Booking Terms & Conditions
1. About Us
Blank Canvas Destinations is an independent travel business and a member of Protected Trust Services (PTS), membership number 6575.
2. Our Role and Your Booking
Blank Canvas Destinations specialises in thoughtfully curated, tailor-made and small-group journeys. Depending on the arrangements you book, we may act as an agent on behalf of travel suppliers or tour operators, coordinating the individual elements of your journey.
Where we act as agent, your contract for the relevant travel service is with the supplier concerned and that supplier's booking conditions, including its cancellation and amendment terms, will apply.
Where your arrangements constitute a package for which another tour operator is the organiser, that organiser will be responsible for the package in accordance with its booking conditions and applicable law.
Your booking confirmation and supporting documentation will identify the relevant supplier or organiser and, where appropriate, the capacity in which Blank Canvas Destinations is acting.
The person making the booking (the "Lead Traveller") must be at least 18 years old and is responsible for providing accurate information on behalf of everyone included in the booking.
Please check all names, dates and arrangements carefully upon receiving your confirmation. Names must appear exactly as shown in each traveller's passport. Please notify us promptly if anything is incorrect.
3. Prices and Confirmation
Prices are based on the information, availability and supplier costs available to us when a quotation is prepared and may change until your booking has been confirmed.
We reserve the right to correct genuine pricing, typographical or administrative errors before a booking is confirmed.
4. Flights and Independent Arrangements
Unless expressly stated otherwise in your booking confirmation, international and domestic flights are not included in arrangements made by Blank Canvas Destinations and remain the traveller's responsibility.
We strongly recommend that you do not book non-refundable flights, or other independent arrangements until the relevant land arrangements have been confirmed.
5. Small-Group Journeys
Some Blank Canvas Destinations journeys are designed for small groups and may be dependent upon a minimum number of participants.
Where minimum numbers apply, this will be made clear before booking. If the required number is not reached, we will explain the available options. These may include proceeding with the journey at an adjusted price, offering an alternative arrangement or cancelling the proposed departure in accordance with the applicable booking conditions.
The number and composition of travellers within a group may change before departure and cannot be guaranteed.
6. Itinerary Changes
Our itineraries are carefully researched and planned; however, travel arrangements may occasionally need to change because of local conditions, weather, transport schedules, closures, supplier changes or other circumstances outside our or the supplier's reasonable control.
Where reasonably possible, a suitable alternative will be arranged. Your precise rights will depend upon the nature of your booking and the applicable supplier or package booking conditions.
7. Dietary, Mobility and Other Requirements
Please tell us before booking about any dietary requirements, allergies, mobility requirements or other needs that may affect your journey.
We will make reasonable efforts to communicate these requirements to the relevant suppliers. However, requests cannot be guaranteed unless they have been expressly confirmed by the supplier concerned.
8. Financial Protection
Your financial protection is important to us. Blank Canvas Destinations is a member of Protected Trust Services (PTS), PTS Membership No. 6575, giving you added confidence and financial protection when you book with us.
Customer payments are held within the PTS independent trust account system, helping to ensure that your money is protected and used for the travel arrangements you have booked. Payments covered by the PTS trust arrangements are held in a separate trust account administered by independent trustees and allocated to the relevant travel suppliers for your specific booking. This keeps those monies separate from the day-to-day operating funds of Blank Canvas Destinations.
Our PTS membership also supports our compliance with the Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations, where applicable.
The precise financial protection applicable will depend upon the travel arrangements purchased and will be confirmed in your booking documentation. Further information about the applicable PTS protection and trust arrangements will be provided with your booking.
9. Travel Insurance
Comprehensive travel insurance is strongly recommended for all travellers and is a mandatory requirement for participation in our organised small-group journeys.
You will be required to provide evidence of appropriate travel insurance before departure. Your policy should be suitable for your destination and planned activities and should include appropriate cover for medical expenses, repatriation, cancellation, curtailment and personal belongings.
10. Amendments, Cancellations and Refunds
At Blank Canvas Destinations, we understand that circumstances can change and that you may occasionally need to amend or cancel your travel arrangements.
Many elements of a journey are reserved and paid for well in advance, particularly for small-group and personally curated trips. Hotels, local guides, transport providers and other suppliers may impose their own cancellation terms and non-refundable charges. This section should be read together with the terms of the relevant travel supplier or tour operator.
10.1 Amending or Cancelling Your Booking
Any request to amend or cancel a booking must be made by the Lead Traveller in writing by email.
Your cancellation will take effect from the date we receive your written notification. Telephone calls, WhatsApp messages or other informal communications will not constitute formal notice of cancellation unless subsequently confirmed by email.
The cancellation or amendment terms and charges of the relevant supplier or tour operator will apply. Blank Canvas Destinations may also charge a reasonable administration fee where significant additional work is required to amend or cancel arrangements, provided that any such fee has been notified to you.
10.2 Deposits and Advance Payments
A deposit or other advance payment may be required to secure your booking.
Where Blank Canvas Destinations acts as an agent, the deposit, cancellation and refund conditions of the relevant supplier or tour operator will apply.
Some travel services may be non-refundable once confirmed, including certain accommodation, transport, attraction tickets, event tickets, permits, excursions and other specially arranged services.
