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Travel Terms & Conditions |
HOW TO MAKE A RESERVATION: Please contact your travel agent for assistance, or visit www.PhotoWorkshop.US.
DEPOSIT REQUIRED: 25% per person non-refundable deposit is due at the time of reservation. For programs including sea or river cruises, deposit is 50% per person non-refundable. Instant purchase packages require full payment at the time of booking.
FULL PAYMENT: Due 45 days prior to departure (65 days for packages including sea and river cruises; 90 days for packages including European River or Galapagos Island Cruises). Some special events (such as Rio de Janeiro New Year's and Carnival, and all packages featuring Ecuador) may require earlier payment. You will be advised at the time of reservation. Payments made within 21 days of departure must be in the form of a certified check or credit card. Instant purchase packages require full payment at the time of booking. Payments made by wire transfer must include an additional $25.00 wire transfer fee.
PRICES: Reflect a 3% discount for purchases made with cash or checks. There are no discounts for sales made by credit card. Prices are per person and based upon shared twin room occupancy. In case of human or computer error, PhotoWorkshop.US reserves the right to re-invoice for the correct price or service.
MINIMUM PURCHASE: Any invoice less than $500 will be subject to a $50 processing fee.
CREDIT CARDS: We accept major credit cards. Credit card charges will be accepted by phone or online to fulfill non-refundable deposit and Final payment.
RETURNED CHECKS: $30 fee.
CHANGES AFTER DEPOSIT: $50 per revision plus any expenses imposed by suppliers. A revision is defined as any item in a booking which requires an amendment. For example, one hotel revision would equal $50; two hotel revisions on the same booking would equal $100 plus supplier fees. Airline amendments are subject to $50 revision fees plus airline re-booking fees of up to $200 per ticket. A change of destination constitutes a cancellation, and will be subject to full cancellation fees.
LAST-MINUTE RESERVATIONS: Bookings received 21 days or less prior to departure will include a $50 last-minute booking fee. If requested services cannot be confirmed, deposit and booking fee will be refunded. If services are confirmed, final payment is due within 24 hours and all applicable cancellation penalties will apply thereafter. Acceptable forms of payment include credit card or certified check.
PASSENGER NAME: Passengers are responsible to ensure that the names printed on the invoice exactly match the first and last name written in their passport (middle names or initials are not needed). Due to newly introduced security measures, any name change including minor spelling corrections may require airline reservations to be canceled and rebooked. Reservations are subject to availability at the time of rebooking. Once full payment is received, airline tickets will be issued. Subsequent name corrections will be subject to an airline rebooking fee of up to $200 per ticket plus a PhotoWorkshop.US $50 revision fee per change. Photoworkshop.US will not be held responsible for the denial of services by a carrier due to any name discrepancy. Name changes must be advised in writing.
DOCUMENTS: Will be sent electronically unless Photoworkshop.US and/or the airline deem paper tickets necessary. Passengers may request paper documents for a service fee of $30 per person. Will be sent via e-mail or mailed 21 days prior to departure for delivery approximately 14 days prior to departure, provided that full payment (cleared check or approved credit card) is received at least 45 days prior to departure. Post Office Box numbers cannot be used for delivery of travel documents. Please provide a complete street address. For shipping by 2nd Day Air, a $12 fee will apply; for Next Day Air, a $20 fee will apply. One set of documents will be mailed per reservation. Documents may be sent to additional addresses for a $20 fee per address. Should final payment be received fewer than 45 days prior to departure, $12 will necessarily be applied to your final invoice for 2nd Day Air delivery. This amount must be paid in full before documents can be released.
AMENDMENTS AFTER DEPARTURE: The cost of any changes or additions will be at the local rate at the time of the amendment, not per the PhotoWorkshop.US brochure, and must be borne by the passenger.
