BOOKING TERMS & CONDITIONS

(To download and read the full Terms & Conditions of your programme, please click here.)

BOOKING
When you submit the booking form to join a placement, it should be accompanied by your deposit of £95. If you book on-line, you can pay securely using a credit/debit card. You can also pay by cheque or bank transfer.

Once we have received and processed your Booking, and provided we can meet all your expressed requirements, such as the town or country you would like to go to, we will confirm your placement and send you the following:

• Your welcome letter and processing information
• Visa Information. 
• Insurance Information: Insurance is mandatory and should be adequate
• Your Programme Guide: Contains lots of necessary information and advice about your placement, including in-country contact details and telephone numbers. It includes information on medical matters and inoculations, insurance, safety, currencies and travellers cheques, communications and mobile phones, and much more.
• Your Project Book: Contains information about the specific project you'll be doing.
• Your Country Book: Contains lots of information about your destination country
• Your Safety Book: Safety is vitally important, so we have put together a book of common-sense safety rules to help ensure that your travelling is as hassle-free and risk-free as possible.

CANCELLING
If we cannot place you in the country of your choice, we will suggest another programme which we think may suit you.  However, if you are not satisfied with our suggestion, WE WILL RETURN ALL THE MONEY YOU HAVE SENT US. 

If you wish to amend or cancel your placement, we must be notified in writing and, unfortunately, charges for these are unavoidable. Amendment charges can range from £30 to £95, plus any amount we may be charged by third parties. The charge for cancellation will depend on how far in advance of your originally preferred departure date you have notified us in writing, and are as follows:

• Notice of 2 months or more - £50
• Notice of 1-2 months - One-half of the total cost of your placement
• Notice of 1 month (30 days) or less - the cancellation charge is 100%, and I am afraid we cannot make any refund.

Please note that payment of any outstanding balance is due two months before your departure date.

Our prices are valid for departures within 6 months of booking. For projects starting later, price fluctuations may apply owing to circumstances beyond our control, such as significant changes in oil or fuel prices, exchange rates, etc. Please note that you will be re-invoiced 6 months prior to actual departure in this instance.

Due to popularity of Add-Ons generally, we recommend that you book well in advance to avoid disappointment. Any prices quoted on this site are subject to change without notification. All prices are quoted on a 'from' basis and are subject to availability. All bookings made are subject to fulfilling the payment and eligibility requirements of the activity - failure to do so may result in a reservation being cancelled.

PRIVACY POLICY:
We do not store credit card details nor do we share customer details with any external third parties.

VISAS
You will need to apply for and buy your own visas. Please speak to your Project Co-ordinator. 

CRIMINAL RECORDS CHECKS
In many of the projects in which we work, volunteers are often placed into positions of trust; whether it’s volunteering as a teacher, coach, carer, nurse, researcher, and so on. We will, therefore, ask you to apply for a Criminal Records Check (CRC) if you fall into the category below:

• Participation in your chosen programme brings you into contact with children or vulnerable adults

 We'll automatically add the cost of the CRC to your invoice (currently £16.50). Once we have received the payment, we can go ahead and start the process by sending you an instruction guide and necessary links to enable you to apply for the CRC.

 However, if you already have a recent CRC, please let your Project Co-ordinator know.

If you'd like more information about the CRC or its Disclosure service, visit their website at www.crb.gov.uk

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT FOREIGN CULTURES
Please keep in mind that you are going to foreign shores where the way of life is different to your own.  There may be times when you find yourself frustrated over the way things are done or how people think - but remember that it is the differences between us that make life interesting! The three things you need most of all when travelling in any foreign country to have a good experience are ...

• A sense of humour, and
• A spirit of adventure.
• Adaptability and patience.

ADDITIONAL NOTES

• Please note that Budget Volunteering is not an employment agency

• We are also not a travel agency and we can't control timetables and schedules of airlines, trains, etc. (unfortunately!) - although we wish we could! So please take heed of the section entitled What you Need above!

• Our managers and organisers overseas will do everything they can to help you with additional things like sightseeing and suggesting places to eat and shop and tourist attractions to visit.

A voluntary placement in a foreign and often exotic country is something you'll appreciate for the rest of your life - you will certainly never forget it!