If you’re a travel advisor, your business likely lives online — from inquiry forms and trip proposals to payment links and planning portals. But here’s a legal reality we see all the time: Travel advisors are confused about whether they need both Website Terms & Conditions and separate client contracts, and are even more confused about the functions they serve and what information needs to be included in each. 

The reality is that having Website Terms & Conditions alone does not protect your business, and your client contracts alone don’t either. You need both, and each serves a very different (and very important) legal purpose.

At The Legal Paige®, we work with travel advisors at every stage of business, and one of the biggest gaps we see is relying on either Website Terms & Conditions or a client contract — instead of using them together strategically. 

Let’s break down why travel advisors need both Website Terms & Conditions and separate client contracts, and how each one protects you in ways the other simply can’t.

What Website Terms & Conditions Do (and Why Travel Advisors Need Them)

Website Terms & Conditions (“T&Cs”) are rules that should be displayed openly on your website and govern how any user can use your website, whether they become a client or not. T&Cs don’t usually require a signature. By using and navigating your site, individuals are automatically agreeing to them. In general, T&Cs are broad, passive, and not personal — they are universal to each user landing on your website.

For travel advisors, Website T&Cs (and a Privacy Policy) are especially important because your site often includes:

• Inquiry and contact forms
• Trip inspiration guides or blog content
• Email list opt-ins
• Scheduling links
• Proposal previews or portals
• Payment links or deposits
  

Website T&Cs help you:

1. Set Legal Boundaries Before Someone Becomes a Client

Your T&Cs establish rules for website visitors before a contract relationship exists. This includes:

• Age requirements to use your website
• No unauthorized use of your content
• No copying digital products or content
• Rights and guidelines surrounding communications
• Disclaimers regarding things like indemnification (including as related to technological failures), discounts offered, and information contained on the site
• Information about advertisements displayed on your site
• And more

Without T&Cs, visitors can interact with your site without any legally defined rules.

2. Protect Your Intellectual Property

Travel advisors put a ton of time into destination expertise, itineraries, and educational content. Website T&Cs clarify that:

• Your content is protected
• It cannot be copied, shared, or reused
• You retain ownership of your materials
  

This is critical when prospects browse your site but never book.

3. Reduce Website-Related Liability

Website T&Cs can include disclaimers that limit your responsibility for:

• Website errors
• Third-party links
• General informational content

This matters when someone relies on website information without entering into a formal client agreement.

Important: Website Terms & Conditions do not replace a client contract — they’re not meant to. Nor do Website T&Cs need to include information and language that should rightfully appear in your client contracts.

What Client Contracts Do (That Website T&Cs Cannot)

While T&Cs are general rules for any user using your website, client contracts are a whole different animal. The Travel Advisor Contract is for one-on-one client work, and govern the actual working relationship between you and your clients. This is where the real protection for travel advisors lives.

Client contracts also contain terms and conditions, in that they spell out the important things your clients need to agree to to contract for your services. But they are so much more than just terms and conditions. Client contracts are also signed, legally-binding agreements between you and your clients. This demonstrates that both sides agree to the same deal. Lawyers call this a “meeting of the minds.”

When it comes to disputes, judges look for proof that everyone understood the agreement. A fully executed, signed contract makes that proof way easier.

A properly drafted travel advisor client contract spells out things like:

1. Scope of Services

Your client contract should clearly define:

• What services you provide
• What services you do not provide
• Client age of majority and client responsibilities
• What is included in client’s package 

This prevents scope creep and “I thought that was included” situations.

2. Payment Terms and Fees

Client contracts address:

• Planning fees
• Payment timelines
• Refund policies
• Credit card authorization and chargeback protection language
• Cancellations and reschedulings

This is especially important in an industry where suppliers, cancellations, and changes are common.

3. Travel-Specific Liability Protections

Your contract is where you include critical clauses related to:

• Third-party products and suppliers
• Potential changes to quoted prices
• All aspects of air transport and other travel
• Travel with minors
• Assumption of health and safety risks
• Currency fluctuations
• Travel disruptions
• Unused arrangements
• Client responsibility for documents and insurance
• And more 
  

These clauses cannot be effectively enforced through Website T&Cs alone.

4. Cancellations, Changes, and Force Majeure

Travel is unpredictable, and your client contracts should reflect that reality. This is where you outline:

• Cancellation policies
• Rescheduling policies
• Change fees
• Force Majeure policies (i.e. acts beyond your control that were unpredictable and unforeseeable at the time you entered into the contract with a client) 

Without a signed client contract that includes clear terms on all of the above and more, these situations can become legally messy very quickly.

Why Travel Advisors Need Both (Not One or the Other)

Here’s the key takeaway:

Website Terms & Conditions protect your online presence. The Travel Advisor Contract protects your client relationships.

They operate at different stages of the customer journey and cover different legal risks.

If you only have:

• Website T&Cs but no client contract: You’re exposed once someone books.

• A client contract but no Website T&Cs: You’re exposed before someone ever signs.

Using these different legal tools all together creates a layered legal strategy that protects your business from first click to final invoice.

The Bottom Line

Your Website T&Cs are not a substitute for a client contract. They weren’t built for custom services, timelines, deliverables, or client-specific expectations. And, that isn’t their job. That’s why you need both T&Cs listed plainly on your website and a strong, full-length, multi-page client contract. 

If you’re serious about protecting your travel business, scaling sustainably, and operating like a professional, you need:

✔ Detailed Website Terms & Conditions 

✔ A separate, comprehensive Travel Advisor Client Contract 

✔ Clear understanding of when and how each is used

At The Legal Paige®, we create strategic, industry-specific legal templates for small business owners operating websites and for travel advisors. By properly employing both Website Terms & Conditions together with a strong client contract, you’ll go from just hoping for the best to actually protecting every aspect of your business.