AIRLINES: Once issued, tickets are non-refundable. Airline schedules and flights are subject to change without notice. PhotoWorkshop.US is not responsible for penalties incurred for tickets, international or domestic, not issued by PhotoWorkshop.US due to schedule and/or flight changes. Airlines reserve the right to demand immediate issuance of tickets whenever they determine that specific flights are heavily booked even when normal ticketing rules do not require tickets to be issued until a later date. In this instance, PhotoWorkshop.US will require immediate and full payment of the airfare and airport taxes and fees as itemized on the invoice. This situation overrides invoice terms and conditions and payment due dates. If full payment is not received, seats will be cancelled by the airline and may not be available to be rebooked on the same flights or at the same airfare. Any replacement air arrangements and airfare will be the sole responsibility of the passenger. We suggest you contact your travel agent or the carrier several weeks prior to departure for seat assignments. Passengers are responsible to reconfirm their flights 72 hours prior to departure for all flights.
Airport taxes & fees: All airline tickets are subject to a variety of foreign and domestic government taxes which include security charges, the September 11th Security Fee, airport facility charges, customs and immigration fees, inspection fees and more. The total of these taxes may vary anywhere between $50 and $170 per passenger and are collected by PhotoWorkshop.US. For details please visit the airport_taxes page.
RAIL: Rail tickets are valid for the dates and times specified and once issued are non-refundable. The possibility of date and/or time changes once issued is strictly subject to availability and may by accompanied by rate increases.
HOTEL ACCOMMODATIONS: Will be provided in accordance with the itinerary or similar. We reserve the right to make substitutions with hotels of equal standard. There will be no refunds for any difference in the cost of those accommodations. All rooms are standard twin-bedded rooms with private facilities, unless you have specifically requested and paid for an upgraded room category. Special requests such as bed types, smoking preference and connecting rooms are subject to availability. Room selection in all cases, unless otherwise reserved, is strictly at the discretion of the hotel's management on a run-of-house basis. Triple rooms consist of standard twin beds plus a sofa/folding bed or cot for third person. The number of persons accommodated does not dictate the room size. All hotel rates are based on PhotoWorkshop.US agreements with its suppliers and are not negotiable. Hotel check-in time is generally not before 4:00 p.m. and check-out time is prior to noon. Please be sure that adequate arrangements for accommodations have been taken into consideration when a late night flight is being used. If a day room is included in the itinerary, check-out will normally be 6:00 p.m.
HOTEL & CRUISE PROFILES: PhotoWorkshop.US's hotel and cruise ship profiles are based upon information provided to PhotoWorkshop.US by hotel and cruise ship partners and their representatives, including images and descriptions of individual properties. Star-ratings may differ from country to country. PhotoWorkshop.US does its best to maintain current information, however is not responsible for any inaccuracies, changes in description details or amenities, or images provided by third parties.
AIR-CONDITIONING: Although available at most 4 and 5 star hotels, conditions and use of air-conditioning abroad differs greatly from the United States. Many European hotels were built before central air-conditioning was introduced. Air-conditioning is often shut down at night.
CRUISES: In general, passengers may board ships not earlier than three hours and not later than one hour prior to departure. It is the passenger's responsibility to ensure a timely arrival at the port. Cabins are assigned within a general cabin category on run-of-ship basis. PhotoWorkshop.US cannot guarantee a specific assignment. Cabin assignments will be made available within 30 days of departure. Requests for dining room seating will be accepted by the maître d'hotel on sailing day. PhotoWorkshop.US will accept requests for dining time preference, but cannot guarantee confirmation prior to embarkation. European river cruises (except in Russia) are single seating. Shore excursions may only be purchased aboard ship. Cruise itineraries and ships are subject to change without notice. Furthermore, cruise ships may be chartered and/or departure dates cancelled after the publication of this brochure, in which case all monies will be refunded. PhotoWorkshop.US takes no responsibility for ship substitutions or itinerary changes imposed by a cruise line.
MEALS ON TOUR: As specified in each itinerary. Meals are based on the hotel's or restaurant's buffet or set menu. In general, beverages are not included, unless specifically stated.
