Terms and Conditions

Version 2, effective 22 August 2026. These terms apply to bookings confirmed on or after that date. Bookings confirmed earlier are governed by the version in force at the time.

These terms are between you and Proteus d.o.o., the company that trades as Slovenia Explorer and is the Gray Line Worldwide licensee for Slovenia. In these terms, "we" and "us" mean Proteus d.o.o., and "you" means the person making the booking and everyone travelling on it.

A few words we use throughout:

• Daytrip: a tour that starts and ends on the same day, with no overnight accommodation.
• Multi-day tour: a tour of two or more days that includes accommodation.
• Combined booking: a booking that covers more than one day and combines at least two of accommodation, guided tours, day trips or transfers, put together for you rather than sold as a fixed product.
• Package: a multi-day tour or a combined booking. When we sell you a package we are its organizer, and Slovenian package travel law gives you a set of rights that we set out in these terms.

1. Booking and payment

1.1 Your booking is confirmed when we send you a written confirmation. Until then, we have not reserved anything for you. If you have not received a confirmation, check your spam folder first, then email us at info@slovenia-explorer.com with your name and the tour and date you booked, and we will resend it.

1.2 Please check your confirmation as soon as you receive it. Tell us straight away if any name, date or detail is wrong. Some corrections cost nothing, others carry a supplier charge, and both get harder the closer we are to departure.

1.3 We may decline a booking, for example if the tour is full, if a payment has not been made, or if the tour is not suitable for the travelers as described to us. If we decline, we refund anything you have paid.

1.4 Payment terms depend on what you have booked. For day trips, payment is due as shown at the time of booking. For multi-day tours and combined bookings, a deposit of 30% is payable at booking and the balance 60 days before the first service, as set out in 8.3.

1.5 You can pay by card, either in person or through a secure payment link we send you, which is handled by Stripe. We accept Visa and MasterCard. Multi-day tours and combined bookings can also be paid by bank transfer, and we will send an invoice with the details.  

1.6 Our prices are in euros. Your bank or card issuer may convert the payment into another currency and may charge fees, so the amount on your statement can differ from the amount shown on our website. Any questions about conversion or fees are between you and your bank.

1.7 Changes to the price after booking. We may increase the price only for these reasons, and only where the increase is a direct result of them:

• a change in the price of carrying passengers because of the cost of fuel or other power sources;
• a change in taxes or fees charged by third parties who are not directly involved in performing your tour, such as tourist taxes, entry or landing fees;
• a change in the exchange rates that apply to your booking.

We will not increase the price later than 20 days before the tour starts, and we will explain the calculation when we tell you. If the increase is more than 8% of the total price, you may cancel and receive a full refund, or accept a replacement we offer. If these same costs fall, we will pass the decrease on to you, and we may deduct the actual administrative expenses of doing so.

2. What we sell

2.1 We offer day trips, multi-day tours, scheduled small group tours and combined bookings. Depending on the product, these include transport, professional guiding, entrance fees as stated in the itinerary, and accommodation where the itinerary says so.

2.2 Where accommodation is part of your booking, we reserve it for you and it is provided by the hotel, guesthouse or farm named in your itinerary.

2.3 Your itinerary tells you what is included and what is not. Anything not listed as included is not included, and the most common examples are flights, airport transfers unless stated, meals other than those listed, drinks, travel insurance, optional activities and tips.

2.4 When your booking is a package, as defined at the top of these terms, we are its organizer. That gives you a set of rights under Slovenian package travel law, in summary:

• you will receive all the services included in your package;
• we are responsible for the proper performance of all of those services, whoever provides them;
• you have an emergency telephone number to reach us during the tour;
• you may transfer your booking to another person, subject to 8.8;
• the price may only be increased in the limited circumstances in 1.7, and you may cancel free of charge if the increase is more than 8%;
• you may cancel free of charge in the circumstances set out in 8.7, and in other cases against the fee in 8.3;
• if services are not performed as agreed, you are entitled to have them put right, to a price reduction, or to compensation;
• if we become insolvent, your payments are protected and you will be repatriated, as set out in 6.3.

3. Who you are contracting with

3.1 Your contract is with Proteus d.o.o., Slomškova ul. 17, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia, trading as Slovenia Explorer.

3.2 Your contract is made up of your booking confirmation, the itinerary we sent you, and these terms. Anything else, including advertising and conversations, does not form part of it.

3.3 Where we sell you a package, we are responsible for the proper performance of every travel service included in it, whether we provide the service ourselves or a supplier does. If something is not as agreed, tell us during the tour so we can put it right, and see Article 9.

3.4 Where you ask us to book a single service that is not part of a package we organize, for example an extra hotel night side by side with your own arrangements, we act as an agent. Your contract for that service is with the supplier and their terms apply. We will tell you when this is the case before you book.

3.5 Some suppliers, particularly transport and adventure activity providers, limit their own liability. Where that affects a service in your package, it does not reduce our responsibility to you under 3.3.

