Policies & Standards
This page outlines the policies, the rules and regulations that govern the operations of Explore Messinia, as well as the standards that we adhere to in order to ensure a high level of service for our customers. The policies and standards may cover areas such as booking procedures, cancellation policies, customer service standards, safety protocols, and ethical practices.
Overview
At Explore Messinia, we want to make sure our clients always have assurance that any trip they take with us is as safe as possible. To ensure this, we have implemented various risk assessments and safety policies, with topics such as health and safety, youth trips, complaints and website cookies. We prioritize safety in every area and provide clear guidelines for compliance with all relevant standards so our clients know that the services they receive are delivered responsibly with their utmost satisfaction in mind. The tourist trips with non-motorized water recreation means (kayak or SUP) are implemented in the framework of a “tourist package” program, according to article 36 of the General Law 20 (Government Gazette 444B/1999), as amended and in force for the legal tourist office of the law. 393/1976 (A΄199) with the name of the company “EXPLORE GREECE P.C.” and legal representative Kontergiri Aikaterini of Ioannis”, which has the No: PEL 0740/11-04-2023 certificate of legal requirements for the operation of a tourist office.
Fully licensed GNTO tourist agency · ΜΗΤΕ 1249Ε60000050901
Terms & Conditions
This document outlines the terms of cooperation between Explore Messinia and the Client.
Privacy Policy
Privacy of personal information and protection of personal data is very important to us for all our valued customers.
Complaints
If you have any concerns regarding any aspect of our operations or staff we encourage you to contact us as soon as possible and with as much information as possible.
General Terms & Conditions
This document outlines the terms of cooperation between Explore Messinia and the Client. We reserve the right to change these terms
and conditions at any time. Any changes will take effect when posted on the website and dated in the header notes. It is your
responsibility to read the terms and conditions on each occasion you use our service and your continued use of our service shall signify
your acceptance to be bound by the latest terms and conditions. Our terms and conditions are binding on all of our customer orders
made online and manually over the telephone.
Pre-arrangements and pre-bookings are made for all Day Trips through email or phone but nothing is confirmed until Explore Messinia
sends to the Client a booking confirmation email for a specific program and date. Explore Messinia requires from the Client full payment
of the total trip cost. Payment has to be made no later than 7 days before the start date of the trip.
The booking of a particular day trip is secured, only upon receipt of the above payment along with the confirmation from our bank that
the amount due has been transferred. After the receipt of the above, we will email you your booking confirmation. All payments must
be in EUROS and must be made by bank transfer with any bank expenses covered by the client.
In case the Client completed payment after the due date Explore Messinia is not obliged to accept the booking. In order to accept this
booking, Explore Messinia will ask the Client to pay for an additional charge 10% of the total trip cost.
In case the Client has a request for a last-minute booking, Explore Messinia will advise availability. Additional charges may apply for
this booking to be accepted.
Should the Client wish to cancel for any reason, the following cancellation fees will be imposed:
- Cancellation 90-31 days before the start of the trip: Explore Messinia will refund 100% of the paid amount*.
- Cancellation 30-8 days before the start of the trip: Explore Messinia will refund 50% of the paid amount*.
- Cancellation 7-0 days before the start of the trip: Explore Messinia will reserve 100% of the paid amount*.
- In the case of no show of a Client Explore Messinia reserves the right to keep the whole paid amount*.
*In any refund amount, a fee of €8.80 will be deducted to cover bank transaction costs associated with the refund process.
On very rare occasions we will need to cancel your tour due to severe weather conditions or other unforeseen circumstances beyond
our control. Client will have the option of receiving a full refund if a Day Trip is canceled due to inappropriate weather conditions or any
other reason beyond our control. We usually do not cancel tours due to cloudy skies or scattered showers although we do cancel when
winds are too strong, when rain is steady and strong or when thunderstorms appear likely. We will notify you if we cancel your trip and
we will give you a choice between rescheduling or receiving a full refund.
