"General Information, Terms and Conditions"
Please read this section, General Information, Terms and Conditions, carefully as they govern the conditions under which the Exotic Journeys International Group (EJIG) and its associate companies’ operate tours and trips arrangements around the World. Our terms and conditions are based on unique contracts negotiated with overseas hotels, lodges, cruise lines, train operators, transporters, service providers, suppliers, airlines and government directives and they limit our liabilities. Payment of deposit and/or final payment is/ are an acknowledgement of receipt of these terms & conditions and constitutes acceptance of such as outlined.
Travel Documents:
A valid passport, visa and may be a special travel permit is required to travel in the some countries on our tours. All participants must be in possession of a passport valid for 6 months beyond the re-entry date into their country of citizenship. Different countries may have different rules and regulations. Please check your visa requirement/s at time of booking. EJIG will provide visa information and application forms, if necessary. EJIG recommends a reliable visa service that will assist in obtaining visa/s. Please log on to 'Resources for Travelers' for links to various embassies and consulates to download application forms. Visas and travel permits for restricted areas on our tours will be secured by us thru the respective Government appointed overseas operators / agencies. All necessary forms and documents should be received in our office at least three months in advance along with required Visa fees, mailing cost, photographs etc. Valid documents remain the responsibility of the tour members.
Inoculation Requirements:
Vaccination and inoculation requirements vary from place to place and time to time. Please consult Public Health Services or your physician for their recommendation. Updates will be provided by EJIG at the time of booking, if possible.
Health Requirements:
Health regulations vary for some countries visited on featured tours in this website and or brochures may require proof of inoculation and/or vaccination certificate; such certificate should be in your possession throughout the entire tour. Please consult your personal physician and or Center for Disease Control and Prevention) www.cdc.gov for required inoculations
Price Guarantee, Rates and Airfares:
Published land tour prices are guaranteed at the time of booking received in our office. We must have a copy of Reservation Form faxed or scanned to guarantee the published rate. A signed hard copy of the Reservation Form along with required deposit must be received in our office within 10 days of booking.
Prices are based on at least two passengers traveling together. Single Room Occupancy rates apply only when two people are traveling together. If only one person is traveling alone, a different price will apply and will be quoted upon request. The rates shown are in United States Dollars and are based on current hotel tariff, transportation, airfares, Government taxes, tolls, exchange rates. Should inflation, costs of fuel, labor, material, exchange rate or airfares change, EJIG reserves the right to adjust tour prices to cover increased taxes, park fees and fluctuations in foreign exchange markets. Airfares, if shown, are from the gateways as indicated and to be used as a guideline only. Best available airfares will be quoted based on departure gateways and airlines. Domestic airfares in some foreign countries are not guaranteed even if ticketed in the USA.
Scheduled Tours and Private Tours - Group Size:
EJIG has a variety of tour choices. All published tours are guaranteed to operate with two people traveling together and limited to 16 people in one departure. Some destinations, like Bhutan and others require a minimum of five travelers or have an additional fee. Private tours may not have such limitations.
Tour Prices Include:
Not Included in our Tour Prices:
Passport and visa fees, luggage and trip insurance, airport security fee, airline taxes, fuel surcharges by airlines and transporters, Government Tourist Service taxes, beverages and meals not provided as a part of the tour arrangement, taxes and tips on services not included in the itinerary, laundry service, room service, gratuity to escorts, drivers and guides and any other item not specifically listed as included. Tips to waiters and bellboys are left to individual discretion.
How to book our tours, Deposits and Final Payments:
A Reservation Form is required to be completed in order to initiate booking. Please download the Reservation Form or call us at 800.554.6342/ 312.332.4722 for assistance.
Advance reservations are suggested to ensure desired accommodations in preferred hotels, trains, cruise lines, flights with best airfares and space on fixed departure tours.
A deposit of $500 per person is due to at the time of booking any published tour on our website / brochure. Some trips may require higher deposit. Your space will be held for 10 days and if the deposit is not received, the space will be released at the end of 10 days period.
Final payment is due to EJIG ninty (90) days prior to departure date on most published tours unless otherwise required earlier.
If the reservation is made within the 60 days of departure the entire tour price will be due at the time of booking.
Custom Designed itineraries / tours: A deposit of $ 500.00 or more is required to start planning your trip. Deposits are adjusted in the final costing of your tour/s. Final payment is due when requested. It depends on the requirements, terms and conditions of airlines, hotels, cruiselines, overseas suppliers and destination/s. Please ask your advisor for details.
Form of Payments:
Published / quoted prices reflect cash discount if paid by check. Credit Cards payments require non-refundable foreign exchange conversion fee, credit card processing agencies' fees and bank charges. To avoid theses fees, you may make payment/s by personal / travel agency check. If payment/s is/ are to be made by any credit card, a Credit Card Billing Authorization Form must be submitted. If departing within 30 days of booking, payment is required by cashier's or banker’s check. Third party credit cards will not be accepted under any circumstances. EJIG reserves the right to decline any credit card as a form of payment at its sole discretion.
