POLICIES & CONDITIONS:
PRIVATE GROUP TOURS
Reservations
Your non-refundable deposit secures your space on your private Tour Italy, Inc. (hereinafter, “Tour Italy”) tour. Final Payment is due four (4) months before the tour start date. If final payment is not received when due, we reserve the right to treat your reservation as canceled, as if in writing, as per our cancellation and refunds policy below.
Tour fees are quoted in U.S. dollars and must be paid in U.S. dollars. Acceptable forms of payment are personal check; bank (certified) check; or – if The Traveler wants to use PayPal – by credit card, debit card, or PayPal account. If PayPal is used, 3% will be added to the part of the invoice for which PayPal is used.
Your non-refundable deposit secures your space on your private Tour Italy, Inc. (hereinafter, “Tour Italy”) tour. Final Payment is due four (4) months before the tour start date. If final payment is not received when due, we reserve the right to treat your reservation as canceled, as if in writing, as per our cancellation and refunds policy below.
Tour fees are quoted in U.S. dollars and must be paid in U.S. dollars. Acceptable forms of payment are personal check; bank (certified) check; or – if The Traveler wants to use PayPal – by credit card, debit card, or PayPal account. If PayPal is used, 3% will be added to the part of the invoice for which PayPal is used.
Health Considerations
Tour Italy tours are within the capabilities of average people in good health. If you have concerns about your own capabilities and/or fitness as it relates to your tour, please inquire with our office before reserving a space. By forwarding a tour deposit, you certify that you do not knowingly have any physical or other conditions of disability that would create a risk for you or other tour participants. We reserve the right to require a doctor’s statement of good health. The company’s or tour leader’s judgment shall provide the ultimate determination of an individual’s ability to embark on or to continue a tour. Once a tour has been confirmed, medical circumstances will not be considered as exceptions to our cancellation policy. We assume no responsibility for medical care or for special dietary requirements.
Cancellations
Should Tour Italy receive written cancellation of your tour by three (3) months before the tour start date, a full refund of recoverable costs, less a $1,500-per-person cancellation charge, will be made. If you have any concerns about eventually having to cancel due to personal or family illness, it is strongly recommended that you purchase trip-cancellation insurance. No partial refunds are made for unused portions or services of a tour for any reason whatsoever. Tours are sold as a package only. This policy also applies to tour add-ons and independent travel arrangements. Cancellation fees are not transferable.
Insurance
All tour participants are strongly urged to purchase trip cancellation and interruption insurance. Also, participants over fifty years of age are urged to seriously consider purchasing emergency medical evacuation insurance. You should check with your own insurance agent or online to learn about the different types of coverage available and their costs.
If you choose to use the internet to learn about and/or purchase trip cancellation insurance, you may find the following information to be helpful. Over the past thirty-five years, people traveling with Tour Italy have used the following companies and have expressed satisfaction with them: Travelex Travel Insurance, CSA Travel Protection, and Allianz Travel Insurance. The following two websites may be good places to start figuring out just what type of coverage fits you best; checking insurers' ratings and reviews; and comparing the prices for the same coverage offered by different companies.
http://www.travelinsurancereview.net/
http://www.squaremouth.com/
There are also several companies that sell emergency medical evacuation insurance, and we urge you to look into this type of insurance as well. The two websites listed above also contain information about emergency medical evacuation insurance.
Please take note: Some insurers allow you to be covered with pre-existing medical conditions (of yourself or immediate family members) if you sign up for the insurance within a certain number of days after making your initial trip deposit, e.g. 7 days, 10 days, 2 weeks.
N.b. It must be stressed that the owner/operator of Tour Italy is not an insurance expert and is not qualified to make specific claims about any kind of insurance or any specific insurance companies or policies. Tour Italy receives no commission or any other compensation whatsoever from any of the insurance companies or websites mentioned herein. We are merely trying to give you some easy-to-use tools for your own investigating and deciding among some of available possibilities.
Itineraries
The itineraries and arrangements shown on our Internet website, in our brochures, or in our information sheets are based on the information available at the time the website, brochures, or information sheets were prepared and are subject to modifications, additions, and deletions as deemed necessary by Tour Italy due to factors such as, but not limited to, weather conditions, changing local schedules, strikes, or logistical problems.
Tour Fees & What Is Included
The fees for each tour include and are based on lodging in double- or single-occupancy rooms; all breakfasts, lunches and/or dinners as specified in the itinerary for that tour; transportation during the tour as specified in the itinerary for that tour; all tipping for tour-provided meals and baggage porterage; all tour-related private-guide fees; all tour-related museum entrance fees; and tour escort – fluent in both Italian and English – for the entire tour in Italy. Not included in the cost of your tour are round-trip airfare or other transportation from your home to the tour’s starting point; airport departure taxes; insurance; wine or other alcoholic beverages (unless specifically provided in the tour itinerary – e.g., tour-related wine-tasting); phone calls; passport or visa expenses; laundry; or any items of a personal nature. Rates are based on a specific number of participants, as designated in our brochures or information sheets for each tour; if a tour does not have the minimum number of participants, a small-party supplement may be charged to defray the cost of group expenses. A small number of single-room accommodations are available for a supplemental cost, designated in the information on individual tours; single-room accommodations are limited and may not be available in all locations. Please check with us early if you want a single room. You will be charged the single-room supplement if you receive a single room or if you wish to have a roommate but one is not available.
