Terms and conditions of holiday packages for years 2021 – 2022

Lapland Welcome

Rovaniemi – Kemi – Katkavaara – Saariselka – Inari – Utsjoki

Finland

Terms and conditions of holiday packages for individual travelers and agencies

What is included to the holiday package

• Half board accommodation or full board accommodation in rooms, apartments or cottages
• Airport transfers and other local transfers according to the itinerary
• Programs according to the itinerary, twin driving on sledges or snowmobiles (solo driving if mentioned)
• Guiding in English, other languages if mentioned
• In November – April winter thermal clothing including warm winter overalls, warm boots and socks, gloves and hats and in May – October lighter jacket and protective boots

Thermal and seasonal gear:

You will receive the winter gear in the beginning of your holiday and we will collect it back at the end of your stay. Winter clothes come always with programs only. You only need your normal clothes, warm underwear, pullovers and sun glasses. Please send us info about exceptional dietary, sizes or shoe numbers early enough.

Please remark that even in summer time the arctic climate might be cool. If you have small children, aged people or people with health restrictions in your group please check with us if the offered package is suitable. Let us know exceptional sizes early in advance.

Bookings:

You can book your package by email. If you have booked services separately not as a package the services are provided like ordered. For a booking we need names, dates of births and nationalities. As a receipt of the booking we will send you an official invoice and other appropriate information, where you will see the services you have booked and the terms of the payments. Payments are often due as follows: 30% within a week of booking and 70% one month before arrival. Depending on the services the payments might be due earlier as well.  The more different services and for the higher season booking is coming the earlier the payments are due. Exact information is visible on your invoice. The deposits can be paid by bank wire or the most common credit cards (we will send a payment link) or PayPal (PayPal by additional 5% price). If you pay by bank wire please ensure that the funds are visible on our account on the due date, please pay a few days in advance. Unpaid services are concerned as cancelled. The default prices published are always for minimum two adults sharing a twin / double room.

Cancellations:

In case of your cancellation we can’t refund the paid deposits, this is needed to cover the booking and the cancellation costs. This is the reason why it is obligatory to buy a travel insurance in your home country to cover these costs. If the cancellation comes earlier than 8 weeks before arrival 70% of the total price will be refunded. If the cancellation comes earlier than 1 month before arrival 50% will be refunded. Later cancellations are not refundable. For the highest seasons the cancellation terms are harder depending on our responsibilities to the subcontractors. If the subcontractors’ booking terms and conditions are harder than the Lapland Welcome ones the harder terms and conditions will be followed. In case of participants health problems, disease or any other factor that makes travelling impossible or that the package must be interrupted by the participant or if any authorities deny traveling only personal travel insurance covers the lost costs. Lapland Welcome is liable refunding only if Lapland Welcome cancels the holiday package which is extremely rare.

The flights or train tickets are not included to the basic prices. Please send us your flight or train details, arrival and departure times and places as soon as you have them. The guide will be waiting for you at the airport or railway station with a “Lapland Welcome” sign, if we have the flight or train details early enough, at least one week before your arrival. The Lapland airports are Rovaniemi, Kemi and Ivalo depending on your itinerary, sometimes Kittila or others. It is also possible to book flights to Helsinki or Tampere and a night train from Helsinki or Tampere to Rovaniemi or Kemi. More information on www.vr.fi on the English pages. The local airport transfers are included to the holiday packages only. Train tickets or flights cancellations are not refundable at all.

FORCE MAJEUR CIRCUMSTANCES

Force Majeur circumstances are when, at the time of customers’ departure: ·The borders of the departure country/town/region of the customer are closed by the government at the time of departure which would prevent the customer from travelling ·The Finnish borders or relevant towns/regions are closed by The Finnish government which would prevent The customer from travelling. ·There are government assigned quarantine procedures in the country of the departure of the customer at the time of departure which would prevent the customer from travelling. Cancellation terms in case of these Force Majeur circumstances: ·FITs / Individual travellers: Cancellation free of charge up to 6 pm the previous day of arrival.·Groups: Cancellation free of charge up to 7 days prior arrival.

Liability:

The guests participate all services at their own risk. On snowmobile or ATV safaris the driver is always responsible (and liable) like when you rent a car. For driving a snow mobile or ATV on official tracks you need a driving license from your home country.  Any kind of official traffic license (T, A1,…) is usually accepted for driving a snowmobile or ATV on official tracks and it is not necessary to carry the license with you but you have to sign a document to confirm that you have a valid one. Those who don’t have a driving license may sit as passengers as well as children below 15 years old. Children below 10 years old as well as those who the present guide thinks are not able to travel on a snowmobile or ATV safely may sit safely in the guide’s sledge or vehicle, children as close to parents as possible. In case of damage to the snowmobile or ATV the driver is responsible for the repairing costs up to maximum of 900 Euros / damaged snowmobile or ATV, on special ultralong safaris 1500 euros, the insurance or organizing company covers the rest. This is very rare, anyway. We recommend you taking a travel insurance that covers your liability. This insurance you can buy only in your home country. The self-liability waiver reduces the amount of maximum self-liability from 900 € to 200 €. The self-liability waiver costs 50 € per driver per safari per day and can be bought normally for maximum day long snowmobile safaris, here in Lapland. The self-liability waiver is personal. For longer safaris the liability will be charged from your card in advance and returned after the safari if it is not needed. For several days snowmobile safari the liability might be 1500 euros depending on snowmobiles and program. Self-liability waiver is not available for several days safaris. Lapland Welcome decides the liability in advance. This statement doesn’t concern technical problems in engine or transmission after the normal use. The deposit will be charges in advance or just after the accident. The vehicle is transported to the official garage where it will be repaired. The final liability deposit is the sum of official repairing costs and transportation costs. The transportation costs are between 100 and 250 euros / snowmobile.

Safety:

The participants need to follow the briefings carefully and obey all safety and dressing instructions given by the present guide. Customers participate on all of our safaris by their own risk.

Lapland Welcome Ltd is not liable for any accidental damage or injury which has to be indemnified under the travel insurance of a customer. Personal travel insurance is obligatory. Program services e.g. snowmobile and husky safaris can be physically demanding and the participants may be exposed to vibrations. If the Consumer is having any type of health problems, including, but not limited to, heart disease, back problems or similar, or if the Consumer is pregnant, he / she should contact prior the participation the medical experts to make sure whether the medical experts consider him / her to be able or not to participate. It´s the responsibility of the Consumer to consult Lapland Welcome whether he / she is capable to participate on health or any other point of view. You don’t need to be worried at all because the safaris are organized by very safe way and accidents are rare, but possible.

Lapland Welcome has got a right without any refund to interrupt the program or change routing because of weather conditions or any other safety reason. The present guide has got a right to deny participant at any moment driving or participating the program if he sees it a risk to the participant or other participants in the group. It is not allowed to participate under influence of alcohol or drugs.

Applicable Law and Jurisdiction:

These terms and conditions shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the Finnish Law.  The Finnish Courts shall have the exclusive jurisdiction to settle any dispute, controversy claim related to such a demand.   The District Court of Lappi (in Finnish: Lapin käräjäoikeus), placed in Rovaniemi, shall be the court of first instance.

Severability if any part, term or provision of these terms and conditions are partly or wholly held invalid, illegal or unenforceable, the validity or enforceability of other provisions, extent part and remainder of these terms and conditions shall remain in full force and effect.

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Lapland Welcome is a registered package tour operator for Finland. The license number is 12062/08/MjU.

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Welcome to Lapland!                                                                                              VM 10.1.2021