The itinerary for each day trip is an approximate plan or aim rather than a specific objective. It is not a contractual agreement and local
conditions, especially weather and sea state may sometimes lead to a change of plan. The itinerary is subject to change at the discretion
of the tour leader, for safety reasons. Explore Messinia reserves the right to make a change or alter the trip, due to weather conditions,
safety reasons, low physical level or any other factor beyond our control -force majeure (natural disasters, inclement weather, strikes
etc). Such changes will always be at the discretion of the company’s group leader and the company. Explore Messinia or his
representatives holds no financial responsibility for such changes, nor liability for subsequent related additional costs and/or refunds of
whatsoever nature. Any financial compensation for additional costs, whether foreseeable or not, are the responsibility of the client or
should be claimed through the client’s insurance company where applicable.
The Client agrees to accept the authority and decisions of Explore Messinias’s employees, tour leaders, and agents whilst on the
program with Explore Messinia. If in the opinion of such persons, the health or action of a participant at any time before or after departure
appears likely to endanger the safe, comfortable, or smooth progress of a program, the participant may be excluded from all or part of
the program without refund or compensation. In case of health/medical problems, Explore Messinia may make such arrangements, as
it seems fit, and recover the costs thereof from the participant. If a participant commits an illegal act, the participant may be excluded
from the program, and Explore Messinia shall cease to have responsibility to/ for them.
Any sudden or not justified change (date, destination, number of participants, etc), is regarded as a cancellation and complies with the
conditions of paragraph 4.
All extra expenses have to be paid on the spot by the Client. These are expenses requested by the Client during/after the program that
had not been originally requested (such as gratuities, side excursions, extra transfers, extra food and beverages etc).
In case Client requires a refund after the end of the program, he/she has to state his/her demand in written, at the latest 10 working
days after the end of the program. Explore Messinia will review the request and revert within 10 working days, after carefully
examining the demands and facts of the tour. Explore Messinia will not provide any refund to the Client unless the above
procedure has been followed. No refund will be given for any unused services.
An average physical condition is required for all trips. Please consider the suitability of such a trip/activity before booking. It is the
responsibility of the client to be aware of the fitness level for a particular trip. When in doubt, please call Explore Messinia and
discuss it. By sending a deposit toward your trip purchase the Client certifies that do not have any physical condition or disability that
would create a hazard for him/her or other travelers.
Our outdoor trips and activities are in natural environment and will be affected by the weather. The weather in Greece might be very
changeable both to temperatures and type of weather. On our tours you might experience both sunshine, rain, wind, calm and a variety
of temperatures on the same day. We recommend bringing appropriate clothing for every season.
Explore Messinia focus entirely on Clients’ experience and our priority is always his/hers health and safety. Now, more than ever, we
focus on every aspect of hygiene for our guests and employees without overlooking your contentment while touring with us. We are
following closely the guidelines of Greece’s top health experts and the Greek government therefore, we have taken precautionary
measures, reinforcing our already stringent practices in, group of participants management, food hygienic standards, equipment
disinfection and cleaning. With this in mind, the following are measures currently in place:
– Safe distances will be kept between travelers and guides in activities such as, kayaking, hiking, canyoning.
– Our kayaks, paddles, PFD’s and equipment will be daily washed and disinfected.
– Maximum number of participants to all our trips will be decreased to meet those defined by the law and the sanitary standards.
– All the hygienic measures will be applied to our snacks, picnic’s, meals (such as personalized packed ingredients etc), without
neglecting our commitment to our environmental policy for the use of less plastic.
– Our guides will be well trained and updated so any inconvenience will be avoided and they will be there to ensure the
application of the above.
In addition to all the measures we are willing to take for your health and safety, it is important that you understand and comply with the
basic personal hygiene rules.
It is your responsibility to ensure that you have adequate insurance cover for your arrangement and activities with Explore Messinia. We can accept no responsibility if you fail to take out adequate insurance in relation to our holiday arrangements. Before
travelling on a trip, we strongly recommend you review your personal insurance and health insurance to ensure you have coverage
appropriate to meet your needs, and the needs of your family and dependents, in case of any loss of property or illness, injury or death.
