Tours
Tour Codes of Conduct
To ensure your safe, enjoyable, and memorable trip, please adhere to the following code of conduct at all times on the tour:
Go Together
-
Remember there is safety in numbers, so always go in groups of two or more persons
-
Never leave the organized events, parties, and optional activities alone
-
Always go with a friend in a taxi, bus or any type of public transportation, even when going to the restrooms
-
If you lose your friend, please locate your chaperon and/or tour leader to accompany you home
Tour ID
-
Always carry your hotel card (with the key tour information) and hotel wristband for ease of identification and your safety
-
Use the emergency phone number in case of an emergency
Events and Activities
-
Attend all the organized events, parties, and optional activities. Your chaperons and tour leader(s) are there to help you to enjoy your trip and have fun.
-
Review your detailed tour itinerary to know more about your trip in advance
Drinking Policies
-
Drink responsibly if and when you decide to drink
-
Bear in mind the time and amount of drinks per hour you consume. Also, depending on your age, destination, and event, your designated tour leader and/or chaperon may limit your drinking, and/or prevent you from drinking
-
Depending on your age, destination, and event, we may decide on what type of alcohol (light beer, beer, or wine) you can drink
-
Refuse taking drinks from strangers
-
Never carry open containers of alcohol in the street or public places
Smoking and Drugs
-
Depending on your tour, we may apply smoking restriction or strict rules on how you can smoke.
-
We reserve the right to cancel your tour if we have reasons to believe that you have used, sold, or bought drugs, since drugs are illegal in every country, and such laws are strictly enforced.
Beach/ Pool Policies
-
No swimming is allowed at night unless it is specifically permitted by your tour leader.
-
When using the pool, make sure you read and understand the policies set forth by the pool staff and/or all signs or posting marks, including diving signs.
-
Swim at your own risk when a lifeguard is not on duty on the beaches or pools
-
Read, understand, and follow any flags, or posting markers on the beach which are used to warn you about dangerous tides, harsh water conditions, or any other warning related to your swimming in beaches.
Bus and Taxis
-
Consult with your chaperon and/or tour leader on how to find the cheapest, easiest, and most reliable form of transportation on your specific destination
-
Make sure to only use licensed taxis, also negotiate the fare before getting on the taxi and travel with a friend AT ALL TIMES
-
No glass bottles or containers on the motor coaches
-
Except for emergency cases, do not use motor coach restrooms
-
Know your coach bus number and the length of your bus rest stops, and where to meet the group
-
Always stay on schedule. It is better to have a watch to maintain punctuality
-
Never rent motorized vehicles unless it is specifically permitted by your tour leader.
Travel Tips
-
Respect all citizens of the country you are visiting
-
Drink bottled water
-
Use sun block during daylight hours
-
Tip 15-20% on all bills
-
Bear in mind to purchase calling cards to call home if needed
-
Do not travel or go far away from your event place and/or hotel without permission of your designated tour leader and/or chaperon
Hotel Tips
-
On checking your hotel room, report any damages immediately to your chaperons and/or hotel staff
-
Never, under any circumstances, exceed the capacity of balconies at your hotels or other locations; abide by all limits and restrictions.
-
Store valuables in a hotel safety deposit box
-
Do not damage any hotel property, including (without limitation) your room
-
Lock your hotel room and balcony door AT ALL TIMES, whether you are in the room or not.
-
Keep your decibel level down while in the hotel
-
It is better not to call from your hotel phone
-
Bring along and review your detailed tour itinerary for more information about events, trip locations, your chaperon and/or tour leader contact information, and key things to keep in mind while on the tour
NOTE THAT FOREGOING CODES OF CONDUCT MAY BE ADDED, INCREASED, ALTERED, AND/OR MODIFIED AT OUR SOLE DISCRETION WITH/WITHOUT PRIOR NOTICE.
