Global Project Booking Conditions
This page outlines Agapé UK’s booking conditions for Global Project packages. Please read them carefully as they set out the terms and conditions of any contract between you (the ‘participant’) and Agapé UK (‘we’, ‘us’ and ‘our’).
1. Contract
This Contract is between Agapé UK, registered charity no. 258421, company limited by guarantee no. 949989, and yourself. Note that the following booking conditions do not affect your statutory rights. The Contract will come into existence when we issue you with written confirmation, by e-mail or post, that your application as been accepted.
2. Our obligations
a) Receipt
We accept your booking and deposit payment information on the basis that you wish to purchase the Global Project and that, upon giving us this information, you are agreeing to purchase the Global Project under the terms of this Contract. We may not process your payment for some time or may encounter failure to collect the payment based upon information given, but this does not relieve you of liabilities under this Contract to make payments.
b) Confirmation
We will reserve your flight seats (where flights are included as part of the Global Project), in-country travel and accommodation, etc. We will then issue to you, either by post or e-mail, our confirmation and Invoice to confirm your Global Project arrangements. The Invoice will show the total Global Project Price, the Deposit paid, final balance and due date, if any, by which payment must be received in our office.
c) Global Project Price
The Global Project Price shown on your Invoice is fixed. The prices shown on our website may change at any time.
d) Changes to your Global Project
It is extremely unlikely that any changes will be made to your reservation, but any that do occur are likely to be minor. We will do our best to notify you, by e-mail, of any changes as soon as we are aware, prior to your departure. Any changes which are a result of weather or aircraft operational arrangements are considered as minor changes.
A major change is defined as:
i. A change in departure airport, except between specified regions
ii. A change in departure time of more than 12 hours
iii. A change in destination location
iv. A change in your destination accommodation.
In the unlikely event that a major change should occur, it is our policy to offer you an alternative and we will refund any appropriate cost saving together with compensation from Table 1:
Table 1: Compensation Table
Days before departure | 56 days or more | 55-29 days | 28-25 days | Less than 15 days | Whilst on Global Project |
Compensation Amount | Nil | £20 | £40 | £50 | £50 |
We are unable to make any compensation payment if changes are made as a result of force majeure. This includes but is not limited to: acts of God; acts of threat of war; government action; strike; civil unrest; fire; failure of public utilities; medical emergency; global pandemic; natural, including weather threat, or disaster; nuclear threat or disaster; terrorist threat or action; or airport closure.
Force majeure may also include recommendations by the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) travel advice unit.1
e) Cancellation by us
We will not cancel your Global Project unless you have failed to make payment on, or by, the due date shown on the confirmation you receive, or unless compelled to by a force majeure event, as defined above. In the case of force majeure, we will offer you an alternative Global Project of similar or higher standard. Cancellation will occur if less than the required number of participants register. In this case there will be a full refund, less expenditure, to you. The option exists to leave your funds for an alternative Global Project.
f) Our liabilities to you
Agapé UK accepts liability for acts and/or omissions of our employees, agents and suppliers while acting in the course of their employment with us. We accept responsibility for deficiencies in the service we are contracted to supply, except in the case of force majeure, as defined above. Our liability will be limited to the cost of the Global Project.
We are not responsible for the death, injury or illness of anyone who booked with us unless caused by negligent acts or omissions by employees or agents acting within the course of their employment with us. We will, however, offer assistance to anyone booked with us who suffers injury or illness arising from activities outside the scope of their Global Project arrangements. (See Section 2h on Crisis Policies below.) Assistance will be limited to the amount recoverable in the event that a successful claim is made against our insurance policy.
g) Physical Conditions
In accepting your place on a Global Project, you have understood that the living and working conditions in the host country will be different from those in the UK. Global Project days can be long, with long periods of time spent outdoors in varying climates, and require a good level of health and stamina from participants. It is important that you have provided us with correct and up-to-date information regarding your physical health in order that we can make informed decisions about what is best for you and the Global Project as a whole.
h) Crisis Policies
1) Policy: Crisis Management
It is the policy of Agapé UK that, in the event that any of its staff members, volunteers, their families, or its facilities are threatened by a significant crisis, a Crisis Management Team will be formed to handle the crisis through resolution and follow-up.
2) Policy: Ransom and Extortion
It is the policy of Agapé UK that ransom, or other extortion, demanded for any staff member, volunteer or family member, will not be paid. If at all possible, alternative resolutions, that do not involve payment of ransom or extortion, will be sought during negotiations.