By booking on to an outdoor activity or a holiday package with us, you accept that you are participating in activities of your own accord,
entirely at your own risk and expressly accept that neither Explore Messinia or its employees have any responsibility or liability
for loss or injury. The trips and activities (mainly outdoor) operated by the Explore Messinia are suitable for most of the general public.
Participants need a basic level of fitness (unless the program states another level of fitness), team – work mentality and the ability to
follow instructions. However, despite all our efforts to keep a high standard of safety, there is always an element of risk of personal
injury or even death, given the nature of outdoor activities and the. The responsibility of Explore Messinia is limited to ensure that all
the necessary equipment and experienced guides are provided for the tour and that the safest routes are the chosen ones.
I. Waiver
Each participant must complete a waiver before going out on the tour. You will be given the opportunity to view the waiver and ask
questions before you sign. Once your reservation is confirmed you will receive a separate e-mail with a link to our e-waiver. You reserve
the right to sign a paper copy if you do not wish to sign electronically.
II. Kayak & Equipment Use
After your booking is confirmed, the planning begins. We require that each guest complete a lending agreement of Sea Kayak &
Equipment use acknowledging the responsibility for looking after any equipment during the trip. Explore Messinia reserves the right to
apply post trip surcharges for unreasonable wear and tear and for accidental damage or loss to equipment and Kayaks.
III. Client Experience & Medical History
Clients must truthfully reveal, by means of a questionnaire, their relevant sea kayaking and expedition experience and relevant medical
history, to enable the expedition organiser or leader to make an informed decision on the suitability of the client. When deciding on the
suitability of a client the expedition organiser and leader will consider their previous relevant experience, technical ability, physical and
mental toughness, fitness, and group compatibility.
Personal data, photographs, videos or contact details provided by the client to the organizer will not be sold or given out to any other
party without your permission. During the program, participants may be photographed or video recorded. All material may be used by
Explore Messinia for its promotional activities (brochures, website, advertisements etc). In case you do not wish to show up to our
promotional material you should send us a written declaration.
Explore Messinia can hold onto larger baggage for you while you are out on the water, however, we cannot be held responsible for
personal belongings and equipment. Items stored in our vehicles or with our staff are at your own risk. If you take valuables during our
activities e.g., jewelry, watches, glasses, non-waterproof cameras, etc you do so at your own risk
Privacy Policy
Privacy of personal information and protection of personal data is very important to us for all our valued customers. At Explore Messinia, we recognize that earning your trust is one of the most important things we do as a business. We respect and protect your right to privacy in relation to your interactions with our company. Below, we explain how we process and protect your personal data, how we use your information and how we protect your privacy. Any information which is provided by you to Explore Messinia will be treated in accordance with the terms of the EU 2016/679 General Data Protection Regulation (GDP), Data Protection Acts, Ν. 2472/1997 and Π.Δ. 207/1998 and 79/2000 art. 8 of Ν. 2819/2000 (Greek government) as well as the European Union directive 95/46/EU and 97/66/EU and/or such amending or replacement legislation as may be adopted in Greece from time to time.
Details of the Personal Data Controller and Officer
Data Protection Officer:
Full Name: Fotis Kontargiris
Address:Mpouloukou 26, Kalamata 24134, Greece
Telephone: (+30) 6975758154
E-mail: fotis@exploremessinia.com
In Explore Messinia we respect the personal data of our clients, partners and employees. In the text that follows, we describe, in a simple and clear way, how we process your personal data which we either collect from you or you give to us. Please read carefully the following information (hereinafter: “Declaration”) in order to get informed about the way that we collect, store, use, transfer and protect the personal data we receive from you:
In General:
1. Explore Messinia collects and stores only and exclusively the personal data that you notify via insertion of the obligatory personal information in the relevant fields or/and via your answers within the framework of specific actions conducted by Explore Messinia. You may participate voluntarily and the requested data are only the ones necessary for the company’s proper operation.
