For customers who’ve booked a Byway holiday

By clicking “I Agree” on our website as part of the booking process, you hereby agree to the following terms and conditions, which form a contract between you and Byway Travel Limited (“we” or “us”). 

Your package holiday (trip) is with Byway

1. Our details

Our business name: Byway Travel Limited, registered in the UK with company number 12528990.

Our address: International House, 45-55 Commercial Street, London, England, E1 6BD.

Our phone number: +44 (0)20 4525 6215.

Our email address: hello@byway.travel.

2. Your trip  

A booking will exist as soon as we issue our confirmation email, which confirms your payment. This booking is made on the terms of these booking conditions. When you make a booking, you guarantee that you have the authority to accept and do accept on behalf of your party the terms of these booking conditions. 

Insofar as your journey involves rail travel, as most Byway journeys do, we will obtain on your behalf the necessary rail tickets for your journey, and provide these to you with no extra charges. The exact price paid for each ticket is clearly itemised on each ticket.

Your booking with Byway includes accommodation (with breakfast where booked) and transport, unless we tell you otherwise (e.g. some local bus/ferry journeys we aren’t able to pre-book and pre-pay for you), suggestions for in-trip experiences, and support from our team.

Unless otherwise arranged with us, confirmed in writing and paid for, your booking does not include your pets, bike transport or hire, experience bookings, evening meals or lunch, local car or bike hire, extra large luggage (like surf boards and cellos), buses/taxis you might choose to take locally or travel insurance.

3. Paying for your trip

When you make your booking you must pay a deposit of 25% of the total price of your trip. The balance of the price of your travel arrangements must be paid at least 60 days before your departure date. We’ll send you an invoice seven days before the balance is due, which you can pay by bank transfer or by credit/debit card. If the balance is not paid at least 60 days before departure and following the issuance of a reminder by us, we will cancel your travel arrangements and retain your deposit.

If you’re booking 60 days or fewer before your departure date, the entire balance of your trip will be due at the time of booking.

Changes and cancellations by you

4. If you cancel your trip

You may cancel your travel arrangements at any time. If you wish to cancel your trip, the person who made the booking must complete and submit our cancellation form. Since we incur costs in cancelling your travel arrangements, you will have to pay cancellation charges as follows (see also the exception below).

If you have any questions prior to cancelling, please email us at trips@byway.travel and we will be happy to help.

If the reason for your cancellation is covered under the terms of your insurance policy, you may be able to reclaim these charges, so we suggest you secure appropriate insurance for your trip.

You can cancel your booking without paying cancellation charges if the performance of your package, or the carriage of passengers to your destinations, is significantly affected by unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances. In such circumstances, we will arrange for your booking to be cancelled and for you to receive a full refund. We will observe advice provided by the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office. 

Cancellation charges for trips with hotel/B&B accommodation

If you notify us:

• 180 days or more before your departure: 10% of trip cost

• Between 31 and 179 days before your departure: 25% of trip cost

• Between 15 and 30 days before your departure: 75% of trip cost

• 14 days or fewer before your departure: 100% of trip cost

• On or after your departure date: 100% of trip cost

Cancellation charges for ski trips and trips that include self catered accommodation (i.e. arrangements that include self-contained accommodation with kitchen facilities and do not include any meals)

This includes all journeys from November to April that include Zermatt, Chamonix, La Plagne, Zell-am-See, Seefeld, Les Arcs, Tignes, Val d’Isère, The Three Valleys, Cervinia, Andorra, Courmayeur, Courcheval, Kitzbuhel or Val Thorens, and all other trips sold as ski trips. If you notify us:

• 180 days or more before your departure: 10% of trip cost

• Between 61 and 179 days before your departure: 25% of trip cost

• Between 31 and 60 days before your departure: 60% of trip cost

• Between 15 and 30 days before your departure: 75% of trip cost

• 14 days or fewer before your departure: 100% of trip cost

• On or after your departure date: 100% of trip cost

5. If you change your booking

If, after our confirmation email has been issued, you wish to make changes to your travel arrangements, for example your chosen departure date or accommodation, we will do our utmost to make these changes, but it may not always be possible. Any request for changes to be made must be in writing to hello@byway.travel by the person who made the booking. You should be aware that these costs could increase the closer to the departure date that changes are made and you should contact us as soon as possible. Note: Certain travel arrangements may not be changeable after a reservation has been made and any alteration request could incur a cancellation charge of up to 100% of that part of the arrangements. 