Tour Policies
I- Flexible Payments
I-a- Policies
-
To make our low tour prices more affordable, we offer Flexible Payment options for our group tour packages. The total tour price may be a combination of the Tour Fee and trip supplements that you may add while purchasing your ticket. Keep in mind that you should buy your tour ticket at least 3 months in advance of your tour date to take advantage of the following flexible payment options:
-
Teenager students (17 years of age and below) can pay 20% of the Tour Fee upfront, followed by four installments. Each covers 20% of the Tour Fee and are due in two-week intervals from the purchasing date.
-
College students (18-23 years of age) can pay 40% of Tour Fee upfront, followed by four installments. Each covers 15% of the Tour Fee and are due in two-week intervals from the purchasing date.
-
Adults (23 years of age and above) can pay 50% of Tour Fee upfront, followed by two installments. Each covers 25% of the Tour Fee and are due in four-week intervals from the purchasing date.
II-b- Terms
-
All payment due dates refer to the dates on which each payment should be received by us. Please indicate the participant’s name, email, and transaction order number on all check payments.
-
If you decide to pay via checking account or a credit card, please verify that there are enough funds available for your due payments. A non-refundable $35 fee will be assessed each time a check is returned due to insufficient funds or for a stop-payment order. A non-refundable $20 fee shall be assessed each time a credit card or debit card is declined.
-
If you decide to pay via credit card, you can provide us with a back-up credit card to protect your tour ticket against cancellation. No fee for the first card declined will be charged if the back-up card is approved.
-
By utilizing one of the foregoing Flexible Payment plans, you accept and agree to pay all payments on time. IF YOU FAIL TO PAY YOUR DUE PAYMENTS WITHIN FOUR DAYS OF THE DUE DATE, WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO CANCEL YOUR RESERVATION and in such event, you may be entitled to refund according to Cancellation and Refund policies.
-
Any tour items or payments outside of due payments, such as baggage handling fees and/or taxes imposed by airline(s), that are added or removed will only be reflected in your last payment and they will be processed before or after your tour date.
-
All group travelers who buy their tour ticket at least 3 months in advance shall be entitled to foregoing Flexible Payment Terms. Each group member is responsible for his/her upfront and due payments, unless specifically agreed otherwise.
WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO MODIFY, DISCONTINUE, ADD OR REVISE OUR FLEXIBLE PAYMENT OPTIONS AND TERMS AND/OR REFUSE OUR FLEXIBLE PAYMENT OPTIONS AT OUR SOLE DISCRETION.
II- Ticket Replacement (VIP Only)
II-a- Policies
-
All VIP ticket holders can replace their trip with another trip by submitting a ticket replacement form online at least 40 days prior to their tour date. Upon approval of your ticket replacement request, we will charge you 20% of your Tour Fee as processing fee. Depending on the new Tour Fee, we may refund you, or we may charge your account. Please note that we do NOT refund any trip supplements that you bought for your initial trip. After we successfully replaced your ticket, we will issue you a new ticket and keep you posted via email.
II-b- Terms
-
The new tour ticket shall be based on the current date price. Should you select a new non-VIP ticket, you have to pay the entire new tour fee upfront, and you can not use a Flexible Payment plan.
-
Each group member under our group travel option is responsible for his/her ticket replacement, and is subject to ticket replacement terms herein, unless specifically agreed otherwise.
-
All payments made toward your initial and/or new trip ticket supplements or trip extra services are not refundable.
WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO CHANGE, MODIFY, INCREASE, AND/OR DISCONTINUE OUR TICKET REPLACEMENT POLICY AT OUR SOLE DISCRETION.
For the following sections (III-VI) of this Tour Policies document, we refer to group tour, short trip, or local activity as a “Service”.
III- Deposit Transfer
III-a- Policies
-
We allow all participants to transfer their Service deposit (or upfront payments) to another eligible Service. To be entitled to our deposit transfer, you must submit your deposit transfer request online at least 45 days prior to your tour date. Upon approval of your deposit transfer, you may be required to pay for your new Service deposit.
