1.  Introduction and company details

These Terms and Conditions ("Terms") govern the planning, arrangement and coordination of travel services by Solve by Heart, turistične storitve, d.o.o., trading as "Slovenia By Heart" (the "Company", "we", "us", "our"). We are a licensed travel package organiser registered in Slovenia (activity code SKD 79.120).

Registered office: Kersnikova ulica 4, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia. Registration number (matična številka): 7449577000. Tax number (davčna številka): 48717185. The Company is currently not registered for VAT; prices are therefore not subject to Slovenian VAT.

We hold the insolvency-protection insurance required of package-travel organisers under Slovenian law, together with business liability insurance (both currently with Generali zavarovalnica d.d.). The insolvency protection secures travellers’ advance payments in the event of our insolvency, as described in Section 17. It does not replace your own travel insurance.

2.  Definitions

• "We", "us", "our", the "Company" — Solve by Heart, turistične storitve, d.o.o. (Slovenia By Heart).

• "Client", "traveller", "you" — the person who makes a booking with us and any person on whose behalf that booking is made, including all travellers named in the booking.

• "Booking" — a confirmed order for travel services, formed when we issue written confirmation after the required payment has been received and suppliers have confirmed.

• "Package" — a combination of at least two different types of travel service (for example accommodation, transport, activities) that we sell or offer for a single, inclusive price for the purpose of the same trip, within the meaning of ZVPot-1 and Directive (EU) 2015/2302.

• "Supplier", "partner" — an independent third-party business that performs a travel service, such as a hotel, activity provider, transport company, restaurant, winery, guide or experience provider.

• "Services" — the travel services we design, arrange and coordinate, and/or the services performed by suppliers.

• "Third-party service provider" — any supplier or partner that delivers a service directly to you under its own terms, licences and insurance.

• "Unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances" — a situation beyond our or a supplier’s control, the consequences of which could not have been avoided even if all reasonable measures had been taken (see Section 18).

3.  Our role and scope of services

We design, coordinate and arrange tailor-made travel experiences in Slovenia and the surrounding region. Our work includes itinerary planning, sourcing and booking suppliers, coordination and agreed travel support. We do not sell flights.

Many of the individual services within a trip are performed by independent suppliers. Where we combine two or more services and sell them to you for a single inclusive price, we act as the package organiser. In that capacity we accept the organiser’s statutory responsibility for the proper performance of the package, as set out in Section 17 and subject to Slovenian law.

Where we arrange only a single, standalone service, or act purely as an intermediary between you and a supplier, that supplier’s own contract and terms govern the service, and the supplier is responsible for its performance.

4.  Booking process

A booking typically follows these stages: (1) enquiry; (2) our proposal and itinerary; (3) a quotation issued as a proforma invoice; (4) your acceptance; (5) payment of the deposit or full amount stated on the proforma; (6) our confirmation of the suppliers; and (7) our written booking confirmation to you.

A booking is only confirmed once the required payment or deposit has been received by us and the relevant suppliers have confirmed availability. Until then, prices, availability and the itinerary are subject to change. The contract between us is formed when we issue written confirmation.

5.  Prices, service fees and currency

Prices are normally quoted and payable in euros (EUR). Depending on your itinerary, the price may include accommodation, activities, transport, planning, coordination and agreed travel support. Any item not expressly listed as included is excluded.

Prices are based on costs and supplier rates known at the time of quoting. You are responsible for any bank charges, international transfer charges, exchange-rate differences and card-processing fees arising from your payment; these are not part of the price we receive. As the Company is not VAT registered, prices are not subject to Slovenian VAT.

6.  Payment terms

Amounts due are set out on the proforma invoice, together with the date for payment. In most cases the full amount is payable to confirm your booking; for some trips we may agree a deposit with the balance due by a stated date. We will make the arrangement clear on the proforma.

If payment is not received by the due date, we may treat the booking as cancelled and release the reserved services, and supplier cancellation charges and our non-refundable costs may apply (see Section 7). We are not responsible for arrangements lost because payment was not received on time.

7.  Cancellations by the client

Any cancellation must be sent to us in writing and takes effect on the day we receive it. Cancellation charges depend on the terms of the suppliers involved and on any costs that are already non-refundable at the time of cancellation. Our planning and service fee may be non-refundable once we have begun work on your itinerary.

Where a refund is due, we will refund amounts to you once, and to the extent that, the corresponding supplier refunds are received by us, unless mandatory law requires otherwise. Your statutory rights as a traveller under ZVPot-1 — including, for a package, the right to terminate before departure against a reasonable termination fee, and the right to terminate without a termination fee in the event of unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances significantly affecting the trip — are unaffected by this Section.

8.  Changes requested by the client

If you wish to change a confirmed booking, we will do our best to accommodate it, subject to availability and supplier terms. Changes may alter the price, and a reasonable amendment or administration fee may apply in addition to any supplier charges.

9.  Changes or cancellations by suppliers

Occasionally a supplier may need to change or cancel a service because of weather, safety, operational issues or availability. Where this happens we will let you know as soon as reasonably possible and, where possible, offer a suitable alternative. Where a significant element of a package is changed or cannot be provided, your rights to an alternative, a price reduction or, where applicable, cancellation and refund under ZVPot-1 apply.