Any non-refundable element will be identified wherever reasonably possible at the time of booking.
Where Blank Canvas Destinations is responsible for setting a cancellation charge, any amount retained will be reasonable and reflect the costs and losses arising from the cancellation, subject to your statutory rights.
10.3 Cancellation Charges
The cancellation charges applicable to your trip will be stated in your booking confirmation, the individual trip terms or the relevant supplier's booking conditions.
For certain small-group journeys, we may use a cancellation scale based on the number of days before departure. Where such a scale applies, it will be clearly provided to you before or at the time of booking.
Cancellation charges may take account of costs already committed to suppliers and other losses reasonably arising from your cancellation.
Where we are able to recover money from a supplier, obtain a refund or successfully resell your place, this may be taken into account when calculating the amount ultimately retained, where applicable.
10.4 Flights and Other Tickets
Where flights, rail tickets or other transport arrangements are booked on your behalf, the fare conditions of the relevant carrier will apply.
Some tickets are non-refundable or subject to cancellation and amendment charges once issued.
Where a supplier provides a refund, we will arrange for any amount due to you to be returned in accordance with the applicable booking terms.
Visa fees, permit fees and other third-party administrative charges may also be non-refundable once an application or service has commenced.
10.5 Balance Payments
The balance payment date for your journey will be shown on your booking confirmation.
If payment is not received by the due date, we will contact you and may, subject to the applicable booking conditions, treat the booking as cancelled. Cancellation charges may then apply.
10.6 Medical or Personal Circumstances
We appreciate that illness, bereavement or other serious personal circumstances can sometimes make travel impossible.
Please contact us as soon as possible if this happens. We will, where appropriate, approach the relevant suppliers to establish whether any refund, credit or change of date may be available.
We cannot guarantee that suppliers will agree to waive their contractual cancellation charges. For this reason, we strongly recommend that you take out comprehensive travel insurance from the time you make your booking, including appropriate cancellation and medical cover.
10.7 If Your Trip Is Cancelled by Us or the Organiser
If Blank Canvas Destinations is acting as an agent for another tour operator or organiser, the cancellation provisions contained in that organiser's booking conditions will apply, together with your applicable statutory rights.
Where Blank Canvas Destinations is the organiser of a package and we cancel your trip, your rights will be governed by the applicable booking conditions and UK package travel legislation.
Depending upon the circumstances, you may be offered an alternative arrangement or a refund of the amounts due to you.
Nothing in these terms limits any statutory right to a refund or other remedy.
10.8 Unavoidable and Extraordinary Circumstances
Travel can occasionally be affected by events outside the reasonable control of travellers, Blank Canvas Destinations and our suppliers.
These may include, for example, severe weather or natural disasters, war or serious civil unrest, terrorism, outbreaks of serious disease, government restrictions, airspace closures or other events which could not reasonably have been avoided.
Your rights in these circumstances will depend upon the nature of your booking, whether Blank Canvas Destinations is acting as agent or organiser, the location and effect of the circumstances and applicable UK law.
Where we act as an agent, we will assist you in communicating with the relevant supplier or organiser regarding the options available.
Where UK package travel legislation applies, nothing in this policy affects your statutory rights, including any right to terminate a package without a cancellation fee where the legal requirements relating to unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances are met.
10.9 No-Shows and Unused Services
If you fail to travel, leave a trip early or choose not to use a service included in your booking, no refund will normally be payable for the unused arrangements unless the relevant supplier agrees otherwise or you have a statutory right to a refund.
You may be able to recover some costs through your travel insurance.
10.10 Visa Refusal
Obtaining the appropriate passport, visa and entry documentation is the traveller's responsibility unless we have expressly agreed otherwise.
A visa refusal does not automatically entitle you to a refund. Any refund will depend upon the cancellation conditions applicable to your booking and the recoverability of payments already made to suppliers.
We recommend arranging appropriate travel insurance which provides cover for relevant circumstances.
10.11 Refunds
Where a refund is due, we will process it as promptly as reasonably possible and in accordance with applicable law and the relevant supplier's terms.
Where Blank Canvas Destinations is acting as an agent, the timing of a refund may depend upon receipt of the relevant funds from the supplier, except where the law requires otherwise.
Nothing in these Booking Terms & Conditions is intended to exclude or restrict any rights you have under UK consumer or package travel legislation.
We believe in dealing with cancellations fairly and transparently while recognising that many of the special arrangements made for our journeys are secured well in advance.
11. Governing Law and Jurisdiction
These Booking Terms and Conditions and any agreement between you and Blank Canvas Destinations are governed by the laws of England and Wales.
Any dispute or claim arising out of or in connection with these Booking Terms and Conditions or services provided by Blank Canvas Destinations shall be subject to the jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.
If you live in Scotland or Northern Ireland, you may also be entitled to bring proceedings in the courts of your home jurisdiction.
Where Blank Canvas Destinations acts as an agent and your contract for a travel service is directly with a supplier or tour operator, that supplier's own terms and conditions, including any applicable provisions relating to governing law and jurisdiction, will apply to that contract.
12. Contact Us
For cancellation requests or questions regarding your booking, please contact:
Curated Journeys by Alka Email: info@blankcanvasdestinations.com Member of Protected Trust Services, PTS Membership No. 6575