Terms & conditions
Please note that our quotes are merely informative as all services are SUBJECT TO AVAILABILITY.
All fares and availability of services will, therefore, be confirmed within 24 hours following the day you confirm your client’s booking by making the required payment.
This current document is sent to travel agents during the quote process.
Decouvertes expects the return of this document signed and dated by the travelers or their travel agent (on behalf of the travelers) at the same time as the deposit or full payment is made.
Once this T&Cs document is sent on DropboxSign the first time, we consider that the travelers or their travel agent (on behalf of the travelers) have reviewed the terms and conditions.
Upon Decouvertes making a first reminder for signature of this document, Decouvertes will assume that the travelers or their travel agent (on behalf of the travelers) have accepted these terms and conditions.
Bookings during the Olympic and Paralympic Games 2024:
Note for all booking with travel dates within and/or including July 15- Sept.15, 2024:
Decouvertes will adjust its Terms and Conditions to its suppliers’ Terms and Conditions, which tend to be, for hotels, 100% payment in advance and non-refundable.
1 .1 TOTAL COST INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING:
The total price provided by Decouvertes includes the services listed in the quote, a tailor-made itinerary, assistance of a Customer-Care manager throughout the production process and clients’ trip, 24-hour assistance service throughout Travelers’ trip, Final travel documents as Prepaid Vouchers, Decouvertes’ fees, taxes.
Our negotiated rates are confidential and therefore, as a general rule, Decouvertes does not provide a breakdown of rates and services.
1.2 TRIP COST DOES NOT INCLUDE:
- Airfare not listed in the itinerary,
- All not specified services in the itinerary (Entrances fees when not mentioned, Meals when not mentioned, Transfers, Porterage, etc when not specifically mentioned as included in the cost)
- Room Service,
- Excess Baggage Charges,
- Passport and Visa Fees,
- Personal & Travel Insurance,
- Gratuities,
- Any Item specified as “Arranged on own” or “booked on your own”,
2. EMERGENCIES
For any travel related emergencies, or service change or request less than 72h ahead of the services, travel agents or travelers should call the 24/7 assistance hotline (+33 (0) 6 14 06 19 67).
Decouvertes cannot be held responsible for a service change or request not made effective in the case of notification by email/SMS/Whatsapp less than 72h ahead of services.
All emergencies and additional service requests while on land must be informed at this phone number, not by email/SMS/Whatsapp otherwise we will not be able to help on time.
3. LUGGAGE
That each passenger carries a standard number of luggage pieces per person: 1 checked luggage, 1 personal item, and 1 airplane carry-on luggage.
In case of a higher number of pieces, the travel agent or client have to proactively inform Decouvertes about this excess before the trip, in order to adjust the service type and cost and avoid any transportation issues. All adjustments remain subject to our cancellation policy, changes on initial proposal policy, and changes on confirmed itinerary policy. Decouvertes cannot be held responsible for any extra cost or delay in the service or any event that would result as a consequence of a miscommunication from the Travel Agent and/or the travelers in relation to the amount of luggage.
(*) The total number of luggage your clients will bring must be in accordance with the transportation vehicles already included in our package (please refer to your package quote to check the concordance between the type of vehicles included and the luggage capacity for each vehicle).
Some special items require extra trunk space that your selected vehicle might not fit. Please let your Experience Designer know, during the quote process, of any special items you/your clients will bring so that we can check and coordinate in advance the best solution with potential extra costs at the clients’ expense.
4. PAYEMENT POLICY
4.1 Deposit
A 35% deposit is requested upon booking, and full payment is requested 90 days prior to Travelers’ arrival in France.
All the live events ticketing services are not included in the deposit and are submitted to a full payment upon booking. Tickets are modifiable and refundable according to our suppliers’ policies.
Our suppliers may have stricter payment policies. In this case, Decouvertes will apply the stricter policy and will adjust the amount of the deposit necessary to cover the main services confirmation. In this case, Decouvertes will provide due explanation to the Travel Agents.
