Policies and Procedures

Listed below are the policies and procedures of Great Explorations Tours. If you have any questions or would like a clarification please contact us.

Deposit: Great Explorations Tours requires a deposit of $250 per person on all tours. The deposit may be made by credit card, check, or money order and should be paid as soon as possible. Your spot on the tour is not confirmed until Great Explorations Tours receives your deposit. Great Explorations Tours is not responsible if your reservation is cancelled due to non-payment of the deposit.

Full Payment: Payment in full is required 60 days prior to the start of your tour. You will be notified approximately one week prior to the due date of your payment. If the full payment is not received Great Explorations Tours reserves the right to cancel your reservation and your deposit will be forfeited.

In the event of a reservation being made within 60 days of the start of a tour, payment in full will be required immediately.

Payment by Check: Great Explorations Tours will accept checks up to 14 days prior to the start of a tour. If a payment is made less than 14 days prior to the start of a tour, said payment must be made by credit card or money order.

Bounced Checks: Any check paid to Great Explorations Tours that is returned due to non-sufficient funds will be assessed a $30 fee by Great Explorations Tours. This does not include any charge that your bank may impose. In the event of a bounced check, another form of payment will be required immediately to cover whatever payment the check in question was meant to cover. If another form of payment is not immediately received, Great Explorations Tours reserves the right to cancel your reservation and impose any penalties listed herein.

Cancellation and Refunds: Your tour is fully refundable up to 121 days prior to the start of your tour. Cancellations less than 121 days prior to the start of your tour are subject to the following penalties:

   120-61 days prior to the start of your tour: $250 deposit will be forfeited.
   60-8 days prior to the start of your tour: 50% of the tour price will be forfeited.
   7-2 days prior to the start of your tour: 80% of the tour price will be forfeited.
   Within 1 day of the start of your tour or later / no show: 100% of the tour price will be forfeited.

Airline Fees and Cancellations: Great Explorations Tours does not sell any airline tickets. Upon request, Great Explorations Tours will find and help arrange airfare in conjunction with one of our tours for a convenience charge of $25 per ticket. All questions and concerns regarding airfare, airline, or airport policies should be directed to the airline or airport that you will be using. Great Explorations Tours is not responsible for any fees that you may incur due to changes or cancellations relating to airfare. Due to the abundance of non-refundable airline tickets, Great Explorations Tours recommends that you ensure the departure of the tour prior to confirming your airfare.

Flight Delays and Cancellations: If your flight is delayed or cancelled it is your responsibility to work out a solution with the airline. You are advised to contact Great Explorations Tours with any such changes and we will do everything we can to help. Refunds will not be given for any portion of the tour missed.

Tours Cancelled by Great Explorations Tours: Unfortunately our tours require a minimum number of travelers to be fiscally possible. While cancelling one of our scheduled tours is only a measure of last resort, it is a possibility. In the event of a cancellation by Great Explorations Tours all monies paid to Great Explorations Tours will be promptly refunded and, if so desired, an alternate tour date will be arranged. Great Explorations Tours is not responsible for any fees imposed by an an airline for changes or cancellations.

As soon as it is confirmed that a tour will take place, said tour will be marked as "guaranteed departure" on this website. It is recommended that you do not purchase airfare until the departure has been confirmed to avoid any airline imposed fees.

Changes: Should you decide after booking a tour that you would rather participate in a different tour or on a different date you are welcomed to make that change. Please be ware of the following penalties:

   61 days or longer prior to the start of your tour, a $30 per person fee will be assessed for any changes.
   60 days or less prior to the start of your tour, a change will be considered a cancellation and the applicable cancellation fees will apply.

The above penalties are imposed solely by Great Explorations Tours to cover penalties that we have to pay when changing reservations. The above penalties do not include any charges that you may have to pay to an airline should you need to change your airfare.

Pricing: The prices listed on this website represent the most current pricing. Prices are subject to change based on fluctuations in exchange and vendor rates. Once your payment is received in full by Great Explorations Tours, the price of your tour will not be changed. Prior to receiving your full payment, Great Explorations Tours reserves the right to increase any tour price if necessary. In the event of an increase, you will be notified and you will have 72 hours following notification to cancel your tour with a full refund.

Tour Participation: To ensure the enjoyment of everyone on the tour, Great Explorations Tours reserves the right to remove any traveler from the tour whose conduct is inappropriate or incompatible with the group.

Travelers with Special Needs: Any travelers requiring special attention must advise Great Explorations Tours at the time of booking. Said travelers must also be traveling with a companion who is capable of providing assistance if necessary. The driver and guides cannot be expected to provide necessary assistance. Please note that the motor coaches are not equipped with wheelchair lifts, so all travelers must be able to mount 3 or 4 steps on and off the bus. Great Explorations Tours reserves the right to refuse anyone who cannot meet the requirements of any tour.

Any travelers with special needs should also be aware that foreign countries and particularly ancient sites tend not to be wheelchair accessible. Great Explorations Tours is not responsible for any portion of the tour that may be missed due to such restrictions. Refunds will not be given for missing any portions of the tour.

Children: Children of any age are allowed on tours run by Great Explorations Tours. Great Explorations Tours requires that you notify us at the time of booking if there will be any children traveling with you. Any child under 18 years of age is required to be accompanied by a traveler over the age of 18. We also ask that you ensure any child behaves in a manner that will not detract from the enjoyment of other travelers. Great Explorations Tours reserves the right to remove anyone from the tour that is acting inappropriately.

Please be aware that security measures at airports are very strict if you are traveling with a child that is not your own. Please contact the airport or airline to find out what documentation you will need.

Pets: Pets are not permitted on any tour.