3) Policy: Families of Hostages
It is the policy of Agapé UK that, in the event of a hostage seizure involving Agapé UK staff members, volunteers, or their families, the family of the hostage will be evacuated to their home country as soon as possible.
4) Policy: Evacuation
It is the policy of Agapé UK that the decision to evacuate a particular area shall be made by the appropriate Director of Affairs (DOA) of Agapé UK, or its affiliates. If the emergency is sudden, and normal communication to the DOA is not possible, the appropriate person in authority may make the decision to evacuate if that person feels that it would be unsafe to remain.
3. Your obligations
a) Contract
Your Global Project place is confirmed when we issue you with written confirmation by e-mail or post. On the receipt of your confirmation, and later your Invoice, please check these carefully, particularly with regards to the spelling of names – which must agree with those in your passport – as any errors may incur administrative charges.
b) Amendments to your Global Project booking
We will consider any requests from you to change your Global Project arrangements and will make our best efforts to assist you. We may need to make a charge for this and will advise you prior to accepting your instructions. In some circumstances, it may be necessary to treat the change as a cancellation. We can only accept changes that are notified to us in writing by e-mail or by post.
c) Cancellation by you
If you wish to cancel your Global Project, you must advise us in writing. If the cancellation is requested for necessary and reasonable purposes, we will calculate any refunds based on the charges incurred and refund balances to you, less your deposit. Please note, cancellation is unlikely to provide refunds for flight or transfer elements of a Global Project.
Travel insurance with limited cancellation cover will be in place when you book your Global Project; however, refunds may only be a small percentage of your total Global Project cost.
d) Travel
You are responsible for ensuring that you have the correct documentation (e.g. passport and visas) for the Global Project. You are also responsible for ensuring their safekeeping for the duration of the Global Project.
For the entire duration of the Global Project, you also remain responsible for ensuring your punctuality and that you arrive on time for all transport; this may include but is not limited to: taxis, buses, trains and aeroplane flights. Agapé UK will not take responsibility for any missed transport unless it is as a result of the negligent acts or omissions by employees or agents acting within the course of their employment with us.2
e) Changes to your Global Project arrangements after departure
If you decide to change your Global Project arrangements whilst overseas you will be breaking this Contract. All remaining accommodation will automatically be cancelled, and we shall be unable to accept any liability for any loss, damage or other claim resulting from your Global Project. You will be responsible for any repatriation costs that you incur if you break this Contract.
4. Payment
A Deposit is normally taken at the time of booking with final balance due as shown in your Invoice. The final balance due date will normally be 1 week prior to departure.
Failure to ensure that we receive cleared payment on the due date may result in your Global Project being cancelled. The final balance may be paid by cheque payable to ‘Agapé UK’ or by calling the Agapé UK office and paying by debit or credit card over the phone.
If requested, any personal payment received above the amount owed will be refunded to you. Agapé UK recognises that payment which exceeds the cost of your Global Project may have been raised via donations and, if a return is requested, would expect you to, in turn, return superfluous donations to your donors. If, after consultation with any donors whose gifts exceeded your balance owed, you would prefer to donate the extra amount raised to Agapé UK, you can inform the Agapé UK office and the donation will be designated towards future Global Projects and Global Project-related costs.
5. Contact Address
Please note that we shall address all correspondence and deliver travel documents to you. Agapé UK will not make any cancellation or amendments or enter into correspondence regarding the reservation with any other party other than you.
We cannot accept any responsibility for any matters arising from failure to advise us of changes in postal or e-mail address.
6. Travel requirements
a) Passports
It is your responsibility to ensure that you have a valid passport. Your passport must have an expiration date that is no earlier than six months after the advertised date of return from the Global Project.3 If you have more than one passport, please only provide Agapé UK with the passport details of the passport with which you wish to travel.4
Please read the ‘Entry Requirements’ section on the relevant UK Government Foreign Travel Advice page5 (or seek advice from your own Government if you are not a UK national (see footnote 4)) if you are in doubt about your ability to comply with the immigration requirements of the countries you will be visiting.
It remains your responsibility to ensure that you bring the correct passport with you to the Global Project and that you keep your passport, and other documents, in a safe place at all times. We cannot take responsibility for any lost documents unless it is as a result of the negligent acts or omissions by employees or agents acting within the course of their employment with us.
b) Visas
Once you have provided Agapé UK with your passport details, if necessary, we will contact you in order to discuss the arrangements for the processing of any visas.