Cost increases may occur unexpectedly due to, for example but not limited to, alterations in the dollar/euro exchange rate. Tour Italy may be compelled to amend prices, and we reserve the right to do so without prior notice. An increase in tour prices shall not be sufficient grounds for any refund of funds paid for the tour other than our normal cancellation policy terms as stated above.
Responsibility
Tour Italy and/or their Agents act only as agents for the passenger in regard to travel including, but not limited to, sightseeing, meals, lodging, transportation, and all other services whether by railroad, automobile, motor coach, boat, ship or aircraft and they assume no liability for injury, damage, loss, accident, delay or irregularity which may be occasioned either by reason of defect in any vehicle for any reason whatsoever, or through the acts or default of any company or person engaged in conveying the passenger(s) or in carrying out the arrangements of the tour; or for any hotel proprietor or hotel service; or for any other person engaged in carrying out the purpose for which tickets or coupons are issued. They can accept no responsibility for losses or additional expenses due to delay or changes in air or other services, sickness, weather, strike, war, quarantine, or other causes. All such losses or expenses shall be borne by the passenger, as tour fees provide for arrangements only for the time and locations stated. Baggage is at owner’s risk entirely. The right is reserved to 1) substitute hotels of similar category, when available, for those indicated and to make any changes in the itinerary or transport where deemed necessary or caused by changes in air schedules or equipment substitution; 2) cancel any tour prior to its start date in Italy, in which case full or equitable refund of the paid tour funds will be given, but Tour Italy is not responsible for any other trip preparation expenses such as penalized or non-refundable air tickets, visa fees and medical related expenses; 3) substitute tour leader(s)/escort(s) for the tour leader(s)/escort(s) originally specified, and this is not a basis for participant cancellation or refund other than provided by our normal cancellation policy terms; 4) decline to accept or retain any person as a member of any tour. In the event that it becomes necessary for the comfort or well-being of the passengers to alter itinerary or arrangements, such alterations may be made without penalty to the operator. Additional expenses, if any, shall be borne by the tour participant. The right is reserved to decline to retain a participant for any violation of Italian or United States law or for violation of the terms set out on this website or in the tour brochure or for any other act or behavior which the tour escort or tour operator deems to endanger or harm in any way any member of the tour, and that participant shall have full responsibility for the total cost of the return of said participant to his or her home plus full forfeiture of all payments made to Tour Italy. The prices of the tours are based on tariffs and exchange rates in effect at the time of their publication and are subject to adjustment in the event of any change therein. Should Tour Italy or anyone acting on their behalf be required to incur attorney fees and costs to enforce this agreement, the enrolling tour participant(s) agree(s) to indemnify and hold them harmless for all such fees and costs. In the event a lawsuit is filed, the enrolling participant(s) agree(s) to do so only in the County of Cuyahoga in the State of Ohio. The payment of a deposit or any part or full payment for a reservation on any tour or any tour related services shall be deemed to constitute consent to the terms contained herein.
Tour Italy tours are within the capabilities of average people in good health. If you have concerns about your own capabilities and/or fitness as it relates to your tour, please inquire with our office before reserving a space. By forwarding a tour deposit, you certify that you do not knowingly have any physical or other conditions of disability that would create a risk for you or other tour participants. We reserve the right to require a doctor’s statement of good health. The company’s or tour leader’s judgment shall provide the ultimate determination of an individual’s ability to embark on or to continue a tour. Once a tour has been confirmed, medical circumstances will not be considered as exceptions to our cancellation policy. We assume no responsibility for medical care or for special dietary requirements.
Cancellations
Should Tour Italy receive written cancellation of your tour by three (3) months before the tour start date, a full refund of recoverable costs, less a $1,500-per-person cancellation charge, will be made. If you have any concerns about eventually having to cancel due to personal or family illness, it is strongly recommended that you purchase trip-cancellation insurance. No partial refunds are made for unused portions or services of a tour for any reason whatsoever. Tours are sold as a package only. This policy also applies to tour add-ons and independent travel arrangements. Cancellation fees are not transferable.
Insurance
All tour participants are strongly urged to purchase trip cancellation and interruption insurance. Also, participants over fifty years of age are urged to seriously consider purchasing emergency medical evacuation insurance. You should check with your own insurance agent or online to learn about the different types of coverage available and their costs.
If you choose to use the internet to learn about and/or purchase trip cancellation insurance, you may find the following information to be helpful. Over the past thirty-five years, people traveling with Tour Italy have used the following companies and have expressed satisfaction with them: Travelex Travel Insurance, CSA Travel Protection, and Allianz Travel Insurance. The following two websites may be good places to start figuring out just what type of coverage fits you best; checking insurers' ratings and reviews; and comparing the prices for the same coverage offered by different companies.
http://www.travelinsurancereview.net/
http://www.squaremouth.com/
There are also several companies that sell emergency medical evacuation insurance, and we urge you to look into this type of insurance as well. The two websites listed above also contain information about emergency medical evacuation insurance.
