Terms & Conditions
The purchase of any travel services offered by Ta Chi Travel Service Co Ltd, trading as Life of Taiwan on the website www.lifeoftaiwan.com (hereafter “Life of Taiwan” or “LOT”), constitutes a contractual arrangement between you and Ta Chi Travel Service Co Ltd, and represents your acceptance of the Company’s Terms & Conditions set out below.
Please ensure that you carefully read and understand these Terms & Conditions prior to booking. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your dedicated travel consultant or to our head office via contact@lifeoftaiwan.com.
Release of Liability
By booking services with Life of Taiwan, you have voluntarily applied to participate on one of our tours. You release Life of Taiwan, its employees, and partners from and against any and all liability arising from your participation in the tour or expedition.
You acknowledge that you understand the risks of traveling to a foreign country and to remote areas and are responsible for being in sufficient good health to undertake the trip. You understand that during your participation on our tour, certain risks and dangers may arise beyond our control, including but not limited to: The hazards of travelling in remote areas; travel by boat, train, automobile, aircraft, or other means of transport; forces of nature; political unrest; acts of lawlessness or terrorism; and accidents or illness in locations without means of rapid evacuation or medical facilities. Life of Taiwan will not have liability regarding provision of medical care or the adequacy of any care that may be rendered.
You understand that you are responsible for preparing for the trip, receiving any required vaccinations prior to travel, and for bringing the appropriate clothing and equipment as advised in Life of Taiwan pre-departure documents.
Tour Inclusions and Exclusions
Full inclusions and exclusions for every Life of Taiwan journey can be found on your personalized proposals.
The following charges are never included in the tour price: international airfare to and from the start of your tour; airline baggage fees including but not limited to excess baggage charges; any inspection fees or transport taxes relating to your flight in or out of Taiwan (Republic of China).
Gratuities
Gratuities for porters and restaurant waiting staff are included in your tour price. In general, gratuities for your guides and drivers are not included in the tour price. Although gratuities are, of course, made at your discretion, our travelers often ask for our recommendations for how to tip their Taiwanese hosts. We have outlined these below.
Gratuities for your guide: USD$10-USD$15 per person per day
Gratuities for your driver: USD$5-USD$10 per person per day
Booking Your Journey
Fully Transferrable Planning Fees
All of our private journeys are fully customized. This means that after you get in touch, we’ll arrange a time for you and one of our travel consultants to chat and for them to fully understand what you’re looking for from a Life of Taiwan journey.
Once you’re both sure that we fully understand your needs, your dedicated travel consultant will then work with you until we’ve created your dream Taiwan adventure.
We understand that travel in a post-COVID world is still uncertain and so, if you need to postpone your journey for any reason, we will be supportive and understanding.
Deposits upon confirmation
30% of the total tour fee will be required upon confirmation with the remainder due 30 days prior to travel dates. Please note if you confirm inside the 30 day window we will require 100% payment in advance.
Your balance payment will be due just 30 days before you travel. If travel restrictions stop you from traveling after this time, we’ll do our best to recover any costs. If you decide to cancel for other reasons after this time, the following cancellation policy applies:
- Between 29-25 days prior to trip departure – 25% of your total tour price will be forfeited
- Less than 24-20 days prior to trip departure – 50% of your total tour price will be forfeited
- Less than 19 days prior to trip departure – 100% of your total tour price will be forfeited
- After trip departure – no refund
Change Your Plans Anytime
If you need to postpone your trip after you’ve paid your balance payment, no matter when you tell us, we’ll send you 100% of your balance as a credit voucher no questions asked.*
*We’ll try our best to recover all costs on your behalf. However, as each of our journeys is fully customized there may be instances where we are unable to recover all of your costs. We’ll issue your credit voucher minus any costs that we are unable to recover.
If your tour is booked within 30 days of your journey start date, then payment in full at the time of booking is required. In the case of billing errors, Life of Taiwan reserves the right to re-invoice you with correct pricing.
Life of Taiwan reserves the right to cancel or reschedule any tour departure for any reason, including insufficient demand or force majeure. If a tour is cancelled prior to departure, Life of Taiwan’s only responsibility will be to refund the full amount received for the reservation as well as the deposit. Life of Taiwan will be indemnified from any additional claims.
No refunds will be provided by Life of Taiwan for unused services after the trip begins, portions of trips missed due to cancelled, rescheduled or delayed flights, nor is Life of Taiwan responsible for any additional expenses incurred as a result of cancelled, rescheduled or delayed flights.
