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All you need to know | A-Z Guide
Passports and Entry Requirements: For the latest details of any travel restrictions, entry and stay requirements, visa and travel advice to your particular destination, visit the Foreign Office website at www.fco.gov.uk/travel or call 0845 850 2829 and visit the Passport Office website at www.passport.gov.uk for passport information before booking or travelling. Holders of non-UK passports should always check with their embassy, high commission or consulate before booking. Passport names and name changes: The name on the passport must match the name on the ticket, otherwise you may not be able to travel and insurances may be invalid. If someone in your party changes name after the booking is made, you must tell us immediately so we can issue the ticket in the new name. If you've already received the ticket, simply return it and we'll reissue one in the correct name. (An amendment fee may be applicable). Passports and Minors: There may be specific entry requirements applicable to minors (children under 18) relevant to the country you are visiting. In certain circumstances this may incur additional expenses and require separate/additional legal documentation such as an affidavit, executed by a notary public, where for example the minor is not accompanied by both parents. As these entry requirements vary for different countries you should always check with the relevant consulate/embassy of the country you are intending to travel to prior to booking. Failure to do so may result in you being refused entry/carriage. Special rules by destination or airline: Some countries and charter airlines have special rules about passports and visas. As visa requirements may change at any time, it is important to double check with the relevant consulate/embassy of the country you are intending to travel to prior to booking your holiday and again within 6 weeks of departure. Failure to do so may result in you being refused entry/carriage. Charter airlines are not permitted to carry certain nationals to and from their country of origin due to licensing law restrictions in place with overseas aviation authorities.The current licensing laws, as of 3rd July 2006, do not allow airlines of TUI Travel to carry nationals of the following countries on their operating routes; Brazil, Cuba, Kenya, Maldives, Morocco. Egyptian nationals, with official residence in the UK, can travel on Inclusive Package Tour arrangements only. Indian and Turkish passport holders can travel on Inclusive Package Tour arrangements only. Please check with your embassy/consulate before booking. Failure to do so may result in you being refused entry/carriage. For travel to Goa, Kerala and Sri Lanka, holders of Indian, Pakistani, Sri Lankan, Nepalese and Bangladeshi passports are not permitted to travel on British Charter Flights.This travel restriction does not apply to Pakistani, Sri Lankan, Nepalese and Bangladeshi passport holders who have a spouse holding a foreign (non Indian) passport. Safety First: We take all reasonable care to make sure that the services which make up the holidays advertised by us are provided by efficient and reputable businesses.These businesses should follow the local and national laws and regulations of the country where they are provided. However, overseas safety standards are generally lower than in the UK, for example, few hotels yet meet EC fire safety recommendations even in Europe. Usually we cannot make changes to facilities developed in accordance with these local standards. We will often be able to highlight specific risks in resort but this section also informs you of general issues overseas. Children's Safety: We take advice from leading UK child safety organisations and accident prevention agencies to ensure that standards are as high as possible. Parents should check that they are happy with hotel clubs and children's facilities, including playgrounds. Excursion Safety: We work with our excursion suppliers to ensure that they operate to appropriate safety standards. Whilst every care is taken with the activities we recommend, if you choose to use an alternative supplier, this will be at your own risk. Health and Hygiene: We promote good hygiene practices within hotels, but the hygiene standards, particularly in developing destinations, are generally much lower than in the UK. Extra care should be taken by pregnant women, infants and the elderly and it may be advisable to consult your GP before booking if you have any concerns. Language Assistance: In the event of guests requiring police or hospital assistance we will do our utmost to assist but we do not provide official translation/interpretation services. Mobility: Whilst our hotels are obliged to comply with local health and safety standards, and many offer ramps and specially adapted rooms, if you have particular concerns regarding your mobility, you are advised to contact us for information on the suitability of the accommodation you have in mind prior to booking. Scuba Diving: We strongly advise those planning on taking scuba training to have a full medical examination in resort (which may be at an extra cost) and to consult your GP before going on holiday. It is dangerous to fly less than 24 hours after scuba diving due to changes in pressure which may result in the bends' or even, in severe cases, paralysis.You must ensure you have adequate cover through your chosen insurer. Swimming Pool and Beach Safety: It is extremely unlikely that the pool or beach in your holiday accommodation will have a lifeguard. Children must always be accompanied by an adult in the pool, including children's pools and surrounding areas including any beach. Familiarise yourself with any flag warning systems in operation on local beaches, and take into account local conditions. Always check swimming conditions such as undercurrents and tides. Special Needs: Let our Special Assistance Team know in advance if you require any special arrangements. Wheelchair assistance must be pre-booked with your registered disabled number or a letter from your doctor. If you fail to pre-book your wheelchair assistance, we reserve the right to refuse travel. If the extent of your disability is such that you cannot use the coach transfer between your resort airport and accommodation, then taxi transfers can be prebooked at a charge. If this option does not appear available at your accommodation, our Special Assistance Team can find out prices of taxis for you. Facilities for customers with special needs vary from hotel to hotel. Special requests: We will always do our best to meet your requirements BUT NO GUARANTEE IS GIVEN as this does not form part of your holiday contract.
