Podge’s Belgian Beer Tours

Terms & Conditions

‘Podge’s Belgian Beer Tours’ is the name under which Siobhan McGinn runs tours to Belgium and other countries in Europe. ‘Tour’ means any tour organised by Podge’s Belgian Beer Tours. ‘Traveller(s)’ means any person(s) who have booked on a Tour. These Terms & Conditions form part of the contract between Podge’s Belgian Beer Tours and the Traveller. Any Tour booking and contract between Podge’s Belgian Beer Tours and a Traveller is governed by The Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 ‘the Regulations.’

Coronavirus & Podge's Belgian Beer Tours

All Tours now require all Travellers to demonstrate that they have received two doses of the Moderna, AstraZeneca or Pfizer vaccine or one dose of the Janssen vaccine or any other Covid vaccine for the time being approved in the U.K. by the appropriate Health Authorities. This should be two weeks before departure. It is also helpful to have had the booster vaccine, as this means that the Travellers vaccine passport has no time limit, whereas it does if you have not been boosted. Travellers will need proof of their vaccine status by way of the NHS COVID Pass through the free NHS app on a mobile device such as a smartphone or tablet or the NHS COVID Pass Letter (Call 119).

Transport on Tour

For Tours to Belgium a coach is hired in the United Kingdom for transport of Travellers to and from Belgium and for use whilst on Tour. Occasionally a coach is hired locally in Belgium if it is necessary to accommodate legal coach drivers hours. The coach is usually a 48-seater with toilet, but occasionally a smaller or larger coach is used depending on Tour numbers. Travellers are usually free to sit where they wish on the coach as seat numbers are not usually allocated.

Accommodation on Tour

Podge’s Belgian Beer Tours use hotel accommodation on each Tour with breakfast included, which is usually a continental buffet style. All rooms booked for Travellers have private en suite facilities except where stated. Each Tour itinerary published on our website will state the hotel and location used for that Tour, and if the hotel has a website a link to that website will be provided for Travellers to check the services and features offered by the hotel and its approval or tourist classification under local rules.

Meals on Tour

The Tour price includes breakfast in the Tour hotel following each night’s stay. Other meals may be included in the Tour price, and if this is the case it will be clearly indicated and marked with an asterisk on the detailed itinerary for the Tour as posted on our website and sent to Travellers prior to travel.

Brewery Visits, Beer Tastings and Other Visits

Brewery visits, including tastings and entrance charges to museums and specified attractions mentioned in the Tour itinerary will be included in the Tour price, and if this is the case it will be clearly indicated and marked with an asterisk on the detailed itinerary for the Tour as posted on Podge's Belgian Beer Tours website and sent to to Travellers prior to travel.

Tour Itinerary

Podge’s Belgian Beer Tours website is regularly updated with new Tour dates and information as to details of each Tour. At an early stage we announce dates of the Tour with outline information of location of overnight stays and an outline of places, beer festivals or breweries intended to be visited. As details of the Tour are worked on further information is added and when all visits are arranged and in place the price for the Tour is fixed. All Tours are carefully constructed personally by Siobhan McGinn and the Tour descriptions are as accurate as possible at the time of website posting but from time to time it may be necessary to alter details of a Tour such as restaurants, cafes or breweries to be visited. In this case suitable alternatives will be found and Podge’s Belgian Beer Tours reserves the right to make changes to the itinerary as advertised. Most changes made will be of a minor nature. If it is necessary to make a significant change Travellers will be informed as soon as possible once the change has been made. Travellers will be sent a detailed timed itinerary in good time prior to the Tour departure date, usually four weeks prior to departure, which will include full joining instructions, the times and places of all scheduled transport connections, stops, visits, Tours and hotel details. Items marked with an asterisk are included in the Tour price.

Tour Price

Podge’s Belgian Beer Tours reserves the right to change a Tour price after Travellers have booked on a Tour (by paying a deposit) as a result of variations in certain costs as specified under The Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018. These costs include carriage and transportation charges, fuel, dues, taxes or fees chargeable for services such as landing taxes, embarkation/disembarkation fees at ports/airports; taxes or fees on the travel services included in the contract imposed by third parties not directly involved in the performance of the package, including tourist taxes, and also variations in currency exchange rates.

Podge's Belgian Beer Tours will not change the Tour price within 20 days of the Tour departure date and will not change the Tour price if cost variations would produce an increase/decrease of less than 2% of the Tour price. If Podge's Belgian Beer Tours increases a Tour price by more than 8% of the Tour Price then Travellers have the option of either paying the increased Tour price or cancelling their booking and receiving a refund of an amount equal to the sum of the amount paid.

