Group Travel Terms and Conditions 

It is important that you carefully read these terms and conditions (these “Terms and Conditions”) because they set forth the provisions of the contract between you and West Curated Travel, LLC, a Massachusetts limited liability company (referred to herein as “we”, “us”, “our” and “WCT”).  These Terms and Conditions are incorporated into WCT’s standard booking form as if they were set forth in full in that document.  The terms “I,” “my” or “you” refers to the customer who utilizes the services of WCT to book travel arrangements or travel and, in the case of customers that desire to book travel arrangements as a group or travel as a group, the term “you” refers to all members of the group collectively.  By utilizing the services of WCT you agree to be bound by these Terms and Conditions.  

1. Late Travel Booking
a.If your booking is made less than 30 days before the date on which your travel is scheduled to commence, you must pay WCT the total cost of your travel arrangements at the time of booking, and that payment shall be NONREFUNDABLE.
 
2. Late Booking Communication Expenses
a.If a booking is made less than seven days before the date that your travel is scheduled to commence, WCT reserves the right to charge you for any extra communications and other similar expenses that it incurs. You agree to pay in full all of these communications and additional similar costs and charges immediately upon WCT notifying you of such fees.

3. Price Changes
a. The costs imposed by travel suppliers for travel arrangements are not always stable. When you book your travel arrangements, we reserve the right to pass all surcharges and other similar charges to you. However, if you purchase interstate or international air transportation through us, we will not surcharge you for any price increase after we secure final payment, except for increased governmental taxes. Solely for purposes of illustration, surcharges may be imposed to cover increases in transportation costs, including the costs of fuel and security charges, taxes and fees chargeable for services such as landing taxes and embarkation or disembarkation fees at ports and airports, hotel energy surcharges, increased fees by local ground or safari operators, etc. In addition, you acknowledge and understand that travel suppliers often will not notify WCT of price or rate changes imposed by hotels. You agree to pay in full all of these increases associated with your travel arrangements (including, but not limited to, energy surcharges) within seven days after WCT notifies you of these costs. Also, suppose price changes occur concerning any component of your travel arrangements after the commencement of your travel. In that case, you agree to pay all increased costs and expenses imposed by airlines, hotels operators, and other travel suppliers that are part of your booking.
 
4. Methods of Payment
a. Credit Cards: We accept Visa, Master, and American Express cards. It is within WCT's sole discretion to not accept a credit card issued by a bank or financial institution outside of the United States. If WCT accepts a credit card issued by a bank or financial institution outside of the United States, WCT may condition its acceptance of such a credit card upon our receipt of whatever additional information we may request.
 
b. Checks: WCT accepts personal checks. WCT may accept bank, treasurer, and other official checks, including travel agency checks issued by nationally recognized banks, financial institutions, and travel agencies domiciled in the United States. Please be aware that WCT requires seven business days to clear the foregoing type of checks before it may issue travel documents.
 
c. Travel documents are prepared only after we receive properly completed booking forms from all travelers, and we confirm our receipt of full payment of your costs of travel. Except when we receive payment in the form of cash, WCT payment confirmation procedures include our receipt of confirmation from our bank or other financial institution that we have received good and available funds.

5. Travel and Other Insurance
a. WCT strongly encourages each traveler to obtain insurance from an insurer of your choice that provides adequate coverage in the event you must cancel, postpone or change your travel plans, or if other circumstances exist or arise that interrupt or otherwise negatively impact your travel plans due to unforeseen or uncontrollable circumstances, including, but not limited to, illness, accident or injury, personal accident, and personal liability, loss of or damage to baggage and loss or damage of sports equipment. WCT is not responsible if you fail to obtain insurance or if you fail to obtain adequate insurance. WCT has no obligation to obtain or to assist you in your efforts to obtain adequate insurance. Should any of your insurers dispute liability for any reason, you shall have no recourse against WCT. Travel insurance is a complex product and we encourage you to read all insurance information that you obtain before the commencement of your travel so that you can ask any questions to the insurer prior to departure. Please note that various credit card issuers offer limited levels of travel insurance, which WCT does not consider sufficient to cover the risks associated with international travel.
 
6. Travel Documents
a. It is extremely important that you check all information set forth in your travel documents (including, but not limited to, details set forth in each of your vouchers, tickets, boarding passes, and itineraries) well in advance of the day you commence travel. If there are any inaccuracies on any of your travel documents, or should you have any questions about any aspect of your travel documents, you should contact us immediately. WCT is not liable for any delay, inconvenience, and/or loss occasioned as a result of any inaccuracies on any travel documents once you are in receipt thereof and your travel has commenced.
 