Coach Transportation: The coaches used by Great Explorations Tours are typically 48-50 seat air-conditioned luxury motor coaches. In the event of fewer travelers, a smaller coach may be used.

Luggage: Only one piece of checked luggage is allowed per person due to the baggage compartment restrictions of the motor coach. Each bag must not exceed 30 x 20 x 10 inches and must not exceed 50 lbs. Should any of these restrictions be violated, Great Explorations Tours reserves the right to omit said luggage from the tour at the owner's expense. Travelers are also allowed one carry-on bag as well as personal items such as coats, umbrellas, cameras, purses, etc. Your carry-on bag should be no larger than a standard backpack and should not have wheels or telescoping handles. Large or incompatible bags will not fit in the overhead compartments of the motor coach and will instead by stored in the luggage compartment.

Each traveler is responsible for maintaining their carry-on bag and personal items. Each traveler is also responsible for ensuring that their checked bag is in the proper location for loading onto the bus and is properly unloaded from the bus each day (when applicable). Each traveler is also responsible for properly marking their luggage with an included Great Exploration Tours luggage tag to ensure that the guides and driver know that said luggage belongs on the tour. Great Explorations Tours is not responsible for any damage to luggage or personal belongings.

Please note that airlines may impose stricter size or weight limits than listed above. Please check with your airline for information

Smoking: Travelers are prohibited from smoking on the bus. Smoking in hotels and public areas will be dictated by the policies of said locations.

Hotels: The establishments listed in the itinerary for any tour are not necessarily the hotels that will be used. Should the listed hotels become unavailable, hotels of a similar class and price may be substituted. Rooms at any particular hotel are assigned by each hotel upon check-in. Any special requests (i.e. smoking room, certain view, etc.) can be made of Great Explorations Tours at the time of booking and will be passed on to the hotel but will be subject to availability at the time of check-in.

Attractions and Entertainment: Great Explorations Tours reserves the right to cancel or substitute any scheduled items due to an establishment being closed for a reason beyond our control.

Not Included in the Tour: All items of a personal nature (such as souvenirs or private tours); any meal not specified on your tour's itinerary; airfares and airport taxes and fees (unless otherwise arranged); passport and/or visa fees; insurances of all kinds; laundry; minibars; phone calls; and optional excursions outside the scope of the tour. Great Explorations Tours also does not cover any costs or expenses incurred for leaving the tour early for any reason.

Unused Portions of the Tour: Great Explorations Tours will not refund any money for portions of the tours missed. This includes, but is not limited to, sightseeing, meals, and lodging.

Passports: All travelers from the USA to Europe require a passport. If you have questions about how to obtain a passport you can find information on the US State Department website or contact us and we will help you find the appropriate information.

Travel Insurance: Travel Insurance is a separate insurance that can be purchased to cover you against such things as cancellations, loss, and personal injury while traveling. At Great Explorations Tours we believe that selling you travel insurance to cover you against us would be a conflict of interest. If you wish to find out more information or a list of companies that sell travel insurance click here to visit the US Travel Insurance Association. Great Explorations Tours is not responsible for the service supplied by any outside company.

Website Photography: All photographs appearing on this website are the property of Great Explorations Tours except where otherwise noted. No photographs are to be used without expressed written consent by Great Explorations Tours. Any photograph is simply an example of what may be seen on a given tour and not necessarily the exact location or vantage point.

Assistance with Airfare or Outside Activities: Great Explorations Tours will gladly help you find and book the best airfare or help you plan and reserve any tour, dinner, additional nights of lodging, etc. that you may want to do that is outside the scope of the tour offered by Great Explorations Tours. Any assistance provided by Great Explorations Tours is subject to the following convenience charges:

   Airfare: $25 per ticket
   Restaurant reservation, private tour, show, etc.: $25 per event (any number of people)
   Additional night lodging: $15 per room, per night if the hotel is different than the one the tour is staying in.

Property Damage: Any damage to any property including, but not limited to, hotel rooms, buses, restaurants, bars, or pubs, inflicted by any traveler with Great Explorations Tours, whether it be accidental or not, will be the responsibility of said traveler. Great Explorations Tours reserves the right to remove anyone from any tour that is acting inappropriately.

Responsibility: By purchasing a tour from Great Explorations Tours the purchaser and all associated travelers agree to all policies stated herein. Great Explorations Tours shall not be liable for injury, damage, loss, accident, delay, irregularity or expense to person or property due to an act or default by any air carrier, public transport company, hotel, subcontractor, or other person or organization, regardless of whether or not said company is rendering services supplied on the tour. Great Explorations Tours accepts no responsibility for any sickness, machinery breakdown, government restraint, act of god, war, terrorism, weather condition, defect in vehicle, or for any misadventure or casualty or any other circumstances beyond our control.

Great Explorations Tours does not employ doctors, nurses, or any emergency medical technicians, nor is our staff medically trained. Should you need medical attention it will be at local facilities, at your expense. Great Explorations Tours is not responsible for any costs accumulated as a result of medical services, nor is Great Explorations Tours responsible for the quality of said service.

If you wish to protect yourself against unforeseen situations, we recommend that you purchase travel insurance from a reputable seller. Please see section above titled "Travel Insurance."

Litigation: Should the need for litigation arise, the court system of Pennsylvania will be the deciding party. Great Explorations Tours cannot be made to pay more than the amount received as payment for any tour. Great Explorations Tours will not be responsible for punitive damages.

Inquiries Following the Tour: All inquiries about your tour or any services offered on your tour must be received by Great Explorations Tours within 30 days following the completion of the tour in question. Great Explorations Tours is not responsible for any inquiries after the 30 day window has expired.