Tour Information: Delivery
Acknowledgment of booking will be sent immediately upon initiation of a reservation. Invoice with appropriate visa applications (if needed) will be sent upon receipt of deposit. Final tour documents consisting of detailed tour itinerary, vouchers, hotel list, baggage tags, general information such as reading and clothing suggestions, customs information, anticipated weather conditions, etc, are dispatched from our offices approximately three to four weeks prior to departure. If documents are required / requested for earlier delivery, a handling fee of $50 will apply to cover expedited handling and processing.
Group Size and Tour Guarantee:
The group size is limited to 16 members. All tours are guaranteed to operate with two people traveling together.
Trip Insurance:
We strongly recommend insurance coverage for any unexpected contingency. A number of services / products, including but not limited to airline tickets, deposits for trains and cruises, events and entrance tickets, most hotels, Government taxes etc are non refundable. Please ask for details or buy online at Trip Insurance. For best coverage, insurance should be purchased within 14 days of tour deposit. The plan protects you and your investment in the event of a medical emergency before or during your trip and offers coverage for trip cancellation or interruption, illness, injury, and damage, loss or theft of baggage, as well as on site emergency assistance.
Single Travelers:
If you wish to share accommodation on our trip/s, we will assign a roommate, if one is available. Otherwise, you will be required to pay the single room supplement. At times it is not possible to find a compatible and willing roommate. If for any reason including cancellation or incompatibility, we have to assign you a single room at any time, you will be required to pay the single room supplement.
Special Information:
Due to the special nature of some programs featured in our websites, brochures, in custom designed trips and other special itineraries, airlines, train operators, cruise lines, event management companies, overseas Government policies, such as in/by Bhutan, Tibet Tourism Authorities, Myanmar, animal park zone tickets, etc. suppliers impose rigid cancellation fees; please be aware that EJIG has no control over such fees and cannot make any exceptions to these charges.
Custom Designed Tours are developed and operated as per clients' requirements. Travel arrangements in Tibet, Bhutan, and Myanmar, luxury trains, special events and wildlife sanctuaries are handled by government or other agencies. Itinerary remains subject to change at their discretion. Any FAM or promotional or discounted tour requires full payment at the time of booking or when requested. Deposits and final payments are based on overseas operators and suppliers' policies.
There will be no refund for unused accommodations, missed meals, transportation segments, cruise portions, sightseeing tours or any other service. Such unused items are neither refundable nor exchangeable.
All changes, if requested after confirmation, are subject to handling fee of $ 75.00 per change plus airline and hotel charges. No involuntary changes are permitted while on tour unless the additional cost is borne by travelers. Trip insurance is mandatory as most services are pre-paid and non refundable.
Designated airlines, airport transfers and hotel accommodations:
If you are not traveling on our designated participating carriers on our group tour departures, your room will be ready for occupancy at 200 PM on the day 2 of the published itinerary. If your are traveling on your own preferred airline, please check your arrival and departure schedules and contact us to determine if you will need additional accommodation and airport transfers which could be provided at additional cost.
Itinerary, flights and hotels:
It is recognized and agreed that reasonable changes in the itinerary and accommodation may be necessary and the extra cost, if any, in such cases is the responsibility of the passengers. In case of schedule changes by airlines and or hotel over bookings, alternative arrangements will be made according to local conditions and availability. Information and confirmations of flights and hotels are provided as per the confirmations in our files at the time of issuing the documents, typically, several weeks prior to travel. At times, class of service on flights or hotels may become available which were not available earlier. If travelers choose to change class of service on flights or hotels or type of rooms and type of transportation, the travelers will be responsible for additional cost . Your tour price, as quoted, is based on our negotiated rates with suppliers. Hotels, airlines and transporters may charge travelers their rack rates.
Refund Policy:
We have full refund policy. Your deposits are refundable subject to Airlines, hotels, Cruise ships, train operators, trekking agencies, wildlife lodges, entrance fees, overseas government policies and communication expenses. Please contact us for details.
Cancellations and refunds on published tours:
All cancellations must be received by EJIG in writing. Cancellation/s will be effective when the written notice is received at EJIG offices in Chicago, IL, USA. If no written cancellation notice is received in our office, it will be considered 'no show' and there will be no refund due to overseas operators and suppliers policies.
Your tour and travel arrangements are pre-paid and there will be no refund for unutilized services. Most of our tours are multi city or multi country programs. Cancellation or change requests have to be communicated individually to multiple points of bookings, which is time consuming and expensive. All confirmed bookings are subject to US $ 250.00 per person administrative fee.