For private accommodation (Villas, Apartments, Chalets, Barges rentals or similar): Payment policies of the owner or manager of the private accommodation apply. Such payment policies are disclosed by Decouvertes when quoting the services.
4.2 Currency
Payments are made in Euros and can be made by credit card, Euro checks or wire transfers. Découvertes accepts the following credit cards: American Express, Visa and Mastercard.
Please note that Découvertes does not charge any supplement for credit card payments. We do not accept checks.
4.3 Booking process once payement is received
The booking process begins once the deposit payment is received.
Booking/securing services does not being until required payment (be it 30%, 35% or full payment) is received by Decouvertes.
Any loss of availability or increases in pricing due to lateness in receiving the clients’ payment is not the responsibility of Decouvertes; any financial loss will be covered by the clients.
Availabilities and pricing are subject to change: valid at time of quote and subject to time of booking.A pricing on a quote is only assured for 24h. maximum starting from the time it is sent out to the travel advisor.
4.4 Balance payment
If the balance payment deadline of 90 days (or as communicated) is not met, at the end of this same day we will stop booking the services, and Decouvertes is not liable for any availability losses or price increases if this is the case. The prices of these services and experiences could rise dramatically, and availability could be lost. In this case we may be obliged to charge you any extra expense.
In order to perfectly deliver the booked services, our scheduling is very strict, and any lateness in receiving client payments will cause the postponement of previously announced deadlines.
4.5 Last-minute booking payments
Any booking which is confirmed 60 days or less before arrival dates is considered a last-minute booking.
In order to begin securing services, full payment is required up front so that we can operate immediately the full booking process
5.1 CANCELLATION POLICY
Découvertes strongly recommends that travelers purchase trip cancellation/interruption insurance. The following cancellation penalties apply for Individual Travelers (FIT) and not for group bookings:
5.1. Full cancelation
A) From confirmation up to 60 days before arrival, a penalty of 50% of the total net billing will be applied, plus any penalties applied by our suppliers at the time of cancellation. The balance will be refunded to the clients in the conditions specified in paragraph 5.2.
NB: Hotels may have specific cancellation conditions which will be applied accordingly.
B) Between 59 and 30 days before arrival a penalty of 60% of the total net billing will be applied, plus any penalties applied by our suppliers at the time of cancellation. The balance will be refunded to the clients in the conditions specified in paragraph 5.2.
NB: Hotels may have specific cancellation conditions which will be applied accordingly.
C) Between 29 days before arrival and 15 days before arrival, a penalty of 75% of the total net billing will be applied, plus any penalties applied by our suppliers at the time of cancellation. The balance will be refunded to the clients in the conditions specified in paragraph 5.2.
NB: Hotels may have specific cancellation conditions which will be applied accordingly.
D) From 15 days up to arrival, a penalty of 100% of the total net billing will apply.
NB: Hotels may have specific cancellation conditions which will be applied accordingly.
5.1.2 Postponement with credit for future use
E) From confirmation up to 60 days before arrival:
– a penalty of 20% of the total net billing will be applied, plus any penalties applied by our suppliers at the time of cancellation.
– the remaining amount will be given as travel credit in the conditions specified in paragraph 5.3, less any cancellation fees applied by Decouvertes’ suppliers.
NB: Hotels may have specific cancellation conditions which will be applied accordingly.
F) Between 59 and 30 days before arrival:
– a penalty of 25% of the total net billing will be applied, plus any penalties applied by our suppliers at the time of cancellation.
– the remaining amount will be given as travel credit in the conditions specified in paragraph 5.3, less any cancellation fees applied by Decouvertes’ suppliers.
NB: Hotels may have specific cancellation conditions which will be applied accordingly.
G) Between 29 days before arrival and 15 days before arrival:
– a penalty of 30% of the total net billing will be applied, plus any penalties applied by our suppliers at the time of cancellation.
– the remaining amount will be given as travel credit in the conditions specified in paragraph 5.3, less any cancellation fees applied by Decouvertes’ suppliers.
NB: Hotels may have specific cancellation conditions which will be applied accordingly.