If a Traveller opts to cancel for this reason they must exercise this right within 14 days of the date of the email sent to them by Siobhan McGinn informing them of the increased Tour price.

Should the price of a Tour go down due to variations in the costs mentioned above by more than 2% of the Tour price then any refund due will be paid to the Traveller.

Deposit and Final Payment for Tours

Podge’s Belgian Beer Tours requires a deposit of at least £100 per person to secure a place on a Tour and the balance of the price of the Tour is due six weeks before departure. Payment can be made by cheque or preferably by bank transfer.

Booking a Tour

To book on a Tour please first read all of the Terms & Conditions on this page as they form part of the contract between Podge’s Belgian Beer Tours and the Traveller. To book please email or call Siobhan McGinn on 07722 724 558 to register your interest and to make arrangements to pay the deposit for the Tour. Siobhan McGinn will provide details of how to pay the deposit by cheque or preferably by bank transfer. A booking is accepted and the contract between the Traveller and Podge’s Belgian Beer Tours is made when Podge’s Belgian Beer Tours sends a confirmation email to the Traveller confirming that their cheque or bank transfer has been received. At the time of booking Travellers should inform Siobhan McGinn of any special needs, whether dietary, regarding mobility or otherwise and she will advise whether the Travellers special needs can be accommodated.

Entry Requirements into Belgium

Travellers passports must meet 2 requirements. It must be:

i. Less than 10 years old on the day you enter (check the ‘date of issue’).

ii. Valid for at least 3 months after the day you plan to leave (check the ‘expiry date’).

For some Schengen countries a passport may need to be less than 10 years old during your whole visit, and the 3 months at the end of your visit may need to be within 10 years of your passport’s issue date. Check both the issue date and the expiry date in your passport. If you renewed your passport early, extra months may have been added to its expiry date. This could affect the requirement for your passport to be less than 10 years old.

Travellers are able to travel to countries in the Schengen area for up to 90 days in any 180-day period without a visa for tourism purposes. This is a rolling 180-day period. Therefore previous visits to the Schengen area within the 180 days before the Tour date would count against the 90-day limit. Travellers should be aware of this requirement if they have travelled previously and if they wish to join a Podge’s Belgian Beer Tour. If Travellers have travelled in excess of the above limits they may need a visa in addition to their passport to travel to Belgium and should contact the Belgian Embassy to see what type of visa is required.

At border control for Belgium, Travellers may need to:

i. show a return or onward ticket (this is held by our coach company driver on Tour).

ii. show they have enough money for their stay.

iii. present their passports for stamping on entry and exit.

European Entry Exit System (implementation 6 October 2024)

The EES (Entry/Exit System) is a fothcoming new extra layer of security for the EU. It llows their border control to know where you are and when you move from country to country. When this is implemented, currently planned for 06 October 2024, we will not only have to scan our passport on entering Europe (for us at Eurotunnel Folkestone or Dover Ferry Port) but we will also have to put our hand on a fingerprint scanner to have four prints digitally recorded, and a face recognition too. This will then be linked to our passport information. This biometric scanning needs to be done on the outbound and inbound journey to and from Europe. It is designed to do away with manual stamping of passports and eventually, with border staff too, as this is designed to be done in automated booths. There is no preparation travellers can make in advance for the fingerprint/facial recognition, as this will be done on the day travel, but Podge’s Belgian Beer Tours will build in extra time at Folkestone/Dover and Calais for these checks.

ETIAS (E.U. Travel Information and Authorisation System)

ETIAS is a new travel authorisation system covering travel to the European Union from third party countries, which will include British passport holders and US passport holders, amongst others. The system has been a while in gestation but is due to be operational from mid 2025. The purpose of the system is to gather information on travellers who currently are travelling visa-free to the EU and ensure individuals posing security concerns are identified before they are permitted travel. British and US passport holders, amongst others must apply for ETIAS via an online application system. There is no paper system. You only need one application to visit any ETIAS member country and it should take 10 minutes to apply. It is valid for three years or until your passport expires, whichever comes first. You need to complete your application at least 96 hours prior to your departure date. The application should be approved within minutes, automatically as it is linked to your passport information in the system. The authorisation is sent by email in the form of a PDF document. The three year ETIAS authorisation costs €7 euros if you are between 18 and 70, and if you are over 70 its free! With the authorisation, you can stay in an ETIAS member country for stays of up to 90 days in a 180 day period. There is no need to print or present any documents at any border control as the ETIAS is stored electronically against your passport details stored in the European Immigration system. You do not need to apply for an ETIAS authorisation if you are travelling on a passport from an EU country, e.g. Irish passport.