Deposit & Final Payment
LOT accepts AMEX, Visa, MasterCard, and wire transfers. Payment of your planning fee indicates you have read and accepted these Terms and Conditions.
Please review and verify your booking invoice thoroughly and contact LOT immediately if your invoice appears to be incorrect or incomplete, as it may not be possible to make changes later. LOT cannot accept responsibility if we are not notified of inaccuracies within five days of sending out the invoice. In the case of billing errors, LOT reserves the right to re-invoice you with correct pricing.
Your balance payment for your tour is due 30 days prior to the commencement of services. If final payment is not received by the due date, your reservation may be released and your full deposit will be retained by LOT. If your tour is booked within 30 days of the tour beginning then payment in full is required. A deposit would not secure the booking.
Credit Card Security
Payment By Credit Card – LOT applies the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) to its Credit Card transactions.
Participation
For the benefit of everyone on your tour, LOT reserves the right to accept or reject any tour participant and to remove any participant whose conduct is deemed incompatible with the interests of other participants. LOT will not refund or cover any cost or expenses incurred for termination of tour arrangements due to unacceptable behaviour. LOT would deem unacceptable behaviour to be drunken and disorderly, overly argumentative, being aggressive and showing intolerance to those in the vicinity and to the host country.
Travellers Who Need Special Assistance On Tours
Please let us know in advance if you or a member of your party requires special assistance while on tour with Life of Taiwan. Please note that unfortunately not all sites in Taiwan can accommodate wheelchairs and some locations and sightseeing
activities require extensive standing, sitting or walking, sometimes on unpaved or cobblestone streets. Life of Taiwan will make all reasonable attempts to accommodate the individual needs of travelers but cannot be held responsible if it is unable to do so, nor responsible for any denial of services by air carriers, hotels, restaurants, or other independent suppliers.
Young Travellers
Travellers who are under 18 years old on the departure date must be accompanied by an adult throughout the tour and children up to the age of 14 are requested to share an adult’s bedroom accommodation. It is up to the discretion of the adult should they wish older children to share their bedroom accommodation.
Smoking
Smoking is not allowed on transport exclusively provided by LOT. Visitors who smoke should make themselves aware of Taiwan’s strict laws against smoking in public places, and that hotels in Taiwan are 100% non-smoking.
Price Policy
All tour prices are based on rates (reflecting foreign exchange rates) known at the time of publication and expected to be in effect at the time of departure, and do not include airfare except where noted on specific itineraries. Tour prices are per person.
Prices are subject to increase without notice, subject to the guarantees set out below. Once LOT has received your full deposit for any tour or services that price is guaranteed and you are protected against any price increase due to exchange-rate fluctuations. Any subsequent cost increases are at LOT’s expense.
Visas & Passports
You are responsible for obtaining and paying for all visas and entry documents, for meeting all health and other requirements, and for any documents required by the laws, regulations, orders, and/or requirements of Taiwan (Republic of China). LOT is not responsible for providing you with specific visa and passport information or documentation, for any fees associated with obtaining these documents, and LOT cannot accept liability for any passenger refused entry into Taiwan (Republic of China) or onto any transport within the country due to the passenger’s failure to carry correct documentation. There are no refunds for failure to provide documentation at the time required.
Hotels, Accommodations & Transport
The hotels listed on our website are intended to be used on all tours. However, hotels are not guaranteed. LOT reserves the right to substitute other hotels than those listed on the itinerary pages. If a change becomes necessary for any reason, the hotel substituted will be of equivalent or higher quality, when available, to those shown. No refunds are provided for hotel changes; full cancellation penalties as noted above apply.
Every effort is made to reserve only twin-bedded rooms. Occasionally, some hotels will only provide double-bedded rooms. These rooms will be allocated to couples. In the rare event that included train or air services are unavailable, alternate services will be provided. Itinerary timings are approximate and may be subject to change.
Baggage Allowance
Porterage at hotels, train and bus stations is included in the tour price. Please be prepared to carry your own suitcase on and off airplanes and through international airports. You are responsible for notifying LOT in advance if your baggage includes any items exceeding 30”x21”x11” in size, or if the total weight exceeds 25kg. If you do not, LOT will be unable to accept all your luggage, and will not be responsible for any storage or delivery costs incurred. No responsibility is accepted by LOT for loss of or damage to baggage or any of the traveller’s belongings throughout the duration of the tour. Baggage insurance is recommended.
Carry-on bags should not exceed the dimensions of 12″x11″x6″. For safety reasons, wheeled carry-on bags are not suitable as hand luggage on motor coaches and mini-buses. Carry-on bags must be small enough to store in overhead bins or under the seat in front of you on motor coaches and other transport.
