TOUR POLICY

MAXIMUM FLEXIBILITY MEANS PEACE OF MIND WITH A SECRET TOUR JOURNEY

Before you book a trip with Secret Tours, please take the time to read and understand the Booking Conditions below which apply to certain small group tours.To make a booking with us:

1. Please fill all the information in the online Tour Booking Form 
2. Passport must be valid for at least 6 months from the day you arrive at your destination.
3. For all our new bookings,you are required to pay a non-refundable deposit of € 300 per person per trip since we pay most of our partners and guides in advance to ensure best quality and availability.However, this can be converted into a credit for travel at a later date at No Extra Cost.No tour will be reserved until the prescribed deposit is received after 3 days the booking date. Upon receipt of your deposit you will receive an immediate booking confirmation.
4. We reserve the right to cancel the booking without prior notice if the balance is not paid by the deadline and you will forfeit your deposit.
5. We reserve the right to cancel any tour and to decline to accept any person as a participant in a tour
6. SINGLE SUPPLEMENTS: We have space available for one or two singles on each of our tours. They are provided with single-use double rooms.
7. After your deposit has been accredited we will send you an invoice with the amount for the balance of payment (see section Payments methods)

TOUR FARE INCLUDES

1. Hotel arrangement: Twin/double room shared basis.
2. Transportation: Air conditioned luxury 8 or 21 seats motorcoach
3. English speaking tour directors as per itinerary
4. Gratuity for local city guides.
5. Included meals and drinks where specified
6. Cultural experiences where specified
7. Included excursions where specified
8. Airport transfers on the last day of the tour
9. City tax in all the hotels

TOUR FARE EXCLUDES

1. Travel insurance and visa fees/Trip Interruption & Cancellation insurance
2. Any charges for extras not listed in itinerary
3. Room services, telephone charges, laundry fees
4. SECRET TOURS will accept no responsibilities for losses, damages or bodily harm.
5. Gratuities for tour director and local driver
6. Airport transfer on arrival
7. Single room supplement

CANCELLATION AND REFUND POLICY

If you cancel your tour for any reason including medical or personal reasons, cancellation fees will apply

Balance Payments:
1. are 98% refundable 70 days or more prior to tour start date:

2. are 48% refundable 70 to 31 days prior  to tour start date:

3. 30 days or less prior to tour start date: NO REFUND

LIABILITIES
1. SECRET TOURS is not liable for any delay or expense.
2. SECRET TOURS will accept no responsibilities for losses or additional expense due to accident, delay, weather, strike or cause beyond its control.
3. Passengers must have a valid passport. Your passport must remain valid for at least 6 months from the arrival date. SECRET will not be held responsible for any expenses if passenger is refused entry by any country.
4. SECRET is not liable if passenger decide to withdraw during the tour.
5. SECRET reserves the right to alter or curtail the itinerary substitute hotels and/or conveyances as it is deemed necessary.
6. SECRET will not accept liability for acts of violence for any single sharing a room with others.
7. Non-refundable for any unused portion of the tour and any meals listed in itinerary after departure whatever the reason is that you cannot continue with the tour.
8. SECRET also reserves the right to require any individual to withdraw from the tour if deemed his/her act of conduct is detrimental to or incompatible with the interest, harmony & welfare of other passengers and the tour as a whole.
SECRET TOURS shall be under no further liability thereafter to any such person.

UNAVOIDABLE AND EXTRAORDINARY CIRCUMSTANCES

We cannot accept liability or pay any compensation where the performance of our obligations is prevented or affected, as a result of unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances. event. This means a situation which is beyond our control, the consequences of which could not have been avoided even if all reasonable measures had been taken. Such situations are likely to include (whether actual or threatened) war, riot, civil strife, terrorist activity, industrial dispute, natural or nuclear disaster, adverse weather conditions, epidemics, fire, closure, restriction or congestion of airspace, airports and ports and all other events outside our control or the Foreign Office advice.

YOUR SAFETY

We are an Italian-Maltese owned and registered company in Malta.We are based in Malta, Sicily, New York and proudly member of ASTA ( American Society of Travel Agents). You are fully covered by tour operators liability insurance and regularly carry out risk assessments on the properties and services we use. We design our own tours and act only as an agent and/or intermediary for independent suppliers. As a result it retains other contractors to provide transportation, accommodation and other related travel services. SECRET accepts no responsibility for any such losses or any additional expenses or and distress due to delays, sickness, weather, strikes or any other causes.

1. Passengers shall be regarded as carrying his/her own risk with respect to loss or injury to person or property.

2. SECRET is not liable for any loss, injury, accident, damage, delay or expense which may arise during the tour.

3. Passenger accepts full responsibility for losses and expenses due to delay, sickness, weather, strikes, wars, quarantine and changes in itinerary.