TRANSFERS: As indicated for each tour, provided by car, minibus, or motor coach, and only on tour arrival and departure dates, provided airfare is purchased from PhotoWorkshop.US. If you purchase a land-only tour, or if you deviate from the arrival and/or departure dates as stated in the itinerary, you will automatically be billed for the transfer service, which you may advise us to cancel at any time prior to your final tour payment date.
SIGHTSEEING: Will be operated by motor-vehicle, its size dictated by the number of participants, at the sole discretion of the company. PhotoWorkshop.US tours have been designed to accommodate individuals as well as groups. Please refer to each tour package for a complete listing of tour services included. The number of participants may vary during the tour, as PhotoWorkshop.US accommodates travelers arriving on different airlines and on different days of the week. Times listed in itineraries are approximate and meant only as guidelines. It is your responsibility to arrive on time for all scheduled flights, cruises, and package components. Arriving late may be considered a "no-show", in which case you will not be eligible for refund for the unused service(s). We cannot guarantee the number of passengers who will be on any given tour. You may find that you are traveling with a sizeable group or only with your own companions. Services, however, will remain constant no matter the number of tour participants. Escorted tours of Classical Greece may occasionally be guided in English plus one additional language.
PUBLIC HOLIDAYS: On dates including, but not limited to religious holidays and national celebrations, some monuments and sites may be closed. On these occasions, touring itineraries may be amended to reflect these closures.
LUGGAGE: All tour packages allow one piece of luggage per person and one carry-on bag. Excess luggage will be subject to charge of up to $100 per piece. The Travel Agent and/or Tour Operator, PhotoWorkshop.US, shall not be held responsible for any damage to or loss of luggage/personal items. All damage/loss must be reported at time of incident and documented in writing by local authorities for submission to the insurance company.
ITINERARY AND HOTEL VARIATIONS: Occasionally, during holidays and certain periods, due to unforeseen circumstances, the local Tour Operator may have to make last-minute changes, sometimes after arrival, in the sequence of the tour and/or hotels. Therefore, we reserve the right to substitute any of the hotels with no cost adjustment.
SUGGESTED TIPPING:
SUGGESTED TIPPING: |
SUGGESTED TIPPING: Hotels |
SUGGESTED TIPPING: Sea cruises |
SUGGESTED TIPPING: River cruises |
NON-OPERATION OF ESCORTED TOUR: Escorted tour packages are based upon a minimum number of participants. Cancellation of any tour for lack of participation will be advised at least 30 days prior to the tour's departure, and all money will be refunded. PhotoWorkshop.US will not be held responsible for any costs relating to the issuance and/or cancellation of airline tickets or visa fees. On China and South America escorted tours, a minimum of 10 passengers is required. Whenever there are less than 10 passengers, tours will be locally hosted. Southeast Asia tours are guaranteed to depart with a minimum of two passengers. Voluntary cancellations due to political instability, acts of terrorism, government intervention or US State Department warning will be subject to the above fees, provided the program is deemed (by PhotoWorkshop.US) able to continue. Should PhotoWorkshop.US elect to cancel a departure for any of these reasons, every effort will be made to obtain refunds from suppliers, however no guarantees can be provided on their behalf.
TRAVELERS WITH DISABILITIES: Tour participants requiring any form of assistance are required to notify PhotoWorkshop.US in writing at the time of reservation, and must be accompanied by an individual responsible for providing those services. Tour managers, guides, drivers or other tour, hotel, ship personnel are not able to provide such assistance. Due to space limitations, wheelchairs and walkers cannot be taken aboard motor coaches and/or ships. PhotoWorkshop.US reserves the right to remove any person from a tour who has not provided the required notification and has not received written confirmation from PhotoWorkshop.US. All related expenses, including those to return home, will be borne by the passenger.