7. Flight and Other Travel Timings
a. Flight departure and arrival times are provided by airlines and are subject to several factors including, but not limited to, airline scheduling changes, weather, security, and air traffic control restrictions. There is no guarantee that flights, ferries, ships, trains, coaches, and other means of transportation will depart or arrive in accordance with any announced times or any times stated on any itinerary or tickets that you receive. All such times are estimates only, and WCT is not liable for any damage or inconvenience that you may incur or experience that is directly or indirectly caused by any delay in your travel, however arising, or for any schedule alterations. You are responsible to check with your airlines as to scheduling, luggage restrictions, check-in requests, etc.

8. Flight Reconfirmation
a. If you book international air through us, WCT will reconfirm the departure date and time of your international flights originating from the United States. After your travel commences, you are responsible for reconfirming the departure date and times of all your flights (including your return flights to the United States) not more than 72 hours prior to the scheduled departure of each of your flights (including connecting flights). You acknowledge that you understand that this task is particularly important with respect to subsequent flights involving travel outside of the United States. WCT is not liable for any damages, loss or inconvenience that you may incur or experience that is caused by any delay as a result of your failure to reconfirm any flight and/or connecting flight.

9. Unscheduled Extensions
a. In the event of an unscheduled extension of your travel caused by flight delays, poor weather conditions, strikes, or any other similar cause or circumstance that is beyond the control of WCT, you agree that all costs and expenses relating to any such unscheduled extension of your travel (including, but not limited to, hotel accommodation, etc.) shall be exclusively your responsibility. WCT is not liable for any damages, loss, or inconvenience for any changes, omissions, or delays before or during the course of your travel resulting from, among other things, technical difficulties, weather conditions, strikes, or communication breakdowns.

10. Changes to Your Booking by You
a. If you wish to make any change to your booking, we will endeavor to assist you to make the change(s) you request wherever reasonably possible. You agree to pay all charges, of whatever kind, imposed by the airlines, ticket agents, and travel suppliers providing that particular component of your travel arrangements when you change your booking prior to your initial departure. Fares will be re-quoted at the time any such changes are made.

b. After commencement of your travel, if you wish to make any change to your travel arrangements, you must contact WCT and request that we make any such change. We will endeavor to assist you to make the change or changes you request wherever reasonably possible. You agree to pay all charges, of whatever kind, imposed by the airlines, ticket agents, and travel suppliers as a result of any change to your travel arrangements after the commencement of your travel.

c. In addition to amounts charged by the airlines, ticket agents, and travel suppliers, WCT shall assess each traveler, and you agree to pay WCT an amount equal to WCTs then-current administration fee per person for each change and/or cancellation, whether such changes are made before your initial departure or after commencement of your travel.

11. Airline Refund, Change, and Cancellation Procedures
a. Refund, change, and cancellation policies of the various airlines vary greatly, and almost all airline tickets arranged by WCT are entirely non-refundable. WCT strongly encourages each traveler to obtain their insurance from an insurer that provides adequate coverage if they must cancel, postpone or change their travel plans or if other circumstances exist or arise that interrupt or otherwise negatively impact their travel plans due to unforeseen or uncontrollable circumstances.

b. Under the rare and unusual circumstances that an airline authorized a refund, a refund will be made to you, less applicable cancellation or administrative charges including, but not limited to, WCT administration charges. 

c. If an airline ticket is purchased through WCT using a credit card or debit card, the refund will be applied to that card or debit card. Cash payments made by you will be refunded by check.

12. Complaints
a. If you have any reason to complain or experience any problems with your travel arrangement after your travel has commenced, you must immediately inform the supplier of the services in question.

b. If you remain dissatisfied with how your complaint was dealt with, you must notify us immediately so that we have a reasonable opportunity to resolve the problem. Failure to promptly allow us to resolve any issue promptly may result in either impairment or complete loss of any rights that you may have to claim compensation.

c. During your travel, WCT will make commercially reasonable efforts to resolving your complaint to your satisfaction. At the same time, you expressly agree that WCT is not liable for damages, loss, inconvenience, or other claims arising from the actions or omissions of one or more suppliers of a component part of your travel arrangements.

