GENERAL NOTICE REGARDING BOOKING:

Please read carefully and understand the contents of the Tour Brochure / itinerary, the ‘Terms and Conditions’, How to Book Rules, Price Grid and such other documents as may be applicable, as all these will form part of your contract with us once you effect the booking. To effect the booking, we may require you to sign the Booking Form and such other documents as we may deem fit including (without limitation) the ‘Terms & Conditions’, ‘How to Book’ rules and ‘Price Grid’ (‘collectively Booking Documents’). Upon executing the Booking Documents and on payment of the prescribed non-refundable interest-free booking amount, a binding contract shall come into existence.

We advise you to ensure, before making a booking, that you have and / or you will be able to provide all the required valid and genuine documents and your professional qualifications to enable you to apply for visa, insurance etc. Please go through our web site and check from our staff to ascertain the required documentation. Please note that guests other than tourist are not to be invited on tour by any tourist and they are not allowed to use any of the services of the tour.

 RATE OF EXCHANGE APPLICABLE TO REFUNDS:

Please note that refunds of foreign exchange component of the tour cost will be based on our buying rate of that date. When we receive Indian rupees from you in relation to a booking, we convert them into the foreign exchange component of the tour cost at our selling rate, then applicable and credit the proceeds in our bank account. However, when we refund the foreign exchange component to you in Indian rupees, we do so at our buying rate applicable on the date of refund, because the bank will convert the money at the buying rate and credit the same in Indian rupees.

OUR SCOPE OF SERVICES:

We are travel and holiday organizers only. We inspect and select the services to be provided to you. However, we do not own, operate or control any airline, shipping company, coach or coach company, hotel, transport, restaurant, kitchen caravan or any other facility or provider etc. that is engaged to provide you services during the course of your tour.

Therefore, please carefully note that: (1) you will need to adhere to the conditions, rules and regulations of each service provider. For instance, you will need to check the baggage rules of the airline to understand what kind of baggage and how much baggage you can carry. You will need to check the hotel rules to check what the meal times are, at which you should make yourself available. The company is not responsible / liable for the consequences if you breach such rules and regulations; (2) If you cause any injury or damage affecting the service provider, then you may be liable to the service provider and if the service provider recovers any monies from us for such injury or damages, we shall separately charge you for the same; (3) we cannot be held responsible / liable for any delay, deficiency, injury, death, loss or damage etc. occasioned due to act or default of such service providers, their employees or agents.

MEALS:

Please refer to the itinerary in the brochure / website for details of the meals which would be served to you on the tour. Unlike an airline, we cannot process a special meal, nor can we guarantee a special diet. The same is at the sole discretion of the service provider. We do not assure special meals or special timings or extra halts for infants, children, or passengers with diabetes, cholesterol, high blood pressure or any other condition. We cannot guarantee quantity of the food as may be provided by the service provider. If you have any such special requirements arising from medical conditions or from the needs of your children or otherwise, it would be advisable to travel on a customized tour and coach tours are not recommended. We, however, reserve the right to change the meal arrangement, where circumstances compel us to do so. At some places a meal allowance may be paid to you at our discretion to enable you to have a meal of your own choice.

HOTELS/Hostels:

The Company selects hotels for your stay at locations, which give comfort and value for money. For various reasons, such as reducing the overall traveling time on the coach for the following day, the hotels may be chosen away from the city centre. Unlike other countries, most hotels in Europe do not have air conditioners or fans. Modern facilities such as attached toilets with showers/bath tubs are provided. We cannot guarantee the availability of adjoining rooms / inter connecting rooms / non-smoking room / rooms on the same floor etc. Hotels in Europe may / may not have room service facilities. The check in time is usually 2 p.m. and check out time is usually

11 a.m. In Australia, the check in time is 12 noon and the checkout time is 10 a.m. In certain hotels like Gentling Resorts, though the check in time is 3:00 pm, you may have to wait for some hours till the rooms are cleared. The same is subject to change from time to time.

If you seek a change in rooming while on a tour, the same will be subject to availability and you will need to pay any additional charges as may be applicable. Please note that hotels in Europe and Far East can have exceptionally small rooms unlike what you may have experienced in other countries.

Single Accommodation:

In case you book on a single occupancy basis, you will have to pay a single room supplement unless another tour participant is willing to share your room. You shall also be liable to pay the single room supplement if earlier having booked on a shared room basis, you later have to take the room on single occupancy basis since your intended room partner has either dropped out of the tour for any reason or since you and/or your room partner are no longer willing to share a room. Note that the single room supplement will be charged in all cases where a booking on a shared room basis has to be changed to single room basis including the following:

• Intended room partner was arranged by
• Intended room partner was arranged by us for
• No room partner was found available for

Double (Twin) Accommodation:

A double room has either a single queen-size bed or two separate beds. If you request for a room with a queen-size bed, the same would be provided subject to availability as most of the hotel rooms in Europe & Far East are twin-bedded. In case of non-availability of a room with a queen-size bed, at win bedded-room would be given.

