Terms & Conditions
Contract between the client and the company:
All individuals who submit their booking are bound by the terms and conditions stated herein. All individuals (students and adults) mentioned on the booking forms are referred to as “clients/participants”, while Off The Map Adventures Ltd. is stated as “the company”. The services provided by the company (its tours/adventures) are referred to as “tour or tours”.
Bookings and Deposit:
All travellers are required to submit a completed booking form. Bookings can only be confirmed with a minimum deposit as indicated with each trip. The deposit will be indicated with each trip and may range between US$ 300-1,000 (or equivalent in Canadian Dollars) per participant. The deposit must be received, 120 days prior to the departure of the trip. A service charge may apply for bookings made within the 120 days period. It is the participants’ responsibility to provide the booking details correctly. Participants are fully responsible for any fees or penalties resulting from errors and omissions. We advise all participants to provide their names and date of birth exactly as it appears on their passports.
Payments:
Full payments are required 120 days prior to the departure of the tour. Any payment/balances received within 120 days are acceptable with a $50 handling fee. Only, when the final payment is received, will final confirmations, invoices and/or vouchers will be released.
Cancellation/Changes by the clients or participants:
- i) Change of extra services:
Extra services (which are not part of the tour), such as additional night’s stay, extra transfers, extra meals or other similar services, can be provided upon the client’s request. However, these services are subject to availability. Once these services are confirmed, if changed or cancelled, the services are also subject to cancellation according to the company’s cancellation policies.
- ii) Cancellation:
Participants can cancel bookings at any time, but must communicate their wish to cancel in writing to the company’s office. Depending on the date upon which a written cancellation was received by the company, the following cancellation charges may apply:
Category A Trips:
More than 90 days from the departure date: Forfeit of Deposit
Less than 90 days from the departure date: Forfeit of 100% of the total tour cost
Category B Trips:
More than 120 days from the departure date: Forfeit of Deposit
Less than 120 days from the departure date: Forfeit of 100% of the total tour cost
Changes by the company:
The company reserves the right to change or modify the itinerary, or its services, or to even cancel the tour due to circumstances as it feels necessary, including not having enough people sign up for the tour. Although every effort will be made to conduct the tour as advertised, the company reserves the right to make such modifications at any time, either before or during the tour. If clients do not agree with the proposed changes prior to the tour departure date, they have the right to cancel, but the above cancellation charges may still apply. Such changes are extremely rare and are only made in the best interests of our clients.
Cancellation by the Company:
The company reserves the right to cancel the tour at any time due to circumstances beyond its control. If a tour is cancelled up to 30 days prior to departure, clients are entitled to a 100% refund including the deposit monies. If the tour is cancelled due to insufficient numbers, clients are entitled to a 100% refund of all monies paid to the company, no matter when the tour is cancelled (excluding insurance charges which are paid separately and may also be refundable). For cancellations made 30 days prior to the departure date, due to unforeseen circumstances such as Force Majeure cases (see below), the cancellation charges listed above, may still apply. To cover such cases, all clients are advised to purchase trip cancellation and interruption insurance.
Services not consumed during the tour:
For any service not consumed during the course of the tour (for any reason including health issues, emergencies or death), no refunds will be given.
Price Guarantees:
All prices are guaranteed once the booking is made. Exceptions to this include exchange rate fluctuations that would result in losses to the company and/or when a sudden tax or fee increase occurs within one of the jurisdictions to be visited. Ontario law permits to add up to a 7% surcharge on the stated tour price (in order to cover a devaluation of the Canadian currency or additional tariffs/taxes/levies), our practice is to add only the actual costs that have been charged to the company. Even this practice is highly unusual and will be avoided unless it causes the company to suffer undue financial loss.
Responsibility of the Company: All clients and participants agree to accept the terms of the company’s responsibility, as stated below:
The company, together with its local partners, acts as a bonafide service provider. The company will make every effort to run the tour as listed. However, there may be rare cases when the company may not be able to provide the itinerary and services as promised. In such cases, the company will find suitable alternatives. If suitable alternatives cannot be provided, the company reserves the right to cancel that part of the trip, or in extreme circumstances, the entire trip due to any of the following Force Majeure circumstances which are beyond the company’s control, such as, but not limited to 1. Political tensions – such circumstances can include unstable political situations, local strikes, protests, demonstrations, evacuation, war, etc. 2. Forces of nature – any acts of nature such as landslides, earthquakes, floods, storms, tsunamis, bad weather, poor visibility, etc. that may cause delays or cancellation of all or part of the stated itinerary. 3. Acts of terrorism and violence or unrest resulting from such acts. 4. Strikes or boycotts by local service providers. 5. Dishonouring reservations or bookings at a local destination. 6. Cancellation of flights due to bad weather or any of the above. 7. Personal health issues of anyone involved in the tour (participant, guide, supplier, etc.). The scope of such situations will determine how far the company is able to provide its services. In such circumstances, every effort will be made to make alternative arrangements, but in ensuring the safety of its clients as the top priority, the company may decide to cancel all services it deems necessary. In such cases no refunds will be given, hence it is important to travel with the relevant cancellation insurance which can cover such circumstances.
