Reservations
Simply e-mail or snail-mail your application with a check for your deposit (shown on the tour page, generally $500 for tours under $4000 per person, $1000 for tours over $4000 per person, and $2000 for tours over $10,000). To reserve by phone, call and we’ll take your reservation using VISA, MasterCard, American Express, or Discover cards. Or we will hold your place for a week while you send your check. If you prefer to pay by credit card, you can call us or use our CREDIT CARD AUTHORIZATION FORM.
Payment schedule: Your non-refundable deposit, combined with your paperwork, will secure your reservation until 90 days prior to departure when the final payment is due for most tours. We reserve the right to cancel any reservation and consider any monies held as forfeited, if the balance is not received by that date or if the reservation paperwork is not completed and returned within 10 days after your initial reservation. Reinstatement of any canceled reservation is dependent upon space availability and incurs a $50.00 fee. We prefer payment by check but for some tours, we can also accept credit cards.
Eligibility, participation, and behavior: Trip participants must be at least 21 years of age and in good health. Our waiver (below) must be signed before an application is accepted; on some trips, you will also need to sign a waiver with our local outfitters. Your application and reservation may not be transferred to another person. Participants agree to respect the laws and customs of the regions in which we travel. A participant may be asked to leave a trip if our guide feels that the person’s continuing participation may prove detrimental to that individual, or to the safety, well-being, or enjoyment of others. In this event, no refund will be given for any unused services.
Client Cancellations and Refunds: If you must cancel a reservation, regardless of the reason, the following policies apply:
- Cancellations must be received in writing or by e-mail.
- When you cancel 90 or more days before a trip starts:
- HE Travel will hold the full amount of your Trip Deposit as a non-refundable, non-expiring credit toward future tours taken with HE Travel.
- HE Travel will refund the remainder that you have paid beyond the Trip Deposit.
- When you cancel 30 to 89 days before the trip starts there is no refund. Anyone making a final payment is aware of the risks. You may be issued a credit as follows.
- If you have already Paid in Full:
- HE Travel will issue a non-expiring credit for the amount of the Trip Deposit.
- HE Travel will issue a Trip Credit for 50% of the remaining amount paid beyond the Trip Deposit. This Trip Credit will expire if it has not been applied to a new reservation within 18 months of the issue.
- If you have not already Paid in Full, HE Travel will issue a non-expiring credit for the amount of the Trip Deposit only, as full payment should have been received and your spot was confirmed and paid for with vendors.
- If you have already Paid in Full:
- Within 30 days before the trip starts or for a No-show, there is no refund and no credit.
- There is no tour credit or refund for participants who join a trip late or depart early.
- There is no tour credit or refund if you receive insurance reimbursement.
“Trip Deposit” is defined as the minimum amount required to reserve your space. “Paid in Full” is defined as the total of trip cost plus options. We do not provide refunds or credits for items and services that are not a part of the tour costs (such as most airfare or independent travel).
We strongly recommend purchasing trip cancellation and interruption insurance. We are happy to help US Residents purchase a policy through our preferred carrier, or you are welcome to purchase independently. Please contact us if you would like assistance purchasing cancellation insurance.
Exchange Fee: There is a $100.00 Exchange Fee to change a reservation to a new HE Travel itinerary or departure date if done more than 60 days before a scheduled departure. If changed within 59 days, all cancellation fees apply. *Note: exchanges are not available for cruises and other tours with special terms and conditions.
If you move/cancel your deposit a second time, there is a $100 admin fee that will be deducted from your deposit.
Tour Cancellations and Changes: We reserve the right to alter trip itineraries without notice due to road, weather, or other considerations. If we cancel a tour due to low enrollment, we will offer other alternatives or give you a full refund. If we cancel a trip due to a natural disaster, political unrest, or other events beyond our reasonable control, we will refund your payments in full. This shall constitute a full settlement. We are not responsible for additional expenses such as non-refundable air tickets. HE Travel reserves the right to accept or refuse any person as a member of the trip at any time.