Information about You
Your Information: This refers to information such as your name, contact details, travel preferences and special needs/disabilities/dietary requirements that is supplied to us, including any information about other persons on your booking relating to the same ( your information ).Your information is collected when you request information from us, contact us (and vice versa) or make a booking with us.You are responsible for ensuring that other members of your party are aware of the content of our Privacy Policy and consent to your acting on their behalf in all your dealings with us. We will update your information whenever we get the opportunity to keep it current, accurate and complete. Our Use of Your Information: (1) For the purpose of providing you with our services, including your flight, holiday or insurance, etc., we may disclose your information to our service providers (who could be located outside the UK/EEA). In order for you to travel overseas, it may be mandatory (as requested government authorities at the point(s) of departure and/or destination) to disclose your information for immigration, security and anti-terrorism purposes, or any other purposes which they determine appropriate. Even if not mandatory, we may exercise our discretion to assist where appropriate. (2) We may collect and use your information for the purposes set out in our registration with the Office of the Information Commissioner, and disclose the same to our group companies (some of whom are outside the UK/EEA) for business purposes. We may also disclose your information to companies who act as data processors on our behalf, or to our service providers' operating systems or business functions on our behalf, some of whom are outside the UK/EEA.These purposes include administration, providing services (and contacting you where necessary), customer care, improving our service, business management and operation, re-organisation/structuring/sale of our business (or our group companies), risk assessment, security and crime prevention/detection, research and analysis, marketing, monitoring, measuring and assessing customer purchasing preferences and trends, dispute resolution, credit checking and debt collection. (3) Some of your information (such as health or religion) may be considered sensitive personal data under the Data Protection Act 1998. We collect it to cater to your needs or act in your interest, and we are only prepared to accept sensitive personal data from you on the condition that we have your positive consent. By booking with us you also agree for your insurers, their agents and medical staff to disclose relevant information (which may contain sensitive personal data) to us in circumstances where we need to act in the interest of everyone in the group you are travelling with. For example, if your illness at resort is infectious we may need to make special arrangements for you and also ensure that you do not return with the group immediately. If you do not agree to Our Use of Your Information above, we cannot do business with you or accept your booking. Direct Marketing Material: (1) We may from time to time contact you with information on offers of goods and services, brochures, new products, forthcoming events or competitions from our holiday divisions and our holiday group companies. Our websites will assume you to agree to ecommunications when you make a booking.You will be given the opportunity on every e-communication we send you to indicate that you no longer wish to receive our direct marketing material. (2) You may indicate your preference regarding receiving 3rd party direct marketing material. (3) If do not wish to receive such information or would like to change your preference, please refer to point (2) of Your Rights below. Your Rights: (1) You have the right to ask in writing by completing our Data Subject Access Request form for a copy of the information we hold about you (for which we may charge a fee) and to correct any inaccuracies in your information. (2) You have the right to ask in writing not to receive direct marketing material about our products and services. If the following facilities are available, you can amend your previous preference on our website(s), using our unsubscribe e-mail or in literature which you subsequently return to us. Once properly notified by you, we will take steps to stop using your information in this way. (3) If you would like a list of our group companies or brands, please send us your request. Our registered address is at TUI Travel House, Crawley Business Quarter, Fleming Way, Crawley, West Sussex. RH10 9QL. Please address your correspondence to the Assistant Company Secretary. Foreign Controls: Outside the European Economic Area (EEA), note that controls on data protection in such countries may not be as strong as the legal requirements in this country. Use of Tools, Cookies and Links to Other Websites: If our contact and dealing with you is via our website(s), we may use cookies . Cookies allow us to identify your computer but not you personally.You can set your web browser to refuse cookies. However, you may not be able to enjoy all the facilities or book via our website if you do so. We collect information relating to customer trends and patterns and use cookies and software tools to measure site usage and related information. If you are making a purchase, we may also use cookies to keep track of the transaction from one web page to another. Our website(s) may contain links to other sites not controlled by us. We are not responsible for the actions, content or the privacy policies of those websites. It is your responsibility to check the status of these sites. Monitoring:To ensure that we carry out your instructions accurately, to help improve our service and in the interest of security, we may monitor and/or record: (1) your telephone calls; (2) customer activities using CCTV recording equipment in and around our premises; and (3) customer transactions and activities on our website. All recordings are and shall remain our sole property. Security Statement: We have taken all reasonable steps to have in place appropriate security measures to protect your information. Changes to this Policy: Any changes to this Policy will be either posted on our website, in our brochure and/or made available on request. Privacy Policy: March 2007 Data Protection Policy: To ensure that your holiday runs smoothly, we (and your travel agent, if you use one) need to use information such as your name and address, special needs, dietary requirements, etc. We will apply appropriate security measures to protect this data. However, we must pass it to suppliers of your travel arrangements, including airlines, hotels and transport companies. We may also supply it to security or credit checking companies, and to public authorities such as customs and immigration. If your holiday is outside the European Economic Area (EEA), controls on data protection in your destination
may not be as strict as in the UK. We will only pass data, including sensitive information regarding disabilities or dietary and religious requirements, to people responsible for your travel arrangements. If we cannot pass this information to the relevant suppliers, in the EEA or elsewhere, we cannot provide your booking. When you make this booking, you consent to this information being passed to the relevant people. Information held by your travel agent is subject to that company's own data protection policy. We can supply a copy of your information held by us; there is a small charge for providing this. We may use this information to contact you with details of other products and services offered by other TUI Travel PLC Group companies, or by its trading partners. If you do not want this service, please write to TUI Travel Group, PO Box 103, Northampton, NN3 6AZ. Caricom API Data notice Please note that some or all of the Caricom states listed below have entered into an agreement with the USA whereby advance passenger data, required by and provided to Caricom states for border security purposes, will be passed to the USA Department for Homeland Security for processing on behalf of those Caricom states listed as follows: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda,The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, Saint Lucia, St Kitts and Nevis, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Surinam,Trinidad and Tobago,Turks and Caicos Islands, as well as Collective members or associate members of Caricom'.The UK Information Commissioner's Office has accepted that this will not breach the Data Protection Act but that we are required to bring this to your attention.
