Please read our booking conditions carefully before sending us your enrolment.

1. To make a booking, please register your details with us by phone, email or post along with your non-refundable deposit of £150 per person or £300 per person if booking one of our inclusive group tours. The deposit will be deducted from your balance of fees and includes an administration fee of £35 + VAT (£6.12).

2. Your agreement with us starts when we receive your enrolment and deposit for the course or holiday of your choice.

3. Payments may be made by cheque, cash, bank transfer, and credit or debit card. All cheques should be made payable to Caledonia Languages Abroad. For credit/debit card payments, please ring us with your details. For transfers direct to our Bank of Scotland account, our bank account no. is 00235200, Sort code 80.02.33. For international transfers, our IBAN no. is: GB41 BOFS 8002 3300 2352 00. SWIFT BIC: BOFSGB21223.

4. In accordance with the Package Travel, Package Holidays and Package Tours Regulations 1992, your fees are held in a trust account controlled by Mr D Anderson of 4 Stirling Road, Edinburgh EH5 3HY, thus providing financial protection and security for your payments.

5. If places on the course of your choice are not available, we will endeavour to find you a comparable course for similar dates. If this is not to your satisfaction, we will return your deposit in full.

6. When we receive confirmation of your enrolment for the language school/holiday of your choice, we will write to you to confirm your booking. We will also send an invoice confirming the balance of fees due and the date by which this sum should be paid.

7. If you do not pay your balance of fees in full by the due date, we reserve the right to cancel your booking and to retain your deposit.

8. All course participants must have adequate travel and medical insurance before departure. Whilst every effort is made to ensure your well-being, Caledonia Languages Abroad does not accept responsibility for illness, personal loss, lack of punctuality or injury. Adequate insurance cover should be taken out to cover course and accommodation fees should your booking have to be cancelled due to personal circumstances such as illness or injury.

9. It is your responsibility to check whether there are any public holidays occurring during your course dates as this may mean that there are no classes or activities on those dates.

10. If you have any disability or medical condition, you should tell Caledonia Languages Abroad at the time of booking so that due advice can be given on the suitability of your chosen programme.

11. If you cancel your booking, the following cancellation charges will apply:

If flights have been booked for you by Caledonia, we will retain 100% of your flight costs if you cancel the trip after your reservation has been confirmed.

For the rest of your trip, the following will apply:

• Up to 45 days before departure: forfeit deposit of £150
• 44 – 21 days before departure: forfeit deposit and 50% of balance of total course/accommodation fees
• 20 – 8 days before departure: forfeit deposit and 75% of balance of total course/accommodation fees
• In the 7 days before departure and during the period booked: forfeit deposit and 100% of balance of total course/accommodation fees.

12. Once a booking has been confirmed, dates and itineraries may be changed subject to availability. However, a booking amendment fee of £50+vat will apply.

13. Where group courses are subject to a minimum number of participants, Caledonia Languages Abroad reserves the right to cancel or reschedule the trip if insufficient enrolments have been received by the stated cut-off date. All monies received for course and accommodation fees will be returned in full if participants do not wish to accept the amended dates in the case of rescheduling.

14. We reserve the right to alter the prices of courses and accommodation to accommodate fluctuations in currency exchange rates. However, no surcharges will be imposed in the 30 days before departure.

15. We reserve the right to impose surcharges on any flight booking that has been affected by an increase in airport or fuel taxes at any time up to departure.

16. Caledonia Languages Abroad makes every effort to ensure that accurate information is provided for courses, accommodation and other activities provided by our partner schools abroad. All information and prices are correct at the time of publishing.

The terms and conditions have been approved by the Trading Standards Office in Edinburgh

Ethical Policy

All Caledonia activities are governed by our high respect for the countries where we operate and the people who live in them. We aim to make a positive impact in the countries we work and travel in. We agree with the principals of sustainable development and specifically promote socially and culturally aware tourism overseas in order to preserve the heritage of the people who live there and to help protect their communities and culture.

We are in favour of working together with local people, paying them a fair price and putting money into the local economy. We do this by working with locally owned and managed language schools, experienced and qualified local dancers and musicians and, where available, local guides who have an in-depth knowledge of their own country. We also use locally owned services such as homestay accommodation, transport and restaurants wherever possible.

We have ongoing personal contact with the centres for volunteer work and professional artistes where we work in Cuba and Latin America and with local families in most areas. We maintain relationships with these centres and have supported them through donations of clothes and other items e.g. to a local primary school in Santiago de Cuba, ACLIFIM (the Cuban national disability association) and a professional Cuban dance/music company. We also support UK based organisations, which promote responsible tourism and are a member of Tourism Concern and The Travel Foundation.

When overseas, we encourage learning about the countries our clients travel in. Our own experienced tour leaders hold briefing meetings with groups to inform about and discuss with them all aspects of local life. This helps newcomers to the place to understand the local culture and thus better appreciate the people who live there. We encourage communication between our clients and local people through homestay accommodation, our language courses and cultural exchanges facilitated through activities and personal contact.

When organising our own tours, group sizes are usually kept to a maximum of 15 people, and we encourage smaller groups where possible. This minimises the negative impact we may make on the local people and their community and increases the quality time spent in direct contact with local people and their environment.

In our Edinburgh office

We use recycled paper where possible, and try to limit the amount of paper used and rubbish produced. We recycle whenever possible. We also make available our Responsible Tourism advice to all our clients.

Our Recommendations: Local People & Customs

Start enjoying your trip before you leave by tapping into as many sources of information as you can. Learn about and appreciate the language and culture which you are going to encounter - it will enhance your overall experience.

Try to avoid behaviour that may be considered offensive. Think carefully about what is appropriate in terms of your clothes and the way you behave. You will earn respect and be more readily welcomed by local people.

Remember not to treat people as part of the landscape and always ask before taking their photograph. It could be that they do not want their picture taken. Put yourself in their shoes, ask first and respect their wishes. Do not expect any special privileges - remember that you are only one of many visitors.

Meeting and talking to local people will add to your enjoyment of the visit. If you are a beginner in the language, you will find that even trying to use your basic skills will be appreciated.

Make no promises to local people that you cannot keep - be realistic about what you will do when you return home.

Respect the laws of the country you are travelling in.

The Local Economy

Try to put money into local people’s hands: drink local beer or fruit juice rather than imported brands and buy and eat locally produced food.

Pay a fair price for the goods or services you buy - if you haggle for the lowest price your bargain may be at someone else’s expense. Haggle with humour, not aggression.

Do not encourage begging by offering money. There are charities that could use your money. Also, remember that there are few dentists in some Andean countries, so giving out sweets is not recommended.

Tipping is an accepted part of most economies. Ensure you are aware of when this is relevant, as some people rely on tips for much of their livelihood. Ask your guide or tour leader if you are not sure what amount is appropriate.

Natural Resources & Pollution

Minimise your environmental impact - help preserve local wildlife and habitats by respecting rules and regulations, such as sticking to footpaths if you are trekking or walking and not buying illegal products made from plants or animals.

Think about what happens to your rubbish – it is a good idea to remove extra packaging from anything you are taking with you so as not to add to the rubbish disposal problems in your destination country and to take biodegradable products.

Be sensitive to limited resources like water, fuel and electricity.

Responsible Tourism

Slow down and enjoy the differences - you will be back with the familiar soon enough - and ensure that others can come after you to enjoy what you have experienced.

If in doubt, always ask us, your tour leader or our local representative for advice.

Have a great trip!