III-b- Terms
The deposit transfer date or 'Transfer Date' is a date on which we approve your request; however, the new Service date should be at least 50 days prior to your Transfer Date.
You can transfer multiple deposits to a new Service but the total of transferable deposits should be less than the new Service total fee including any Service supplements.
WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO CHANGE, MODIFY, INCREASE, AND/OR DISCONTINUE OUR DEPOSIT TRANSFER POLICY AT OUR SOLE DISCRETION.
IV- Voluntary Cancellations
IV-a- Policies
If you are unable to accompany us on the Service, we would be happy to cancel your ticket and/or possibly transfer your deposit to another Above Zest Service. The following table shows the amount of refund (based on percentage of Service Fee minus Service Deposit) applicable to each cancellation date for both full-payment and Flexible payment.
Cancellation received (time before tour date) | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
90 days or more | 60-90 days | 40-60 days | Within 40 days | |
Full Payment | Deposit Transfer | Deposit Transfer | Deposit Transfer | No refund or Deposit Transfer |
Flexible Payment | Full Refund* | 70%* | 40%* | No refund |
* Apply to non-deposit amount.
IV-b- Terms
-
A traveler can buy his/her ticket in full at least 40 days prior to the Service date upon ticket availability.
-
The amount of refund for a Flexible Payment cancellation will be based on the accumulated amount of your payments up to the cancellation date minus the upfront payment and it excludes any payment(s) made toward the Service supplements or optional activities. For example, if you buy your ticket on February 1 and cancel your ticket 60 days before the Service date (on June 1), we calculate the total amount of your payment toward the Service fee from Feb 1 to June 1, 2011, and we will refund you 40% of your total payments minus your tour upfront payment.
-
The date of cancellation shall be determined by the date on which we receive your signed and completed Cancellations and Refunds form.
-
Notice of cancellation shall only be accepted from the participant, his or her legal guardian, or the group leader. Also, cancellation refunds can only be made payable to the person whose name is on the account. Payments can not be transferred to another person or account.
-
Any Service supplements or optional supplements, including but not limited to single room occupancy, flight tickets that you purchase for your Service, etc., are NOT refundable.
-
All unconfirmed Open Orders should be confirmed at least 3 months in advance of their Service date. Otherwise, they will automatically be cancelled.
-
Each group member under our group travel option is responsible for his/her ticket cancellation and is subject to the foregoing Cancellation Terms, unless specifically agreed otherwise.
V- Involuntary Cancellations (Policies & Terms)
We do our best to organize the Service at the exact dates and specifications detailed in your itinerary. However, in the event that the Service a- was cancelled or rescheduled by one of our affiliated parties including, without limitation, airline, hotel, and ground transportation, or other reasons beyond our control, such as, but not limited to, hazardous weather, earthquake, hurricane, flood, or acts of terrorists, b- did not get enough participants to make it economically viable to operate, we will cancel or reschedule the Service to the next-best available date. We reserve the right to take any necessary actions to ensure your safe and enjoyable Service by rescheduling or cancelling the Service, and inform you, beforehand, with as much advance notice as is practically possible. In the event of Service cancellation or rescheduling by us for said reasons, you can either transfer 100% of your Service fund including all supplement payments to another Service or receive full refund.
VI- Refund Procedure (Policies & Terms)
On receiving your completed Cancellation form (online for the VIP trip and/or mail/fax for regular trips) or any refund claims, we will process them and notify you through email, on approval or denial of your request. Refunds shall be issued to the name which is on our account. All refund checks will be made payable through a company check and will be mailed 2-3 weeks after the request approval. There will be a non-refundable $30 stop-payment fee for all lost refund checks.
WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO CHANGE, MODIFY, AND UPDATE OUR CANCELLATION AND REFUND POLICY AT OUR SOLE DISCRETION.