Please take note: Some insurers allow you to be covered with pre-existing medical conditions (of yourself or immediate family members) if you sign up for the insurance within a certain number of days after making your initial trip deposit, e.g. 7 days, 10 days, 2 weeks.
N.b. It must be stressed that the owner/operator of Tour Italy is not an insurance expert and is not qualified to make specific claims about any kind of insurance or any specific insurance companies or policies. Tour Italy receives no commission or any other compensation whatsoever from any of the insurance companies or websites mentioned herein. We are merely trying to give you some easy-to-use tools for your own investigating and deciding among some of available possibilities.
Itineraries
The itineraries and arrangements shown on our Internet website, in our brochures, or in our information sheets are based on the information available at the time the website, brochures, or information sheets were prepared and are subject to modifications, additions, and deletions as deemed necessary by Tour Italy due to factors such as, but not limited to, weather conditions, changing local schedules, strikes, or logistical problems.
Tour Fees & What Is Included
The fees for each tour include and are based on lodging in double- or single-occupancy rooms; all breakfasts, lunches and/or dinners as specified in the itinerary for that tour; transportation during the tour as specified in the itinerary for that tour; all tipping for tour-provided meals and baggage porterage; all tour-related private-guide fees; all tour-related museum entrance fees; and tour escort – fluent in both Italian and English – for the entire tour in Italy. Not included in the cost of your tour are round-trip airfare or other transportation from your home to the tour’s starting point; airport departure taxes; insurance; wine or other alcoholic beverages (unless specifically provided in the tour itinerary – e.g., tour-related wine-tasting); phone calls; passport or visa expenses; laundry; or any items of a personal nature. Rates are based on a specific number of participants, as designated in our brochures or information sheets for each tour; if a tour does not have the minimum number of participants, a small-party supplement may be charged to defray the cost of group expenses. A small number of single-room accommodations are available for a supplemental cost, designated in the information on individual tours; single-room accommodations are limited and may not be available in all locations. Please check with us early if you want a single room. You will be charged the single-room supplement if you receive a single room or if you wish to have a roommate but one is not available.
Cost increases may occur unexpectedly due to, for example but not limited to, alterations in the dollar/euro exchange rate. Tour Italy may be compelled to amend prices, and we reserve the right to do so without prior notice. An increase in tour prices shall not be sufficient grounds for any refund of funds paid for the tour other than our normal cancellation policy terms as stated above.
Responsibility
Tour Italy and/or their Agents act only as agents for the passenger in regard to travel including, but not limited to, sightseeing, meals, lodging, transportation, and all other services whether by railroad, automobile, motor coach, boat, ship or aircraft and they assume no liability for injury, damage, loss, accident, delay or irregularity which may be occasioned either by reason of defect in any vehicle for any reason whatsoever, or through the acts or default of any company or person engaged in conveying the passenger(s) or in carrying out the arrangements of the tour; or for any hotel proprietor or hotel service; or for any other person engaged in carrying out the purpose for which tickets or coupons are issued. They can accept no responsibility for losses or additional expenses due to delay or changes in air or other services, sickness, weather, strike, war, quarantine, or other causes. All such losses or expenses shall be borne by the passenger, as tour fees provide for arrangements only for the time and locations stated. Baggage is at owner’s risk entirely. The right is reserved to 1) substitute hotels of similar category, when available, for those indicated and to make any changes in the itinerary or transport where deemed necessary or caused by changes in air schedules or equipment substitution; 2) cancel any tour prior to its start date in Italy, in which case full or equitable refund of the paid tour funds will be given, but Tour Italy is not responsible for any other trip preparation expenses such as penalized or non-refundable air tickets, visa fees and medical related expenses; 3) substitute tour leader(s)/escort(s) for the tour leader(s)/escort(s) originally specified, and this is not a basis for participant cancellation or refund other than provided by our normal cancellation policy terms; 4) decline to accept or retain any person as a member of any tour. In the event that it becomes necessary for the comfort or well-being of the passengers to alter itinerary or arrangements, such alterations may be made without penalty to the operator. Additional expenses, if any, shall be borne by the tour participant. The right is reserved to decline to retain a participant for any violation of Italian or United States law or for violation of the terms set out on this website or in the tour brochure or for any other act or behavior which the tour escort or tour operator deems to endanger or harm in any way any member of the tour, and that participant shall have full responsibility for the total cost of the return of said participant to his or her home plus full forfeiture of all payments made to Tour Italy. The prices of the tours are based on tariffs and exchange rates in effect at the time of their publication and are subject to adjustment in the event of any change therein. Should Tour Italy or anyone acting on their behalf be required to incur attorney fees and costs to enforce this agreement, the enrolling tour participant(s) agree(s) to indemnify and hold them harmless for all such fees and costs. In the event a lawsuit is filed, the enrolling participant(s) agree(s) to do so only in the County of Cuyahoga in the State of Ohio. The payment of a deposit or any part or full payment for a reservation on any tour or any tour related services shall be deemed to constitute consent to the terms contained herein.