4. SECRET TOURS will not be held responsible if passenger carries any unlawful items or irregularities, any losses and expenses are the responsibility of the passenger.

5. SECRET TOURS, tour guide and driver do not accept liability for lost or stolen personal property during the tour.

NO SMOKING POLICY

We have a non smoking policy on all our tour buses and at all archaeological sites visited.

PERMISSION FOR PHOTOS AND VIDEOS FOR GUESTS

You agree that our tour directors may take photos and films of you while on holiday with us and that these may be used in our Tour Catalog and/or advertising or publicity material without obtaining any further consent or payment in respect of such photos and /or films.

TRAVEL PROTECTION

We strongly recommend that you purchase a travel protection plan to help protect you and your travel investment against the unexpected. Travel protection plans can include coverage for Trip Cancellation, Trip Interruption, Emergency Medical and Emergency Evacuation/Repatriation, Trip Delay, Baggage Delay and more. For information on available plans or to enroll, go to insuremytrip.com 

It is not possible for Secret Tours to provide protection coverage of any sort and you agree to buy insurance or travel at your own risk.

PRIVATE POLICY

Any and all information submitted to us by you is held in strict confidence. Your name, address, phone number, email address, tour inquiry or purchase information will be used by Secret Italia Tours LTD only and not shared with any third parties.

TRAVEL AGENTS

If you are a travel agent, do contact us to find the right partner for planning and developing your tours. We have a vast knowledge and plenty of experience. We can create itineraries according to your customers wishes for small groups.

TOUR CHANGES/GUESTS BEHAVIOR

All  information on our website is to the best of our knowledge, correct. However, we reserve the right to make changes in accommodations, visits and itineraries at any times should it become necessary. It is beyond our control delays or itinerary changes caused by strikes, bad weather, traffic or other unforeseen circumstances. We are not obliged to pay guests compensation.

We reserve the right to accept/reject or not retain any person whose behavior affects the enjoyment of the tour.

YOUR BOOKING PROTECTION

In accordance with “The Package Travel, Package Holidays and Package Tours Regulations 1992”, there is no requirement for Financial Protection of day trips when flight is not included and none is provided. Please refer to Insurance section.

WALKING ON TOUR

We do not place any age limitations on the tour and welcome anyone with a moderate level of physical fitness. Most medieval towns were built as hilltop fortifications, so you will find some of your walking to be uphill. Be prepared to spend a few hours a day on your feet and for uphill walks to some hotels, steps and inclines in Matera and Ostuni. Our tours are not suited for anyone with problems with knees, back, heart or those who cannot manage steps and moderate inclines.Age is not important as long as you are reasonably fit and a good walker. If you have mobility issues,please do call us. We will always do our best to accommodate everyone, including offering alternative arrangements where possible.

LUGGAGE

You are allowed one suitcase and one carry-on bag. If you exceed this limit there may not be space in the coach to transport your excess luggage and it will be at your own expense to have it transported throughout the tour. We suggest that you bring a day-pack for carrying water, guide books, jacket, rain gear, etc.

HOTELS/WI-FI/AIR-CONDITIONING

Are located in quiet locations within historic districts or a short distance outside the city walls. European hotel rooms are generally smaller than those in the U.S, and have one queen bed or two single beds, with private bath.You should know that air conditioning in Italy, as well as WI-FI connection, are not always as reliable as they are in your country

SINGLE TRAVELERS

We have space for two single travelers on most tours. There is an additional single use room charge. They are provided with single-use double rooms.

PRICES

For our recommended tours and dates, as listed in our web site, are guaranteed. We do not sell optional excursions or take you on shopping expeditions. Your additional expenses will be for non-included meals, moderate tipping where appropriate, and personal sightseeing or shopping

AIR CONDITIONING/HEATING

The air conditioning systems in Italy, when available,typically do not meet your country standards.If the client has special requirements regarding air conditioning, the client must alert Secret Tours to those requirements well in advance of the tour. Heat, when needed (most often during our late fall and winter tours),is available in Italian hotels.

Secret Tours will not be responsible for any damages or discomfort caused by inadequate heating and/or air-conditioning in any hotel, bus,train, airplane, or other accommodation used by the client on the tour.

INCLUDED MEALS

Many of our lunches and dinners are groups’ events and most of these meals are fixed menu. We choose a variety of meals where you can savor regional dishes and taste the local wine. For the rest you are free to make your own gastronomic discoveries.When you order your own meals, sometimes in places where English is not spoken, you learn more about the food, the wines, the people and the language of others.