GROUP HARMONY: To ensure the desired group synergy, PhotoWorkshop.US reserves the right to accept, reject or expel any individual who is deemed disruptive or incompatible with the interests of the group. All expenses to do so will be borne by the passenger.
HEALTH REQUIREMENTS: Please check with your healthcare provider for up-to-date requirements. Malaria is endemic to some regions of Africa and precautions must be taken. Required inoculations, if any, must be recorded by clients' health practitioner on a valid vaccination certificate which the client must carry for proof of inoculation where required. Individuals with heart disease, chronic illness, physical handicap, advanced pregnancy, or mental illness should not participate in these rigorous travel programs.
PASSPORTS AND VISAS: Passengers are responsible for ensuring that they have the proper travel documents and MUST CHECK with the respective consulate(s) or visa agency to determine whether any visas are required. Any information provided pertains to U.S. citizens only. Passports are required. Visit the Visas page for more information.
TRAVEL PROTECTION & INSURANCE: The cost of your trip may increase, due to personal emergencies that may affect your travel plans. Comprehensive trip insurance is therefore highly recommended by PhotoWorkshop.US. Your premium is related to your trip cost, so you don’t have to worry about being over-insured. Please visit http://insuremytrip.com/.
CANCELLATION:
Tour packages without cruise:
Up to 46 days prior to departure: 25% of tour cost
45 to 31 days prior to departure: 40% of tour cost
30 to 15 days prior to departure: 50% of tour cost
14 to 01 days prior to departure: 90% of tour cost
Day of departure/no-show: 100% of tour cost
CANCELLATION: Packages with sea or river
cruise (except European River Cruises and Galapagos)
Up to 66 days prior to departure: $200 p.p.
65 to 31 days prior to departure: 25% of tour cost
30 to 15 days prior to departure:50% of tour cost
14 to 0 days prior to departure/no-show: 90% of tour cost
CANCELLATION: Packages with European River Cruises
or Galapagos
Up to 91 days prior to departure: $200 p.p.
90 to 60 days prior to departure: 35% of tour cost
59 to 30 days prior to departure: 50% of tour cost (except Continental Waterways
100%)
30 to 0 days prior to departure/no-show: 100% of tour cost
CANCELLATION: Instant Purchase Packages
Instant Purchase Packages are fully nonrefundable.
CANCELLATION: Hotel only
Up to 46 days prior to departure: $100 p.p.
45 days or less prior to departure: $100 p.p. plus one night hotel cost per room
at each hotel on itinerary (during certain peak periods, hotels may charge more
than 1 night penalty).
CANCELLATION: Special Events
Cancellation penalties may differ for special events (such as New Year and
Carnival) and will be advised at time of booking.
REFUNDS, AFTER DEPARTURE: All requests for refunds must be made in writing and received no later than 30 days after the return of the tour. Refunds are subject to a processing fee of $50 plus any hotel and/or supplier charges incurred. Claims for unused services should be substantiated in writing by local representatives. Processing will take from six to eight weeks from the date PhotoWorkshop.US receives relevant documents. There will be no refunds for unused package tour services or features, including missed transfers due to airline changes and/or missed flights, unused meals, missed sightseeing tours, unused entrance fees, and accommodations. No terms set forth in this brochure may be changed by anyone other than an authorized representative of PhotoWorkshop.US and must be documented in writing. PhotoWorkshop.US is not obliged to guarantee promises (written or verbal) made by local hotel staff, tour guides, or any other persons not under direct employ of PhotoWorkshop.US.
RESPONSIBILITY: PhotoWorkshop.US and its representatives abroad act only as independent contractors acting on behalf of neither the customer nor the suppliers and principals. All exchange orders, coupons, and tickets are issued subject to the terms and conditions under which such means of transportation, accommodations, and other services are offered or provided. The issuance and acceptance of such documents shall be deemed to be consent to the further conditions. PhotoWorkshop.US does not own nor operate the hotels, motor coaches, airlines, cruise lines, or any other service providers which compose their tours, and will not be held responsible for changes and/or cancellations for any reason by airlines, hotels or cruise ships.