Any entry or transit visa that is required for travelling to a nation without a visa-free travel agreement with the UK (regardless of whether a participant is a UK passport holder or not) are covered in the Global Project Price.
Visas are not covered by the Global Project Price in instances where a participant wishes to travel using a non-UK passport that requires entry or transit visas for travel to nations where there is a visa-free travel arrangement with the UK and where a UK passport holder would not require a visa.6
Agapé UK will do its best to advise you on your specific documentation requirements (based on the information and passport details that you provide us with), but it remains your own responsibility to ensure that you have the correct documentation.7
c) Travel vaccinations
It is also your responsibility to ensure that you obtain all necessary travel vaccinations relevant for your Global Project. Agapé UK, where applicable, will endeavour to warn participants of any travel vaccination requirements, though you should always check the entry requirements for your destination country, and any transit countries, yourself.8 Some countries may refuse you entry in the event that you are unable to provide proof of vaccination. Agapé UK will not take responsibility for any issues that arise from participants’ failure to obtain necessary vaccinations.
The cost of travel vaccinations is not covered in the Global Project Price; these costs will need to be covered by yourself9, though please be aware, before paying for any travel vaccinations, that it is possible to arrange to receive some vaccinations free-of-charge via the NHS.
d) Incorrect documentation or missed flights
In the event that a participant is refused entry to a flight, or a destination or transit country, due to their failure to provide correct documentation (e.g. passport, visa, evidence of required vaccinations), it is their responsibility to cover any associated costs.
If you have missed a flight for any other reason for which you are at fault (e.g. you have not arrived at the airport on time), and you wish to purchase a new flight to continue your participation in the Global Project, you may do so at your own discretion. You will, however, be responsible for covering the cost of any new flights.
If you decide to cancel your Global Project as a result of refused entry or a missed flight, we will not be able to issue you a refund for any costs already incurred, and we are unlikely to be able to refund you for the cost of any missed flight.
7. COVID-19
a) Cancellations and delays caused by COVID-19
If the decision is taken by Agapé UK to cancel the Global Project for COVID-19-related reasons, we will endeavour, where possible, to offer you a full refund. We will not be able to issue you with a refund for any costs already incurred.
b) COVID-19 vaccination policy
COVID-19 vaccinations remain a legal entry requirement for many countries. Agapé UK reserves the right to require participants in our Global Projects be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.10
8. Insurance
Travel Insurance is arranged by Agapé UK through Banner Group. In order for us to arrange insurance cover for you, we will require personal data from you.
A copy of the insurance policy is available upon request to your Global Project Director.
9. Global Project Information
Agapé UK does everything possible to ensure that the information we give you on our website, including that about events, is correct and up to date. We update our website frequently to reflect changes that we know about, but we do not have control over all and every element that may cause a change. Consequently, should any events or elements related to the Global Project not take place due to circumstances outside of our control, we cannot accept liability. All Global Project arrangements unaffected and/or already confirmed will, as far as is possible, continue to stand. Please note, also, that we have no control over the websites with which we link. Advertised facilities on these and our own websites occasionally change, and we cannot accept responsibility for these changes.10. Complaints
Should you have cause for dissatisfaction with any of the arrangements made by Agapé UK on your behalf, you should immediately communicate these with your Global Project Leader explaining your dissatisfaction and seeking resolution. Complaints can usually be resolved far more quickly and to your satisfaction when communicated directly.
If after this, you remain dissatisfied, please notify your Global Project Leader in writing with a copy sent to Agapé UK Global Missions11. We will then do our utmost to resolve the matter. Please note that we must be notified within 24 hours if we are to be able to resolve matters quickly and that without a written report there is nothing we can do either immediately or subsequently.
Should you continue to remain dissatisfied with our handling of the matter, please write to our Safety and Security Manager12 at the Agapé UK HQ. We will investigate further and reply fully within 28 days. If this is not possible, we will send you an interim letter advising of our progress.
11. Suppliers’ conditions
Many of our third-party suppliers have their own booking conditions and conditions of carriage, which you will also be bound by, so far as the relevant supplier is concerned. Our suppliers’ conditions will also apply to your contract with us, and in the event of any conflict between the suppliers’ conditions and our conditions, the suppliers will prevail; save to the extent that any term in the suppliers’ conditions is deemed to be invalid or unenforceable, in which event our conditions will prevail. Some of our suppliers’ conditions may limit or exclude liability on the part of the relevant supplier, and, by virtue of their application to your contract with us, may also limit or exclude our liability to you, and they are often subject to international conventions. Where relevant, copies of such conditions may be available for inspection at the office of the relevant supplier.