H) From 15 days up to arrival, a penalty of 100% of the total net billing will apply.
NB: Hotels may have specific cancellation conditions which will be applied accordingly.
NB: Decouvertes’ suppliers may have stricter Cancellation Policies. In this case, Decouvertes will apply such policies. All refunds and credit vouchers will be made deducting any penalties applied by our providers at the time of cancellation. All entrance tickets are not modifiable and not refundable. Decouvertes is not liable to disclose or detail any supplier policy at the time of booking, but will disclose them upon request.
In all cases, hotels’ terms and conditions are applied in case of postponement or cancellation, be it a non-refundable/non-transferable credit policy, etc.
For weekly rental such as Villas, Apartments, Chalets, Yachts, Barges or similar services, the following cancellation penalties apply to Individual Travelers (FIT) for these private services :
• Cancellation policies of the owner or manager of the private accommodation apply. Such cancellation policies are disclosed by Decouvertes at the time of Booking in writing to the client or its representative or agent.
• A flat cancellation fee of 600 euros is applied by Decouvertes (which does not include any commissioning to the clients’ Agent/ Advisor)
• An additional 2.5% cancellation fee of the total net booking is applied by Decouvertes to cover for bank fees.
5.2 MONIES’ TRANSFER WHEN BOOKING IS CANCELLED
Within 30 days of receiving written notification of the cancellation, the applicable refund will be processed, excepting any sums paid to suppliers prior to notification of the cancellation and not yet recovered by Decouvertes.
Any sums recovered by Decouvertes after the 30-day limit will be refunded to the client within 15 days of reception by Decouvertes.
Decouvertes is not liable to prove that sums have been recovered or not.
Refunds are made in Euro or and sent to the traveler via the originally charged credit card or via wire transfer to the account of origin.
NB: when using Flywire as a method of payment, Decouvertes operates the refund in EUR , and Flywire provides the equivalent at the daily exchange rate in USD or the currency in which the payment had been originally operated by the cardholder.
5.3 TRAVEL CREDIT WHEN BOOKING IS POSTPONED
Counting from the date of the postponement notification, clients may postpone their trip within a 24-months time frame.
Penalty fees apply in accordance with our cancellation policy (please see section 5.1.2).
Our suppliers may have stricter Cancellation Policies, any financial loss as a result of a cancellation shall be borne by the clients.
5.3.1 Pricing
The postponement is subject to a new quote of a similar trip. At the time of the postponed trip’s new dates, our suppliers may have higher rates for the services initially quoted. Clients shall be responsible for payment of the difference between the rate of the original booking and the rate of the new booking. Decouvertes cannot anticipate such a potential increase and will communicate it to the clients only when postponed trip dates are communicated by the clients to Decouvertes. Services for the new dates are secured when the new potential quote is accepted and fully paid.
5.3.2 Availability of services and potential replacements
When clients opt to postpone their trip, all services initially quoted are subject to availability. In the event where a service initially paid would not be available at the new dates, Decouvertes will make every effort to offer an equivalent or alternative service, but in any case no refund will be issued.
Postponements are offered free of extra rebooking fees from Decouvertes.
5.3.3 Rebooking within 90-days prior notice
If you rebook for new dates which are at less than D-90, Decouvertes will charge rebooking fees of 10% on top of the new quoted price.
5.3.4 Balance payment
Any pending balance must be settled 90 days before the new arrival date.
6. UNFORESEEN CIRCUMSTANCES
In any case trip costs do not include items not specified in the itinerary.
Decouvertes makes every effort to adhere to this itinerary. In exceptional circumstances, it may be necessary to make an adjustment to the services in the itinerary (including but not limited to change of provider, change of vehicle, change of day or time of the services, or change of guide or driver). Should such adjustment be necessary, an equivalent substitute will be offered when and where possible.
If war or terrorist activities, civil unrest, closures of airports or seaports, industrial threats or any other event outside the control of Decouvertes which cause either delays or extends the holiday or compels a change in the holiday arrangements, Decouvertes cannot accept liability for any resulting loss, damage or expense.
