Merchanttraveller excursions (as defined herein) will provide educational enrichment for trips as outlined in its catalogue and on its website merchanttraveller.com and has licensed qualified professional tour operators to organise and administer such Excursions. The designated tour operator, in turn, acts only as an agent for any transportation carrier, hotel, ground operator, or other suppliers of services connected with specific Excursions (“Other Providers”), and the Other Providers are solely responsible and liable for providing their respective services. The passenger tickets in use by the carriers will constitute the sole contract between the carriers and the passenger; the carriers are not responsible for any act, omission, or event during the time the participants are not aboard their conveyances.
Merchanttraveller excursions and its parent, subsidiaries, and their respective employees, affiliates, officers, directors, successors, representatives, assigns (collectively “Merchanttraveller excursions”) and the tour operator will not be held liable for (A) any damage to, or loss of, property or injury to, or death of, persons occasioned directly or indirectly by an act or omission of any Other Provider, including but not limited to any defect in any aircraft, watercraft, or vehicle operated or provided by such Other Provider; and (B) any loss or damage due to delay, cancellation, or disruption in any manner caused by the laws, regulations, acts or failures to act, demands, orders, or interpositions of any government or any subdivision or agent thereof, or by acts of God, strikes, fire, flood, war, rebellion, terrorism, insurrection, sickness, quarantine, epidemics, theft, or any other cause(s) beyond their control. The participant waives any claim against Merchanttraveller excursions and/or the tour operator for any such loss, damage, injury, or death.
By registering for an Excursion, the participant certifies that he/she does not have any mental, physical, or other condition or disability that would create a hazard for himself or herself or other participants. Merchanttraveller excursions and the tour operator reserve the right in their sole discretion to accept, decline to accept, or remove any participant on an Expedition. Merchanttraveller excursions and the tour operator reserve the right, without penalty, to make changes in the published itinerary whenever, in their judgment, conditions warrant or if they deem it necessary for the comfort, convenience, or safety of the participants.
Neither merchanttraveller excursions, nor the tour operator, will be liable for any air carrier’s cancellation penalty incurred by the purchase of a nonrefundable ticket to or from the participant’s Expedition departure city. Baggage and personal effects are at all times the sole responsibility of the participant.
PLEASE NOTE THAT THE “ARBITRATION AGREEMENT” SECTION BELOW CONTAINS PROVISIONS THAT REQUIRE (i) WITH LIMITED EXCEPTIONS, ALL DISPUTES ARISING BETWEEN THE PARTICIPANT AND MERCHANTTRAVELLER EXCURSIONS AND/OR TOUR OPERATOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT TO BE RESOLVED IN BINDING ARBITRATION, AND NOT IN COURT, AND (ii) THE PARTICIPANT AND MERCHANTTRAVELLER EXCURSIONS AND THE TOUR OPERATOR WAIVE THE RIGHT TO BRING OR PARTICIPATE IN A CLASS ACTION IN CONNECTION WITH SUCH DISPUTES. PLEASE BE SURE TO READ AND REVIEW CAREFULLY THE ENTIRE SECTION LABELED “ARBITRATION AGREEMENT” BELOW. BY ACCEPTING THIS AGREEMENT, THE PARTICIPANT AGREES TO BE BOUND BY THE ARBITRATION AGREEMENT.
All prices are per person based sharing a room or cabin. All prices and fares are quoted in GBP The rates are based on tariffs, currency values, and third-party charges as of catalogue publication date and are subject to change due to unforeseen circumstances. While merchanttraveller excursions will do everything possible to maintain the listed prices, if it is necessary to levy a surcharge, merchanttraveller excursions reserves the right to do so, and notification will be given at the time of final invoicing.
Nobody under the age of 18 can express interest in the projects.
Accommodations and meals as indicated in the itinerary (B = breakfast, L = lunch, D = dinner); educational materials; pre-departure information; entrance fees, excursions, and sightseeing noted as included in the itinerary; all gratuities except those for train or ship’s crew, unless otherwise noted on the itinerary page; ground transportation during the Expedition; transfers to and from group flights where applicable; services of Merchanttraveller excursions experts and/or local guides, lecturers, Expedition leaders, and any other staff; and taxes, port charges, baggage handling, and service charges. Please note: the “B, L, D” notations apply to the period during the Expedition only and do not include any meals on flights to/from the Expedition. Internal airfare is included on some international Excursions as indicated in the itinerary.
Air transportation and related fees (except as indicated in the itinerary); activities noted as optional in the itinerary; gratuities for train or ship’s crew, unless otherwise noted on the itinerary page; passport, visa, and permit expenses; medical expenses and immunizations; baggage/accident/cancellation insurance; personal expenses, such as laundry, telephone calls, and alcoholic beverages; and any other items not specifically noted as included.
A limited number of single rooms/cabins are available at an extra cost on a first-come, first-served basis. Merchanttraveller Excursions and/or the tour operator will assist persons requesting a roommate. The participants will be notified if a suitable roommate is not available, in which case the single rate will be charged.
