Terms & Conditions

In this document:

• “VV” means Venture Vienna U and its employees, duly appointed agents, and representatives from time to time (and “We” and “Us” shall be construed accordingly).
• “Tour” means any paid guided tour or visit organised by VV.
• “Guide” means the person(s) leading a Tour.
• “Activity” means any physical activity (such as walking or cycling) required to complete a Tour.
• “Scheduled Tour Date” means the date on which a Tour is scheduled to take place.
• “You” means any person participating, or wishing to participate, in a Tour (and “Your” shall be construed accordingly).
• “Medical Issue” means any medical condition, illness, disorder or disability which may affect Your ability to complete the Activity or that may be aggravated while You carry out the Activity; and
• “Terms” means the terms and conditions of this document.

If You participate in a VV tour, you agree to be bound by these Terms.

1. Physical condition of participants:

A reasonable level of fitness is required in order to complete the Tour without causing delays to the rest of the group. It is Your responsibility to be aware of the fitness level required for a particular activity, so if in any doubt, please call Us to discuss.

At the time of booking, You confirm that You are:

1) physically capable of undertaking all aspects of the Tour, considering its challenges and purposes; and

2) in good health and unaware of any reason why You may be likely to suffer illness or injury during, or as a result of, the Activity; and

3) (if kayaking) able to swim a minimum of 30 metres without stopping and able to tread water unaided for at least two minutes

If You are unable to give this confirmation for any reason, or You have or reasonably think you may have a Medical Issue, You must contact Us before making Your booking so that we can assist You in considering Your suitability for the Tour. You must also inform the Guide before the start of the Tour of any Medical Issue that has, or may have, arisen since You booked the Tour so that he/she may assess your suitability for the Tour in accordance with section 3 below.

2. Age limits:

If You are physically fit enough to complete the Tour at a reasonable pace, there are no upper age limits on any Tour. Minimum age limits do apply. All small-group ‘Wines, Vines & Good Times’ and ‘Semmering Railway Tour’ participants must be at least 9 years old on the day of the Tour. All ‘Kayaking Vienna’ participants must be at least 6 years old on the day of the Tour, with anyone under the age of 13 being accompanied by a

responsible adult in a two-person kayak. Participants under the age of 18 travelling without supervision must present to Us written confirmation from their legal guardian granting permission to participate in the Tour.

3. Exclusion from participation:

3.1) After booking a Tour

If, after booking a Tour but before the Tour takes place, any information previously given is shown to be materially incorrect or incomplete, We reserve the right to cancel Your booking. In this situation, we will not be responsible for any costs or expenses incurred by You in preparing for the Tour.

3.2) On the day of the Tour

On the day of the Tour, Your Guide may exclude You from joining a Tour, or remove You at any time from a Tour already underway, if (in the Guide’s absolute discretion):

• You do not meet the physical participation requirements set out in section 1 above;
• Your participation would endanger You, other participants in the Tour or the Guide, or in any other way make the normal running of the Tour and its itinerary impossible or unnecessarily difficult or time-consuming;
• You disregard any instructions given from time to time by the Guide;
• You are under the influence of alcohol or drugs; or
• You engage in rude and/or abusive behaviour towards Your Guide, members of the public or other Tour participants

The decision of the Guide shall be final in all matters referred to in this section 3.2.

3.3) No refunds

No refund or other form of compensation will be given to You if You are excluded or removed from a Tour under section 3.1 or 3.2 above, or if for any reason You decide to leave a Tour before its completion and in such circumstances, this shall be entirely at Your own risk.

4. Lateness:

It is Your individual responsibility to arrive at the Tour starting point on time, and on the correct date as stated on Your booking confirmation. Delays caused by lateness on Tours affect the entire group, therefore Tour starting times are non-negotiable. If You are late, the Tour will leave without You and Your reservation will be forfeited without refund. We recommend arriving at the meeting point at least 10 minutes before the advertised start of the Tour. The location of each Tour meeting point can be found in the description of the Tour on our website (https://venturevienna.com) or the respective booking channel.

5. Equipment:

You are required to bring all recommended items and equipment for the Tour listed from time to time on the VV ‘FAQ’ pages (https://venturevienna.com/frequently-asked-questions/). Where items have been forgotten, reasonable efforts will be made to provide cover items, but ultimately, it is the sole responsibility of each participant to come fully prepared and VV provides no guarantee as to the availability of any such cover items.

You are responsible for all equipment issued by VV for use during the Tour, and you must therefore take all reasonable measures to prevent loss and damage. VV reserves the right to demand payment for equipment that is lost or misused.

6. Insurance and liability:

You acknowledge that:

• while VV endeavours to lead safe activities at all times, Tours generally entail physical strain and risks which may result in personal injury or property damage; and
• You take part in a Tour at your own risk.

It is essential that You have adequate and appropriate insurance cover for Your Tour, including for activities such as hiking/walking, cycling, and kayaking. None of our Tours require the use of climbing ropes and they are all supervised. Insurance should cover cancellation costs from the date of booking as well as medical expenses (including evacuation and repatriation). It is Your responsibility to ensure that the insurance cover You purchase is suitable and adequate for Your needs.