Claims and Complaints
As it is difficult and sometimes impossible to properly investigate a complaint if LOT is not advised of such complaint quickly, any compensation you may have been able to claim could be reduced or even forfeited if you do not follow the complaints procedure set out in this clause. After returning from your tour, if you wish to inquire about any services provided, please ensure that all correspondence relating to those services is received by LOT.
Any complaint or claim involving tour services must be notified to LOT within 30 days of the tour’s completion and address to Maggie Chen at contact@lifeoftaiwan.com Any complaint or claim relating to LOT tour services and involving the negligence of any suppliers, sub-contractors, or agents must be notified to LOT during the tour or within 30 days of the tour’s completion and address to Maggie Chen at contact@lifeoftaiwan.com. Maggie Chen will acknowledge your communication within 72 hours by e-mail and will respond fully within 10 working days by e-mail. If, for any reason, Maggie Chen is not able to follow this obligation through, you will receive communication from the office notifying you and providing a new timeline.
Holidays
During local or national holidays or special events, peak seasons, on Sundays, and during religious occasions, certain facilities such as museums, churches, restaurants, sightseeing tours, hotels, and shopping may be limited or not available. Alternatives will be offered whenever possible. LOT cannot be held responsible for any closures, necessary itinerary changes or curtails for any reason. However, LOT will make every endeavour to ensure bookings are avoided at said periods.
Insurance Policy
The quoted fee includes basic liability insurance for each person. This is a government policy for all travel agents receiving international visitors. For this purpose, we will request the following details from each member of your group: Full name, date of birth, and passport number. We appreciate you may also have your own insurance policy, which we strongly recommend, but please understand that this is compulsory under Taiwanese law.
Safety
Please be aware that during your participation on our tour, certain risks and dangers may arise beyond our control, including but not limited to: the hazards of travelling in remote areas; travel by boat, train, automobile, aircraft, or other means of transport; forces of nature; political unrest; acts of lawlessness or terrorism; and accidents or illness in locations without means of rapid evacuation or medical facilities. LOT will not have liability regarding provision of medical care or the adequacy of any care that may be rendered. Whilst LOT will use its best efforts to ensure that adequate measures are taken, by agreeing to participate in one of our tours, you agree that you will not hold LOT responsible regarding any provision of medical care or the adequacy of any care rendered. LOT is not responsible for risks and dangers that may arise beyond our control. Payment of your deposit indicates you accept these risks and dangers and agree to hold LOT harmless for such.
Photographs or Pictures
Photographs or pictures appearing on this website should be used solely as an indication of facilities and attractions. Actual facilities and attractions may vary according to itinerary. Any pictures or images taken by our employees and featuring guests on our tours are the copyright of LOT and can be used commercially by LOT or its affiliates without further permission being obtained. If you do not agree to this please state it before our tour begins.
Options & Activities
Some optional activities available through LOT are provided by local operators or other third parties that are entirely independent of LOT and do not form any part of the product or services sold to you by LOT or of these Terms & Conditions, even where LOT suggests particular operators /other third parties and/or assists you in booking such optional activities or excursions.
Your contract for such services will be with the organiser or operator of that service and subject to its Terms & Conditions, which may contain exclusions or limitations of liability. LOT has no liability for any such optional activity or excursion or for any acts or omissions of the operator or its employees.
Any advice or assistance on or with any service provided by any local representative does not mean or imply that the service is sold, supervised, or controlled by LOT. Before booking any optional activity or excursion, LOT advises you to check the operator’s own Terms & Conditions.
For operational reasons, not all options listed on our website or itineraries may be available during your tour. LOT will advise you of availability while on tour.
Responsibility
Ta Chi Travel Service Co Ltd. of 29 Dong Ping Road, East District, Tainan, Taiwan, is a Licensed Tour Operator that markets travel products under the Life of Taiwan (LOT) brand name and arranges for the tour services offered on this web site, including transport, sightseeing, and accommodations through independent contracts. Accommodations, restaurants and other suppliers (including but not limited to trains, ferries and road vehicles) providing services are independent contractors and are not agents, employees, servants, or joint ventures of the Company or its affiliates. All certificates and other travel documents for services issued by the Company are subject to the Terms & Conditions specified by the supplier, which are available upon request, and to the laws of Taiwan (Republic of China).
The Company reserves the right to accept or reject any person as a tour participant; to expel any participant from the tour; to make changes in the itinerary whenever the Company deems it necessary for the comfort, convenience, or safety of the participants; and to cancel a tour at any time.