Booking and Payment
All bookings are made and accepted according to the terms set out in these conditions.
When you instruct Life Change People to confirm your booking by e-mail we will do
so immediately and you must pay your deposit at that time.
When you make a confirmed reservation, your completed booking form must be
accompanied by a deposit of a minimum of 25% of the total amount. Payments will
be made online unless by prior arrangement with the Life Change People. The person
making the booking on behalf of all other persons named on it becomes responsible to
the Life Change People for all payments. The Life Change People must receive the
balance of the booking payment eight weeks before the departure date,
otherwise the Life Change People reserve the right to cancel the booking and you
could be liable for payment cancellation charges as stated below.
On receipt of the balance of the booking payment, you will receive questionnaires to
be used by The Life Change People in compiling your Personal Profile. We ask you
to return these to us within fourteen days. The information in them is solely for the
use of The Life Change People and will not be made available to any other party.
Cancellations and Postponements
By the client:
If you wish to cancel your booking this must be done by e-mail from the person who
made the booking, or by recorded delivery post. Any cancellation is effective from
the date it is received at the Life Change People office. In the event of a cancellation,
the following charges become liable:
No of Days | Percentage to Pay LCP |
More than 65 days | 85% of total payment |
Less than 65 days | 100% of total payment |
A no-show, or early departure, will be considered a cancellation and 100% will be charged. Holidays that are postponed for longer than 6 months will be considered as cancellations and 100% will be charged.
By The Life Change People
Cancellation by the Life Change People may be necessary in very exceptional
circumstances. These would include; hostilities, political unrest, death, sickness,war or other extreme
circumstances beyond the control of the Life Change People. In the unlikely event of
such circumstances The Life Change People reserves the right to cancel the
Programme without refund.
Alteration to your booking
The Life Change People will endeavour where possible to make any alteration at your
holiday after the booking has been made. An alteration charge of 5,000THB will be
payable for each separate change made or the equivalent to two nights stay if hotel reservations have been moved.
Insurance
It is a requirement of The Life Change People that all participants have full Holiday
Insurance.
Health and Safety Standards
The regulations governing health and safety standards in Thailand are not necessarily
the same or equivalent to those in your own country. The monitoring, compliance and
enforcement with the local regulations are carried out by the appropriate authorities in
Thailand. We advise that you make yourself aware of basic safety precautions and
that you take appropriate measures accordingly.
Further to this, we recommend that you consult a medical practitioner for advice
regarding inoculations.
Liability of The Life Change People
The Life Change People accepts responsibility should the services it is obliged to
provide be proved deficient or not to measurable standards. This will not apply to
circumstances outside the control of The Life Change People.
The Life Change People are only liable for death, injury or illness arising as a direct
result of negligent acts or omissions by its employees.
The Life Change People cannot accept responsibility for inward and outbound travel
to Chiang Mai, loss or injury as a result of negligence of your hotel, or caused by any
other activities beyond the agreed programme offered by the Life Change People.
Dispute
In the unlikely event of a dispute, or there being something not to your liking whilst
you are on holiday, you must report it to a Life Change People representative
immediately. Unless there is a valid reason as to why you failed to report your
complaint, the The Life Change People will not consider themselves liable in respect
of those complaints. If a reported matter has not been resolved to your satisfaction,
then you should highlight your concerns in writing within seven days.
Compensation
Compensation will not be payable if The Life Change People are bound to cancel or
in any way change your Programme due to war, threat of war, riots, civil insurrection,
industrial disputes, disease, terrorist activities, technical or any other problem with
transportation or hotels, closure of airports or sea ports, alteration or cancellation of
scheduled services. Use of this web site and booking indicates familiarity with all terms and conditions.
The Life Change People will not reimburse any participant who does not utilise any
part of the programme or package which they have booked and paid for.
The Life Change People reserves the right to change the itinerary to any of the
excursions. This decision may arise from adverse weather conditions or any factor
which is beyond the control of The Life Change People.
Responsible Travel Policy
The Life Change People is a small company, based in Chiang Mai, Northern Thailand. We offer evidence based Life Change Holidays, delivered by experienced professionals, as part of a unique ethical holiday experience, designed to meet the individual needs and interests of each guest whist positively affecting the local community.
Our Aims:
We aim to offer every one of our guests the professional help necessary to bring about the life change which they want or need.
The Company is committed to remaining small, restricting the number of guests undertaking holidays at any one time, thereby allowing us to truly cater to individual need and preference, and to minimise any negative affect on the surrounding environment.
We ask our holiday guests to join us in achieving our aim of ensuring that the presence of The Life Change People in Chiang Mai, Thailand brings positive benefits to the area and its people. This will be achieved by: supporting The Vieng Ping Childrens Home, a local charity providing residential and community care for children whose parents have either died or cannot look after them, maintaining an attitude of respect to people and the environment at all times and using the services of local businesses, buying local products and visiting local destinations which provide employment for, and understanding of the local community.
We are a limited company registered in both the UK (06337039) and Thailand (0505551002115)
Change Holiday Guests Code Of Conduct
Water shortages can be problematic in Chiang Mai, Thailand, particularly in view of the long dry season. You can contribute to efforts to save this vital resource by;
- Noting and following your hotels guidelines regarding laundry. You will usually be asked to indicate your willingness to use sheets and towels more than once, please do so.
- Most hotels and some restaurants and shop toilets will have the choice of a short or long flush…select short wherever possible.
- Follow the instructions on signs which ask you not to flush paper products.
- Shower rather than bathe.
- Use the glasses provided for cleaning your teeth and fill the sink for shaving, rather than let the water run.
You will notice that many shops in Chiang Mai, Thailand have signs asking people to avoid asking for plastic bags where possible. There are many cotton shoulder bags for sale, often in aid of local Charities. Please consider buying and using them for your shopping.