2. In view of our obligation to safeguard and protect its members’ and subscribers’ data, Explore Messinia is bound to protect and use properly such data (hereinafter “personal data”) that are being collected through its Sites. During the process of your registration as user and subscriber to our Newsletter, we collect and process part or all the following personal data: Name – Surname, Gender, Age, Place of Birth, Place of Residence, Family Status, Studies, Professional Experience.
3. Explore Messinia collects only the personal data that are offered voluntarily by you in order to serve you in the best possible way. When additional, optional data are requested, you will be informed accordingly at the time of their collection.
More specifically:
Collection of your personal data takes place only if you choose voluntarily to provide them – for example, in case you register to our Sites or our newsletter. Our ability to effectively communicate with you is necessary in order to obtain your written consent and continue sending you our Newsletter. Consequently, it is necessary, during your registration, to provide us with the true personal data that will be requested of you. During your registration in the services offered via our Sites, you consent also to the storing and use of your personal data, in accordance to this Declaration. We are allowed to process your personal data, in order to offer personalized services, pursuant to law and according to our contractual obligations to you and the legitimate interests of our company (articles 6, lit. 1c, lit. 1b and lit. 1f) of Regulation (EU) 2016/679). Your personal data are not used for purposes other than the ones described in this Declaration, unless we receive your prior consent, or if such use is obligatory or permissible by law.
Purpose of the collection, use and process of your personal data is (a) the offering of the services that you request through our Sites, for of receipt of which is required your data’s use or/and process (e.g. sending newsletter to your email), (b) your best update and facilitation in your browsing, through listing of your personal preferences in your profile.
The personal data that you make known to Explore Messinia through its Sites, either during your registration or at a later stage, are collected and used in accordance with the legislation in place, relating to the protection of personal data; more specifically, in accordance with the new European General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679 as well as the rest of the applicable legislation on personal data protection. More specifically, you have the following rights:
• Right to be informed about your personal data: Following a relevant request from your end, we will provide you with information regarding the personal data we have of you.
• Right to rectification of your personal data: If you notify us accordingly, we will rectify any inaccurate personal data relevant to you. We will complete incomplete data since you inform us respectively, subject that this is necessary for the purposes of your data process.
• Right to erasure of your personal data: Following your relevant request, we will erase the personal data that we have of you. However, some data will only be erased following a specific detention period, for example, in some instances we are obliged by law to preserve the data or because such data are required for the completion of our contractual obligations towards you.
• Right to revoke your consent: You may, at any time, revoke your consent for process of your personal data in the future. The legality of processing your data prior to this point will not be affected by this.
• Right to object against the processing of your data: You may, at any time, object against the processing of your personal data, for the future. If you object, we will stop processing your data, unless there are legitimate grounds for their further processing. Processing of your data for marketing reasons does not constitute a legitimate ground.
• Right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority.
• Right to ask for the restriction of the processing of your personal data.
If you exercise one of these rights, we will take all reasonable steps to satisfy your request within a reasonable time and at most within one (1) month from the submission of your request. We will inform you in writing about the course of your request, or the reasons why they may impede the exercise of the right in question, and / or the satisfaction of one or more of your rights, in accordance with the GDPR. Please note that in some cases it may not be possible to meet your relevant requests, such as when the fulfillment of the right is contrary to a legal obligation or impedes a contractual legal basis for processing your data.
However, if you believe that a right or a legal obligation of our Company regarding the protection of your Personal Data is violated, and having previously contacted the Data Protection Officer of our Company (DPO) for the matter, you have exercised your rights to the Company and or you did not receive a response within one month (extending the deadline to two months in case of a complex request), or you believe that the response you received from the Company is not satisfactory and your issue has not been resolved, you may lodge a complaint with the competent supervisory authority, Personal Data Protection Authority, 1-3 Kifissias Avenue, TK 115 23 Athens, email: complaints@dpa.gr, fax 2106475628.