Triple Accommodation/Dormitory:

We recommend a maximum of only three persons in one room. Triple rooms are usually no larger than twin rooms and the third bed is often a roll away bed or cot placed in a twin room.

COACH AND SEATING:

We generally engage air-conditioned / air-cooled luxury coaches but we are not responsible if the air-conditioning equipment malfunctions for any reason. On group tours, you are not allotted seat numbers as a seat rotation system is followed. You must follow the instructions of the Tour Manager in this regard. The average traveling time by coach is approximately 8 to 10 hours or more a day in Europe and in

U.S.A. under normal road conditions. Comfort stops are provided every 2-3 hours, after appropriate intervals. The fore going timings are indicative only. Though some of the coaches are equipped with emergency wash rooms, such a facility can be used only in case of adire emergency.

The coach drivers are bound by restrictions concerning maximum driving hours per day and per week and the itineraries are planned with regard to the same. It is therefore essential that the itineraries, schedules and timings are strictly adhered to by you so as to ensure that all the services can be duly provided. If you or any of your co-passengers misses any service due to unpunctuality, we shall not be liable to refund any amount. Further, we shall not be liable to refund any amount or pay any compensation/damages for any change in itinerary or for missing any service due to the unpunctuality or actions of your co-passengers or for any delays due to any reasons. Please note that smoking, consumption of alcoholic beverages and snacks is strictly prohibited on coaches. Please keep the coach clean to avoid discomfort to yourself and other tour participants. Please take care not to leave behind any property in the coach while disembarking. The Company would not be responsible or liable in case of loss of such property under any circumstances.

BAGGAGE ON COACH:

Please note that porter age is not included in the tour price. It is often difficult to get porters to assist as hotels may or may not provide this service and it is therefore advisable to use bags with wheels. Coaches have limited space for luggage and hence we permit only one suit case and one hand bag per person in the coach. The suitcase should be of a size of 158 cms. (width+length+height).

AIRLINES:

We shall in no circumstances whatsoever be liable to you or any person travelling with you, for loss of baggage by the airline, failure to provide meal of your choice by the airline, denied boarding or down-gradation due to over booking or any other reason, failure on the part of the airline to accommodate you despite having confirmed tickets, quality or quantity of meals offered by the airlines, flight delays or rescheduling, flight cancellation, changes off light schedule or routing, change of airline mentioned at the time of booking etc. In these circumstances, we will not be liable for the injury, loss or inconvenience suffered by you but you will be free to pursue your remedies against the concerned airline.

BAGGAGE ON AIRLINE: Airlines have restrictions on the kind of baggage, number and weight of baggage that you can carry and you will need to carefully read and understand the rules and regulations of the airline, in this regard. Typically, weight restrictions on baggage for Economy Class is 20Kg, for Business Class 30 kg and for First Class is 40 kg and one hand bag (cabin luggage) not exceeding 7 kg per person except for flights to USA and Canada, where the passengers are permitted to carry two pieces of checked-in baggage and one hand bag. In the case of low cost carriers are used by the Company during the tour, the permitted baggage allowance may be lower than what is mentioned above. Baggage is not included for internal flights in USA. One needs to pay for every piece of baggage checked in. The charges vary from USD 25 to USD 35 per bag. Please check with our sales staff for correct details.

Please note that every airline has a different set of rules and regulations regarding the weight restrictions and furthermore, airlines keep changing the rules quite frequently. Hence, you are requested to please check the updated baggage rules of the individual airlines, with whom the ticket is booked. We are not liable / responsible, in any manner, if you are unable to carry any baggage or if you have to pay any extra-charges due to restrictions imposed by the airline. You shall be liable to pay all such charges directly to the airline. Also, we are not liable / responsible for any loss or damage to baggage while it is in the custody of the airline.

AIRLINE DATE CHANGE BEFORE DEPARTURE:

If you wish to travel in advance or return at a later date after the tour ends, then you must pay the applicable difference between the group airfare within the package holiday tour cost and the market airfare for the changed sector. The same will be quoted by us to you on your request. Over and above this you will also be required to pay an ‘Airline Seat Rebooking and Reservation Fee’ of Rs. 2,500/- or amount as applicable per person per sector, per change depending on the airline (subject to availability of seats and ticket validity). Please note that you will not be able to avail of the group transfers and accordingly you will have to make your own way to meet up with the group on arrival and / or to your next destination when your tour ends. We shall not be liable to refund any amount to you in this regard. Terms & Conditions shall apply.

