Booking a trip
Here's what you need to read if you want to make a booking. If you have any queries, just get in touch. Please note that dates listed on the Tours page are from Delhi to Delhi inclusive, as we get people from all over the world arriving on different flights. We strongly advise checking with us before booking your flight. If you want to arrive early or stay longer, get in touch and we can give you some ideas of what to do.
How to book
To secure your place on a trip, please make your deposit cheque (£200/approx $350) payable to Out There Biking and send it to the address below – or contact us to make an online banking transfer. If you're booking from overseas, we can give you all the necessary numbers for international transfers. At the time of payment, we also need to have a completed personal information form, as well as a signed agreement to the booking conditions. Drop us a line and we can email or post you the form (or print out this form and mail it back to us).
Out There Biking
5 Hawthorne Street
Bristol
BS4 3DD
UK
Then we suggest booking your international flight as
soon as possible, to get the best deal. There's some advice on who to
book through in the Flying page
of the Preparation part of the site. There, you'll also find details on
getting yourself a Visa and advice
on Vaccinations. Lastly, you'll
need to sort out some Insurance.
That's about it, bar checking your bike over for the trip and making sure
you have all the necessary kit - all you need to know is in Bike
Setup and Kit List.
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Want to stay longer?
If you want to arrive a day or two earlier, or hang around a bit, let us know and we can book you somewhere to stay. This can be a good idea if you're coming from afar and want to break up the journey. Be warned though, it's hot enough to fry an egg on your head in Delhi (as a friend of ours from the mountains puts it) over the monsoon summer. Each extra night in Delhi will cost around £12 ($21), while in Manali and Leh it will be about £8 ($14), with ensuite - and much needed air con in Delhi! It's worth booking in advance, as there's a shortage of accommodation in the summer - we can settle up for any extra costs when we're in India.
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Group Bookings
We're a small company and all our trips are very reasonably priced. However, if you book in a group of 4 or more riders, we will give you each a 10% discount. If you're a bike club and want to book a complete holiday, or have something tailor made (not clothes, though we do know some good tailors) we can also do you a deal of some kind. So get your friends to come too!
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Booking Conditions
The world seems to revolve around legal requirements these days so Out There Biking has the following booking conditions. We've tried not to make the print too small...
1. To make a booking
A non-refundable £200 deposit secures you a place on a holiday.
The remainder of the cost of the tour is required 8 weeks (56 days) before
the departure date of your trip. If you book less than 8 weeks (56 days)
before the trip leaves, then you must pay the full amount all at once.
We reserve the right to give away your place if you don't pay on time.
2. Refunds
Cancellations must be made in writing – email is fine, but please
make sure we confirm receipt of your cancellation as electronic mail has
been known to go astray. If you cancel between 6 and 8 weeks (42-56 days)
prior to trip departure you will be refunded 50% of the total holiday
cost. Cancel between 4 and 6 weeks (28-41 days) prior to trip departure,
and you will be refunded 25% of the total holiday cost. Finally, if you
cancel between 0 and 4 weeks (0 and 27 days) prior to trip departure you
will be refunded 10% of the total holiday cost. The reason for this is
that we are a small outfit offering specialist, extended tours, so the
chances of replacing your spot at the last minute is very low. These dates
refer to when we confirm receipt of your cancellation notice.
3. Cancellations by us
We will only cancel the holiday if something seriously major crops up
– such as a political or environmental disaster - in which case
you will get a full refund. We don’t require a minimum number of
people, as we’ll just tailor the itinerary to suit a smaller group.
4. Changes to the itinerary
The itineraries we’ve provided are an outline of what we expect
to happen. However, alterations may be necessary because of conditions
on the ground at that time. Please be flexible and we will do our best
to provide equal or even better options if the itinerary must change.
5. Leaders’ judgement
We must ask that you agree to follow the decisions and judgements of the
leaders while on a trip. It’s great to hear your ideas, but in the
end, we get the final say. If your health or behaviour becomes a problem
for you or the group, the leaders may decide that you should be excluded
from all or part of the trip. In that extreme case, no refunds will be
made.