Explore Messinia do not share or transfer your data to third parties, unless this is required for lawful professional purposes and business requirements, in order to respond to your requests and/if it is obliged to do so by law. In any case, access to your personal data is granted only to authorized personnel, in order to serve the purposes of their collection, use and processing, as described in the present Declaration.
In certain instances, Explore Messinia may share your data with some companies or service providers with whom it collaborates, in order to respond to your requests or to other data processors. In each instance, we will inform you in advance and whether required by law, ask for your consent. The people who will have access to your data in this respect, will be bound by a contract or other legal act that provides all potential guarantees for the confidentiality, safety and protection of your personal data.
Explore Messinia reserve the right to use the data which you provide to us through our Sites for statistical, promotional, research or advertising purposes, including by transferring it to authorized third parties, while ensuring that the identification or authentication of the individual concerned is not possible under such circumstances.
Explore Messinia may transfer some personal data to processors outside Greece or store data in another EU country to the one where you are located. By providing your data through this site, you consent to this transfer/storage of your data abroad. Explore Messinia may store your data in the cloud. This means that your data may be processed from a cloud service provider on behalf of Explore Messinia and your data may be stored in locations throughout the world. Our Company’s activities do not require the transfer of your data to countries outside the EU, however if we are required to do so, we will previously ask for your consent.
Explore Messinia implement appropriate technical and organizational measures in order to safeguard personal data and information from any accidental or unlawful destruction, loss, alteration, unauthorized disclosure, access or bad use. Our associates, who support us in the maintenance of our Sites also adhere to these procedures. Explore Messinia strive to retain your data only for as long as it is necessary for the purpose for which they were collected or until you request that they be erased, unless it is required to retain them by law.
Visiting Explore Messinia website your information is collected when you request information from us, contact us or make a booking with us, our web server automatically recognizes and collects your IP address. We will update your information whenever we get the opportunity so that it is current, accurate and complete. In order to purchase our products or services, it is necessary for you to disclose your contact information, including your name, address, email address, phone number, credit card details and other identifying information in order to process orders and provide customer service. If you do not provide such information when purchasing one of our products or services, we cannot confirm your purchase or fulfill your booking. Any information obtained via this website will be used by Explore Messinia to identify you as a customer, to process your booking, to verify credit or other charge card details and to deliver relevant information to you in connection with your travel and any other ancillary services which you may wish to avail of. For these purposes, we may transit your personal information to our own offices, authorized agents, other carriers and services providers, credit and charge card companies or banks and data processing companies working on our behalf. Your personal information and any records relating to your travel will also be retained for audit functions.
We ask for your telephone number so that we can contact you urgently if there is a problem with your reservation. In some instances, we may also ask for personal demographic data such as your country of residence, gender, age, travel habits, etc. We ask for and store contact information about you when you create an account on the site, such as your name, email address, and signup location.
You can contribute to the site in several different ways, including writing reviews, uploading photos, filling out your public profile, and rating other users’ contributions. We may store these contributions (your “Content”), display them to other users, and use them for promotional purposes in accordance with the terms of the EU 2016/679 General Data Protection Regulation (GDP), Data Protection Acts, Ν. 2472/1997 and Π.Δ. 207/1998 and 79/2000 art. 8 of Ν. 2819/2000 (Greek government) as well as the European Union directive 95/46/EU and 97/66/EU and/or such amending or replacement legislation as may be adopted in Greece from time to time.
We only use your email address for sending you a confirmation of your bookings or to contact you for any reason directly linked to your booking, or occasionally to inform you of new features on, or offers through, Explore Messinia.