Healthcare Cover Abroad - The EHIC & GHIC

Travellers who already hold a free European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) should retain this and travel with it until its expiry date, as it is still valid until its expiry. When the current EHIC expires, for most Travellers it should be replaced with the new UK Global Health Insurance Card (UK GHIC). This can be applied for within six months of the expiry date of the existing EHIC. These cards entitle Travellers to medically necessary state-provided healthcare when visiting a European country. Not all state healthcare is free in the EU and Travellers may have to pay for services that you would get for free on the NHS. The card is not an alternative to travel insurance, as some health-related costs, including medical repatriation, ongoing medical treatment and non-urgent treatment, are not covered. If Travellers do not have their card with them or have lost it, call the Department of Health Overseas Healthcare Team (+44 191 218 1999) to get a Provisional Replacement Certificate.

Comprehensive Travel Insurance

Podge’s Belgian Beer Tours requires all Travellers to take out comprehensive travel insurance before joining a Tour to cover (emergency) medical treatment, personal accident, loss of personal effects, personal liability and Traveller cancellation. Travellers are advised to take out travel insurance before booking a Tour in case they need to cancel at short notice. Our cancellation policy is set out on our Terms & Conditions page. Travellers should check any exclusions, especially those related to Coronavirus, cancellation and quarantine requirements and ensure their policy covers them for all the activities they want to undertake. It is the Travellers responsibility to ensure that they have valid travel and medical insurance. If any Traveller books and pays for their own flights to join any Tour, they should check their insurance policy for any exclusion of scheduled airline failure, and may wish to make arrangements for alternative travel in the event that the airline they have booked flights with becomes insolvent before they travel, or whilst they are abroad. Travellers should ensure that their travel insurance is valid from the date when they pay their deposit for their Tour in case cancellation is necessary.

If whilst in Belgium Travellers require emergency medical assistance dial 112 and ask for an ambulance. If Travellers are referred to a medical facility for treatment they should contact their insurance/medical assistance company immediately.

Coronavirus and Travel Insurance

The Coronavirus pandemic has caused insurers to amend their policy cover to exclude many Coronavirus scenarios, so you need to know what your policy covers and what it does not. If you are unsure please call your insurer. In very general terms it is likely that your policy would cover you for medical expenses, medical repatriation costs and certain other expenses incurred only if you actually contract Coronavirus abroad, have a positive test and a medical diagnosis. You may also be covered for the extra costs of extending your stay as a result of contracting Coronavirus whilst away, but these could have an upper limit. You need to know what yours is.

Travellers need to be aware that UK and foreign government can impose onerous and draconian restrictions on travel at any time and without notice which could affect your holiday. In some countries borders may close or you may be required to self-isolate for a set period, even if you do not have symptoms.

It is likely that everything else connected with Coronavirus and holidays is likely to be excluded on your travel insurance policies and may include:

• If UK government restrictions on travel are removed but are later reinstated and prevent you from travelling close to the date of departure.

• If the area where you live in the UK or where you are departing from is locked down.

• If the UK government introduces compulsory quarantine for travellers coming back from your holiday location and you no longer want to travel.

• If you arrive at your destination to find all UK nationals are required to quarantine on arrival and you wish to cut your trip short.

• If the area you are staying in on holiday is locked down by the local government

• If there is a spike in local cases when you are on holiday and you wish to cut short your holiday.

• If you are required to quarantine in your hotel room by a local government or a public health official, even if you have no symptoms. For example if another guest in your hotel tests positive for Coronavirus or if the Belgian Authorities give an instruction for travellers to quarantine in their hotel room. If you are required to go into quarantine whilst you are abroad, you may be covered provided there is no Coronavirus exclusion in your policy. Your insurer may consider additional travel expenses at the end of the quarantined period to allow you to return home.

Health & Safety on Tour

Podge’s Belgian Beer Tours regularly includes visits to working breweries which contain commercial equipment and installations. Travellers should be aware that they may be walking amongst machinery, vehicles, bottling plants, cables, pipes and up and down steep stairs and that appropriate caution should be taken during these visits regarding not entering any areas not authorised by the brewery being visited nor touching any machinery or installations in any brewery.

