with a seat belt, neither OBSERVER TRAVEL nor our agents or contracted service providers will be liable for any injury, illness or death or for any loss or damages or claims arising from any accident or incident if the seat belt is not being worn at the time of such accident or incident.

23. Combination trips
Many of our tours are designed to fit with other departures to create a longer trip. This means that some of your group may have been traveling together prior to you joining the tour. If you would like information regarding whether your trip is part of a combination trip, please ask before you make your booking.

24. Tour Meeting Point
If you forsake your inbound airport transfer or book a product that doesn't include an inbound airport transfer, you are responsible for transportation to and from the Tour Meeting Point. The Tour Meeting Points are as set out in the relevant brochures or as advised by OBSERVER TRAVEL in the pre-departure pack for your tour at www.observertravel.com/

25. Photography and Marketing
a. Our authorized representatives may take photographs and films of you while using any OBSERVER TRAVEL Product. We reserve the right to use said material for any advertising or promotion in any medium we choose without obtaining further consent. You grant us a perpetual, royalty-free, worldwide, irrevocable license to use such images for publicity and promotional purposes.
b. We also reserve the right to use any comments you make, questionnaires, or complimentary letters with respect to us, or our Products, minus any identifying information, in promotional literature without obtaining further consent.

26. Personal Data
All Client data is protected in accordance with "Protection of Personal Data" laws. By making a booking with us, you agree to our use of this data in order to meet contractual and other tour operations obligations. We reserve the right to use this for direct marketing purposes, market research, customer demographics, statistics, and information of OBSERVER TRAVEL and its business partners. If you do not want your data to be used by us, you may advise us by email, and said data will be destroyed.

27. Complaints
If you have a complaint about any of the Product arrangements you must raise the complaint immediately with an OBSERVER TRAVEL employee so that we can use our best endeavours to rectify the problem. We cannot rectify a problem we are unaware of. Failure by you to complain on the spot will extinguish or at least reduce our liability to pay compensation. Should we be unable to resolve the problem on the spot, a complaint must be made in writing within 90 days of completion of the product.

28. Updates to terms and conditions
OBSERVER TRAVEL reserves the right to update and/or alter these terms and conditions at any time, and it is the Client's responsibility to be familiar with them. The latest terms and conditions can always be found on the OBSERVER TRAVEL website: www.observertravel.com and will supersede any previous versions.

29. General
a. No employees or representatives of OBSERVER TRAVEL have any right to alter, vary, or waive any of these terms and conditions, nor to undertake any liability whatsoever on behalf of OBSERVER TRAVEL, unless such be in writing and signed by the Managing Director of OBSERVER TRAVEL.
b. All contracts for bookings made with OBSERVER TRAVEL are governed by Turkish law and are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Turkish courts should any dispute arise between parties to this contract.

OBSERVER TRAVEL

(https://www.observertravel.com) Istanbul Office

(Head Office)

Zafer Mah. Kuzey Sok. No:21/B

Bahçelievler-ISTANBUL/TURKEY

Tel: +90 212 522 60 97

Email: info@observertravel.com