Many local craftspeople can benefit from visitors buying their work rather than mass produced souvenirs. One of our team members, Son, who will be your guide on your outings, can advise you on what is available and where to find it.
Chiang Mai, Thailand has a huge selection of locally owned small restaurants, cafes and street food stalls. You will miss a great opportunity to sample some of the most delicious and inexpensive food in the world if you don”t try as many of these as possible. We are very happy to recommend both special dishes and places to eat them.
Please bring, or be prepared to purchase, suitable clothes for visiting the many very special temples in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Our staff will advise according to your chosen itinerary.
A certain amount of bargaining is an accepted part of many transactions including market purchases and tuk-tuk rides. This can be fun if conducted with mutual respect and in the knowledge that the traders need to earn a living. The minimum wage is only 250 Baht per day.
The Thai Royal Family are revered and respected by the people of Thailand and anything said to undermine them is likely to cause offence. It is fascinating and informative to learn from local people, about the contributions made by King Bhumibol and Queen Sirikit to life in Thailand and its economy.
Environmental
- The Life Change People has an online brochure only.
- All communication is by e-mail or Skype.
- We support local initiatives aimed at preventing the use of plastic bags.
- We collect bottles, tin and paper for recycling.
- We inform our guests about ways in which they can support their hotels and the local community by not wasting water.
- Our guests are either individuals or couples, and we restrict our number of guests to 4 at any one time. This allows us to provide a meaningful support programme for each individual as well as minimising harmful affects on the environment.
- Chiang Mai does have a traffic problem. It is a very small city, enabling a lot of sightseeing to be done on foot. We provide walking routes and maps for our guests.
- Chiang Mai”s air quality has suffered from the negative affects of burning rubbish. We make our holiday guests aware of this and ensure that we collect all litter while on trips.
- During the course of each Life Change Holiday, clients will be offered a complementary trip to a local site of historical and/or cultural interest. Holiday packages consist of a further range of such trips and special arrangements can also be made to meet individual interests and requirements.
- The Life Change People support local initiatives aimed at preserving and caring for the elephant population. Visits to elephant camps and sanctuaries are available as part of several packages and can also be arranged by request. We particularly recommend and arrange trips to the elephant Nature Park, www.elephantnaturepark.org which is run by award winning conservationist, Lek Sangduen Chailert, which allows visitors to observe and help care for elephants in their natural environment.
- We are happy to provide information and arrange visits where possible, to Royal Projects which typify the King and Queen’s contribution to the well being of their people.
- While making every attempt to satisfy our client’s wishes, the range of activities and trips we offer will reflect our commitment to supporting locally run initiatives which provide employment or otherwise benefit Chiang Mai and Thailand.
Economic
Guests will stay in one of our partner hotels in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Each of these small hotels is Thai owned and the majority of staff employed are local. Each specially selected hotel makes its own unique contribution to the promotion of local history and culture. This includes traditional architecture and design, collection and display of Lanna artwork, locally sourced furniture and textiles, menus featuring a variety of local food, massage and spa treatments based on traditional principles.
Each of our partner hotels contributes to their local temple, makes charitable donations to the Vieng Ping home and other charities of their choice and employs and trains local staff.
The majority of trips will be of an individual nature, and will be escorted by Son, a member of our company who is himself local and is also a registered tour guide. The only exception to this will be the Hill Tribe Treks which we will arrange with a local company who shares our commitment to responsible tourism.
The Life Change People will donate 5% of fees to the Vieng Ping Childrens Home. This facility cares for children living with HIV infection, and any other children whose parents have died or who cannot care for them. As well as providing residential care, they support local fostering placements, and involve children in education and work training placements.
Social
All trips offered by the Life Change People are selected on the basis that they are of benefit to the people of Chiang Mai and Thailand. This could be through providing employment, protecting wildlife, selling local crafts or promoting the history and culture of the area. Examples of popular trips include; Queen Sirikits Botanical Gardens, Tour of local temples including meeting monks, trip to Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep, a temple of great local significance, trips to elephant camps, visiting orchid growers, visit to craft village, trip to National Park to view birds and other wildlife, market trips and mountain treks which include visits to hill tribe villages as mentioned above.
Our full time staff are only two in number, one local fully trained guide/driver and one Western Life Change Practitioner. Other Life Change Practitioners contribute to the Holidays. All professional services connected to the Life Change People, I.T. services, legal support, accounting services, are all provided by local businesses.
The Life Change People make voluntary contributions during visits to; temples, local museums, cultural centres and the Elephant Nature Park. We also buy information and guide books produced by local temples and distribute them to our guests during trips.
We encourage our guests to use local buses and tuk-tuks when travelling around Chiang Mai and make them aware of what they can expect to pay for particular journeys. While a degree of price negotiation is acceptable, we are keen to encourage our guests to pay fairly.
We introduce our guests to local markets and other street food venues and advise them about local specialities. On trips, local food is always provided, usually bought from stalls on the way.
Representatives of The Life Change People will be in contact with guests before their trip to arrange Personality Profiling, and to truly individualise your stay by discussing your preferences for trips, and other activities. You will also be offered information on any social or religious customs which may affect your choice of clothing when packing for your trip. Any change in the social or political climate will also be communicated to you before your visit. The Life Change People takes pride in its aims as described in our Responsible Travel Policy. It has been devised by the whole staff team, will be distributed to our partner hotels and is available on our website. We welcome feedback on how we are doing and how we could do better. In the event that you wish to complain about any aspect of the implementation of this policy, please speak to your Life Change Practitioner who will discuss your concern with the team attempting to resolve the issue, hopefully in collaboration with yourself.
Have a great Life Changing Holiday.