If the change you wish to make to your trip is minor, you’ll be required to pay a £40 ($50.00 for US residents) administration charge for each change, plus any additional costs we incur by making the change. Examples of minor changes include (but are not limited to):

• changing the departure time of a journey that requires tickets or seat reservations.

• changing the travel class of a journey (e.g. from standard class to first class).

• changing your hotel or room type.

If the change you wish to make is considered a major change, you’ll need to cancel your trip with us and rebook. You’ll be required to pay the cancellation charges associated with your cancellation as shown in Section 4 above. Examples of major changes include (but are not limited to):

• changing your departure date;

• changing the length of a stay in one or more locations;

• changing from a location in which accommodation has been booked to a different location (e.g. a change from two nights in Paris to two nights in Brussels);

• adding a new location to your trip.

You can transfer your booking to another person who satisfies all the conditions that apply to this booking, by giving us notice in writing as soon as possible and no later than 7 days before departure, and paying a £120 ($150.00 for US residents) administration charge per transfer. Both you and the new traveller are responsible for paying all costs we incur in making the transfer.

Changes and cancellations by us

We start planning the trips we offer months in advance and occasionally, we have to correct errors and/or make changes to the information contained in our website and other details, both before and after bookings have been confirmed, or cancel confirmed bookings. Occasionally due to events outside our control, including but not limited to adverse weather conditions, we may have to make changes to your trip with little or no notice. Such changes will be considered insignificant except where the change results in you missing out on one or more major experiences from your trip.

A significant change is any change which, taking account of the information you have given us at the time of booking or which we can reasonably be expected to know, we could reasonably expect to have a significant effect on your confirmed trip. Occasionally, we have to make a "significant change" before departure. If we have to make a significant change, we will tell you as soon as possible and if there is time to do so before departure, we will offer you the choice of (for significant changes) accepting the changed arrangements, or cancelling in which case you will receive a full refund.

Very rarely, we may be obliged as a result of "Force Majeure" to change or cancel your trip after departure but before the scheduled end of your time away. This is extremely unlikely, but if this situation does occur and we become unable to provide a significant proportion of the services that you have booked, we will, if possible, make suitable alternative arrangements for you at no extra charge.

Except where otherwise expressly stated in these Booking Conditions we will not be liable or pay you compensation if our contractual obligations to you are affected by "Force Majeure". For the purposes of these Booking Conditions, "Force Majeure" means any event beyond our control, the consequences of which could not have been avoided even if all reasonable measures had been taken. Examples include, warfare and acts of terrorism (and threat thereof), civil strife, significant risks to human health such as the outbreak of serious disease at the travel destinations or natural disasters such as floods, earthquakes or weather conditions which make it impossible to travel safely to the travel destination or remain at the travel destination, the act of any government or other national or local authority including port or river authorities (including any impact to travel or other arrangements as a result of the United Kingdom's decision to leave the European Union), industrial dispute, lock closure, natural or nuclear disaster, fire, chemical or biological disaster, unavoidable technical problems with transport and all similar events outside our or our supplier(s) control.‍

6. If we cancel your booking

We reserve the right to cancel your booking. We will not cancel less than eight weeks before your departure date, except for unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances, or failure by you to pay the final balance. Unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances means a situation beyond our control, the consequences of which could not have been avoided even if all reasonable measures had been taken.

If your trip is cancelled you can either have a refund of all monies paid, move your dates, or accept an alternative trip of comparable standard from us if we offer one (we will refund any price difference if the alternative is of a lower value).

In the event a refund is paid to you, we will pay reasonable compensation except where the cancellation is due to unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances (see definition above).

