Terms and Conditions

Where possible, please use our online shop (www.sci-travel-adventures.com) to register. The contract comes into effect upon SPRACHCAFFE's acceptance of your registration. We will confirm your registration in writing or by email.

We ask you to pay a deposit of 20 per cent of the tour price one week after receiving our booking confirmation/invoice and the security certificate in accordance with Section 651r of the German Civil Code (BGB). This payment will be set off against the tour price. The balance of the tour price is due 4 weeks before the start of the trip. For bookings made less than 28 days before the start of the trip, the full tour price is payable immediately. Your payments towards the tour price are covered by insolvency insurance in accordance with Section 651r of the German Civil Code (BGB). Along with the booking confirmation/invoice, you will receive the security certificate as a "valid travel document". The travel documents will be sent to you or handed over by Sprachcaffe or the travel agency, as you prefer.

Changes to and deviations from the agreed terms of the travel contract relating to individual travel services, which become necessary after the contract has been concluded and which have not been brought about by us in bad faith, are permitted, provided that the changes or deviations are not significant and do not impair the overall nature of the booked trip. In the event of a significant change to an essential travel service or in the event of a permissible cancellation of the trip by us due to the advertised minimum number of participants not being reached up to 4 weeks before the start of the trip, you may withdraw from the contract. In this case, Sprachcaffe is obliged to inform the customer immediately once the conditions for non-performance of the trip have arisen and to forward the notice of withdrawal to them without delay. You will then be refunded the payments made towards the trip price without delay. Alternatively, in the event of cancellation by Sprachcaffe, you may request to take part in a trip of at least equivalent value, provided we are able to offer such a trip from our range at no extra cost. You are obliged to exercise this right immediately upon receipt of the notification of change. We recommend that you do so in writing.

You may cancel the trip at any time before it begins. In your own interest and to avoid any misunderstandings, we strongly recommend that you give notice of cancellation in writing. If you cancel the trip, we may claim reasonable compensation for the arrangements made and our expenses. When calculating compensation, account is usually taken of any expenses saved and any alternative use of the travel services that is reasonably possible. The date on which Sprachcaffe receives the notice of cancellation is decisive for the calculation of cancellation fees. The amount of the cancellation fees is based on the tour price. As a rule, the flat-rate cancellation fees which we are obliged to charge for each registered participant in the event of your cancellation are as set out below. However, you have the right to provide evidence to us that the expenses incurred are lower than the cancellation fees charged.

For bookings including travel, the cancellation fee, calculated as a percentage of the total price, is as follows:

• Up to 30 days before the start of the trip: 40%
• From the 29th to the 22nd day before the start of the trip: 50%
• From the 21st to the 15th day before the start of the trip: 60%
• From the 14th to the 7th day before the start of the trip: 70%
• From the 6th day before the start of the trip: 80%
• On the day of travel or in the event of a no-show: 90%
• In the event of early departure: a refund of 10 per cent of the unused travel services.

If a replacement traveller is found, no cancellation fees will apply; rebooking fees may apply. Travellers reserve the right to prove that no loss or only a minor loss has been incurred.

For bookings excluding travel to the destination, the cancellation fee, calculated as a percentage of the total price, is as follows:

• Up to 45 days before the start of the trip: 10%
• Up to 30 days before the start of the trip: 30%
• From the 29th day before the start of the trip: 50 per cent
• On the day of departure or in the event of a no-show: 80%

Any separate expenses will be reimbursed by Sprachcaffe. Travellers reserve the right to provide evidence that no loss or only a minor loss has been incurred. If, despite a warning, a participant disrupts the course of the trip or behaves in a manner grossly contrary to the terms of the contract, Sprachcaffe has the right to terminate the contract without notice. Sprachcaffe retains the right to claim the tour price; any costs saved will be credited to the participant.

If you take out travel cancellation insurance with us, the cancellation costs mentioned above will be reimbursed should you be unable to go on your trip due to unexpected illness or serious accidental injury. You will be liable for an excess of 20% of the cancellation costs, unless the trip was cancelled due to an acute need for full inpatient hospital treatment.

Should you, after concluding the travel contract with us and up to 31 days before the start of the trip, decide to take a different language course to the one originally booked, or to provide a suitable replacement, we will have to charge you a rebooking fee of €50.00 to cover the additional costs incurred. We may be able to make rebookings at a later date, subject to consultation, for an increased rebooking fee.

The tour operator may withdraw from the travel contract if the contracting party fails to meet their payment obligations or does not comply with the agreed terms of the contract. The organiser expects the participant to respect the customs, traditions and laws of the host country. Should the participant breach these, the participant grants the organiser the right, following a written warning, to exclude them from the remainder of the trip in the event of a repeat offence. In the event of serious breaches (e.g. criminal offences such as intentional bodily harm, theft, drug use, wilful damage to property, etc.), immediate exclusion from the trip is also possible. Any costs incurred as a result of early return home shall be borne by the participant. In the event of exclusion from the trip, Sprachcaffe shall retain the tour price; any expenses that have been saved shall be refunded to the participant.

As the flights on offer are subject to special fares, rebooking before departure is either not possible or subject to a fee. Once the journey has begun, the flight can no longer be rebooked.

Sprachcaffe will inform nationals of any European Union Member State in which the trip is offered of the relevant passport, visa and health regulations prior to the conclusion of the contract, as well as of any changes to these regulations prior to departure. For nationals of other countries, the relevant consulate will provide information. The tour operator shall not be liable for the timely issue and receipt of necessary visas by the relevant diplomatic mission, unless the tour operator is responsible for the delay incurred.

Our contractual liability for damages other than personal injury and not caused by our fault is limited to three times the price of the trip. Any claims beyond this arising from tort and, where applicable, from international conventions or statutory provisions based thereon remain unaffected by this limitation of liability.

Claims arising from the travel contract pursuant to Section 651i(3) of the German Civil Code (BGB) are subject to a limitation period of two years. This limitation period begins on the day on which the trip was due to end in accordance with the travel contract. The right to assert any other claims remains unaffected by this provision.

Consumers can use the European Union's online dispute resolution platform (ODR platform) to receive free assistance with submitting a consumer complaint regarding an online sales contract or online service contract, as well as information on the procedures at consumer arbitration bodies within the European Union. The platform can be accessed via the following web address: https://ec.europa.eu/consumers/odr/ Sprachcaffe is neither legally obliged nor willing to participate in out-of-court dispute resolution procedures.

By accepting these General Terms and Conditions, you grant Sprachcaffe the right to use photographs, videos and audio recordings taken during the course for promotional purposes free of charge, without having to obtain your separate consent. You may withdraw this consent at any time.

Should any of the above terms and conditions of travel be invalid or unlawful, this shall not affect the validity of the remaining terms and conditions of travel.