Terms and Conditions
RESERVATION, DEPOSITS AND FINAL PAYMENTS:
Reservations may be secured upon the client’s payment of a deposit per person, based on the total price of the Tour. A deposit of 10% to 25% of such price, at H2O TOURS & TRAVEL’s discretion, will be charged to the client at the time of the reservation/booking. No reservation is considered firm until the applicable deposit has been received. The client’s initial deposit payment shall be deemed to be an acceptance by the client of all the terms of H2O TOURS & TRAVEL’s General Terms and Conditions. Final payment in full, and any additional Insurance premium payment, if applicable, is due and payable to H2O TOURS & TRAVEL not less than 60 days prior to the Tour departure date. Payments made after these dates will result in an additional administrative charge of one hundred dollars ($100.00) being imposed on the client.
THE TOUR PRICE INCLUDES:
Air Transportation*: Round-trip, economy-class air flights between certain “gateway” cities and the Tour’s origination/termination points.
*Depending on the tour package.
Hotel accommodations: Based on per person double occupancy rates. Hotels will be at least 4 stars grade, based on local standards. Any client wishing to arrange single room accommodations (subject to availability) must pay the single supplement price at the hotels’ prevailing accommodations rates.
Ground transportation: As detailed in the Tour program, in deluxe air-conditioned motorcoach transportation or other conveyances as required.
Guides and/or Tour Managers: English and/or Spanish language speaking Tour Guides and/or Tour Managers.
Entrance/Admission Fees: Entrance and admission fees to visit places and attractions as specified in the Tour itinerary program.
Transfers: Assistance and transfers from airports to hotels and vice versa, according to the Tour program.
Meals: As specified in the Tour program.
Health Insurance: Emergency Travel Health Insurance (mandatory for all clients while on H2O TOURS & TRAVEL Tour programs). Note that Medicare and many private medical insurance plans do not provide coverage outside the U.S.
THE TOUR PRICE DOES NOT INCLUDE:
Tips: basic Tips or Gratuities for tour guides, drivers and servers.
Trip Insurance: Trip Cancellation Insurance, which may be purchased by Tour clients for an additional premium charge.
Security Taxes/ Fees: Border taxes, entry/exit fees, and security duties or charges.
Non-refundable administrative expenses.
Optional Services: Extensions, extras, and sightseeing tours that are not expressly included and listed in the Tour itinerary.
Miscellaneous and Personal Nature Expenses: Non-refundable administrative expenses; individual transfers (not specified in the Tour itinerary/program); passport fees and visas fees (if any); phone calls; valet service; laundry service; drink at meals; wines, liquors and mineral water; after dinner coffee or tea; meals not specified in the Tour Itinerary; personal expenses; and/or excess baggage weight (per the policy of each carrier).
Increases in: Land costs, air fares, fuel surcharges, government taxes and fees, and currency rates of exchange. Airlines reserve the right to increase fares without prior notice. Since H2O TOURS & TRAVEL cannot guarantee against increases in fuel surcharges, government taxes, currency exchange rates, land costs or air fares after the printing of this document or Tour itineraries, the Tour clients will be required to pay such increases, if any, prior to departure.
CANCELLATION CHARGES:
Should the client wish to cancel his Tour after booking and prior to departure date, cancellation charges will be imposed per person. All cancellations must be submitted in writing not less than 60 days prior to the departure date. In the event of a cancellation made between the date of reservation/booking and up to 60 days before tour departure, the client’s reservation deposit is not refundable, and, if applicable, any airline cancellation penalty will be the client’s responsibility. Clients may be subject to pay any applicable single supplement penalty or charge in cases where H2O TOURS & TRAVEL cannot not find a roommate compatible with any other Tour client who had been assigned to stay in the same hotel rooms with the client who is cancelling his Tour, because the Tour accommodation prices are based on per person accommodation in double rooms.
Clients will be subject to the following Tour cancellation charges and penalties, based upon the date on which H2O TOURS & TRAVEL receives notice of cancellation:
89-31 days before departure: 25% of the total price of the Tour.
30-15 days before departure: 50% of the total price of the Tour.
14 days or less before departure: 100% of the total price of the Tour.
Any notice of cancellation must be given in writing by the client to H2O TOURS & TRAVEL. From or after departure of the Tour, H2O TOURS & TRAVEL will not refund any client for unused Tour services.
H2O TOURS & TRAVEL strongly recommends that clients purchase trip cancellation insurance. Trip cancellation insurance is available at an additional premium upon written request.
