Scope

This policy applies to all bookings made through timorgetaway.tl or arranged directly by the TimorGetaway team. It forms part of our Terms and Conditions. Please read it before you book.

Why this policy matters

When you book with TimorGetaway, we confirm your booking directly with a community-based host: a family guesthouse, a boat owner, a guide or an artisan. They then prepare for your arrival, buy food, and often turn away other guests to hold your dates.

That is why cancellation terms exist here. They are not designed to penalise you. They exist so that a small family business is not left carrying the cost of a cancelled trip. We will always work with you where we can.

How payment works

Instant online payment gateways such as PayPal and Stripe are not yet widely available in Timor-Leste. This is a limitation of the local banking market, not of TimorGetaway. We therefore offer two payment routes, and you choose one at checkout:

Bank transfer in advance. We provide our account details and a unique booking reference number. You may upload proof of payment through the website, or send it to us by email or WhatsApp.

Payment in person before your trip. You pay at our office in Dili before departure, by cash, mobile wallet (Mosan by Telemor) or P24. We issue a written receipt.

All prices are in United States dollars (USD). Your booking is confirmed once we have verified payment, or once we have confirmed your reservation in writing where you have chosen to pay in person.

When payment is due

Bank transfer: funds should reach our account at least 7 days before your arrival date, or within 5 days of booking if you book at shorter notice.

In person: payment must be completed at our Dili office at least 1 full day / 24 hours before your trip begins, so that we can transfer funds to your hosts before you arrive.

If payment is not received by the applicable deadline and we have not agreed otherwise with you in writing, we may treat the booking as cancelled and release your dates. We will always try to contact you first.

If you cancel

All cancellations and change requests must be made in writing to info@timorgetaway.tl, quoting your booking reference. The date we receive your written request is the date we use. Requests made by phone or WhatsApp must be confirmed in writing.

What happens next depends on how much notice you give, and on whether you have already paid.

Notice period

30 or more days before arrival: no cancellation charge. Any amount already paid is refunded in full, less transaction charges already incurred.

15 to 29 days before arrival: a cancellation charge of 50% of the total booking value applies.

7 to 14 days before arrival: a cancellation charge of 75% of the total booking value applies.

Fewer than 7 days before arrival, or no-show: a cancellation charge of 100% of the total booking value applies.

If you have already paid

We refund the balance of what you paid after deducting the applicable cancellation charge, following previous Section.

If you have not yet paid

The same cancellation charges apply in principle, because your hosts have already committed. In practice, where you cancel with 15 or more days’ notice and nothing has been paid, we will simply cancel your booking with the hosts and nothing will be owed.

For cancellations inside 14 days where no payment has been made, we will contact you to discuss the costs already committed on your behalf. We would rather have that conversation than issue an invoice, and in most cases a reschedule solves it for everyone.

Third-party experiences

Where a booking includes an experience operated by a third-party provider with its own cancellation terms, those terms apply to that portion of the booking and are shown to you before you confirm.

Rescheduling

We will always try to move your dates rather than cancel, and we encourage you to ask. Where the provider can accommodate a change and you request it at least 14 days before arrival, we will reschedule at no administrative charge, subject to availability and any difference in seasonal pricing. Requests made later than 14 days are handled case by case, and we will do our best.

A booking may be rescheduled once without charge. Repeated changes may incur a charge if your hosts have already committed costs.

If we or a provider cancel

If we or a provider cancel a confirmed booking for any reason other than your breach of our Terms and Conditions, you may choose one of the following:

an alternative arrangement of equivalent value;

a credit valid for 12 months from the original travel date; or a full refund of all amounts paid to TimorGetaway, with no deductions.

Weather, sea conditions and events beyond our control

Many of our experiences depend on weather, sea state and road access. Where an activity cannot safely proceed, we will offer a suitable alternative activity, a reschedule, or a refund of the affected portion of your booking.

Where an entire trip is prevented by circumstances beyond reasonable control, including severe weather, natural disaster, civil disruption, public health measures or transport failure, we will offer a reschedule or a credit. Refunds in these circumstances are provided less any costs already irrecoverably committed to providers on your behalf, and we will itemise these for you.

We cannot refund costs you have arranged separately, such as flights, visas or accommodation booked elsewhere. This is why we strongly recommend comprehensive travel insurance, which TimorGetaway does not provide and which you should arrange yourself before travelling.

How refunds are paid

Refunds are issued by the same route you used to pay, wherever possible.

Paid by bank transfer: refunded to the account the payment came from. We may ask you to confirm your account details in writing.

Paid in cash or in person: refunded in cash at our Dili office, or by bank transfer to an account you nominate if you have already left Timor-Leste. We will agree the method with you in writing.

Once a refund is approved, processing times are 1 to 3 business days for local bank transactions and 5 to 7 business days for international bank transactions. Your own bank may take additional time. Bank charges and currency conversion costs applied by your bank are not refundable by TimorGetaway.

Unused services

No refund is available for any part of a package you choose not to use once your trip has begun, including unused meals, accommodation nights or activities. If you leave early, the remaining nights and activities are not refundable, because your hosts have already committed them to you.

If something goes wrong

Please tell your host or our team immediately, while you are still with us. Most problems can be solved on the spot, and we would far rather fix something during your trip than hear about it afterwards.

If a significant part of your booking was not delivered as described and we could not put it right at the time, contact us at info@timorgetaway.tl within 30 days of your travel date with your booking reference and details. We will respond within 14 days and, where the shortfall is our responsibility or that of a provider, offer an appropriate remedy.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. The version published on this page at the date of your booking confirmation is the one that applies to your booking.

Contact us

TimorGetaway, Lda.
Email: info@timorgetaway.tl
Phone and WhatsApp: (+670) 7603 0555 or (+670) 7689 3333
Office hours: weekdays 08:30 to 18:00, Saturdays 08:30 to 12:00 (UTC +9)