6. Insurance
It is a prerequisite of coming on the trip that you are fully covered
by health insurance for the total length of the tour. You must check that
your policy includes personal injury, medical expenses, death, repatriation,
helicopter or aircraft rescue. Ensure that your policy does cover bike
touring (Manali-Leh and Leh-Manali) and/or mountain biking (for the case
of the Spiti tour). We require you to carry proof of insurance and we
ask for the details of your policy for our records. We strongly advise
that you take out personal insurance too, to cover loss or damage to luggage
and equipment (special insurance may be needed for your bike and valuables
such as a digital camera), cancellations or curtailments. Please see the
Insurance section of What's
included? for suggestions.
7. Passports, visas and jabs
You must have your own valid passport, along with an Indian visa and appropriate
jabs. Refer to the Visas and Health
sections for more information.
8. Beginning and ending of tours
Our tours begin and end in Delhi, India. We can advise on, but not make,
bookings for international travel. As such, our responsibilities don’t
begin until the meeting time at Delhi airport. Likewise, they end when
we drop you off a few weeks later. We can’t be responsible for any
additional expenses you might incur if your flight is delayed, or if you
don’t meet us at the appointed time. We will help you join up with
the group, but you will have to foot the bill for any extra costs.
9. Self-supported tours
In the case of self-supported and partially self-supported tours, there’s
a chance that you may choose to opt out of riding if you feel too ill,
tired etc. However, in order to keep our prices as low as we can, we can’t
cover the costs that may crop up while you are separated from the group
– such as paying for a ride with a tourist jeep or staying another
night in a hotel. We will, however, make all the arrangements and, if
need be, one of us will accompany you. To save you carrying extra cash,
we can front the cost (if necessary) and you can pay us back within 21
days of your return to the UK.
10. Equipment, bikes and helmets
Wearing a helmet and making sure that your bike is fully serviced and
in safe working order prior to the trip (see Bike
Setup) is your responsibility. Once out there, we will help with maintenance.
For our part, we’ll ensure that all our kit (eg BOB trailers and
tents) are fully serviced and in good working order. Should any of our
kit fail, resulting in changes to the tour, any extra costs will be covered
by us.
11. Risks and responsibilities
This is an adventurous trip. Although we make every effort to keep things
as safe as possible, there are potential dangers involved for which we
cannot be responsible. You take part at your own risk and are responsible
for your own actions. We are not liable for loss, theft or damage to your
bicycle (bring a lock!).
12. Flights
We organise internal flights and transfers to and from airports. Flights
are subject to the General Conditions of Carriage of Contract for the
airline.
13. Price promise
Prices for the holidays listed on the website are fixed, except in the
case of a significant alteration in the exchange rate that occurs 4 weeks
or more before the start of the trip. If the rate (as given by HSBC) is
0-5% more than it was at the time of pricing the holiday, then we will
absorb the costs. Changes in excess of 5% may mean that we have to charge
you a bit extra to cover this fluctuation. In the case of an extreme rate
change – more than 10% - you will have the option to pay the surcharge
or cancel your holiday for a full refund.
14. Health check
You need to be fit and healthy to cycle in the Himalaya. These are remote
and challenging tours, where riders are often carrying their own supplies.
As unlikely as it may be, we do reserve the right not to take your booking
if we don’t feel you’re up to the trip – after all,
you won’t enjoy yourself if the trip is not suited to you. We must
know about any pre-existing illnesses or medical conditions, and we may
require you to obtain a statement from your doctor clearing your health
for the trip. If your health or fitness changes for any reason before
departure (and after you’ve booked), please let us know.
15. This contract
When signing this contract, you agree to abide by the given conditions.
If a section of this contract comes under dispute, it does not affect
the validity of the rest of the contract.
16. Complaints
We want you to have a great time. Whilst on a trip, please let us know
if anything is not as you expected and we will do our best to fix it.
If you’re still unsatisfied at the end of the trip, please write
to us with an explanation and we will try to find a solution.
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Little reminder
We’d like to remind you that our trips are low-impact and community orientated. We try to get as much local flavour as possible and do things in such a way that you will get a real insight into the region, without being caught in a tourist bubble. Please see the Philosophy section for our ethics on running these trips and the What's included? page for more details.
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