7. If we change your booking

(a) Changes to the price

We can change your trip price after you’ve booked, but only in certain circumstances:

Within a week of your original booking and initial payment:

Because of our focus on local partners and off-the-beaten-track locations, some of our travel arrangements require manual confirmation by our team following your booking, and are subject to change based on availability. Therefore, the cost of your trip may change and the price of your trip is not guaranteed until we issue your travel details document.

More than a week from your original booking and initial payment:

Changes in the price of the carriage of passengers, for example resulting from changes to the cost of fuel or other power sources, the level of taxes or fees imposed by third parties including tourist taxes or embarkation or disembarkation fees at ports or exchange rates. However, there will be no change within 20 days of your departure. 

We will absorb, and you will not be charged for, any increase equivalent to 2% of the price of your travel arrangements, which excludes any amendment charges. You will be charged for the amount over and above that. If this results in an increase equivalent to more than 8% of the price of your travel arrangements, you will have the option of accepting a change to another trip if we are able to offer one (we will refund any price difference if the alternative is of a lower value), or cancelling and receiving a full refund of all monies paid, except for any amendment charges. Should you decide to cancel you must do so within the time period shown in (4).

Should the price of your trip go down due to the cost changes mentioned above, then any refund due will be paid to you. We will deduct from this refund our administrative expenses incurred. Please note that travel arrangements are not always purchased in local currency and some apparent changes have no impact on the price of your travel due to contractual and other protections in place.

(b) Changes other than the price

It is a term of your booking that we are able to make changes to any aspect of your booking. If the change is insignificant, we will ensure that you are notified about it. Examples of insignificant changes include alteration of your outward/return travel by less than 12 hours, changes to train type, change of accommodation to another of the same or higher standard, changes of carriers. 

If we are constrained by circumstances beyond our control to alter significantly any of the main characteristics of the travel services that make up your package you will have the rights set out below. 

• We will contact you and you will have the choice of accepting the change or having a refund of all monies paid. You can also accept an alternative trip, where we offer one (we will refund any price difference if the alternative is of a lower value). We will tell you the procedure for making your choice. Please read any notification of changes carefully and respond promptly as if you do not respond to us within the timescale given your booking may be cancelled.

• If you choose to accept a refund we will pay reasonable compensation except where the significant change is due to unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances, which means a situation beyond our control, the consequences of which could not have been avoided even if all reasonable measures had been taken. The compensation that we offer does not exclude you from claiming more if you are entitled to do so.

Your trip

8. Our Liability to you

NB this entire clause 8 does not apply to any separate contracts that you may enter into for excursions or activities whilst on trip.

(a) for customers resident outside the US

You must inform us without undue delay of any failure to perform or improper performance of the travel services included in this package. If any of the travel services included in your package are not performed in accordance with the contract, or are improperly performed, by us or the travel service suppliers, and this has affected the enjoyment of your travel arrangements, you may be entitled to an appropriate price reduction or compensation or both. 

We will not be liable where any failure to perform or improper performance of the travel services is due to: you or another member of your party; a third party unconnected with the provision of the travel services in the package; or unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances, which means a situation beyond our control, the consequences of which could not have been avoided even if all reasonable measures had been taken. 

Our liability, except in cases involving death, injury or illness, shall be limited to a maximum of three times the cost of your travel arrangements. Our liability will also be limited in accordance with and/or in an identical manner to:

• The contractual terms of the companies that provide the travel services that make up your package. These terms are incorporated into this booking; and

• Any relevant international convention, for example the Athens Convention in respect of travel by sea, the Berne Convention in respect of travel by rail and the Paris Convention in respect of the provision of accommodation, which limit the amount of and conditions under which compensation can be claimed for death, injury, delay to passengers and loss, damage and delay to luggage. We are to be regarded as having all benefit of any limitation of the extent of or the conditions under which compensation is to be paid under these or any conventions.  

You can ask for copies of the travel service contractual terms, or the international conventions, from hello@byway.travel. Your right to a refund and/or compensation from us is set out in these booking conditions. If any payments to you are due from us, any payment made to you by any other service provider will be deducted. 