Standard of Service: The tours offered by the company focus on cultural and local experiences. The company carefully selects local services, such as comfortable and clean accommodations with reliable staff. These accommodations may not be comparable with the North American standard. Similarly, local transport is a unique local experience, but having such experience may require a slight compromise with comfort. In underdeveloped destinations, flaws in infrastructures may occasionally result in some unforeseen inconveniences. In such cases, company staff works in the best interest of its customers and may arrange suitable alternatives. In such situations, sometimes the alternative service may not be of the same standard as promised. These are extremely rare cases, yet the company is not entitled to give any refunds for such rare situations.
Accepting Risk:
Each client/participant/parent/guardian assumes that there is an inherent risk involved in travelling, especially in overseas destinations. The company tries to minimize all risk by carrying out careful practices, yet it is impossible to provide a 100% risk-free guarantee. Clients must agree to assume all risks of accidents due to falling, getting injured while walking, climbing stairs, crossing roads or getting involved in road accidents. The company cannot be held liable for any physical injuries (including death), health problems, sickness, shock, stress, trauma, personal losses of possession and baggage, damage of personal possessions and baggage, transportation breakdowns or delays and any extra costs incurred by such events or necessary cancellations. The company is not held liable for the negligence or unlawful behaviour of any third party provider including but not limited to hotels, restaurants, flights, trains, bus operators and third-party staff such as guides, porters and local service communities. We advise all clients to purchase medical and trip cancellation/interruption insurance to have coverage against any accident or unfortunate incidents. Clients should arrange additional health and cancellation insurance which could compensate in such unfortunate incidences. The company, its staff and guides will not be held responsible for any such mishaps.
Responsible Travel:
The company practices environmentally and culturally friendly tourism. It assumes that each participant will uphold the code of accepted eco-friendly and responsible practices as laid down by the company. At the same time, clients are also expected to respect the rights of fellow travellers, including their comfort and peaceful enjoyment of the tour. Abusive conduct from any member may result in cancellation or termination of services without any compensation. In order to ensure the safety of both staff and clients, the tour leader or local guide will have the final authority to make such decisions.
Responsibility of the Participants:
It is assumed that all participants have taken the time to understand the nature of this tour. They understand that there is an inherent risk in travelling. Participants understand that their tour escorts, guides and staff will be working in their best interest and to ensure the safety of the group. All participants agree to abide by the instructions and rules laid out by the escorts and leaders.
Student Trips: Parent’s/guardian’s Responsibility:
It is assumed that the parents have taken the time to understand the nature of the tour. They understand that there are great learning opportunities for their children. At the same time, they also understand that there is a slight degree of inherent risk in travelling. The parents assume all risk when signing for their children. Parents also need to ensure that the children understand that their tour escorts, guides and teachers are working in the best interest of the safety of the group. They need to stress to the children to listen to instructions and guidelines carefully and abide by the rules laid out for them.
Digital Content and responsibility of the company:
For the duration of this trip photos/videos are shot by other participants, other travellers, the company, its staff or representatives. The company is not responsible for the actions of any other participant or a random traveller who misuses or misrepresents any photos/videos on print/social media. Any disputes in such a case should be dealt directly with the respective party.
The company may use, any form of digital media (images/videos) to create presentations, slideshows, web or social media content, to represent a realistic picture of the destination or the services it provides. Sometimes, this content may contain or feature a participant/student/teacher as part of the scene or activity. The company may use, royalty-free, photography, images/videos that participants have submitted to the company and/or posted to its social media networks (such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter). The company does not give any royalties or compensations for the use of such content. If you do not like any such content please contact our office directly.
Complaints or problems:
Participants have the right to voice their concerns about any problem or inconvenience they may experience during the tour. It is best to report these situations to the tour leader or to the local guide, while something can be done. The company will likely not be able to resolve such issues after the tour has been completed. Upon arrival back home, participants are welcome to report concerns to the head office if they feel their tour leader or local guide did not try to properly address these, while on tour. Participants can call toll free at 1-800-867-2890 or 1-226-400-2923 or email info@offthemap.ca. Please note that only genuine problems will be addressed.