AIRLINE DATE CHANGE AFTER DEPARTURE:

It is absolutely necessary to have your return air seats to India confirmed prior to your departure from India. If you wish to change the date of your return journey after departure from India, you will have to pay a “Change in Reservation Fee” if any, directly to the airline, subject to availability of seats in the same booking class. This fee may range between USD 75 to USD 200 or more per person and we will not be responsible for the same.

AIRLINE CONFIRMATION AND RE-CONFIRMATION:

Though you may receive a confirmed air ticket for a particular sector, airlines often over book seats, due to which the airline may off load even confirmed passengers and may accommodate them on a subsequent flight. We will not be responsible / liable for any such offloading nor for any consequence of such offloading including delay, inconvenience or loss of tour services. As you are booked on a group fare ticket, please note that seat allotment will be made only when you physically report at the airport check in counter. You are advised to report at the airport check in counter at least 3 to 4 hours prior to the departure time. Seat allocation is a matter of airlines discretion and availability of seats is not in the control of Southern Travels.

Hence STEM Tours India shall not be held responsible if you do not get seats together or do not get your preferred seats. Please note that in case you are returning on a later date after the tour ends, the responsibility / liability to re-confirm air tickets 72 hours prior to the departure would be solely yours.

YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR DOCUMENTS AND

POSSESSIONS:

You will have to take the risk and responsibility of all your baggage, belongings, currency, valuables, documents and personal effects (collectively ‘baggage’) at all times during the tour, whether during travel on the airline or during your stay in hotel or during your travel in coaches, while on excursions or otherwise. If you forget to carry or if you lose essential travel documents such as passport, visa, tickets etc., you may be compelled to curtail the tour and you may have to incur extra expenses, for which you alone shall be responsible. In view of what is stated above, please carefully note that:

1. We shall not be responsible or liable for any loss or damage in respect of your baggage etc. or their contents whether due to theft, accident, negligence or otherwise;
2. We shall not be responsible for any cancellation or curtailment of your tour compelled by any such loss of baggage etc. and we shall pay no compensation or refund to you;
3. Some coverage in respect of baggage loss or damage may be provided by insurance (see below the Insurance section).

It is advisable that you do not carry valuables on the tour. However, if you carry any valuables, we recommend that you use all available facilities to keep them secure during your tour. In this regard, some hotels provide Safe Deposit Lockers (which may be charged separately). In case of airlines, were commend that you declare your valuables to the airline at the time of check-in and pay an additional charge, as may be stipulated by the airline, to make the airline responsible for valuables. Without such declaration, airlines can invoke limitation of liability protections provided in international conventions and laws. If your baggage is lost or misplaced at any time during the course of your tour, it is your responsibility to take all appropriate actions to file complaints with the concerned authorities, including police, airline office etc. Please understand that as the Tour Manager is responsible for the whole group of tour participants, he may not be in a position to escort you to lodge a complaint with the authorities, as it could compromise the convenience and time of the group. Furthermore, Tour Managers

/ Assistants / Escorts are assisting the tourists throughout the tour and are not responsible for tourists’ baggage or any kind of personal belongings. On the entire tour the tourists have to be responsible and carry the baggage on their own. Instructions as well as information of the tour are to be followed in the group tours and the tour manager/company is not responsible for any instructions overruled by the tourists and/ or its consequences.

LIABILITIES:

Please go through the terms and conditions carefully to understand your rights, responsibilities, risks and the extent of our liabilities. As earlier stated, being tour organizers, we will not be liable / responsible to you for any loss, injury or damage in respect of life, limb or property, sickness, delay, discomfort, anxiety, service denial, serviced efficiency, additional expenses etc. incurred by you or for any direct, indirect, consequential loss and / or damage or any kind suffered by you howsoever caused arising out of any act, omission, default of any contractor / supplier or of any servant or agent employed by the contractor / supplier or of any third person who may be engaged or concerned in the provision of accommodation, meals, transportation, entertainment, refresh mentor any other service etc. comprising the tour package. In view of this, please note that we shall have no liability in the following circumstances (amongst others):

• Failure on the part of airline to accommodate passengers (despite having confirmed tickets) or cancellation, change of route, delay of flights etc.
• Over booking of seats/rooms by the airline/hotel.
• Loss of /delay of baggage by airline /coach / cruise/
• Any death, personal injury, sickness, accident, loss, delay, discomfort, increased expenses, consequential loss and / or damage or any kind of theft how so ever caused;
• Rudeness or unprofessional behaviour of staff of airline/hotel etc., quality/quantity of meals, facilities given etc.
• In case of any misshaping tour leader will not stay with the since he has to continue with the group to the next destination.
• Any kind of service denial or deficiency by any contractor/

