Passport: We can only advise of the requirements for British and Irish passport holders. For British and Irish passports endorsed in any way and all other passport holders, requirements should be checked with the relevant embassy. You should ensure that you have a valid ten-year passport and, as many countries require expiry dates on passports to be a considerable length of time after the return from holiday, we would recommend that your passport is valid for 6 months after return to the UK. From 5 October 1998 the Home Office required that children under 16 should travel on their own passports.

Visas: Clients are responsible for obtaining visas themselves. The cost, method of obtaining a visa, and time necessary for application, vary considerably between countries and are subject to change. We would therefore advise you to contact the relevant Embassy at the earliest opportunity for the most up to date information.

Health: Recommended inoculations for travel may change at any time and you should consult your doctor on current recommendations before your departure. Health requirements for your holiday destinations are outlined in the Department of Health leaflet entitled 'The Traveller's Guide to Health', which is available by calling 0800 555 777. It is your responsibility to ensure that you obtain all recommended inoculations, take all recommended medication and follow all medical advice in relation to your trip.

Safety: We take the safety and security of our clients extremely seriously. If the Foreign Office advises that people should not visit a particular country, then we would act on this. However we are sure you appreciate from press and television coverage that the political, economic and social conditions in many of the countries we feature are not as stable as we are used to in Europe. Sadly crimes against both people and their property are a fact of life the world over, and when in a foreign country it is very important to be extra vigilant and avoid drawing attention to your-self by wearing expensive jewellery, carrying expensive camera equipment etc. Travellers have the same responsibility for their personal safety and that of their possessions, as they do at home. Swift Travel operate to many parts of the world, some of which do not conform to British health and safety standards. We request that all hotels comply with the local regulations applicable in their country for health and safety but we cannot guarantee that these meet British standards and therefore urge that you undertake reasonable precautions to protect your family and yourself whilst on holiday.
To make the most of your trip abroad we recommend that you check out the Foreign Commonwealth Office (FCO) website at www.fco.gov.uk/knowbeforeyougo. Packed with essential travel advice and tips, this website offers a wealth of country-specific information that only the FCO can provide.

CHECK OUT: Many flights home leave late in the evenings and the check-out time for most hotels is between 11am Δ 12noon on the last day.

BOOKING A ROOM FOR EARLY ARRIVAL OR LATE DEPARTURE: Generally hotel rooms will be available between approximately noon and 3 pm, and are to be vacated between 10 am and noon, irrespective of your arrival or departure times, unless we have stated otherwise. Should you wish your room to be ready prior to noon on your day of arrival or available after 10 am for an afternoon or evening departure, it is possible to reserve the room at the time booking at a cost no greater than an extra night price.

ALCOHOL: Liquor laws are strict in the USA. If you are under 21 years or even look under 21 you will not be able to purchase alcohol. Carry some identity with you to prove your age. Please remember that you can not carry alcohol in your car, unless it is locked in the boot.

PUBLIC HOLIDAYS: Virtually all countries have public holidays, religious or otherwise. The festivities may temporarily disrupt your holiday and some religious holidays such as Ramadan, which affect many Moslem countries, may result in a reduction of facilities and entertainment. Others are somewhat chaotic but great fun to be a part of. We suggest that you take this into consideration when selecting your departure date.
The appropriate Tourist Offices are happy to supply more detailed information or you may wish to refer to the Internet.

FLIGHT SEAT REQUESTS: We strongly recommend (particularly if you are flying economy class), that you check in early if you have particular seat requests. Swift Travel has no control over the allocation of seats and even if pre-booked with the airline, no guarantee can be made that they will be still available on departure.

DIRECT FLIGHTS: The flight routings used in connection with our holidays may be used on special fares which do not necessarily take the most direct route. Some itineraries require a change of aircraft en route. A flight that is described as direct is one where there is no need to change aircraft during the journey. However stops may be made en route for re-fuelling or to let passengers on and/or off.

SMOKING ON FLIGHTS: The majority of airlines have introduced a total smoking ban on most or all of their flights. Please ask at the time of booking if this information is important to you.

RECONFIRMING RETURN/ONWARD FLIGHTS: It is your responsibility to ensure you follow ALL RECONFIRMATION INSTRUCTIONS which will be shown EITHER on the FRONT of our invoice or on your travel documents. Swift Travel Ltd will not be liable for any additional costs due to your failure to reconfirm flights.

SPECIAL REQUESTS: Where special requests i.e. diet, room location, a particular facility at a hotel, flight seat requests and/or particular meals etc. are an important factor in the choice of holiday, you must advise us when the booking is made. We are happy to pass your request on to the hotel or airline but cannot guarantee that it will be accommodated. We will also pass on any dietary requests to airlines but we recommend that you check directly with the airline once your tickets have been issued.

BEHAVIOUR: When you book with us, you accept responsibility for any damage or loss caused by you or any member of your party. Proper payment for any such damage or loss must be made at the time direct to the accommodation owner or manager or other supplier. If you fail to do so, you must indemnify us against any claims (including legal costs) subsequently made against us as a result of your actions. We expect all clients to have consideration for other people. If in our opinion or in the opinion of any person in authority you are behaving in such a way as to cause or to be likely to cause distress, danger or annoyance to any third party or damage to property, we reserve the right to terminate you arrangements without notice. In this situation towards you (including any return transport arrangements) will immediately cease and we will not be responsible for meeting any costs or expenses you may incur as a result, making any refund or paying compensation.

TICKET DESPATCH AND TRAVEL DOCUMENTS: Tickets will be despatched 14 days before departure, however, in the case of late payment and/or late bookings, tickets may be handed to you at the airport on departure. Please ensure that you check the flight timings on your tickets carefully. The correct timings, using the 24 hour clock system, may have been adjusted since booking with us or since you received your invoice.
AIRLINE TICKET REFUNDS: Tickets returned will be presented to the airline for assessment. As soon as we receive a refund from the issuing airline, we will forward it to you less any cancellation or administration charge. Please note that refunds for part-used/returned halves of tickets are always less than the pro-rata rate and may have no refund value whatsoever. Refunds usually take 8 - 12 weeks but in isolated cases may take longer. Refunds will be processed via the original method of payment, except for cash transactions where refunds will be provided by cheque.

Tickets returned more than one year from date of issue are considered as expired by the airline and generally have no refund value.

If tickets are lost or stolen, certain airlines will not reissue duplicates. New tickets may then have to be purchased locally, at the local fare. Even if replacement tickets are purchased, certain airlines will not issue refunds for lost / stolen tickets. A delay of up to 18 months is possible before we receive authority from the airline to make any refund.
Swift Travel Ltd applies a further £25 per ticket administration fee over and above cancellation charges in such cases.

Please ensure that any tickets returned to Swift Travel Ltd are sent by registered post.

TAXES: Swift Travel Ltd will advise you of all mandatory pre-paid taxes. Most countries also charge departure taxes that may only be paid locally. It is therefore recommended that clients retain sufficient local currency to meet such charges. Please note that taxes are subject to exchange rate fluctuations.

INSURANCE: Swift Travel Ltd has made arrangements with a leading travel insurance company to cater to your needs. On selecting your holiday components, we highly recommend you purchase travel insurance. We strongly advise all our clients to take out travel insurance. We offer single, multi trip and annual insurance cover. Please refer to the insurance section on this site for details, cover and prices from which to make your choice.