Lodging: Prices are per person, in a shared room, except as otherwise noted. If you sign up at least 60 days before departure and want the double occupancy rate, we’ll attempt to match you with a roommate, or we will give you a room by yourself at half the single supplement price. Those who want to room alone may do so by paying for a private room. In some cases, the second bed in a room will be a rollaway, sofa bed, or airbed. Shared rooms are designated as non-smoking. We search out places that are comfortable and that capture some elements of whatever is special about the area we’re visiting, sometimes at small hotels and B&Bs. Where we stay several nights or all week in one spot, we occasionally stay in a condo- and apartment-style lodging, often with two or three bedrooms in a unit. These offer the comforts of a kitchen and living room for socializing with others in the group. Taking a private room in these situations means having a bedroom to yourself in a shared apartment or condo unit. Private bathrooms are available with most rooms on most trips, but not in all cases; taking a private room does not always mean you will have a private bath. (Feel free to ask about bathroom arrangements for your specific trip.)
Physical condition, health, and smoking: Before reserving, please consult with your doctor to be sure you have no health-related barriers to participation. You are responsible for payment for any medical services or other arrangements such as unscheduled air travel you may require during the trip. However, we include medical and evacuation insurance for US residents who do not already have such coverage, which may reimburse you for certain expenses. To get the most enjoyment out of your trip, plan some conditioning beforehand. We’ll send suggestions after you register. All group activities including meals are non-smoking. Hotel rooms are non-smoking unless each person in the room wishes otherwise, and hotel policy allows smoking.
Price guarantee: Once you have paid in full for a tour, we guarantee the tour price that you have paid, with the exception of private room split costs and pre/post tour hotels nights. However, until full payment is received, we reserve the right to add a surcharge in the event of significant currency fluctuations. This speaks specifically the main tour price and not to addons, which may have price changes.
Pre-departure information: Well before your trip begins, we’ll send you a detailed itinerary, as well as suggestions about what to take with you, where to meet, and other travel advice. Reserve early! Unlike cruise ships, which handle tens of thousands of passengers each season, we can accommodate only a small group on each trip. Many of our trips sell out months in advance. Don’t be disappointed!
Email policy: We never sell or rent our email list. We sometimes send helpful but non-vital information about a trip, as well as reminders and acknowledgements of materials received, via email. Your name, address, and email address (but not phone number) may be supplied to other participants on your trip at the end of the tour unless you request otherwise. We may also send you email notices of future trips and special offers that we think may interest you.
Responsibility
HE Travel, operator of the tour herein outlined, its subsidiaries, and/or its associated agents act as agents only for all services and disclaim any and all liability for property loss or damage, and/or any and all damages resulting from death or personal injuries, including loss of services which may be sustained on account of or rising out of, by reason of, or while engaged on any tour. This applies whether due to the ownership, maintenance, use, operation or control of any aircraft, automobile, bicycle, boat, vehicle, inn, common carrier, or otherwise or whether caused by failure or delay or by any transportation company due to any cause whatsoever occurring during a tour under its management, procurement, or otherwise. All tickets, coupons, orders are furnished and issued subject in all respects to these terms and conditions and to any and all terms and conditions under which the means of transportation or other services provided thereby are offered or supplied by owners, operators, or public carriers for whom HE Travel acts solely as agents.
HE Travel reserves the right in its discretion to alter or omit any part of the itinerary or change any space, reservation, feature and/or means of conveyance without notice and for any reason whatsoever and without allowance or refund, but the extra cost, if any, resulting therefrom must be paid by the passengers. The transportation companies concerned are not to be held responsible for any act, omission, or event during the time passengers are not on board their carriers or conveyances. The passage contract in use by the carriers concerned, when issued, shall constitute the sole contract between the transportation companies and the purchaser of these tours and/or passenger. HE Travel reserves the right to cancel or withdraw any tour prior to departure and may decline to accept or retain any person as a member of any tour at any time. In such case the refund will be based on the actual cost of the unfinished portion of the tour.
