Introduction

These Event Booking Terms and Conditions, together with our Privacy Policy, form the basis of your contract with the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland (charity number SC010440) (“we”, “us”, “our”). Please read these carefully as they set out our respective rights and obligations. In these Terms and Conditions references to “you” and “your” include the first named person on the booking and all persons on whose behalf a booking is made or any other person to whom a booking is added or transferred.

By making a booking, the first named person on the booking agrees on behalf of all persons detailed on the booking that:

they have read these Booking Terms and Conditions and has the authority to and does agree to be bound by them;

they consent to our use of personal data in accordance with our Privacy Policy and is authorised on behalf of all persons named on the booking to disclose their personal details to us, including where applicable special categories of data (such as information on health conditions or disabilities and dietary requirements);

they accept financial responsibility for payment of the booking on behalf of all persons detailed on the booking;

Booking & Paying For Your Arrangements

Full payment will be required at the time of booking. Upon receiving payment, we will issue you a booking confirmation which will confirm the details of your booking. Upon issuing the confirmation invoice, a binding contract between you and us will then come into existence.

If your booking confirmation or any other document are wrong, you must advise us immediately as changes cannot be made later and it may harm your rights if we are not notified of any inaccuracies in any document within ten days of our sending it out.

Accuracy

We endeavour to ensure that all the information and prices are accurate, however occasionally changes and errors occur, and we reserve the right to correct prices and other details in such circumstances. You must check the current price and all other details relating to the arrangements that you wish to book before you make your booking.

Insurance

When you book a place on an excursion organised by us you having adequate travel insurance is a condition of your contract with us. You must be satisfied that your travel insurance fully covers all your personal requirements including pre-existing medical conditions, cancellation charges, medical expenses and repatriation in the event of accident or illness.

If you choose to travel without adequate insurance cover, we will not be liable for any losses howsoever arising, in respect of which insurance cover would otherwise have been available.

Force Majeure

Except where otherwise expressly stated in these Booking Terms and 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 or our supplier’s 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 destination 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, industrial dispute, labour strikes, lock closure, natural or nuclear disaster, fire, chemical or biological disaster, unavoidable technical problems with transport and all similar events outside our or the supplier(s) control.

Changes by Us

We shall do everything reasonably possible to provide and run an event as planned. We reserve the right to alter plans as and when necessary, including speakers, activities, routes, schedules, itineraries, accommodation, services and modes of transport where required to do so.

The majority of any such alterations will be minor and we will try to advise you of them at the earliest possible date and will endeavour to provide alternatives of a similar standard, nature and/or value.

In the unlikely event that we are required to significantly alter a material part of the event, we will notify you as soon as possible in order to enable you to decide how you wish to proceed. In any such event you will be entitled to cancel your booking and obtain a full refund of all monies paid by you.

Changes by You

If you wish to change any part of your confirmed booking, you should inform us in writing as soon as possible. This should be done by the lead person named on the booking. Whilst we will do our best to assist you, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to meet your request.

Where we can meet a change request made by you, any changes made may be subject to an administration fee. In addition, you may also be required to meet any extra costs incurred by us (and any costs or charges incurred or imposed by any of our suppliers) in making the requested change.

Where we are unable to meet your change request and you no longer wish to attend an event or travel on the basis of the original booking, this will be treated as a cancellation of your booking and cancellation charges may be payable by you, as outlined in these terms.

Cancellation by Us

We will only cancel an event (conference, lecture, excursion, etc.) due to unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances which are out of our control or which might jeopardise your safety. If we cancel an event then we will notify you as soon as possible and we will always refund you, in full, for all sums paid by you.

If You Cancel & Our No Show Policy

If you wish to cancel your booking after our booking confirmation has been issued, you should inform us in writing as soon as possible – the effective date of cancellation will be the date upon which we receive such written notification. In the event of cancellation by you, cancellation charges may be payable, as set out below.

The cancellation charge deducted from your refund depends on how far in advance you notify us before the excursion departure or event, as outlined below:

• Cancellation 30 days or more before tour departure or event = 100% refund
• Cancellation 14-29 days before tour departure or event = 50% refund
• Cancellation 13 days or fewer before departure or event = No refund
• In the case of ‘no show’ = No refund

PLEASE NOTE:
If the reason for your cancellation is covered under the terms of your travel insurance policy, you may be able to reclaim these charges. Insurance premiums and amendments charges are not refundable in any circumstances. Where possible, we will deduct the cancellation charge(s) from any monies you have already paid to us.

It is your responsibility to reach the event venue or departure point to board the vehicle (as applicable) prior to the noted event start time or excursion departure time detailed on the itinerary. If you and your party are not present at the noted time, this will be understood as a ‘no show’ and in such circumstances, this will be a cancellation by you and such charge will be 100% of the travel arrangement cost.

