Booking Terms & Conditions
Once you have selected your travel plan, please read the terms and conditions that your booking will be subject to.
Reservations
A non-refundable deposit of $500 per person or 10% of the total cost of the tour, whichever is higher is due at the time of reservation. Additional deposits may be required for internal airfare, cruises, safaris, custom trips and certain special events. The balance of the cost is payable 90 days before the date of departure. If you book your travel within 90 days of departure, the full amount must be paid at the time of making the reservation.
All payments may be made by check or credit card. Prices may be subject to change prior to confirming a reservation.
Alterations
If you request any changes to your travel arrangements after we confirm the booking, an amendment fee of $150 per requested amendment will be applicable. If you wish to make changes after the commencement of your travel, Recherché Journeys and our agents will do their best to implement it, but it cannot be guaranteed. In the event of such an amendment being made, you will be liable for all charges that may be levied for the already booked service and for any costs incurred by Recherché Journeys and their agents.
Cancellations and Refunds
Cancellations of any reservation should be notified to Recherché Journeys in writing. Please note that the deposits are non-refundable. Should you wish to cancel your reservation within 90 days of departure, cancellation charges are as follows:
Days Before Departure
Before 90 days
90 to 61 days
60 to 31 days
30 or less
Cancellation Fee
Your deposit
20% of the tour cost
50% of the tour cost
100% of the tour cost
We cannot refund the cost of meals, rooms, excursions, etc. not used when these are included in the price of the travel plan. Also, no refund can be made on lost or destroyed travel tickets or vouchers.
Prices & Arrangements
Quoted tour program prices are based on current rates of exchange, tariffs, and taxes. Recherché Journeys reserves the right to increase program prices to reflect the fluctuations in the foreign exchange markets and to cover the increased costs, tariffs, and taxes received after prices are published. Recherche Journeys is under no obligation to give breakdown costs involved in any Escorted or Tailor-Made Program.
Passports and Visas
U.S. citizens require passports with a validity of six months beyond the date of completion of the tour and should also have sufficient blank pages for visas and immigration stamps. Visas may be required for some or all the countries to be visited. Recherche Journeys will provide visa information and application forms. Recherche Journeys also recommends a reliable visa service that charges a nominal fee/s for obtaining visa/s. Non-U.S. citizens may have different requirements. Recherche Journeys cannot be held responsible should entry to a country is denied to the Passenger due to non-compliance with these requirements. It is The Passenger’s responsibility to be aware of all the latest 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/s of the trip, should the Passenger still choose to travel, notwithstanding any travel advisory or warning, the Passenger assumes all risk of personal injury, death, or property damage that may arise out of the events like those advised or warned against.
Gratuities on Independent Programs
Gratuities are not included in the program price and are at the discretion of the traveler. Recommended guidelines for each area visited are provided in Recherche Journeys pre-tour documentation.
Your Tour Price Generally Includes
- Accommodation on a double occupancy basis in the specified category/ies at the specified property or similar.
- Economy class on inter-tour flights as listed in the travel plan.
- Handling of two pieces of baggage per person. Weight restrictions on internal air flights may apply; details will be provided with preliminary tour documentation. Baggage and personal effects are at the owner’s risk throughout the travel program. Please check with your international carrier for other baggage restrictions applicable to your international flights.
- Standard class on rail, road, and other transportation as described.
- Meals as described. In some rare instances, a meal may not be of the standard expected under the term “deluxe”, particularly in remote areas.
- Excursions and tours as listed in the itinerary.
- Services of professional guides and/or a Tour Escort.
- For group tours, gratuities for services are included in the itinerary.
Your Tour Price Generally Excludes
- International airfare, unless otherwise stated.
- Passenger Travel Protection Plan.
- Costs associated with obtaining passports or entry visas.
- Airport departure taxes and airport security charges and baggage charged unless otherwise noted.
- Optional excursions.
- Costs of personal items such as laundry, communication charges, drinks with meals or any other incidentals, etc.
- Transport between your home and home airport/port/station.
- Meals other than those specified.
- The sole traveler’s supplement is payable on all bookings where only one person is traveling.
- Gratuities for services on all individual tours and to your Tour Escort.
Photography
Recherché Journeys reserves the right to take photographs during the operation of any program or part thereof and to use them for promotional purposes. By booking a program with Recherché Journeys, program members agree to allow their images to be used in such photographs. Program members who prefer that their images not be used are asked to identify themselves to their Tour Manager at the beginning of their program.
Limits on Recherché Journeys’s Responsibility
Recherché Journeys LLC, its employees, officers, directors and the agents it assigns (collectively Recherché Journeys), do 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, cruise ships, vessel, and others), hotel and other lodging accommodations, restaurants, ground handling, and other services from various independent suppliers. As a result, Recherché Journeys is not liable for any negligent or willful act of any such person or entity or of any third person. In addition and without limitation, Recherché Journeys is not responsible for any injury, financial or physical 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 or force majeure, 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 failure of any transportation mechanism to arrive or depart on time. There are many inherent risks in adventure travel of the type involved here, which can lead to illness, injury or even death. These risks are increased by the fact that these trips take place in remote locations, far from medical facilities. Passenger assumes all such risks associated with participating in this trip.
Arbitration Agreement
Any controversy or claim arising out of or relating to these Terms and Conditions, to the Limits on Recherché Journeys LLC’s Responsibility clause, to the brochure, to any information relating in any way to the trip, to the trip itself, or to any products or services related to the trip, shall be settled solely and exclusively by binding arbitration in Delaware in accordance with the Commercial Arbitration Rules of the American Arbitration Association, except that (a) in lieu of a personal appearance at arbitration, the arbitration may be conducted by telephonic means, (b) arbitration is the exclusive forum for dispute resolution (no court actions), and (c) except as otherwise provided by statute, each party shall bear its own costs and expenses and an equal share of the arbitrator and administrative fees.
Travelers’ Representations
The Traveler represents that neither he/she/them nor anyone traveling with him/her/them has any physical or other condition or disability that could create a hazard to himself/herself /themselves or other members of the program. Recherché Journeys reserves the right to decline to accept anyone on a trip. Recherché Journeys reserves the right to remove from the trip, at his/her/their sole expense, anyone whose condition is such that he/she/they could create a hazard to themselves or others, or otherwise impact the enjoyment of other passengers on the trip.
Any payment to Recherché Journeys LLC constitutes your acceptance of the terms and conditions set out herein and in more specific pre-departure passenger documentation, including the personal information form.