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Jan to June 2008 Brochure
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Kent · London · Cambridge
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GTI Travel Group



Financial Security

Financial security and a responsible attitude towards your safety - An organisaion that you really trust

Our financial statement below gives you advice on the financial protection that we offer you as a client but also what you should be aware of before you book any form of travel in the UK or Europe – regardless of which company you choose to travel with

Legal requirements for any travel agent, tour operator, charity or private individual who offers travel arrangements in Europe (including the UK)
European law requires all companies, charities or individuals who make travel arrangements that are sold from the within Europe to protect their clients’ funds in case they encounter financial difficulties, bankrupt or simply disappear with your money.

Failure to properly protect your payment is actually a criminal offence and the offender could face a jail sentence for not protecting your funds. This basically means that if you pay for a tour and the company spends your money and then goes bankrupt, the owner or director will have committed a serious offence.
Unfortunately, the UK’s enforcement body “Trading Standards” which is run by local councils in the many different regions of the UK only follows up complaints for companies that have failed to protect funds after a client has reported the offending company or person. This normally happens after a company has gone out of business, when it’s too late and the client’s payment has already disappeared.

International Friends take a different view
Unlike most tour companies we do not take advantage of the weak enforcement of the rules. We see the security and safe return of your payment in the event of our failure as a legal right that you as our client are entitled to. We also hope that you will see this as another reason to use us as opposed to other companies that do not protect your money.

Here is how we protect your money:
International Friends are members of the Travel Trust Association (membership number U4615) and are fully compliant with the European and UK laws that regulate the sale of packaged tours (i.e. transport/accommodation/guides etc). This means that when you make any payment to us, your money is fully protected against our financial failure.

There are 2 stages of protection:

  1. Stage 1 of your protection
    All tour payments to International Friends are automatically deposited into the International Friends Travel Trust Association bank account, which is held with the UK bank NatWest. Your payment is only released to International Friends once your travel arrangements have been completed. This is always after your tour has ended.
  2. Stage 2 of your protection
    In addition we also provide an insurance policy for £11,000 per person financial protection. This is in place in the event of there being insufficient funds in our client trust account. You will receive your insurance policy shortly after you make your booking. This is sent to you electronically, unless you inform us that you would like a printed version.

The difference between International Friends and other companies
Very few companies provide this kind of cover but we know that it is legally required and also very important. Many of our clients have no prior knowledge of our company and are expected to book and pay for their trips in advance and from the other side of the world. We feel that this  We know that you can take a just few minutes to independently very our membership of the Travel Trust Association. In doing so, you will also find out how we properly and legally protect your payment to us. This is not just a statement of intent that appears in our brochure or on our website. At the same time, you will also discover how most other companies that sell tours in the UK do not protect your payment, even though they should.

Other forms of compliance and security
We hold our own PSV (Public Service Vehicle) Operators' License, enabling us to offer you high quality transport which is externally checked for safety and is correctly insured for commercial operations. We are required by law to hold sufficient working capital to legally transport services.
We have our own documented safety policy and additional combined liability insurance, which provides extra cover for our entire supply chain, so that in the event of major unforeseen events, you are travelling with a company that has taken all steps to reduce your exposure to risk. We believe our additional insurance demonstrates how importantly we view your safety.

We firmly believe that we go a long way beyond most other companies or organisations which operate tours for overseas visitors. Our consistent attention to detail together with the best products on the UK market, means that you can be assured of a fantastic experience with people who really do care!

Verifiavle Proof of compliance and security
You can verify everything we state in this section by requesting the following from us:
1. Copy of our Travel Trust Association Membership Certificate
2. Details of the International Friends/Travel Trust Natwest Client Trust bank account
3. Copy of your Travel Trust insurance policy
4. Copy of our tour operators liability insurance
5. Copy of our transport operators liability insurance
6. Copy of our PSV transport operators licence

Additionally, International Friends is limited company and copies of our accounts are available from Companies House for a fee. We operate on the basis we maintain a healthy balance sheet, generating profits that are re-invested back into the company to ensure you get the best possible experience.
Why take chances – book with complete confidence, wherever you are in the world