CHANGES IN ITINERARY:
If the Client wishes to make itinerary changes that include extra nights, then the client will be charged a price supplement per person according to the accommodations price. The supplemental charge for extra nights will not be inclusive of meals.
If the client wishes to change to a different Tour departure date, on a confirmed booking, and such change is made at least 60 days prior to the original departure date where such a change is possible/ permitted, an extra fee will be charged (Fee will be defined according to the Tour price/ Currency Fluctuations). Thereafter all changes will be treated as cancellations.
ACCOMMODATION/LODGING:
The Tour price is based on person accommodation in a double room. Single rooms, if available, are often smaller than the double rooms. For that persons that are traveling alone, H2O TOURS & TRAVEL will, upon a single client’s request, attempt to assign a compatible roommate, up to 35 days prior to departure. If H2O TOURS & TRAVEL is not able to assign a roommate, or if the client requests single accommodation, a single supplement will be charged according to the hotel accommodations price.
CLIENTS REQUIRING SPECIAL ASSISTANCE:
Disabled clients requiring special attention or care must advise H2O TOURS AND TRAVEL in writing at the time of reservation. According to the Tour destination, a physically able companion must accompany any client who needs special assistance. Tour directors, guides, drivers or other tour, hotel or ship personnel are not able to provide such assistance. H2O TOURS AND TRAVEL is not responsible for any denial of services to any disabled client by air carriers, cruise ships, hotels, restaurants or other independent suppliers. Certain countries/destinations involve extensive walking. Be aware that outside the U.S. the Americans with Disabilities Act is not applicable, and facilities for disabled individuals are limited. H2O TOURS AND TRAVEL is not responsible for any client requiring special medical equipment.
TRAVEL DOCUMENTATION:
It is the client’s sole responsibility to ensure that he or she satisfies all passport, visa, and travel cancellation insurance requirements and H2O TOURS & TRAVEL will accept no responsibility for any refusal of travel or entry into any destination or for any liabilities, losses, delays or expenses incurred through any irregularity in such documentation.
Clients having questions with regard to travel documentation and insurance requirements must raise such questions with H2O TOURS & TRAVEL well in advance of the Tour departure date. Any information provided by H2O TOURS & TRAVEL with regard to travel documentation is given in good faith but without responsibility or liability on our part.
Non U.S. citizens may require visas in addition to a valid passport. It is the sole responsibility of non-U.S. citizens (including green card holders) to ensure they have the required visas/travel documents for each country to be visited on their tour and for re-entry into the U.S.A. Visa fees (if any) are not included in the Tour price.
CURRENCY FLUCTUATIONS:
All prices in the brochure and made to measure Tour programs are based on currency exchange rates on the date of printing or price quotation. If currency exchange rate fluctuations of more than 3% or in local government tax amendments occur, H2O TOURS & TRAVEL reserves the right to adjust Tour prices accordingly.
AIR TICKETS:
H2O TOURS & TRAVEL makes every effort to provide the lowest possible price on our group tours and therefore does not guarantee the most direct routing to/from your final destination. H2O TOURS & TRAVEL is not responsible if an airline cancels, reschedules or delays a flight for any reason. H2O TOURS & TRAVEL is not responsible for and will not provide any refund for portions of trips missed due to canceled, rescheduled or delayed flights by any carrier. After issuance, used tickets are neither refundable nor subject to alterations. Cancellations made after air tickets have been issued are subject to full cancellation penalties as imposed by the airlines. Flights will be arranged by any IATA/ARC air carrier or other scheduled jet carrier, in economy class, with flights and air routing at the discretion of the air carriers. All Tour flight schedules are subject to alteration or modification by the airlines without prior notice. H2O TOURS & TRAVEL is not responsible for such changes, refunds, or for the cost of changes or delays that flights may cause.
Clients may arrange and pay for their own air travel between locations that are not designated gateway cities (or are not in the U.S.) and the Tour’s origination/termination points. The Tour price in such cases will not include an air fare component. In the event of clients’ making their own air travel arrangements, H2O TOURS & TRAVEL assumes no responsibility or liability for such arrangements and recommends that such clients purchase air tickets that may be altered without penalty or with minimum costs.
UNDER REGULATIONS:
The insurance company that issues H2O TOUR & TRAVEL’s optional Trip Cancellation Insurance policies cannot insure the Tour of any client who does not live in the United States. Nor will such insurance provide coverage to clients who have made their own air travel arrangements. In such cases, H2O TOURS & TRAVEL recommends that clients obtain and purchase trip cancellation insurance that will provide coverage to them.