4. Your responsibilities

4.1 Travel documents. You are responsible for having a valid passport or identity card, and any visa, permit or certificate your trip requires. We are not liable for problems, delays or refused entry if you do not have them.

4.2 Border rules. Entry requirements change. Slovenia is in the Schengen area. Check the current rules for your nationality with the Slovenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs before you travel, and tell us if you are unsure, because we would rather answer the question than have you turned back.

4.3 Being on time. Please be at the meeting point at the time shown in your confirmation, and check in with us 15 minutes before a daytrip departs. If you miss a departure, any extra cost of catching up with the group is yours. If you miss it because your own inbound flight, train or bus was late, that is not something we can refund, which is one of the reasons we recommend travel insurance.

4.4 Following the guide. Our guides sometimes have to make decisions for the safety of the group or because conditions change, and it is a condition of booking that you follow them. We may refuse to let someone continue on a tour if their behaviour puts the safety or reasonable enjoyment of others at risk, for example through intoxication or abusive behaviour. In that case no refund is due and any onward costs are theirs.

4.5 Delays. We plan realistic timings and we keep you informed, but we cannot guarantee exact times, and traffic, weather and road closures happen. Where a delay is our responsibility, Article 9 applies. We are not liable for a connecting service or separate arrangement you miss as a result of a delay outside our control.

4.6 Your belongings. You are responsible for your own belongings during the tour. We are not liable for loss, theft or damage to them, except where it results from our own negligence.

4.7 Assistance, mobility and health. Tell us before booking if you or anyone in your party needs assistance, has reduced mobility, or has a medical condition that may affect participation. We will tell you honestly whether the tour is suitable and what we can arrange. Our guides cannot provide personal care or continuous one-to-one assistance.

4.8 Dietary needs and special requests. Tell us about allergies, dietary requirements and room preferences when you book. We pass them on and we confirm what we can. Until we confirm something in writing, treat it as a request rather than a guarantee.

4.9 Travelers under 16. Anyone under 16 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian for the whole tour.

4.10 Photographs. We sometimes take photographs and video on tour and may use them to show what our tours are like, including on our website and social media. Tell your guide or email us if you would rather not appear, and we will respect that.

5. Optional extras and local providers

5.1 You may buy extra services locally, such as admissions, boat rides or tastings, that are not included in your price. These are yours to pay for and they are run by the local provider under their own terms.

5.2 Where we book an optional extra for you and pay for it in advance, it is generally not refundable once booked, unless the provider's own terms allow otherwise. We will tell you when that is the case.

5.3 Keep any vouchers or tickets we give you. Most cannot be replaced if lost.

6. Insurance and financial protection

6.1 No travel insurance is included in our prices.

6.2 We strongly recommend you take out travel insurance that covers cancellation, medical expenses, personal accident, baggage and personal liability, for everyone on your booking. Our cancellation scale in Article 8 exists because we commit to suppliers on your behalf, and insurance is what covers you for the things neither of us can control.

6.3 Insolvency protection. We hold insolvency protection for the packages we organize, as Slovenian law requires. If we become insolvent, the payments you have made are protected and, if you are already travelling, your return home is covered. The protection is provided by Zavarovalnica Triglav.

7. Weather and conditions outside our control

7.1 Slovenian weather changes quickly, and our guides adapt the day where they can. We are not responsible for a delay or a change of plan caused by weather, and weather alone is not a reason to cancel a booking free of charge.

7.2 We are not responsible for delays caused by strikes, border controls, political events, mechanical failure or other circumstances outside our control.

7.3 This article does not affect your rights under 8.7 where unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances occur.

8. Cancellations and changes

8.1 Scheduled small group daytrips

Cancel up to 24 hours before departure and you receive a full refund. Cancel with less than 24 hours' notice, or fail to show up, and no refund is due.

8.2 Private daytrips

Cancel up to 72 hours before departure and you receive a full refund. Cancel with less than 72 hours' notice, or fail to show up, and no refund is due.

8.3 Multi-day tours and combined bookings

This clause applies to any booking that covers more than one day and combines at least two of the following: accommodation, guided tours, day trips, transfers. It applies whether the tour is private, a scheduled small group departure, or a tailor-made combination arranged for you.

A deposit of 30% of the total price is payable at booking. The balance of 70%, plus the single-use supplement where it applies, is payable 60 days before the first service. Bookings made less than 60 days before the first service are payable in full at booking.

The deposit covers the itinerary planning, supplier reservations and booking work we carry out from the moment your booking is confirmed.

Depending on when you cancel, the following applies, calculated on the total price of the booking:

• More than 90 days before the first service: all payments made are refunded, less an administration fee of €150 per person. For private tours and combined bookings, a minimum of €300 per booking applies.
• 90 to 61 days before the first service: 70% of the total price is refunded.
• 60 to 31 days: 50% of the total price is refunded.
• 30 to 15 days: 25% of the total price is refunded.
• 14 days or less, or no-show: no refund.

Where an individual service in your booking carries stricter cancellation terms from the supplier, for example a non-refundable hotel rate, an event ticket or a chartered boat, we will tell you before you book, and the cost of that service is not refundable under the scale above.