7. FINAL DOCUMENTS
Final Documents, often called “Your Detailed Itinerary” or ”Passengers’ travel documents”, are sent via email, 30 days prior to the traveler’s arrival in France.
The Passengers travel Documents includes all addresses and necessary contacts. It also includes General Prepaid Voucher, Individual Vouchers for hotels and special services when required.
7.1 Last-minute bookings’ final document delivery
For last minute bookings/confirmations or any bookings confirmed less than 60 days prior to the client’s arrival day in France, the Final Documents will be sent out once we receive all final confirmations from our suppliers and once the final quality check is achieved.
8. ABOUT GUIDANCE
“Guide-Drivers” or “Driver-Guides” V. Chauffeurs or Driver:
Our “Guide-drivers” are guides who are licensed (accredited) to lecture the travelers into museums and monuments, and also have a special driving license and insurance allowing them to chauffeur passengers.
Our Guide-drivers all speak fluent English (or the promised language such as Spanish and Portuguese).
Chauffeurs or Drivers are NOT qualified to enter and guide clients into museums or historical monuments and sites, or to provide information about places, cities, etc.
Chauffeurs or Drivers speak a basic level of English (or the promised language such as Spanish and Portuguese).
During peak season and for last-minute bookings, due to lower availability, only basic-English speaking drivers might be available from our corporate suppliers.
9. ITINERARIES INCLUDING RENTAL CARS BOOKED BY DECOUVERTES (“SELF-DRIVE”)
For “Self-Drive Itineraries”, an upfront planning fee starting from 300 Euros may be requested depending on the length of the itinerary.
This fee will be deducted from the total Package cost if the client decides to book the itinerary.
In case the Self Drive itinerary is not confirmed, the said planning fee is kept by Decouvertes.
Please take note that all provided itineraries are the sole property of Decouvertes and should not be used without prior permission from the respective owner. Furthermore, these itineraries cannot be reproduced nor printed if the proposal is not booked with Decouvertes.
10.1 CHANGES ON INITIAL PROPOSALS
Our goal is always to make sure that our clients (travelers) have a perfectly adjusted itinerary. In this aim, we believe in the efficiency of a collaborative process. Therefore, there is no cost for re-planning fee during the design phase with your dedicated Experience Designer.
This 0 re-planning fee can only be applied if the client commits to book the said proposal by providing us with the initial 35% deposit of the total package cost.
10.2 CHANGES ON CONFIRMED ITINERARIES
Any service change after the final confirmation of any Itinerary (written booking confirmation and 35% deposit) often requires way more work than creating an offer from scratch. In this regard, Decouvertes reserves the right to apply a fee of minimum fee of 100 Euros per requested change (per service), plus price difference if any.
NB: We understand by “service change” any change on a service date, time, nature, provider, location, including restaurant reservations.
10.3 LATE BOOKINGS
As more and more clients wish to plan their vacations in a very short notice, which is something we really understand and as a very short notice requires way more work than a regular framework plan for the advisor and also the support team, Decouvertes does not charge a late booking fee but some of our suppliers might and/or the services might have a higher cost- at the expense of the clients- the closer to service date we are.
10.4 RESTAURANT RESERVATION AFTER BOOKING CONFIRMATION
10.4.A. FEES
Our Experience Designers are always very pleased to include restaurant suggestions in their proposals. Up to 3 Restaurant reservations are included for free during the proposal phase. This is valid during the quotation process.
After confirmation of the booking / Itinerary, the charges are as follows:
60€ is applied per restaurant reservation
60€ is applied per restaurant reservation per pax for Michelin restaurants
NB: A restaurant reservation is often up to FIVE phone calls for our Customer Care and Operations Managers to secure the service.
10.4.B. RESTAURANT CANCELLATION PENALTIES
For all fine tables and Michelin star restaurants the client credit card is always requested to guarantee the restaurant booking. Please be aware that Michelin star restaurants always charge the client credit card in case of no-show or late cancellation up to 48 hours. This policy varies from one restaurant to the other.