If it is impossible to ensure your return as scheduled due to unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances, we will bear the cost of necessary accommodation, if possible of equivalent category, for a maximum of three nights. The limit doesn’t apply to persons with reduced mobility and any person accompanying them, pregnant women and unaccompanied minors, or persons in need of specific medical assistance, provided that you notified us of these needs at least 48 hours before the start of your trip.

NB this entire clause 8 does not apply to any separate contracts that you may enter into for excursions or activities whilst on trip.

(b) for customers resident in the US

We will not be liable where any failure to perform or improper performance of the travel services is due to: you or another member of your party; a third party unconnected with the provision of the travel services in the package; or unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances, which means a situation beyond our control, the consequences of which could not have been avoided even if all reasonable measures had been taken. 

Our liability, except in cases involving death, injury or illness, shall be limited to a maximum of three times the cost of your travel arrangements. Our liability will also be limited in accordance with and/or in an identical manner to:

• The contractual terms of the companies that provide the travel services that make up your package. These terms are incorporated into this booking; and 

• Any relevant international convention, for example the Athens Convention in respect of travel by sea, the Berne Convention in respect of travel by rail and the Paris Convention in respect of the provision of accommodation, which limit the amount of and conditions under which compensation can be claimed for death, injury, delay to passengers and loss, damage and delay to luggage. We are to be regarded as having all benefit of any limitation of the extent of or the conditions under which compensation is to be paid under these or any conventions.  

You can ask for copies of the travel service contractual terms, or the international conventions, from hello@byway.travel. Your right to a refund and/or compensation from us is set out in these booking conditions. If any payments to you are due from us, any payment made to you by any other service provider will be deducted. 

We act as a sales agent for the travel service suppliers.  We are not responsible for the acts or omissions of the suppliers or their failure to adhere to their own schedules, provide services or refunds, financial default, or failure to honour future trip credits. We have no special knowledge regarding the financial condition of the suppliers and no liability for recommending a trip credit in lieu of a refund.

NB this entire clause 8 does not apply to any separate contracts that you may enter into for excursions or activities whilst on trip.

9. Your obligations while travelling

You agree that the operating carrier or transport company's ‘Conditions of Carriage’ will apply to you on your journey. When arranging transportation for you, we rely on the terms and conditions contained within those 'Conditions of Carriage'. You acknowledge that all of the terms and conditions contained in those 'Conditions of Carriage' form part of your contract with us, as well as with the transport company and that those 'Conditions of Carriage' shall be deemed to be included by reference into this contract. You should familiarise yourself with any terms relating to oversized luggage and/or the right of the operator to substitute or cancel services due to Covid-related issues.

Eurostar

Tickets for Eurostar train services are issued subject to the conditions set out in Eurostar International Limited's conditions of carriage and/or the conditions of carriage of the carrier in question, copies of which are available from travel agents appointed by Eurostar International Limited or supplied on request. 

Interrail

Many of our European trips are priced with digital interrail passes, which are embedded within a mobile app called the Rail Planner app. If your trip includes an interrail pass, we require that you:

a) have, and are competent in handling, a smart phone that will support the Rail Planner app. The Rail Planner app is available on both iPhone and Android phones. Android phones supported are Android 6.0 and later. Apple iPhone supported iOS are iOS 13.0 and later. You can check your device settings if you are not sure which software version your device is running.

b) take the necessary time to familiarise yourself fully with the Rail Planner app. If you do not feel entirely comfortable using mobile tickets within the Rail Planner app, let us know at least two weeks before your trip’s departure date and we will, where possible, arrange alternative ticketing methods, which may increase the overall cost of your trip.

For trips using an interrail pass, a link to retrieve a mobile pass will be sent to the email address you provide. Open the Rail Planner app and go to My Pass. Tap 'Add your Pass' to get started. Enter your surname and the pass number, which is given in the confirmation email. Once the mobile Pass is loaded on a device, the mobile Pass can be accessed via the ‘My Pass’ section of the app.

Fuller details on the Rail Planner app and how to use the mobile Interrail pass will be supplied. We will provide guidance and how and when to activate your pass, and in the case of flexi-passes, on how and when to activate individual travel days.