13. Passports, Visas, and Health
The traveler’s sole responsibility is to ensure that all passports, visas, and other necessary travel authorizations and permits are current, valid, and obtained promptly. It is solely the traveler’s responsibility to ensure that all vaccinations, inoculations, prophylactics (e.g., malaria), and the like have been obtained promptly. All passports must be valid for more than six (6) months after your scheduled return to the United States. Please check these requirements with publicly accessible websites well BEFORE commencing travel. In connection with travel to South Africa, each traveler’s passport must have four blank pages. Ultimately, it is the traveler’s responsibility to become familiar with the inherent dangers of mental and physical conditions required for or otherwise associated with the proposed travel arrangements. Each traveler must ensure that the information about their passport, visas, and other similar details supplied to WCT is identical to their passport, tickets, and other travel documentation for international travel and identification documents for local travel.

Vaccination and other health-related issues should be discussed with your doctor. WCT cannot advise on such matters.

14. General Information
a. Special Requests: When possible, we will communicate special requests that you may wish at the time of booking, but acceptance of such requests is at the discretion of the airlines or other travel suppliers. You acknowledge that you understand that under no circumstances are special requests guaranteed. Confirmation that a special request has been noted or communicated to an airline or travel supplier or the inclusion of the special request on your confirmation/invoice or any other documentation does not guarantee that the request will be satisfied.
 
b. Medical Problems: Travel outside of the United States can be very demanding, both physically and emotionally, and access to medical care may be limited. Each traveler must be aware of their condition, limitations, disabilities, and needs and how those circumstances may affect travel. If and to the extent a traveler may need or want assistance or accommodation, it is the traveler’s responsibility to let us know and to provide us with sufficient information so that we may determine whether service or a reasonable accommodation can be arranged. We reserve the right to cancel the reservation of any traveler if we believe the proposed travel will pose a safety risk to the traveler or other members of their travel group, subject to applicable law and regulation.
 
c. CDC and State Department Information: We strongly recommend that tour participants review the destination country’s specific information at: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories.html/ and 
https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices, both of which contain essential information.
 
d. Renovations, Repairs, and Maintenance: Hotels undergo renovations, repairs, and maintenance from time to time. We are not liable for any damage, loss, or inconvenience that you incur or experience resulting from any hotel carrying out renovations, repairs, or maintenance. At the same time, you are a visitor or guest. It is important to remember that hotels' renovation, repair, and maintenance plans are subject to change, and more often than not, we are not notified of any such change.
 
e. Charges to Your Credit Card and Debit Card: Any charges made to your credit card and debit card are exclusively your responsibility. 
 
f. Driver’s Licenses: Even if you have obtained an international driver’s license, it is your responsibility to carry your national driver’s license with you throughout the time you are traveling.
 
g. Confidentiality: Subject to applicable law or compliance with a governmental or judicial order, WCT undertakes to deal with all customer information of a personal and private nature on a strictly confidential basis.
 
15. Limitation of Liability and Release
a. WCT does not own or operate any entity which is to or does provide goods or services for your trip, including, for example, ownership or control over hotels, tents or other lodging facilities, airlines, vessels, buses, vans, or other transportation companies, local ground or safari operators, providers or organizers of optional or included excursions or equipment used thereon, food service or entertainment providers, etc. All such persons and entities are independent contractors. As a result, WCT is not liable for any negligent or willful act or failure to act of any such person, entity, or third party. Without limitation, WCT is not responsible for any injury, loss, or damage to person or property, death, delay, or inconvenience in connection with the provision of any goods or services occasioned by or resulting from, but not limited to, acts of God, acts of government, force majeure, acts of war or civil unrest, insurrection or revolt, strikes or other labor activities, criminal or terrorist activities of any kind, or the threat thereof, overbooking or downgrading of accommodations, structural or other defective conditions in hotels or other lodging facilities, mechanical or other failure of airplanes or other means of transportation or for any failure of any transportation mechanism to arrive or depart timely or safely, dangers associated with or bites from animals, pests or insects, marine life or vegetation, sanitation problems, food poisoning, lack of access to or quality of medical care, difficulty in evacuation in case of a medical or other emergency, illness, epidemics or the threat thereof or for any other cause beyond the direct control of WCT. In addition, I release WCT from its negligence and assume all risk thereof.  
 
16. Assumption of Risk.  
a. Travel such as you are undertaking may involve hazardous activities, with a risk of illness, injury, or death which forces of nature may cause, animals, insects or flora, the negligence of WCT, or other persons and companies known or unknown, or of the willful or criminal conduct of third parties. Medical services or facilities may not be readily available or accessible, or consistent with standards in North America during some or all of the time you are participating in the trip. When available, it may not be of the quality in North America. You hereby accept and assume full responsibility for illness, injury, inconvenience, or death risks.
 