In case restaurants do not apply such above policy, in order to protect gourmet and Michelin-starred small businesses/restaurants, and following too many no-shows in fine restaurants, jeopardizing Decouvertes’ relationship and privileged accesses for our clients to these restaurants, Decouvertes applies a penalty fee that is forwarded Euro-to-Euro to the restaurants in case your clients are no-show.
The penalty per no-show is 150 eur per person but could vary depending on the quality of the restaurant: gourmet, one, two, three stars, etc.
Decouvertes decides for which restaurants and which amounts we request a client credit card authorization for.
11. APPLICABLE LAW AND JURISDICTION
These conditions are governed by French law and both parties shall submit to the jurisdiction of French Courts at all times.
12. CLIENT INFORMATION + TERMS AND CONDITIONS
Please send back the client information form + terms and conditions 100% completed and signed 24h (at the latest) after you make the deposit payment for your trip.
This information is required in order to book all services such as trains, rental cars, private transportation, meet and greets, and tours.
Any loss of availability or increases in pricing due to lateness in receiving this information is not the responsibility of Decouvertes and any financial loss will be covered by the clients.
Any delays in receiving this information will result in the delay of the delivery of the final travel documents.
Many of these services are only bookable between 90 days (such as train tickets and some restaurants) and 60 days (Eiffel Tower, Versailles, etc) prior to the visit. All these reservations are already planned in our agenda. Please note that many French sites must be booked on due date and no later; in case of any late booking we may face a lack of available tickets which could jeopardize completely the itinerary. Should we face this issue if we do not receive the clients info from you on due time, Decouvertes can’t be held responsible. Furthermore, if we miss the booking dates, the prices of these sites and experiences could rise dramatically. In this case we may be obliged to charge you the extra expense. Thank you for your understanding.
To ensure the quality of the services provided, it is imperative that we receive the client’s phone number from your travel agent/advisor.
In this regard, we will only send the Final Documents once we have this information.
12.1 Terms and conditions
The signature of our terms and conditions- by the travel agent on behalf of the travelers or by the travelers- is required to begin the booking process.
Once the deposit/full payment is received, if not yet signed at this point, we will send a second reminder by email to receive the signature of the Terms and Conditions.
At this time, we assume the travelers have accepted the terms and conditions.
12.2 Type of beds and bathrooms at accommodations
During the quote process, please specify to your Experience Designer your desired bed and bathroom types at accommodations booked with us.
If not specified during quoting process, extra costs at the expense of the clients may apply from hotels as some rooms have specific bed and bathroom types available only for a specific price.
12.3 Accessibility needs
Please let us know if you need or will bring your own wheelchair [folding or otherwise] (if so what type and its dimensions), if you need to have a hotel room on a specific floor, etc.
Special requirements/items: please note that special items or modifications could incur an extra charge at the responsibility of the clients and not Decouvertes.
Some French cities have beautiful cobbled streets which might be difficult to access with a wheelchair.
Please let us know during the quoting process if we should avoid these at any point during your trip.
13. SPECIFICATIONS OF LAST MINUTE TICKETING
Eiffel Tower tickets:
For last-minute bookings, at 60 days before arrival, tickets available are mostly for group access and not private ones.
Therefore tickets can be pre-paid but must be picked up on site day-of, about 10-15 min. before ticket times.
In the event where in our package there’s Eiffel tickets included along with a private guide, the program might look like this:
Meet your private guide near the Eiffel Tower.
There, enter the majestic landmark with a privilege group access to avoid the long lines.
Once inside the Tower, leave the rest of the group behind and explore all three levels with your private local guide.
14. WHY SHOULD YOU TRUST DECOUVERTES FOR YOUR NEXT TRIP TO FRANCE ?
Another reason why you should book with Decouvertes, is because Decouvertes is a member of APST, a mandatory insurance fund for registered travel agencies in France. APST will refund all Decouvertes’ customers in the unlikely event of a default. More information on this here.
Decouvertes is also a verified supplier by Trusted FIT Services.