A) The Travel Agent and/or Tour Operator, PhotoWorkshop.US, shall not be in any way liable for injury, damage, loss, accident, delay, or irregularity in any vehicle, or through the act of default of any company, or person engaged in conveying passengers, or of any hotel proprietor, personnel, servant or any other person otherwise in connection therewith.
B) PhotoWorkshop.US shall not be held responsible for potential risks and hazards associated with travel to destinations included in this brochure, where injury, delay, or unanticipated events may occur. PhotoWorkshop.US shall not assume responsibility for standards of quality, hygiene, political stability, cuisine, sanitation facilities, cleanliness, telecommunications facilities, methods of conducting business, emergency medical evacuation, treatment, or medical services found in these destinations. Travel to these areas may entail risks including but not limited to the hazards of traveling in politically unstable areas, civil disturbances, war, and arbitrary changes mandated by government authorities or private concerns. It is the responsibility of the passenger(s) to check with the U.S. State Department, Consular Information, http://travel.state.gov/travel_warnings.html for any current advisories and updates to the destinations on their itinerary. PhotoWorkshop.US shall be held harmless from any and all liability in connection with the foregoing.
C) PhotoWorkshop.US cannot accept responsibility for loss or expense due to delay or changes in transportation schedule or other causes.
D) Each exchange voucher and ticket is to be regarded as one contracted by or on behalf of the particular company or person named on it.
E) Arbitration. Any and all disputes concerning this contract, the brochure or web site, or your trip shall be resolved solely and exclusively by binding arbitration according to the then current rules of the American Arbitration Association in Pennsylvania, and any such arbitration must take place in Glenside, Pennsylvania. In any such arbitration, the substantive law of Pennsylvania will apply.
F) The Steamship companies and the Airlines concerned are not to be held responsible for any omission or events during the time passengers are not aboard their ship, plane, or conveyance. The passage contract in use by the Steamship company and the Airline concerned, when issued, shall constitute the whole contract between the Steamship companies, the Airlines, and the Purchaser of these tours and/or the passengers. The Travel Agent and/or Tour Operator and PhotoWorkshop.US do not assume responsibility for airlines, cruises, or hotels overbooking, cancellations, or delays.
USE OF WEB SITE: WWW.PhotoWorkshop.US
Agreement between Customer and PhotoWorkshop.US: www.PhotoWorkshop.US is
offered to you, the customer, conditioned on your acceptance without
modification of the terms, conditions, and notices contained herein. Your use of
www.PhotoWorkshop.US constitutes your agreement to all such terms, conditions,
and notices.
Liability Disclaimer: The information, products, and services published on
this web site may include inaccuracies or typographical errors. Changes are
periodically made to the information which appears here. The content of this
site is not guaranteed to be complete, accurate, or available and may be changed
at any time without notice. PhotoWorkshop.US may make improvements or changes on
this web site at any time. In no event shall PhotoWorkshop.US be liable for any
direct, indirect, punitive, incidental, special, or consequential damages
arising our of, or in any way connected with, the use of this web site, or for
any information, products, and services obtained through this web site, or
otherwise arising out of the use of this web site.
Links to Other Web Sites: www.PhotoWorkshop.US may contain hyperlinks to web
sites operated by parties other than PhotoWorkshop.US. Such hyperlinks are
provided for your reference only. PhotoWorkshop.US does not control such Web
sites and is not responsible for their contents.
NOT INCLUDED: Items of personal nature such as laundry, wines, mineral water, beverages, coffee, tea, food other than the table d'hote menu, passport and visa fees, insurance, and foreign port taxes.
VALIDITY: All prices quoted are based on current exchange rates and are subject to change without notice. If the U.S. dollar devalues by 5% from the local currency or more, PhotoWorkshop.US reserves the right to increase prices accordingly.
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