Environment & People
World Care Fund: Every time you book a holiday with us departing after May 2009, you can make a donation to our World Care Fund. Every penny goes to our partners,The Travel Foundation and Climate Care, who run projects that support local people in holiday destinations and tackle climate change. When you book, we'll ask for a donation of £1 per passenger (50p for children). We'll match your donation pound for pound, so together we'll make an even bigger difference. Donations to the World Care Fund are voluntary, and you can opt out if you wish.You'll find more information on these projects at www.thomson.co.uk/environment.To find out more about our partners, visit www.thetravelfoundation.org.uk and www.climatecare.org. Sustainable Aviation: We all know flying impacts the environment. We're busy changing the way we fly to save fuel and reduce emissions. Our flights produce around 40% fewer carbon emissions per passenger than the leading scheduled airlines and 20% less than the leading low-cost airlines that publish their figures - see our emissions data at www.thomson.co.uk/environment for the full comparison. We're also part of Sustainable Aviation, a UK initiative bringing together airlines, airport operators, aircraft and engine manufacturers and air traffic management providers, which seeks to minimise the impact of flying on the environment and society. For more information, visit www.sustainableaviation.co.uk. Sustainable Hotels: We're following the Travelife guidelines, an independent scheme supported by the European Union and the Federation of Tour Operators to make sure hotels look after the environment, their employees and local communities. Auditing will begin during 2008 and the top performers will receive a gold, silver or bronze award in our brochures.To find out more about Travelife, visit www.its4travel.com. Born Free Foundation: Thomsonfly.com has raised over £2.5 million for Born Free since 1995, through in-flight coin collections and staff fundraising.The funding has provided vital support for a wide range of Born Free projects, including orphan polar bear rehabilitation in Canada, a wildlife ambulance in Scotland, an elephant orphanage in Sri Lanka, a chimpanzee sanctuary in Uganda, elephant relocation in Kenya, and basking shark conservation in UK waters. For more information on the work of the Born Free Foundation, visit www.bornfree.org.uk. Wildlife: Please note that many of the properties we feature are located in rural areas and are not modern buildings. It is therefore possible that you may see or hear indigenous wildlife, such as frogs, turtles and even the occasional snake, and also farm animals in or around the property. Some of our owners have dogs and/or cats so if you have any fears or allergies please call us to ascertain if a property is suitable for you.
Help and Assistance
Information and Enquiries: Special Needs Helpline 0871 230 0204 If you have a disability or need any special assistance Group Bookings 0871 971 0560 For groups of 10 passengers or more Weddings 0871 971 0545 For our dedicated weddings support team Honeymoons 0871 231 4880 For honeymoon enquiries and bookings Booking Amendments 0844 871 0872 To change your holiday details Airline Enquiries 0871 231 4787 For general enquiries about your flight Customer Service 0871 231 4055 Customer Services Post departure Travel Agent Support: Agent Reservations 0844 871 0877 Administration: 0844 871 0877 Group Bookings: 0871 971 0576 Administration (Fax) 02476 28 26 28 Weddings 0871 971 0545 Sales and Admin line Calls cost 10p per minute at all times from BT landlines. Other operator networks may vary. 24/7 HolidayLine: 24-hour resort information line, dedicated team of experts taking your call, whatever the time of day. Call +44 2476 28 22 28; text 82345; email 24-7@thomson.co.uk. Calls from abroad will be charged at international rates.Text messages to 82345 cost £0.50, plus your network rate.
Customer Services
To contact our Customer Service Department, please write to: Customer Service Department, Columbus House, Westwood Way, Westwood Business Park, Coventry, CV4 8TT.
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