Terms and Conditions

Here is the dreaded small print. Please make sure that you read to the end of the document and if there is anything about which you are not clear, contact us for clarification.

Please note that this is a study tour of archaeological and historical sites; it is not a holiday. If you want to relax in the sun and make the occasional foray to the shops or a popular tourist destination, I believe Thomas Cook do some good tours to Majorca or Florida. We leave each day at 8.00 am - occasionally earlier - and we return to the hotel between 4.00 and 6.00 pm and in between we are on the go the whole time.

This is why we don't provide a midday meal: you can purchase something in the bazaar or arrange with the hotel staff for sandwiches. We eat on the bus as we travel from one site to the next. In return, our promise is that you will see more and learn more with us than with just about any other company.

Please note that we require a minimum of twelve passengers for the tour to go ahead. If we have not received twelve confirmed bookings by 12 weeks before departure date the tour will be cancelled and those who have paid deposits will have the deposit refunded in full. Provided the tour goes ahead, we will accept bookings right up to one month before departure date (and will try to accept right up to the date of departure, but we cannot conjure hotel rooms out of thin air!)

Included
The prices quoted include:
Accommodation in luxury 5* hotels (or the best available) on a half-board basis
Travel in air-conditioned coach to the places specified on the itinerary
Transfers between airport and hotel if you book your plane tickets through us
Admission to all sites listed in the itinerary
Services of an English-speaking guide (as required by law)
All tips for guide, driver and hotel staff
Personal attention from the Digging up the Past representative (me!)
Excluded
What is not included:
Air fares from your home country to the Middle East (see below)
Travel insurance (compulsory)
Midday meals
Drinks (alcoholic or otherwise) with your meals or while travelling
Personal travel not included in the itinerary
Visas and exit fees at passport control (where applicable)
Personal items such as refreshments, medicines, souvenirs, batteries, memory cards, etc
Room service and mini-bar
Phone calls and internet access
Vaccinations before travel and medical care during travel
Health care, whether urgent or non-urgent

Prices
Prices quoted are based on the figures given to us by our travel agent in the Middle East. These, in turn, are based on what they receive from hotels and bus companies. Various factors - such as the price of oil - can cause these prices to increase drastically. In such a case we have no option but to increase the price we charge you by means of a supplement, even if you have already paid in full. Naturally we will do our best to avoid having to do this and you can cancel without penalty if the supplement is not acceptable to you.

Insurance
All passengers must carry adequate travel insurance (name of insurer and policy number must be provided at the time of booking or when the full amount is paid). Digging Up the Past can accept no liability if the insurer refuses, for whatever reason, to meet any claim.

We will adhere to the published itinerary as closely as possible, but industrial action, government decisions, natural disasters or other unforeseeable causes may make it impossible for us to visit all the sites listed. We will endeavour to visit some other sites as substitutes, but whether that is possible or not, we cannot offer compensation for such disappointments. If the cancellation of all or any part of the tour causes you financial loss, that should be covered by your travel insurance.

We will use our utmost endeavours to ensure the safety of all on the tour, but we accept no responsibility for personal injury or death, howsoever caused. Ancient sites can be dangerous, the Middle East can be dangerous, travel by land or air can be dangerous and we will only accept passengers who are prepared to recognise such risks and are insured against them.

We only use reputable hotels and travel personel, but there is always the possibility of dishonesty. Jewellery and other valuables should be placed in the safe in your room or deposited in the manager's safe. We do not accept responsiblity for losses of money or possessions, whether in or out of the hotels, whether by theft, breakage or loss from the luggage hold of the bus, or by any other cause. Again, this should be covered by your personal or your travel insurance.

Payment
Bookings are accepted on the basis of a deposit of $200. Our travel agent requires 50% of the payment three months before the departure date to confirm the hotel bookings. The balance of the cost is due one calendar month before the start of the tour (for example: if the tour starts on July 17, 50% must be paid by April 17, the balance is due on June 17). All payments are by PayPal.

Cancellation
If it is necessary for you to cancel your booking, please inform us as soon as possible. Up to one calendar month before the start of the tour we will refund in full any money you have paid, minus the handling fee charged by PayPal. If you have to cancel between one month and fourteen days before the start of the tour, we will refund 50% of any money you have paid, minus the handling fee charged by PayPal. If you cancel less than fourteen days before the start of the tour we will negotiate with our travel agent and refund to you what we can, but it may not be possible to refund anything at all. Any such loss should be covered by your travel insurance.

Air fares
We have people joining us from all over the world, so rather than have a confusing range of different tour prices to cover the different costs of air travel to the Middle East, we offer the tours starting in Egypt, Jordan, or Israel.

Of course we are happy to quote you for air fares on international carriers, but you are welcome to hunt the internet for bargains if you prefer. Note that if you book your air fare through us we will ensure that you are met at the airport and transported to the hotel. If you make your own arrangements then you will need to sort out your own transport between the airport and the hotel.

Please be sure when you book your air travel that you can cancel it. The very cheapest fares are fixed and you cannot alter or cancel them. If we do not get enough passengers and cancel the tour - or if we have to cancel for any other reason, such as war in the Middle East - we cannot compensate you for any losses that result from cancelling your air tickets. You should either ensure that such a loss is covered by your travel insurance (and if the air tickets are not part of the package, the insurance company will almost certainly try to wriggle out of compensating you) or that you can cancel or reschedule your air travel without cost.

In addition, you might like to consider the option of arriving in a country early or leaving late. For example, our tour of Jordan does not cover any of the Desert Castles and our tour of Israel does not visit Mareshah, Ascalon or Beersheba or offer adventure trips in the Negev. If you wished to see those places you could undertake independent travel, either completely on your own or arranged for you by our travel agent who will be more than happy to help you.