10.  Activities, adventure activities and client responsibility

Many experiences we arrange — including rafting, canyoning, hiking, cycling, boating, skiing and similar — carry inherent risk. You must follow all safety instructions and briefings given by the activity provider, and you must disclose in advance any relevant health, fitness or medical condition that could affect your participation or safety.

The activity provider is responsible for the safe conduct of the activity, its equipment, guides and instructors, and decides whether an activity can safely go ahead, including on grounds of weather or your suitability. Suppliers may require you to sign their own waivers or accept their own terms as a condition of participation.

11.  Accommodation

Accommodation is provided subject to the accommodation provider’s own terms, including check-in and check-out rules, house rules, cancellation and amendment rules, damage rules, security deposits and any city or tourist taxes, which may be payable locally. You are responsible for complying with those terms and for any charges you incur directly with the provider.

12.  Transport

Transfers and private transport are provided by licensed, independent transport partners. Journey times may be affected by traffic, weather, border checks, road closures and similar factors. You are responsible for being ready at the agreed times and places. We do not sell or arrange flights.

13.  Restaurants, wineries and dietary requirements

Please tell us in advance of any allergies or dietary requirements so that we can pass them to the relevant venue. Final responsibility for food preparation, allergen management and service delivery rests with the restaurant, winery or venue concerned. We cannot guarantee an allergen-free environment.

14.  Travel documents and entry requirements

You are responsible for holding valid travel documents for your trip, including passports, any required visas, entry permits, driving licences and personal insurance, and for meeting all entry and health requirements of the countries you visit. We can offer general guidance but do not provide legal or immigration advice, and we are not liable for consequences arising from missing or invalid documents.

15.  Travel insurance

Comprehensive travel insurance is a condition of travelling with us. Your policy should, as a minimum, cover medical and repatriation costs, cancellation and curtailment, baggage, travel delay, personal liability and any adventure activities you intend to undertake. Our own business insurance protects the Company and, in the case of our insolvency, travellers’ advance payments; it does not cover you personally for the risks above.

16.  Client behaviour

We ask all travellers to behave respectfully towards suppliers, their staff and other guests. You are responsible for any loss or damage you cause. A supplier or we may refuse or withdraw services, without refund, in cases of illegal behaviour, intoxication, or conduct that threatens the safety or comfort of others, and you may be liable for resulting costs.

17.  Liability and limitation of liability

Where we sell you a package, we are responsible for the proper performance of the travel services included in that package, regardless of whether those services are performed by us or by third-party suppliers, in accordance with ZVPot-1. This statutory responsibility is not excluded by these Terms.

Independent suppliers remain responsible for the safe, professional and lawful performance of the services they deliver directly to you, and for holding their own licences and insurance. Where a service does not form part of a package we have arranged — for example a single standalone service or one where we act only as intermediary — the supplier is solely responsible for it.

We are not responsible for any failure or non-conformity that is attributable to you; to a third party unconnected with the provision of the travel services included in the package, where the failure was unforeseeable or unavoidable; or to unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances (see Section 18).

To the extent permitted by law, our liability for damages is limited to the maximum extent allowed. Any such limit will not be less than three times the total price of the package, as required by Article 196 ZVPot-1. This limitation does not apply to personal injury, or to damage caused intentionally or through negligence, and nothing in these Terms limits or excludes any liability that cannot be limited or excluded under mandatory Slovenian or EU law. So far as the law allows, we are not liable for indirect or consequential loss.

18.  Force majeure / unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances

We are not liable for any failure or delay in performing our obligations that results from unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances beyond our reasonable control. These may include severe weather, natural disasters, fire, epidemics or pandemics, strikes and industrial action, closures, government or authority restrictions, civil unrest, war, terrorism, and significant safety risks at the destination. In such situations your statutory rights as a traveller continue to apply.

19.  Complaints

If something is not right during your trip, please tell us and the relevant supplier immediately, so that we have the opportunity to put it right locally. If a matter remains unresolved, please send us a written complaint within two months of the end of your trip. We will acknowledge and respond within a reasonable time and work with you and our suppliers towards a fair resolution.

20.  Website information and itinerary changes

Photographs, descriptions and sample itineraries on our website and in our proposals are illustrative. Actual experiences, timings and details may vary, and an itinerary may change before or during your trip because of local conditions, availability or safety. We will always aim to preserve the character and quality of your experience.

21.  Data protection and privacy

We process personal data in accordance with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and applicable Slovenian law, only as necessary to arrange and deliver your travel. Full details are set out in our separate Privacy Policy, available on request and on our website.

22.  Governing law and jurisdiction

These Terms and any booking are governed by the law of the Republic of Slovenia, and the courts of Ljubljana have jurisdiction. If you are a consumer resident in another country, you continue to benefit from any mandatory consumer protections of your country of residence that cannot be set aside by contract; nothing in these Terms removes those protections.

23.  Contact details

Solve by Heart, turistične storitve, d.o.o. (Slovenia By Heart). Kersnikova ulica 4, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia. Email: hello@sloveniabyheart.com. Web: www.sloveniabyheart.com.

24.  Acceptance of terms

By paying a deposit or the amount stated on our proforma invoice or invoice, you confirm that you have read, understood and accepted these Terms and Conditions on behalf of yourself and all travellers named in the booking.