12. Special requests
If you have a special request for anything that is not automatically part of the arrangement booked, please advise us and we will pass this information on to the companies we work with. Our note of your request on your invoice/receipt confirms we have received it but does not guarantee that we, or the relevant supplier, will necessarily be able to meet with your request. Where possible they will endeavour to meet your requests, but we cannot guarantee any request unless it is specifically noted on your invoice/receipt, and we also confirm the request separately in writing. We must emphasise that, verbal confirmations of special requests cannot be taken as a guarantee that they will be met, e.g. the provision of appropriate meals for special dietary requirements on flights.
13. Information accuracy
Sometimes facilities we describe will be withdrawn for reasons such as maintenance, bad weather or lack of demand from guests. If possible, we will tell you about withdrawal of any significant facility as soon as possible.
14. Personal information
In order to enable us to provide the necessary services connected with a Global Project, there might be occasions when we will need to share your personal information with suppliers and carriers that are located both inside and outside the UK. If you make special requests, which include, but are not limited to, special dietary, religious or disability-related requirements, which constitute sensitive information, the relevant data, where appropriate, will also be passed on to relevant suppliers and carriers to enable provision of services to you.
All personal data that is shared with us is handled in compliance with Agapé UK’s Data Privacy Policy.13
15. Behaviour
You must accept responsibility for your own appropriate conduct. In cases of damage of property, behaviour causing, or likely to cause, danger or persistently affecting the enjoyment of others, we reserve the right to terminate your Global Project. If we do so, we shall have no further responsibility to you. Accommodation management, airline or airport personnel can also take such action. If you damage your accommodation or cause delay or diversion to your flight, you agree to indemnify us against any claim including costs made against us.
16. Law & Jurisdiction
Your contract will be governed by English Law, and any disputes will be dealt with in the courts of England and Wales. If you live in Northern Ireland or Scotland, the courts of Northern Ireland and Scotland (as appropriate) can deal with any disputes.
Agapé UK reserves the right to amend these booking conditions at any time. Please check our website14 at the time of booking for the most up-to-date terms and conditions. If any changes are made to these conditions after booking, Agapé UK will communicate these with you.
Booking conditions last updated: 11/2022
1 You are advised to regularly check this information on the FCO website at: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/.
2 Agapé UK recommends arriving at airport check in no later than 2 hours prior to a scheduled flight departure. We also recommend paying close attention to flight gate closure times and arriving at a gate no later than 30 minutes prior to scheduled departure.
3 This is a common visa requirement for many countries.
4 We advise that you check the entry requirements for your destination country, and any transit countries, in order to understand which passport will be more beneficial for you to use. The website https://checkvisa.net/ provides document and entry requirement information for almost all nationalities and destinations.
5 https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/
6 You also have the option of asking your donors, separately, to help you cover the cost of visas that are not included in the Global Project Price. If you are receiving donations specifically to help you cover the cost of such visas, these cannot be processed by Agapé UK. You will need to arrange with your donors to receive these donations personally.
7 Again, the website https://checkvisa.net is a useful source on information about document and entry requirements for almost all nationalities and destinations. Please be aware that airlines will not permit passengers to travel who do not have the correct documentation and/or who do not comply with all relevant airline regulations and/or destination or transit country entry requirements. All passengers must be carrying a valid passport in the same name and passport number as their aeroplane ticket.
8 Information about travel vaccinations and specific country vaccination requirements can be obtained from the NHS website: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/travel-vaccinations/.
9 You also have the option of asking your donors, separately, to help you cover the cost of vaccinations. If you are receiving donations specifically to help you cover the cost of vaccinations, these cannot be processed by Agapé UK, as vaccinations do not form part of the Global Project Price. You will need to arrange with your donors to receive these donations personally.
10 Vaccination rates in developing countries around the world remain low, often due to inaccessibility of vaccines, making local populations more vulnerable when new outbreaks occur. Agapé UK feels that we have a responsibility to protect the nationals of countries in which we’re guests and to avoid causing any unnecessary health risks to them. Therefore, Agapé UK reserves the right to put in place a COVID-19 vaccination mandate; even in situations where it is not a legal entry requirement.
11 globalmissions@agape.org.uk
12 safetyandsecuritymanager@agape.org.uk
13 https://www.agape.org.uk/privacy/
14 This webpage will always have our most up-to-date booking conditions.
Agapé UK is recognised by Global Connections as operating under the Code of Best Practice in Short-Term Mission 2023 and 2024.