Further, please note that in any case, our liability arising from this contract shall not exceed the total amount paid for the tour holiday. Further, under no circumstances shall we have any liability in respect of any indirect, special or consequential losses / damages whatsoever. As earlier stated, any loss or damage to your baggage will be borne entirely by you and we shall not be liable for the same in any manner. We shall not be responsible and / or liable for any damages caused to you due to reasons beyond the control of the Company (Force Majeure/ Vis Majeure). Any overstay expenses due to delay or changes in bus/flights/ships/trains or cancellation of special bogie or other services due to sickness, weather conditions, war, threat of war, strikes, rebellions, disturbances, unrest, curfew etc. Or any other cause whatsoever, shall be borne entirely by you and we shall not be liable for the same. We are not liable for any acts, omissions or defaults of other tour participants which may result in injury, damage to your life/limb or property or interfere with enjoying any services to be provided on the tour. The immunities provided under this contract to the Company shall be available to the Company’s Managers, including Tour Managers, Employees, Servants and Agents but not to the contractors / suppliers selected by the Company. Please note that we will be entitled to retain custody of your documents or properties entrusted to us till we receive payment of all amounts that are due to us in relation to your booking/travel.

Not liable for third party suppliers

The Tour Operator makes arrangements with accommodation providers, activity providers, airlines, cruise lines, coach companies, transfer operators, shore excursion operators, tour and local guides, and other independent parties (“Third Party Suppliers”) to provide you with some or all of the components of your booking. Third Party Suppliers may also engage the services of local operators and sub-contractors. Although the Tour Operator takes all reasonable care in selecting Third Party Suppliers, the Tour Operator is unable to control Third Party Suppliers, does not supervise Third Party Suppliers and therefore cannot be responsible for their acts or omissions.

Third party suppliers may utilize STIPL’s logo on signage or uniforms solely for identification purposes which does not signify STPL’s ownership, management or control. As a result, STIPL is not liable for any negligent or wilful act or failure to act of any such person or entity, or of any other third party.

Acceptance of Risk

You acknowledge that the products and services offered by STIPL may involve a significant amount of risk to your health and safety. By travelling with the STIPL you acknowledge that you have considered any potential risks to health and safety. You hereby assume responsibility for all such risks and release STIPL from all claims and causes of action arising from any losses, damages or injuries or death resulting from risks inherent in travel, including visiting foreign destinations, and participating in adventurous activities such as those included in Tour itineraries or other wise offered by STIPL.

The Maximum Liability On Part Of STPL’s Arising Under Any Circumstances, In Respect Of Any Services Offered On The Site, Shall Be Limited To The Refund Of Total Amount Received From The Customer For Availing The Services Less Any Cancellation, Refund Or Others Charges, As May Be Applicable. In No Case the Liability Shall Include Any Consequential Loss, Damage Or Additional Expense whatsoever.

YOU WILL NEED TO COMPLY WITH TOUR CONDITIONS:

You will have to strictly follow the tour program and comply with the terms and conditions of the various contractors / service providers such as hotels, airlines etc. You are responsible to register with the representative of the Company at the appointed date, place and time for departure and you would be treated as a no-show if you fail to do so and the consequences shall be yours entirely. You are required to be punctual and adhere to the time-lines of the tour and of the contractors / service providers. If you are not punctual, you could miss your flight, your coach, your meals etc. You shall not behave in a manner which may caused is tress or annoyance to other tour participants or to any other person or which may create the risk of danger or damage to property belonging to us or other tour participants, service providers or any other persons. If you misbehave or disturb the decorum of the tour you may have to terminate the tour. In such an event, no refund or compensation will be paid to the tourist and he/she will have to bear and pay the expenses for his/her return travel. You shall not carry any item or object, the possession of which is forbidden by any laws, rules or regulations. Nor shall you violate any other laws, rules or regulations. Should any tour participant misbehave or violate any laws, rules or regulations, we shall have the right to discontinue his / her participation and exclude him / her from the tour at his / her risk, cost and expense. Should we suffer any damage or liability on account of at our participant’s misbehaviour, we shall be free to separately charge and recover our losses and expenses from him/her.

