TERMS & CONDITIONS

You must be 18 years old (except for minors accompanied by a parent or designated responsible adult) and in good health to join one of our tours. Acceptance of your booking is subject to our review of your application. We retain the right to request medical clearance or any other information or to refuse any applicant for any tour at any time for any reason whatsoever, at our sole discretion.

DEPOSIT TO RESERVE

A 30% non-refundable deposit is required to reserve your journey within seven days of submitting your trip registration. The remaining 70% of the trip cost (plus any additional extensions or hotel nights) is due at least 75 days before the itinerary start date.

All prices are listed in US dollars ($) unless otherwise indicated and are subject to change due to unforeseen circumstances.

TRAVEL INSURANCE – IMPORTANT & REQUIRED

As soon as you have made a deposit, we encourage you to take a comprehensive travel insurance policy to cover your trip. Travel insurance policies will provide coverage against unexpected cancellation charges, flight delays or missed flights, medical costs incurred while traveling overseas, loss of money or baggage, or personal liability claims.

In the event of a claim for cancellation, loss, or damages, in the first instance, the Client and/or Agent should make such a claim through the insurance provider.

Also note that frequently travelers believe that their credit card company supplies travel insurance, but time and again, learn that only flight costs are covered, or there is a coverage limit. As such, we strongly encourage purchasing comprehensive travel insurance through providers like SafetyWing, World Nomads, or Travelex Insurance Services, where you can obtain excellent coverage.

REFUNDS & CANCELLATION

If you cancel some or all portions of your booking the cancellation terms set out below will apply. A cancellation will only be effective when we receive written confirmation that you have sent to your relevant sales representative of the cancellation. If you cancel a trip:

• 90+ or more prior to departure, we will hold 50% of your non-refundable deposit amount as a credit for use toward a future trip;
• 89- 75 days prior to departure, 100% of refundable portion;
• 61 – 75 days prior to departure, 75% of refundable portion;
• 74 – 45 days prior to departure, 50% of refundable portion;
• 44 – 31 day prior to departure, 25% of refundable portion;
• 30 days or fewer prior to departure, no refund is possible.

Please note that different cancellation conditions may apply to some styles of trips and additional services. You are strongly advised to take out cancellation travel insurance at the time of booking. If you leave a trip for any reason after it has commenced, we are not obliged to make any refunds for unused services. If you fail to join a trip, join it after departure, or leave it prior to its completion, no refund will be made. The above cancellation terms are in addition to fees which may be levied by accommodation providers, travel agents or third-party tour and transport operator fees.

CLAIMS & REFUNDS

Refunds are not made for any missed services except for verifiable extenuating circumstances. Please see our Limits on Liability below. For verifiable claims to be considered, they must be received in writing within 30 days of the program’s termination and be accompanied by supporting documentation and/or a statement from the Operating Company verifying the claim. Any adjustment will be based on the actual price of the services involved and not on a per diem basis. Adjustments will not be made for unused sightseeing trips or meals. Ethos Journeys will not accept any liability for any claims not received within 30 days of the termination of your travel program. All claims for days missed while traveling should be made in writing within 30 days of the program’s termination.

For verifiable claims to be considered, they must be submitted to Ethos Journeys in writing along with supporting documentation within 30 days of the traveler’s return date from our planned itinerary. Ethos Journeys will make every effort to rectify situations of services rendered below standard. In this case, any refund would be made based on the actual price of the service(s) in question and not on a per diem basis.

If Ethos Journeys or its contracted partners cannot provide part or all of the travel itinerary, see Changes below.

CHANGES

Due to unforeseen circumstances, Ethos Journeys may need to make adjustments to the travel itinerary, which could alter the final price or design of your program. While we make all of your arrangements in good faith, unforeseen circumstances may make it necessary to change hotels, transportation, or tour arrangements before or during your trip. We reserve the right to make itinerary and price changes as deemed necessary. As none of the accommodation, transportation, and tour guide providers is owned by Ethos Journeys, we cannot be held responsible for such circumstances. We will pass any additional cost (or savings) on to the traveler.

OUR RESPONSE TO COVID-19

We are committed to safe and responsible travel, always ensuring our trips remain safe for everyone — our travelers, our leaders and crew, and the people we visit.

We believe vaccinations are crucial in saving lives and helping keep people safe. We support global vaccine equity and strongly encourage all travelers and leaders to get fully vaccinated against COVID-19. We also follow recommendations from the World Health Organization and the World Travel Tourism Council’s (WTTC) Safe Travel protocols.

1. Are there vaccination or testing requirements for Ethos Journeys trips?

Ethos Journeys does not require travelers to provide proof of vaccination against COVID-19 for most trips. However, we strongly recommend that all travelers and leaders get vaccinated to protect themselves and others. Your destination country or airline may still require specific proof of testing or vaccination. Please ensure you check travel and entry requirements carefully.