17. Miscellaneous.  
a. WCT reserves the right to change hotels, lodges, or other features of the trip’s itinerary if WCT believes it will enhance the safety, comfort, or enjoyment of the trip or to cancel the trip before departure with participants’ sole recourse to be refunded that money paid to WCT for the trip. WCT reserves its right to decline to accept or retain any participant whose health or actions, in WCT's sole judgment, impede the operation of the trip, create a risk of injury to the participant or others, or the welfare or enjoyment of the trip as a whole.  
 
b. Baggage and personal property are at the participant’s risk throughout the trip.
 
c. Should any provision or aspect of these Terms & Conditions and Agreement between Traveler and WCT be found to be void or unenforceable, all remaining provisions will remain in full force and effect.
 
18. Photograph Authorization Form.  
a. I grant permission to WCT to take and use photographs/digital/electronic images, video, live streaming, audio recording, or quoted remarks of me for use in promotional or educational materials, including printed or electronic communications, publications, websites, or other video communications. I authorize the use of these materials indefinitely without compensation to me. 

19. Binding Arbitration and Choice of Law. 
a. Any dispute concerning, relating, or referring to this Agreement, the brochure, or any other literature concerning my trip, or the journey itself, shall be resolved exclusively by binding arbitration under the Federal Arbitration Act, 9 U.S.C. §§1-16, either according to the then-existing Commercial Rules of the American Arbitration Association (AAA) or under the Comprehensive Arbitration Rules & Procedures of the Judicial Arbitration and Mediation Services, Inc. (JAMS). Such proceedings will be governed by substantive (but not procedural) Massachusetts law and will take place in Boston, MA. The arbitrator and not any federal, state, or local court or agency shall have exclusive authority to resolve any dispute relating to the interpretation, applicability, enforceability, conscionably, or formation of this contract, including but not limited to any claim that all or any part of this contract is void or voidable. By agreeing to these terms and conditions, both parties are waiving their right to a trial by jury.  
 
20. Integrated Contract
a. This is an integrated agreement and supersedes any previous writings or discussions by and between the parties.
 
21. Covid. 
a. Your destination(s) may have pre-travel testing requirements for entry and exit due to COVID-19. West Curated Travel will make every effort to keep you updated AND assist you with Covid entry and exit requirements. By signing below, you understand that you are responsible for obtaining the appropriate documentation/testing for access for all travelers within your party. Many tourism boards & hotel properties provide this information on their websites. The situation with COVID-19 is a fluid situation where requirements are changing consistently. While West Curated Travel will provide regular updates on entry requirements, you are responsible for ensuring that you are compliant at the time of travel. 
b. Please note that many destinations do not allow home tests or antigen tests if testing is required. West Curated encourages you to verify that all testing is within the appropriate departure period and that you have received the correct form of testing for your destination(s).
c.The choice to travel is a personal decision, and all travelers are responsible for following all airline and vendor protocols.
By signing below, you acknowledge that you, on behalf of your entire party, agree and understand that West Curated Travel and its hosting agency/consortia do not claim liability for any losses due to a lack of COVID-19 pre-travel compliance or cancellations due to closures. In addition, you understand that travel involves the risk of various hazards to health and safety (including but not limited to injury, illness, and death), for which West Curated Travel is not responsible.
 
22. Voluntary Participation.  
a. I acknowledge that I have voluntarily applied to participate on the trip designated on my booking form (or a trip which I may book at a later date) and that I have read/will read the description of the journey together with all information concerning the trip which is sent to me. I am voluntarily participating in this trip with knowledge of the risks involved.

For a Minor*: I, as an authorized parent or guardian of the below-named minor, at this moment, give my permission for my child or ward to participate in the trip and further agree, individually and on behalf of my child or ward, to the terms of the above. In the event the minor is not accompanied by all legal guardians on this trip, I agree to carry with me a notarized document from each legal guardian not on the trip, granting their approval for the minor to travel on this trip and to present said document(s) to any airline or authority requesting such. If I am the sole parent or guardian of the minor, I agree to carry documentation evidencing such and present it to any officer when requested.

Name of Minor:                                                                                                                    

Signature of Releaser:                                                                                                        

Date:                                                                                       

*A Minor is anyone under 18 years of age at the time of trip reservation.

Traveler Terms and Conditions and Agreement