General Terms and Conditions

We recommend that you register as early as possible. If possible, please use our registration form for your enrolment. Please fill it in completely and send it to SPRACHCAFFE or your travel agent. The contract is concluded when SPRACHCAFFE accepts your registration. We will confirm your enrolment in writing or by e-mail.

Your payments made towards the tour price are insured against insolvency in accordance with the legal regulations and in compliance with the EU directives. The tour operator is our co-operation partner Languages Plus Taalreizen BV in Amsterdam, which is insured against insolvency. SPRACHCAFFE Reisen GmbH is the authorised representative in Germany.

SGR is a non-profit organisation based in Rotterdam. SGR was founded in 1983 with the aim of protecting travellers from bankruptcy. SGR is the largest guarantee fund in the Netherlands and the first travel money guarantee fund in Europe. Under current European law, tour operators are obliged to protect customer monies received in the event of their own insolvency or bankruptcy. Languages Plus Taalreizen (trade register number KVK 33237317 Vestigingsnr. 000019000588) is a registered participant of SGR (Stichting Garantiefonds Reisgelden) in the Netherlands. This registration can be verified at www.sgr.nl.

We ask you to pay a deposit of 15% of the tour price per participant one week after receiving our booking confirmation/invoice. The payment will be deducted from the tour price. The premium for an insurance package is not included in the tour price and is due with the deposit. Payment of the remaining tour price is due approximately 4 weeks before the start of the tour. The travel documents will be sent to you by SPRACHCAFFE.

Only the service descriptions in the brochure and the information in the confirmation/invoice referring to these are binding for the scope of the contractual services. Additional agreements that change the scope of the contractual services require our express written confirmation. Complaints regarding the contractually agreed services must be reported immediately to SPRACHCAFFE or the colleagues on site so that remedial action can be taken without delay. If the participant culpably fails to report a defect and SPRACHCAFFE does not have the opportunity to remedy the defect as a result, a reduction in the price or compensation for damages is excluded. SPRACHCAFFE does not participate in dispute resolution proceedings before a consumer arbitration board.

Changes or deviations of individual travel services from the agreed content of the travel contract which become necessary after conclusion of the contract and which were not brought about by us in bad faith are permitted, provided that the changes or deviations are not significant and do not affect the overall design of the booked trip. In the event of a significant change to an essential travel service, you may withdraw from the contract. You will then be refunded any payments made towards the price of the holiday.

You can cancel the trip at any time before the start of the trip. In your own interest and to avoid misunderstandings, we strongly recommend that you declare your cancellation in writing or by email. If you cancel the travel contract, we can demand reasonable compensation for the arrangements made and our expenses. When calculating the compensation, we will take into account the expenses usually saved and any other possible use of the service.

The time of receipt of the cancellation notice by SPRACHCAFFE is decisive for the calculation of the cancellation costs. The amount of the cancellation costs is based on the travel price. As a rule, the cancellation fees that we unfortunately have to charge per registered participant in the event of your cancellation are as listed below. However, you have the right to prove to us that the expenses incurred are lower than the cancellation costs demanded.

For bookings including travel, the cancellation fee is

• 40 % up to 30 days before the start of the holiday
• from 29 to 22 days before the start of the holiday 50 %
• from 21 to 15 days before the start of the trip 60 %
• from 14 to 7 days before the start of the trip 70 %
• from the 6th day before departure 80
• 90% of the total price on the day of departure, in the event of non-arrival or after departure

For bookings without arrival, the cancellation fee is

• 10 % up to 45 days before the start of the trip
• from the 44th day to the 30th day before the start of the holiday 30 %
• from the 29th day before departure 50
• 70% of the total price on the day of departure, in the event of non-commencement of the trip or after commencement of the trip

Any expenses saved will be reimbursed by SPRACHCAFFE. The traveller reserves the right to provide evidence of no damage or lesser damage.

If a traveller disrupts the tour despite a warning or behaves in gross breach of contract, SPRACHCAFFE has the right to terminate the contract without notice. SPRACHCAFFE shall retain its claim to the tour price; any expenses saved shall be credited to the traveller.

If, after concluding the travel contract with us up to 31 days before the start of the trip, you decide to make a different booking instead of the originally booked trip or to provide a suitable replacement person, we will unfortunately have to charge a rebooking fee of € 50 for our additional expenses. We can make later rebookings after consultation for an increased rebooking fee.

As the flights offered are special fares, rebooking before departure is not possible or only possible for a fee. The flight can no longer be rebooked after departure.

SPRACHCAFFE informs customers of all important travel regulations such as entry and health regulations in the travel documents. It is assumed that the customer is a citizen of the Federal Republic of Germany. The customer is responsible for complying with all regulations that are important for the realisation of the trip. All disadvantages arising from non-compliance with these regulations shall be borne by the customer. The customer is responsible for ensuring that the passport and other required documents are sufficiently valid.

Our liability for damages that are not physical injury is limited to a total of three times the tour price in the case of contractual claims for damages, insofar as we have not caused damage to the participant either intentionally or through gross negligence or SPRACHCAFFE is responsible for damage incurred by the tour participant solely due to the fault of a service provider.

If a service to be provided by a service provider is subject to international conventions or statutory provisions based on such conventions, according to which a claim for damages only arises or can only be asserted under certain conditions or restrictions or is excluded under certain conditions, SPRACHCAFFE may also invoke this vis-à-vis the traveller.

Claims due to travel defects in accordance with § 651i Para. 3 BGB expire within two years. This limitation period begins on the day on which the trip should end according to the travel contract. The assertion of other claims remains unaffected by this provision.

With your booking, you recognise that we may contact you in future with interesting offers by post. You can revoke this consent at any time.

Should any of the above travel conditions be invalid or inadmissible, this shall have no effect on the validity of the remaining travel conditions.

The exclusive place of jurisdiction for legal action by registered traders against SPRACHCAFFE Reisen GmbH is Frankfurt am Main.

Otherwise, the statutory provisions shall apply.