2. What happens if someone on a trip shows symptoms of COVID-19?

If a traveler feels unwell during a trip, our Ethos Journeys leader will assist them in accessing medical care. This may include facilitating COVID-19 testing if requested by the customer. We also encourage customers to bring tests from home as a precaution. Any difficulties required or requested are at the traveler’s expense.

If travelers test positive for COVID-19, they must leave the trip and access medical care (if required). Depending on the destination, they may be required to isolate for a period of time.

Our goal is to keep the trip going wherever possible unless we are required to end the journey in line with local regulations.

3. Will I have to wear a mask when traveling?

Ethos Journeys supports the use of masks to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. We follow local governments’ and individual businesses’ guidance and requirements around mask-wearing. Where masks aren’t required, we respect all travelers’ choices around personal mask usage.

4. Can I get a refund if I am unwell before my trip and unable to travel?

If you are unwell before traveling, please contact us to make alternative arrangements. We strongly encourage arranging travel insurance for your journey as soon as you deposit and/or buy flights. You can receive a full refund from your travel insurance provider in most circumstances, but our cancellation policies cannot be altered in the event of illness.

HOTEL CHECK-IN & CHECK-OUT

Hotel check-out time is usually 12:00 PM. Extended check-in/check-out time may be granted, subject to availability and agreement by the participating hotels.

PASSPORTS, VISAS & OTHER TRAVEL DOCUMENTS

Be sure your passport is not close to expiring as some countries refuse valid passports soon to expire – generally, travel within six months of expiration will not be accepted. It is the travelers’ responsibility to ensure that they have valid passports and visas, where necessary. Ethos Journeys cannot be held responsible for information on visa regulations or where passports or visas are not obtained or accepted by local authorities.

AIR TRANSPORTATION

Ethos Journeys does not book airfare to and from the travel destination. Once the traveler confirms the travel itinerary, he/she is responsible for ensuring correct arrival and departure dates/times. Ethos Journeys will not be liable for mistakes or errors in airfare bookings made by independent third parties. Change fees and/or airfare penalties may apply for travelers who miss flights in the itinerary.

Air transportation can be affected by weather, schedule delays, or cancellations which can affect the design of your itinerary (see Changes above).

LIMITS OF LIABILITY

Ethos Journeys, its employees, officers, directors, successors, agents, and assigns, does not own or operate any entity which is to or does provide goods or services for your trip. It purchases transportation (by aircraft, coach, train, vessel, or otherwise), hotel and other lodging accommodations, restaurants, ground handling, and other services from various independent suppliers. All such persons and entities are independent contractors.

As a result, Ethos Journeys is not liable for any negligent or willful act of any such person or entity, or third person. In addition and without limitation, Ethos Journeys is not responsible for any injury, loss, death, inconvenience, delay, or damage to personal property in connection with the provision of any goods or services, whether resulting from but not limited to acts of God, illness, disease, acts of war, civil unrest, insurrection or revolt, animals, strikes or other labor activities, criminal or terrorist activities of any kind, overbooking or downgrading of services, food poisoning, mechanical or other failures of aircraft or other means of transportation or for the loss of any transportation mechanism to arrive or depart on time.

RISKS

There are certain inherent risks in travel. These include, but are not limited to, hiking, walking safaris, climbing injuries, altitude sickness, and in all trips, dangers of animals, inaccessibility to medical attention, and difficulty in evacuation from remote locations in the case of a medical emergency. The passenger assumes all such risks concerning these possibilities and is now given notice that hospital and/or health facilities/personnel for treatment of serious medical problems are often unavailable and further that evacuation, if available, can be prolonged, complicated, and expensive. We assume no liability regarding the provision of medical care or evacuation services and, at this moment, provide notice that any of our staff or subcontractors who may provide emergency medical care in the field may not have had formal medical or first-aid training and would be acting only as a “good Samaritan.”

TRAVEL ADVISORIES/WARNINGS

It is the responsibility of The Traveler to become informed about the most current travel advisories and warnings by referring to the U. S. State Department’s travel website at www.travel.state.gov/ or by phone at 1-888-407- 4747. In the event of an active State Department Travel Warning against travel to the specific destination location(s) of the trip, should The Traveler still choose to travel, notwithstanding any travel advisory or warning, The Traveler assumes all risk of personal injury, death or property damage that may arise out of the events like those advised or warned against.

ARBITRATION AGREEMENT

Any controversy or claim arising out of or relating in any way to these Terms and Conditions, to the Limits of Liability Clause, or any information relating in any way to the trip or to the journey itself, shall be settled solely and exclusively by binding arbitration Orange County, FL, USA, following the rules of the Arbitration Association then existent.

TRAVELER REPRESENTATION

The Traveler represents that neither he nor she nor anyone traveling with him or her has any physical or other condition or disability that could create a hazard to himself or herself or other tour members. Ethos Journeys reserves the right to decline to accept anyone on a trip. Ethos Journeys reserves the right to remove from the trip, at his or her sole expense, anyone whose condition is such that he or she could create a hazard to himself or others or otherwise impact the enjoyment of other passengers on the trip.