“Cookies” also known as an HTTP cookie, web cookie, or browser cookie, is usually a small piece of data sent from a website and stored in a user’s web browser while a user is browsing a website. When the user browses the same website in the future, the data stored in the cookie can be retrieved by the website to notify the website of the user’s previous activity. Cookies were designed to be a reliable mechanism for websites to remember the state of the website or activity the user had taken in the past. This can include clicking certain buttons, login in or a record of which pages were visited by the user even months or years ago. Although cookies cannot carry viruses, and cannot install malware on the host computer, tracking cookies and especially third-party tracking cookies are commonly used as ways to compile long-term records of individuals’ browsing histories.
Cookies identify your computer and they do not personally identify you. At Explore Messinia we make limited use of cookies to store your preferences, record session information, collect information on how you visit and access our websites, and to tailor our web pages to your needs. We also use cookies to analyze and measure the effectiveness of our email communications, website features and offerings, and advertisements. We also use third-party advertising companies to serve ads while you are visiting our websites and permit these companies to place and access their own cookies on your computer in the course of serving advertisements. Such advertisers do not have access to the information we collect through Explore Messinia cookies. Our client may disable cookies from his computer but doing so he could not use our services.
If you make a purchase at our websites, we may send you information about new products, or ask your opinion about our websites, tours, excursion etc., so that we may improve our service to you and other consumers. If you do not want Explore Messinia to contact you in the future, please let us know by sending an email to Customer care department welcome@exploremessinia.com.
If you subscribe to any of our email messages, we will use your personal information to send you the information you requested. You will always have the option to unsubscribe by sending an email. Some of the personal information we collect is shared with our service partners (e.g. tour operators, transfers) who are directly involved in fulfilling the purchases you have made from us.
We only provide our service providers with your name and your local contact details, if you provide them (e.g. your hotel name for pick-ups and drop-offs, your local phone number, etc.) We do not provide our service providers with any other personal information. If you decide to provide any personal information directly to a service provider, we recommend that you review the service provider’s Privacy and Personal Data Protection Policy.
We reserve the right to disclose your personally identifiable information as required by law and when we believe that disclosure is necessary to protect our rights and/or comply with a judicial proceeding, court order, or legal process served on our Web site.
All transactions occur through our Booking system server and processed by Braintree a service of Paypal. That means encryption and all updated means of protection are used to secure information sent from your computer to the servers.
We know that our business will continue to evolve as we introduce new products and as such from time to time our Privacy and Personal Data Protection Policy may be reviewed and revised.
Explore Messinia reserve the right to change its Privacy and Personal Data Protection Policy and post the changes on its website for your information. We will only use your personal information in accordance with the Privacy and Personal Data Protection Policy in effect at the time we collect your personal information.
Complaint procedure
If you have any concerns regarding any aspect of our operations or staff we encourage you to contact us as soon as possible and with as much information as possible. This could be during any part of the lead up to your trip, while on the trip, or after you have returned home. It is important that you contact us either directly to the office or via your trip leader as soon as possible after the issue has arisen. In this way, we can do our best to address any concerns at the time and minimize any disruption or distress.
Please also note that you are obliged to do so a form is available online here and can use it upon request. If you wish to raise a concern or make a complaint after you have returned home, you need to contact our office within 14 days of the end of your trip giving your booking reference and full details of the issue to be raised.
In investigating any concern raised with reference to our ventures, we will need to consult with all parties related to the incident or situation. This may include our own staff and also staff of third parties and other clients where relevant. This may be necessary in order to build up a good picture of the circumstances surrounding an incident. We reserve the right to make these enquiries in the interests of completeness.
If you have a concern that you feel unable to raise with any one member of staff or in relation to which you wish to stay anonymous, please contact Explore Messinia Managing Director Trifonas Douvris directly. If you have an express interest to stay anonymous from there forward, you must expressly state this in the initial correspondence. Please note that this may affect the ability of ourselves to fully investigate the matter.
We will always seek to resolve any concerns or complaints through amicable dialogue.
Most problems can be dealt with quickly. If you remain dissatisfied and in the unlikely event you have a complaint that we cannot amicably resolve, you may, as an alternative to bringing a claim in the courts, refer it to the Hellenic Consumer Ombudsman (www.synigoroskatanaloti.gr).