While we will use our best efforts to support you in using the Rail Planner app, we cannot be held responsible for any loss or damage, additional costs or consequential expenses incurred as a result of your failure to correctly activate your mobile pass, or activate pass days on flexi passes, or to correctly tag journeys to the correct pass day. Byway clients should take special care in only activating pass days for those specific days where we indicate, in the information supplied to you, that you will be relying on your Interrail pass for that particular day’s travel. Special rules apply to the use of Interrail passes on overnight journeys, where only the day of departure should be invoked as a pass day.

10. Protecting your money

The following paragraph is not applicable to US residents:

We provide full financial protection for our package trips by way of a bond held by ABTA – The Travel Association, 30 Park Street, London, SE1 9EQ, www.abta.com. You agree to accept that in the event of our insolvency ABTA may arrange for the services you have bought to continue, or for a suitable alternative to be provided at the same cost as your original booking. You also agree to accept that in circumstances where the travel service supplier provides the services you have bought, you agree to pay any outstanding sum under your contract with us to that alternative travel service provider. However, you also agree that in some cases the services will not be provided, in which case you will be entitled to make a claim under ABTA’s Scheme of Protection (or your payment card issuer where applicable) for a refund of the monies you have paid.

11. ABTA 

The following paragraph is not applicable to US residents:

We are a Member of ABTA, membership number Y6723. We are obliged to maintain a high standard of service to you by ABTA’s Code of Conduct. We can also offer you ABTA’s scheme for the resolution of disputes which is approved by the Chartered Trading Standards Institute. If we can’t resolve your complaint, go to www.abta.com to use ABTA’s simple procedure. Further information on the Code and ABTA’s assistance in resolving disputes can be found on www.abta.com. You can also access the European Commission Online Dispute (ODR) Resolution platform at http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/odr/. This ODR platform is a means of notifying us of your complaint; it will not determine how your complaint should be resolved.

12. Complaints 

If you have a complaint about any of the services included in your trip, you must inform us at complaints@byway.travel without undue delay, and we will endeavour to put things right. 

If it is an issue that is not resolved locally, please follow this up as soon as possible after your return home, ideally within 28 days by writing to us at complaints@byway.travel giving your booking reference and all other relevant information. Please keep your letter concise and to the point. If you fail to follow the requirement to report your complaint during your trip we will have been deprived of the opportunity to investigate and rectify it and this may affect your rights under this booking. Please also see clause 10 above on ABTA.

13. Additional assistance 

If you’re in difficulty whilst on a trip and ask us to help we will provide appropriate assistance, in particular by providing information on health services, local authorities and consular assistance; and helping you to find alternative arrangements and any necessary phone calls/emails. You must pay any costs we incur if the difficulty is your fault.

14. Passport, visa and immigration requirements

Your specific passport and visa requirements, and other immigration requirements are your responsibility and you should confirm these with the relevant Embassies and/or Consulates. We do not accept any responsibility if you cannot travel because you have not complied with any passport, visa or immigration requirements.

The following paragraphs apply to US residents:

US citizens may access passport and visa requirements at www.travel.state.gov; click on "Find International travel Information” then click on "Country Information", and fill in the name of the destination country. You assume full and complete responsibility for checking and verifying any and all passport, visa, vaccination, or other entry requirements of your destination and your connecting points, and all conditions regarding health, safety, security, political stability, and labour or civil unrest at such destination. Many countries require your passport to be valid for six months or more after your date of entry. Some countries will not admit persons convicted of a crime. Some countries require both parents’ consent for minors to travel.

For medical and health information, we recommend going to the Centers for Disease Control website at www.cdc.gov/travel, then clicking on “Destinations” and scrolling to the name of the destination country.

15. Excursions

Excursions or other tours that you may choose to book or pay for whilst you are on trip are not part of your package trip provided by us. For any excursion or other tour that you book, your contract will be with the operator of the excursion or tour and not with us. We are not responsible for the provision of the excursion or tour or for anything that happens during the course of its provision by the operator. 

16. Law and jurisdiction

This booking is governed by English Law, and the jurisdiction of the English Courts. You may however choose the law and jurisdiction of Scotland or Northern Ireland if you live there and wish to do so.

These booking conditions were last updated on 3rd October 2024.