Where two travelers share a twin or double room and one of them cancels, the single-use supplement applies to the remaining traveler.

8.4 Changes to a confirmed booking

We accommodate changes after confirmation where our suppliers allow it. Any difference in price, and any charge imposed by a hotel or activity provider, is passed on at cost. A change of date is treated as a cancellation and a new booking, except where we offer you an alternative date under 8.6.

8.5 Services you choose not to use

If you choose not to use a service included in your tour, no refund is due for it. This does not affect your right to a price reduction for a service included in your tour that we fail to provide.

8.6 Cancellation by us

Our tours run subject to the minimum number of participants stated on the tour page. If we do not reach it, we may cancel and we will tell you:

• at least 30 days before departure for tours lasting more than six days;
• at least seven days before departure for tours lasting between two and six days;
• at least 12 hours before departure for daytrips.

We may also cancel where unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances prevent us from running the tour, in which case we will tell you without delay and before departure.

In either case you receive a full refund of everything you have paid, or you may move to another departure of the same tour at the same price. Refunds are made without undue delay and in any event within 14 days of the contract ending.

8.7 Unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances

You may cancel before departure without paying any fee where unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances at the destination or nearby significantly affect the tour, or where such circumstances significantly affect getting travelers to the destination. In that case everything you have paid is refunded in full, and no further compensation is due on either side.

Where such circumstances stop us from running the tour, 8.6 applies.

Circumstances personal to you are not unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances. That includes illness, missed connections and a change of plan, and it includes a change, delay or cancellation of your own flight by the airline, since flights are not part of our price and the airline's obligations and your insurance apply to them. In these cases the scale in 8.1 to 8.3 applies, which is why we recommend travel insurance with cancellation cover.

8.8 Transferring your booking to someone else

You may transfer your booking to another person who meets the conditions of the tour, on at least 72 hours' notice before departure. You and the person taking over the booking are jointly responsible for the balance due and for any actual costs the transfer causes, which we will evidence.

9. If something goes wrong

9.1 Tell your guide as soon as anything is not as agreed. Most problems can be fixed on the spot, and that is much better for you than a refund afterwards.

9.2 You can reach us at any time during your tour on +386 40 555 656. If you run into difficulty while travelling, we will help: information on medical services and local authorities, help with contacting them, and help arranging alternative travel. Where the difficulty was caused deliberately or by your own negligence, we may charge a reasonable fee for that help, no more than our actual costs.

9.3 If a service in your package is not performed as agreed, we will put it right where that is possible. Where we cannot, you may be entitled to a price reduction, and to compensation for any damage you suffer, unless the failure was your fault, the fault of an unconnected third party and unforeseeable, or caused by unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances.

9.4 If a problem was not resolved during the tour, write to us at info@slovenia-explorer.com. Please do so as soon as you can, and in any event within two months of the end of your tour, so we can investigate while the facts are fresh. This does not affect any longer period the law gives you to bring a claim.

10. Contact us

Proteus d.o.o., Slomškova ul. 17, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia Email: info@slovenia-explorer.com Telephone: +386 40 555 656 Office hours: 7:00 AM - 9:00 PM. During a tour you can reach us on the same number at any time.

11. Law and disputes

11.1 Slovenian law applies to your contract with us. If you live in another EU country, this does not take away the protection given to you by the mandatory consumer law of the country you live in.

11.2 Disputes may be brought before the courts of Ljubljana, Slovenia. If you are a consumer living in another EU country, you may also bring proceedings in the courts of the country where you live, and we may only sue you there.

11.3 We would always rather resolve a complaint directly. 

12. Privacy

12.1 We handle your personal data in line with the General Data Protection Regulation and Slovenian data protection law. Proteus d.o.o. is the data controller.

12.2 We use your data to arrange and deliver your booking, which means sharing what is necessary with the hotels, guides and activity providers on your itinerary, and to keep the records the law requires us to keep.

12.3 You have the right to ask what data we hold about you, to have it corrected or deleted, and to object to us using it for marketing. Write to info@slovenia-explorer.com.

12.4 Our full privacy policy is at: https://www.slovenia-explorer.com/terms-of-business/privacy-policy

13. Final provisions

13.1 Taking part in our tours is voluntary and involves the ordinary risks of travel and outdoor activity. We take reasonable care in planning and running our tours and in choosing the suppliers we work with.

13.2 We are responsible for the packages we organize as set out in these terms and under Slovenian law. Nothing in these terms limits our liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, or for fraud. We are not liable for loss or damage that we could not reasonably have foreseen, or that results from circumstances outside our control.

13.3 We may decline a booking, or ask a traveler to leave a tour, where their behaviour or condition puts the safety or reasonable enjoyment of others at risk. See 4.4 and 4.7.

13.4 If any part of these terms turns out to be unenforceable, the rest continues to apply.

13.5 These terms are written in English. Where we provide a translation and the two differ, the English version applies