NUMBER OF GROUP TOUR PARTICIPANTS:
The price for group travel is based on at least 20 people. Groups with a smaller number of participants may have an extra charge and the group leader (spiritual, educational…) may not be able to accompany. H2O TOURS & TRAVEL acts only as agent for relevant providers and suppliers in arranging hotels, transport and other services of travel in connection with offered Tours, and in no case may H2O TOURS & TRAVEL be held liable or responsible on account of any failure, default, or negligence by any such supplier to provide any transport, accommodation or other travel service to be provided.
COMPLAINTS:
Should the client have a complaint about any of the Tour arrangements, it is a condition of the contract that the client notifies H2O TOURS & TRAVEL’s local representative immediately of such complaint. Failure by the client to give immediate notice of any complaint will deny us the opportunity to investigate and rectify the problem and will consequently render H2O TOURS & TRAVEL unable to accept any form of responsibility for such complaint. If the client has a dispute with H2O TOURS & TRAVEL which we are unable to resolve at the time, please write to us within 28 days of your return home and we will investigate further.
SECURING YOUR BOOKING:
To guarantee a reservation, H2O TOURS & TRAVEL requires payment from the client of the stipulated deposit (or full payment if within 60 days of departure).
Scanned copies of the client’s passport data / photo pages are required from the client for the purposes of booking of flights, trains and for tourism tax exemptions. If such documentation is not provided, clients may be subject to additional costs and charges and may cause problems in the booking process. Information contained in such documentation will not be shared with third parties without the knowledge of the client.
A booking is accepted and becomes definite once H2O TOURS & TRAVEL has received the client’s deposit, at which point a contract exists and the deposit becomes non-refundable and non-transferable. H2O TOURS & TRAVEL reserves the right to decline any booking at its discretion. There is no change or refund possible with respect to any of the excursions listed in the Tour itinerary or program. It is not possible to transfer the booking to a third party.
THE CONTRACT:
The contract is between H2O TOURS & TRAVEL and the client, being any person travelling or intending to travel on a tour operated by us. You, the client, are subject to and presumed to have read and understood our travel policy outlined herein. By booking with H2O TOURS & TRAVEL (sending a completed booking form and / or your personal information in order to make your booking(s) and / or paying the deposits and balances due) the client is deemed to have and does in fact accept these terms and conditions. These conditions only apply to services in H2O TOURS & TRAVEL’s Tour program. The itinerary or activities of any Tour may be altered or revised for operational reason or external factors
EXTERNAL FACTORS:
Certain services of any Tour can be interrupted, be canceled or undergo changes in itinerary due to weather conditions, force majeure, acts of God, riots, strikes, lockouts, illness, or other reasons or causes beyond the control of H2O TOURS & TRAVEL, and/or the Tour’s hotels, airlines and suppliers. No refund will be made as a result of any such interruptions or cancellations. Any expenses arising out of or resulting from any of such events will be solely the responsibility of the client affected thereby and not of H2O TOURS & TRAVEL.
RESPONSIBILITY:
In all travel and tour arrangements, H2O TOURS & TRAVEL acts on behalf of and at the order of our clients, organizing and arranging on their behalf transportation, accommodations and/or other required tourist services; accordingly, H2O TOURS & TRAVEL does not accept or assume liability for accidents, losses, theft, delays or inferences due to force majeure or other causes, reasons, or events that do not involve our responsibility or which are beyond our control, especially with respect to Tour programs and schedules.
HEALTH CARE/ TRAVEL PROTECTION:
Travel health insurance is considered mandatory for all clients while on a tour with H2O TOURS & TRAVEL.
H2O TOURS & TRAVEL has worked hard to provide the best on-trip experiences and a stress-free vacation, so a travel health insurance plan is already included at the travel package. H2O TOURS & TRAVEL wants its clients to have adequate coverage for the full duration of the tour in respect of medical expenses. H2O TOURS & TRAVEL is not responsible for the contents or coverage provided by any insurance policy. Please, read your policy carefully.
H2O TOURS & TRAVEL suggests that clients educate themselves about their Tour itinerary and destinations and that they take the proper measures to protect themselves.
Whether clients are traveling domestically or internationally, it’s important to know a little about the environment. Protect yourself from Mosquito bites in order to prevent infection from, among other diseases, yellow fever (vaccination) and malaria (repellant and medication). Consult your doctor before traveling.
At the website http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/list you can get detailed information regarding health measures advisable to be taken in accordance with the Country being visited.