NO REFUND FOR UNUTILIZED SERVICES:

It is clearly understood that there shall be no refund or compensation whatsoever for unutilized services. This general rule applies to all kinds of non-utilization or under-utilization of tour services, whether of the whole or part of the tour and whether as a matter of your choice, or caused by your fault or compelled by circumstances such as ill-health, weather, external factors etc. As a consequence of the above rule, please note that no refund will be admissible in the following circumstances (amongst others). There would be no refund if you fail to join the group at the commencement of the tour or join the group later or leave the group before culmination of the tour for any reasons whatsoever. There will be no refund if you fail to or are unable to utilize any of the services on the tour like airline travel, hotels, sightseeing, rides, cruises, meals, entrance fees, optional tours etc. due to any reason whatsoever such as late reporting, ill-health etc.

EMPLOYEES/AGENTS NOT AUTHORIZED TO CHANGE TERMS: No person including any of our employees, agents or franchisees has the authority to alter, amend, or waive any stipulation, representation, term or condition set forth in this document. Assurance if any, given by any of our employees, agents, franchisees or any other person, whether given verbally/ in writing / by email / by sms or otherwise, which is contrary to the terms and conditions shall not bind us, in any manner.

PLEASE CAREFULLY CHECK WHAT THE TOUR COST

INCLUDES AND EXCLUDES:

Please refer to the relevant section of the Price Grid for the tour cost. All services to be provided to you will be as per those specified / confirmed and paid for as per the Invoices. If you avail any service such as porterage, room service, laundry, excess baggage charge, a lacarte meals, alcoholic beverages, soft drinks, paid toilets etc or anything that is not specifically shown as included in the Tour Cost, then the payment for the same will have to be cleared by you.

TIPPING:

Tipping is customary (unless otherwise stated in the brochure) in all parts of the world for services rendered (e.g. porters, coach drivers, tour leaders, guides etc.). Unless otherwise communicated the tip amount is 2 EURO per person per day in Europe for the coach driver, 2 EURO per person per city per guide in Europe and 2 EURO per suitcase per day for a porter in Europe. Everywhere else it is 2 to 4 USD instead of 2 Euros. Please check the Price Grid to ascertain whether such tips are included within the tour costs or are required to be paid by you separately.

CURRENCY AND TRAVELLERS CHEQUES:

Were commend that you take your Foreign Exchange partly in Cash and Travellers Cheque. You can also opt to take a Foreign Currency Debit Card which is another safe mode of carrying exchange. Travellers Cheque can been cashed overseas for foreign exchange, for a nominal fee.

MINIMUM PARTICIPATION:

Tours specified in the Brochure are operated subject to a minimum participation of paying adult Participants. If the participation is less than the minimum prescribed (as below) we reserve the right to amend, amalgamate, alter, vary, or cancel a tour without incurring any liability to pay any compensation. If we decide to operate the tour with participation below the minimum stipulated or if you are required to travel as individual travellers (not as a group) we reserve the right to collect an additional pro-rata amount. In such cases you may not be provided certain services, which would have been provided in the group tour including the service of a tour manager and you may need to travel on an amended itinerary and services, such as transportation on a ‘seat in coach’ basis, where the coach departures are at fixed times and routes etc.

PRIVACY OF INFORMATION:

We try to maintain the privacy of the personal information provided by you. However, it would be necessary for us to share this information with Consulates, Embassies, Airlines, Hotels and other service providers who would be providing you service during the tour. We would also be constrained to disclose such information if we receive an order of the court, a requisition from any government or statutory authority, subpoena, or where under any laws, rules or regulations, such disclosure becomes necessary. You agree to let us photograph and/or videography the tour and specifically you agree to let us photograph and / or videography you in the course of the tour. You agree to let us publish such photo graphs/ video graphs through all media including print media, websites, letters, emails etc. You also agree to let us track us a gestatistics. You agree and accept that all such photographs and/or video graphs and statistics are our absolute property and we have the unrestricted right to use them for any legitimate purposes including advertisement and commercial purposes. Further, you agree that if you share with us any photographs and/or videography taken by you during the tour, we would be free to publish such photographs and / or videography through all media including print media, websites, letters, emails etc. We recommend that you register online so that we can send you updates and information on travel destinations.

COMMUNICATION:

Communications transmitted to your mailing address /whatsApp/mobile message/ email address on record shall be deemed to have been communicated to you even if returned undeliverable for any reason. All communication from you to the Company has to be in writing, not orally. Where you book directly with us, we will address communications to you at your mailing address and / or e-mail address given in the Booking Form. Where you have booked through a Travel Agent, we will address communications to your Travel Agent, who made the booking on your behalf and the agent would be responsible for transmitting such communication to you. All monies paid to the Travel Agents shall not constitute payment to us unless deposited by your Travel Agent with the Company.