If a cancellation is received after EJIG is in possession of the initial deposit, but more than 60 days prior to departure (or 90 days or longer if / where applicable), the cancellation fee incurred will be additional $250 per person (a higher cancellation fee may apply to some tours). If cancellation is received between 59 and 45 days (or 89 - 45 days) prior to departure the fee incurred will be 25% of the entire tour price. Cancellation/s received between 44 days and 30 days prior to departure will be charged a fee of 50% of the entire tour price. No refund whatsoever will be made for cancellations received within the last 29 days prior to departure.
In programs which include Tibet, Myanmar, Bhutan, Sikkim, Wildlife Parks, Trekking, River Rafting, Specials, FAMs (Familiarization Tours / Trips for travel agents), FIT, luxury trains, discounted promotional trips & tours and Custom Designed Tour arrangements, the deposits are non-refundable. The cancellation charges vary depending upon destination and trips. Please contact for full details.
Airfares, cruise lines, railways fares remain subject to rules and regulations of the concerned suppliers. Most airfares are non-refundable. The bank processing fees are non-refundable due to card processing agencies and banks policies. Please allow ten weeks or more to process refunds, any if.
Custom Restrictions:
Travelers can bring in items of personal effect and limited quantities of liquor and cigarettes. Cameras and other equipment are allowed but must be taken out of the countrieson departure. Please consult respective consulates / embassies and/or custom officesfor updated rules and regulations.
Public Holidays:
During certain holidays and weekly closures, some of the museums and monuments may not be open to visitors. We try to list the details as and when we receive the notifications from the overseas authorities and operators. EJIG and it's associates are not responsible for accuracies.
Destination/s, Activities, Local Rules & Conditions:
Traveler/s select tours, places of visit and activities on their own free will and neither Exotic Journeys International Group (EJIG) or EJIUSA LLC or its associates nor booking agents participate in the process. Travelers & their agents / advisors are required to fully understand the current terms & conditions of foreign governments and suppliers and agree to abide by them there of.
Responsibilities:
Exotic Journeys International Group (EJIG)®, 875 North Michigan Avenue, Suite 3100, Chicago, IL 60611, USA and its associates act only as agents for the owners and contractors providing means of transportation and other related services and shall not be or become liable or responsible in any way in connection with such means of transportation or other services, or for any loss, injury or damage to or in respect of any person or property howsoever caused or arising. We reserve the right to cancel or withdraw any tour prior to its departure and in such cases the refund will be limited to monies received by EJIG.® We also reserve the right to accept or retain any person as a member of tour at anytime and the refund in such cases will be limited to the actual cost of unfinished portion of the tour or as recovered by us from foreign suppliers. We cannot be held responsible for any expense or inconvenience caused by delayed or canceled transportation services, changes of schedule, strikes or any other condition beyond our control. We neither own nor operate any of the suppliers services. It is recognized and agreed by the participants that changes in itineraries and accommodations may be necessary and the extra cost in such cases are to be paid to EJIG. Traveler/s select tours, places of visit and activities on their own free will and neither EJIG® nor booking agents participate in the process. Travel, transportation and living conditions, situations and standards vary from place to place. Personal satisfaction cannot and is not guaranteed.
Participating carriers and transportation companies are not to be held responsible for any act, omission or event during the time passengers are not on board their planes or conveyance.
Assumption of risk, release of responsibilities and guarantee:
The traveler/s is/are aware that during the trip, vacation, trek, river rafting, jungle safaris and other tours/trips under the arrangements of Exotic Journeys International (EJIG), its agents and associates, certain risks and dangers are involved, including but not limited to hazards of traveling, accidents, illness in remote areas with limited or no medical facilities and without rapid evacuation facilities. In consideration of, and by making a payment for, the traveler/s assume all the risks and participate in such treks, tours, safaris or other activities, foods and services arranged for them by EJIG, its agents or associates. The traveler/s has/have and do hereby assume all of the risks. The traveler/s will hold EJIG, its agents and associates harmless from and defend them against any and all liability actions, causes of actions, suits, debts, demands and claims of every kind and nature whatsoever which they now have or may hereafter arise out of or in connection with the trip or participation in activities arranged for them by EJIG, its agents or associates. This agreement shall serve as a release and assumption of risk and guarantee for themselves, by their heirs, administrators, executors and all members of their family including any minors accompanying them. By affixing their signatures on the Reservation Form, CC Authorization Forms, other documents, the traveler/s hereby agree to accept all the above risks, dangers and conditions as well as agree to pay any and all additional costs that may arise as a result.
Resolution of Disputes
Any controversy or claim arising from or relating to Exotic Journeys International Group / EJIUSA LLC and its subsidiaries' trips and services shall be resolved by binding arbitration in accordance with the Commercial Arbitration rules of the American Arbitration Association and proceedings shall be conducted in the Cook County, Illinois or by the courts in the Cook County, Illinois.