Except in instances of personal injury or death caused by negligence of the Guide, VV will not be liable for:
1) illness; injury; death; loss, theft or damage of personal effects, cash, objects of value, photo equipment or any other personal possessions during the duration of a Tour;
2) failure by You to take out adequate insurance;
3) fault on Your part before or during a Tour;
4) force majeure (as defined in section 10 below) or any other act of a higher power or event which the Guide could not foresee or prevent in spite of all reasonable precautions.

All bookings are made on the basis that You will strictly observe the safety instructions given by the Guide. If You choose to ignore the advice of the Guide, You do so at Your own risk.

7. Changes to activities/itinerary:

The itinerary is a schedule to which We will attempt to adhere, but it may be necessary to alter this at short notice due to circumstances or events outside our control, such as adverse weather, force majeure (see section 10 below), or operating conditions imposed by the city of Vienna, the Austrian government or transport companies. VV also reserves the right to change an itinerary or stop a Tour if We believe that continuing would place any group member and/or the Guide at undue risk. If a Tour must be amended, Your itinerary will be the same in content as far as is reasonably possible. Whenever a Tour must be amended or shortened under this section, no refunds (whether in whole or in part) or any other form of compensation will be given.

8. Transportation:

You acknowledge that VV is not responsible for providing transportation to and from the start/end point of the Tour and that You will have to make Your own private arrangements for Your transportation. You agree to assume all risks and responsibilities associated with Your transportation to and from this point, without any right to claim against VV for any loss, damage, or personal injury whatsoever that You may suffer.

9. Bookings:

Bookings for all small-group public tours are not confirmed until VV receives full payment. Once full payment is received, the cancellation policy in section 10 below takes effect. Private and bespoke bookings are not confirmed until a 30% deposit payment is received, with the remaining balance due no later than 7 days before the start of the scheduled Tour. Once the deposit payment is received, the cancellation policy in section 10 below takes effect. When making a booking You declare that You have read and understood all booking information, as well as these terms and conditions, and that You agree to abide by them. VV shall not under any circumstances be responsible for any incidental expenses You may incur in order to participate on the Tour including, without limitation, expenses arising from the purchase of visas, vaccinations, transport costs (including flights). All prices quoted on the website are subject to change without notice.

10. Cancellation policy:

10.1) Cancellation by VV

We will only cancel a tour due to:

• weather events (e.g. heavy rain, thunderstorms, heavy snow) or any other event amounting to “force majeure” (as defined in section 10.3 below);
• severe injury or serious illness to Your Guide; or
• an insufficient number of participants booked onto a Tour.

In all cases when We have to cancel, we will advise You as soon as We practically can, but in cases of insufficient participants, a minimum of 12 hours in advance so that You are able to make alternative plans.

In the rare event of cancellation by VV, You will be offered an alternative Tour date or a full refund on Your booking (whichever you prefer). VV takes no responsibility for any other costs that You may have incurred (such as flights, hotels etc) as a result of the cancellation of Your tour.

10.2) Cancellation by You

If You decide to cancel a booking You have made with Us, You will receive:

Small-group public tours:

• a refund of 100% if You cancel at least 24 hours before the Scheduled Tour Date
• no refund if You cancel within 24 hours of the Scheduled Tour Date

Private and bespoke Tours:

• a refund of 100% if You cancel a minimum of 4 weeks before the Scheduled Tour Date;
• a refund of 50% if You cancel between 30 days and 10 days before the Scheduled Tour Date;
• a refund of 30% if You cancel between 10 days and 72 hours before the Scheduled Tour Date; and
• no refund if You cancel within 72 hours of the Scheduled Tour Date.

Cancellations must be received by Us in written form via email in order to qualify for a refund under this section 10.2.

10.3) Cancellations due to force majeure

“Force majeure” relates to any event which We could not, even with all reasonable care, foresee or avoid. Such events may include, whether actual or threatened: any act of God, strike, labour dispute, earthquake, fire, flood, adverse weather conditions, public disaster, equipment, software or technical malfunctions or failures, power failures or interruptions, acts of terrorism, war, civil unrest, riots or any other reason beyond our reasonable control (each a “Force Majeure Event“).

If we are forced to cancel due to any event as described in this section, we will endeavour to provide alternative offers. If this is not possible, then the following cancellation policies apply:

Small-group public tours:

• a refund of 100%

Private and bespoke Tours:

• a refund of 100% when cancelled up to 72 hours before the Scheduled Tour Date;
• a refund of 70% if cancelled within 72 hours before the scheduled Tour Date

We will advise You of the Cancellation of the Tour as soon as is practically possible, although due to the nature of Force Majeure Events, this may be at last minute. For private and bespoke Tours we reserve the right to keep the initial booking deposit for services provided and costs incurred.

11. Name changes/transferring Your tour place to another person:

If for any reason You are unable to take Your place on a Tour, it is possible to transfer Your place to someone else. In this instance, You must provide written permission (via email) and notice of this change no later than 24 hours prior to the beginning of Your tour. You must inform Us of the full name of the new Tour participant, who must read these Terms to ensure his/her suitability for the Tour, and who shall be deemed to have done so.

12. Image use:

VV may use photos and/or videos of participants for our website or other marketing purposes without obtaining any further consent or payment in respect of such photographs and/or videos. Please advise the Guide before the Tour if You would prefer not to be involved in this, and we will accommodate Your request.