To reserve space on an Expedition, a £350 per-person deposit is required for Excursions that are nine days or less; Final payment is due no later than 60 days prior to departure. Payments must be made by credit/debit card also PayPal. A participant’s reservation may be cancelled if full payment has not been received by 60 days prior to departure. For reservations made within 60 days of the departure date, full payment is required when the reservation is accepted. All cancellation notices must be received in writing and will become effective as of the date of the postmark. If a participant cancels 120 days or more prior to departure, a refund less an administrative fee of 50% of the deposit will be made. Per-person charges for cancellations that occur less than 120 days prior to departure (“Cancellation Penalty Period”) are as follows: 61-119 days prior to departure: 100% of the deposit amount; 60 days prior to departure: 50% of the Expedition cost; 44 or fewer days prior to departure: 100% of the Expedition cost. This policy also applies to pre- and post-Expedition extensions. Any revisions made within the Cancellation Penalty Period, such as a change in departure date or choice of Expedition, are subject to this cancellation policy. Any airline tickets issued are subject to the carrier’s refund policy. Arriving late or leaving an Expedition in progress, for any reason whatsoever, will not result in a refund, and no refunds will be made for any unused portions of an excursion. Merchanttraveller excursions reserve the right to cancel any Expedition because of inadequate enrollment that makes the Expedition economically infeasible to operate or because of good-faith concerns with respect to the safety, health, or welfare of the participants. If an Expedition is canceled prior to departure, the tour operator will provide the participants with a full refund of monies paid to the tour operator; except in the event that the cancellation is due to a significant event that makes it infeasible to operate the Expedition as planned, in which case the tour operator will provide the participants with a refund and/or credit toward a future Excursion equivalent to the amount paid to the tour operator. If Merchanttraveller excursions cancel the excursion in progress, the participants will receive a prorated refund based on the number of days not completed on the Expedition. Except as outlined above when Merchanttraveller excursions cancel a trip, Merchanttraveller excursions and the tour operator have no responsibility for any expenses, including any non-refundable expenses, incurred by the participants in preparing for a cancelled Expedition or for any additional arrangements should the participants embark prior to the scheduled group departure date.
The itineraries and staff presented in the catalogue or on the website are subject to modification and change by Merchanttraveller excursions or the tour operator. Every reasonable effort will be made to operate Excursions as planned, but alterations may still occur after final itineraries are sent.
Participants are responsible for obtaining any documents required for their participation in the Expedition such as a valid passport, all visas, vaccination certificates, and any other documents. Failure to obtain documents does not negate the terms and conditions, and any extra costs incurred for rerouting due to travel without the necessary documents will be the participant’s responsibility.
Participants must be in good physical and mental health. Any physical condition, diet, or treatment requiring special attention must be reported in writing when the reservation is made. Merchanttraveller excursions encourage participants to consult a doctor for specific medical advice about any activities or destinations. Certain Excursions may require that the participant obtain medical consent prior to departure as a condition of participation.
In the event the participant becomes sufficiently incapacitated as to be unable to direct his or her own care, there is no one on the Expedition who can direct participant’s care, and Merchanttraveller excursions is unable or does not have time to contact participant’s emergency contact, the participant, by registering and paying a deposit for an Expedition, authorizes any medical treatment deemed necessary in the event of any injury or illness while participating in the activity including, but not limited to, X-ray, examination, anesthetic, medical or surgical diagnosis, or treatment and hospital care which is deemed advisable by, and is to be rendered under the general or specific supervision of, any physician and/or surgeon licensed in the United kingdom, or, if in a foreign country and no physician licensed to practice in the United kingdom is reasonably available, by a duly licensed physician deemed competent to render the necessary care. In addition, the participant certifies that they have medical insurance which will cover personal accidents, medical expenses, medical evacuation, air ambulance, loss of effects, repatriation costs and all other expenses which might arise as a result of loss, damage, injury, delay or inconvenience occurring to the participant, or that in the absence of this medical insurance coverage, the participant agrees to pay all costs of rescue and/or medical services as may be incurred on the participant’s behalf.
Merchanttraveller excursions and the tour operator and the Expedition leader reserve the right to take photographs or videos during the operation of any Expedition or part thereof and to use the resulting photography, videos, or recordings for promotional or commercial use. By making a reservation on an Expedition, the participant agrees to allow his/her likeness to be used by Merchanttraveller excursions, Merchanttraveller excursions – authorised third parties, and the tour operator without compensation to the participant. If the participant prefers that his/her likeness not be used, he/she must notify Merchanttraveller excursions and/or the tour operator in writing prior to departure of the Expedition.
Copyright in all photographs, video, and related materials created by the participant (“Expedition Materials”) will belong to the participant upon creation. The participant grants to Merchanttraveller excursions a non-exclusive, worldwide, irrevocable license to use any Expedition Materials provided to Merchanttraveller excursions and/or the tour operator in any media for the following limited purposes: editorial use, promotion of this editorial use, promotion of Merchanttraveller excursions’s travel programs, or promotion of the mission of Merchanttraveller excursions.
By registering for an Expedition, the participant acknowledges that he/she is aware that travel such as the Expedition he/she is undertaking involves potentially dangerous activities, some in remote areas of the world, with a risk of illness, injury or death which may be caused by forces of nature, illness, or by willful or criminal conduct of third parties or by terrorism. The participant further acknowledges that weather conditions may be severe, adverse and/or unpleasant and that medical services or facilities may not be readily available or accessible or consistent with standards in the United States during some or all of the time during which he/she is participating on the Expedition and that when available may not be of the quality which exists in the United Kingdom or the United States.
General principles. The provisions of this Part are founded on the following principles, and shall be construed accordingly— (a)the object of arbitration is to obtain the fair resolution of disputes by an impartial tribunal without unnecessary delay or expense; (b)the parties should be free to agree how their disputes are resolved, subject only to such safeguards as are necessary in the public interest; (c)in matters governed by this Part, the court should not intervene except as provided by this Part.