Cutting Your Excursion Short

If you are forced to return home early when on an excursion run by us, we cannot refund the cost of any travel arrangements you have not used. If you cut short your excursion and return home early in circumstances where you have no reasonable cause for complaint about the standard of accommodation and services provided, we will not offer you any refund for that part of your holiday not completed or be liable for any associated costs you may incur. Depending on the circumstances, your travel insurance may offer cover for curtailment and we suggest that any claim is made directly with them.

Special Requests

Any special requests must be advised to us at the time of booking (e.g. seat allocations, diet, room type, a particular facility at a hotel, etc). You should then confirm your requests in writing. Whilst every effort will be made by us to try and arrange your reasonable special requests, we cannot guarantee that they will be fulfilled.

The fact that a special request has been noted on your confirmation invoice or any other documentation or that it has been passed on to the supplier is not confirmation that the request will be met. Failure to meet any special request will not be a breach of contract on our part unless the request has been specifically confirmed by us. We do not accept bookings that are conditional upon any special request being met.

Conditions of Suppliers

Many of the services which make up guided group tours such as the Society’s Summer Excursion are provided by independent suppliers. Those suppliers provide these services in accordance with their own terms and conditions which will form part of your contract with us.

Some of these terms and conditions may limit or exclude the supplier’s liability to you, usually in accordance with applicable International Conventions. Copies of the relevant parts of these terms and conditions are available on request from us or the supplier concerned.

Complaints

We make every effort to ensure that Society events run smoothly but if you do have a problem during an event you take part in, please inform us immediately and we will endeavour to put things right.

If the problem cannot be resolved and you wish to complain further, you must send an email of your complaint to the Society within 28 days of the end of the event or tour, giving your booking reference and all other relevant information. Please keep your letter concise and to the point. This will assist us to quickly identify your concerns and speed up our response to you. Failure to follow the procedure set out in this condition may affect ours and the applicable supplier’s ability to investigate your complaint and will affect your rights under this contract.

Disabilities and Medical Problems

It is your responsibility to ensure that you are fit to attend and travel. We are not a specialist disabled holiday company, but we will do our utmost to cater for any special requirements you may have.

If you or any member of your party has any medical problem or disability which may affect your booking, please provide us with full details before you make your booking so that we can try to advise you as to the suitability of your chosen arrangements. We may require you to produce a doctor’s certificate certifying that you are fit to participate.

Acting reasonably, if we are unable to properly accommodate the needs of the person(s) concerned, we will not confirm your booking or if you did not give us full details at the time of booking, we will cancel it and impose applicable cancellation charges when we become aware of these details.

Your Behaviour and Refusal of Travel

All event attendees/participants/passengers are expected to conduct themselves in an orderly and acceptable manner and not to disrupt the enjoyment of others. If in our opinion or in the opinion of any hotel manager, coach driver or any other person in authority, your behaviour or that of any member of your party is causing or is likely to cause distress, danger or annoyance to any other customers or any third party, or damage to property, or to cause a delay or diversion to transportation, we reserve the right to terminate your booking with us immediately.

In the event of such termination our liability to you and/or your party will cease and you and/or your party will be required to leave the accommodation or other arrangements immediately. We will have no further obligations to you and/or your party. No refunds for lost accommodation or any other arrangements will be made and we will not pay any expenses or costs incurred as a result of termination.

You and/or your party may also be required to pay for loss and/or damage caused by your actions and we will hold you and each member of your party jointly and individually liable for any damage or losses caused by you or any member of your party.

Full payment for any such damage or losses must be paid directly to the hotel manager or other supplier prior to departure. If you fail to make payment, you will be responsible for meeting any claims (including legal costs) subsequently made against us as a result of your actions together with all costs we incur in pursuing any claim against you.

We cannot be held responsible for the actions or behaviour of other guests or individuals who have no connection with your booking arrangements or with us.
We, along with our suppliers or our supplier’s staff, reserve the right to refuse to carry any person if we find it appropriate to do so.

If you have any concerns regarding other members of a Society event or tour, please contact a Society and/or supplier member of staff immediately. Failure to do this may affect ours and the applicable supplier’s ability to address your concerns.

In either of the cases mentioned above, full cancellation charges shall be applied by us, and we shall have no further liability to that attendee/passenger or to any person travelling with them.

Luggage

On the annual summer excursion organised by us, due to limited space on the coach and legal weight regulations, there are fixed luggage requirements. There is no capacity for additional luggage on a full coach.

Unless otherwise stated, each attendee/passenger is allowed one medium-sized suitcase or bag, similar to airline standard carry-on luggage. As a guideline, luggage should not exceed 55cm x 45cm x 25cm.

You may also bring a small, lightweight bag for personal items to carry with you on the vehicle. Luggage is carried free of charge but at your own risk. It is your responsibility to ensure your bag is sturdy, waterproof, and suitable for travel.

Passengers must be able to lift and carry their own luggage, including to and from their accommodation.

Written and updated in May 2025