Traveller Cancellation

Travellers who wish to cancel a booking on any Tour must give written (email or letter) notice to Siobhan McGinn prior to the Tour departure date. If the cancellation is received more than 42 days prior to the Tour departure date all monies paid by the Traveller will be refunded. If the cancellation is received on or less than 42 days before the Tour departure date the termination fee of 100% of the price of the Tour will be made.

Cancellation due to lack of Numbers of Travellers

Podge’s Belgian Beer Tours have run Tours for group sizes from 15 to 49 people. If less than 14 people book on a Tour it may not be viable for the Tour to proceed and Podge’s Belgian Beer Tours reserves the right to cancel a Tour due to lack of sufficient numbers to make the Tour viable. Podge’s Belgian Beer Tours would endeavour to give a Traveller at least 21 days’ notice of any cancellation and any monies paid for the Tour will be repaid in full. In the event of cancellation by either party, Podge’s Belgian Beer Tours will not be liable for any other costs incurred beyond the price of the Tour. Podge’s Belgian Beer Tours requires Travellers to obtain appropriate travel and cancellation insurance.

Delayed Departures on Tour

Podge’s Belgian Beer Tours travels to Belgium in a coach via Le Shuttle (Eurotunnel) (Folkestone to Calais) or occasionally by ferry (Dover to Calais). Delays in the scheduled train or ferry departure can occur due to industrial action, adverse weather conditions, security alerts or other unforeseen circumstances. Podge’s Belgian Beer Tours and the coach company engaged on the Tour will use their best endeavours to ensure that the coach proceeds as soon as possible on the next available ferry or train on either the outbound or inbound leg of the Tour.

Repatriation on Tours

Podge’s Belgian Beer Tours hires coaches for the transportation of Travellers from and to their agreed pick up and drop off points in U.K. Podge’s Belgian Beer Tours ensures that the coach hire fee is settled well in advance of each Tour, therefore in the event of the insolvency of Siobhan McGinn trading as Podge’s Belgian Beer Tours the coach which attends Travellers throughout the Tour would return and repatriate Travellers back to their agreed drop off points.

Jurisdiction

These Terms and Conditions, any contract formed under these Terms and Conditions, any matters arising from any contract between the Traveller and Podge’s Belgian Beer Tours and any and all claims shall be governed by and construed in accordance with English Law and Travellers agree to submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English Courts in relation to any dispute arising out of or relating to these Terms and Conditions and/or any contract formed between the Traveller and Podge’s Belgian Beer Tours.

Force Majeure

Podge’s Belgian Beer Tours cannot accept liability or pay any compensation where the performance, or prompt performance of its contractual obligations to the Traveller is prevented or affected, or the Traveller otherwise suffers any damage, loss or expense of any nature as a result of ‘force majeure’. In these Terms and Conditions ‘force majeure’ means any event or circumstances which we or the supplier of the service(s) in question could not, even with all due care and due diligence foresee or avoid. Such events or circumstances may include (whether actual or threatened) war, riot, civil strife, terrorist activity, industrial dispute, natural or nuclear disaster, adverse weather conditions, fire, pandemics/epidemics, the Coronavirus pandemic and all similar events outside the control of Podge’s Belgian Beer Tours.

The Electronic Commerce (EC Directive) Regulations 2002

For the purposes of the above Statutory Instrument the name of the service provider is Siobhan McGinn, trading as and sole proprietor of Podge’s Belgian Beer Tours. The geographic address of the service provider is 102 Mildmay Road, Chelmsford, Essex CM2 0EA, United Kingdom and the email address is podgehome@blueyonder.co.uk. The telephone number is 07722 724558. The service provider is a member of the Association of Group Travel Organisers (AGTO) U.K. and is not a limited company and is not registered for U.K. Value Added Tax.

GB Alcohol Allowance Import for Personal Use from 1 January 2021

From 1 January 2021 the GB allowance for duty free alcohol is

i. 42 litres of beer, and

ii. 18 litres of still wine, and

iii. 4 litres of spirits OR 9 litres of sparkling wine, fortified wine or any alcoholic drink less than 22% ABV. However you cannot transfer your wine allowance to take more beer home instead! So, if you want just beer the equivalent is 5 x 33cl bottle crates. For tobacco, please see the GB Government wesite and for any other goods the limit is a value of £390 or £270 if travelling by private plane or boat