TRAVELERS'
INFORMATION
Reservations
Early reservations are recommended, since group size is limited to 24 persons
and some trips require adequate preparation time. Since our trips are very
popular, we advise you to book at least 4 months in advance. When we receive
your completed trip application and a $500 deposit, we will confirm your space.
You may also reserve a space by calling us at 1 [800] 777-8183 and charging
your deposit to your American Express, VISA, or MasterCard credit card. The
balance of the land cost may be paid by check or credit card.
Payment
Schedule
|
All Departures
|
At
time of reservation |
$500 per person |
70
days prior to departure or upon receipt of invoice |
Balance
plus airfare |
An entire
Geographic Expeditions scheduled catalog departure may be reserved by submitting
a nonrefundable deposit of $1,000. Payment schedules for boat trips vary.
See detailed itinerary for specific information.
Upon receiving
your deposit we will send you a confirmation letter, detailed trip itinerary,
visa applications, medical, health, and insurance information, clothing and
equipment list, suggested reading list, and general information on the countries
you are visiting.
Your air
tickets, trip roster, and final trip briefing (with contact numbers and group
meeting locations) will be sent out 3 weeks prior to departure.
Land
Cost
Prices listed in this brochure are subject to change. Many of our trips are
planned more than a year in advance, and as the departure date nears we receive
up-to-date figures on land expenses and currency exchange. We endeavor to
keep our prices the same as published.
The land
cost is based on 10 to 16 full-paying trip members. Trip physicians, staff,
or guests of Geographic Expeditions are not included (e.g., travel
writers/photographers and leaders in training) in determining the tier price.
On some of our trips there is a higher land cost for smaller groups. If there
are fewer than 10 people, the expenses per person are simply higher (e.g.,
a charter vessel costs us the same whether there are 6 or 10 people on board).
Our clients usually prefer paying a bit more rather than having the trip canceled.
Land cost
includes the following: Deluxe or first-class twin sharing accommodations
with private bath where available (except at en route stopover cities); baggage
and hotel porterage; airport and ground transportation for members using Geographic
group flight arrangements; camp meals and sightseeing as outlined in the trip
itinerary; entrance fees and permits; services of English-speaking leaders
and agents; special permits, costs of research, itinerary development, and
documentation. In the field, porters, pack animals, and community equipment.
In China, overnight train transportation in "soft berth'' accommodations.
Itemization of costs will not be provided.
The land
cost does not include: En route accommodations at stopover cities at
the beginning and end of your trip (a standard routing that minimizes
travel time is recommended in each itinerary; trip lengths include travel
days); international airfare except as noted; domestic airfare on certain
trips, excess baggage fees, passport, visas, airport departure fees;
most meals in some countries (to allow for individual choice of restaurants);
alcoholic beverages, end-of-tour gratuities which are not compulsory
but customary, laundry and other items of a personal nature; medical,
hospital, and evacuation expenses not covered in the land cost; expenses
resulting in delays due to bad weather, trail, river, and road conditions,
sickness, government action, and flight delays.
Transfers,
Cancellations, and Refunds
If it becomes necessary for you to cancel your trip (or any portion thereof),
you should notify your travel agent or Geographic Expeditions in writing
or by FAX immediately. Geographic Expeditions will assess a cancellation
charge to cover loss of nonrefundable advance payments made to land operators
and government agencies; communication expenses; and the loss of time that
may permit resale of your space. The following cancellation charges will apply:
Cancellation
Charge
|
Brochure
Departures
|
Nonrefundable
cancellation charge
|
$100
pp
|
61-90
days prior to departure
|
$400
pp
|
31-60
days prior to departure
|
50%
of land cost
|
30
days or less to departure
|
No
refund
|
At
or after trip departure
|
No
refund
|
Cancellation
charges on air-inclusive packages apply to the entire cost. Additionally,
cancellation charges for safaris, cruises, and custom trips may vary. See
detailed itinerary for specific information. Geographic will not grant partial
refunds for any unused trip arrangements after the trip has commenced or any
refunds to trip members who do not complete any portion of the itinerary.
We
strongly recommend you purchase trip cancellation/interruption insurance to
protect your travel investment at the time of sign-up. This
coverage will offset cancellation charges in the event of illness before or
during the trip. Trip cancellation/interruption and baggage insurance is available
at a supplemental cost. Details and an application will be sent to you upon
receipt of your trip deposit.
Geographic
Expeditions provides each trip member with supplementary medical expense,
evacuation, and 24-hour consultation assistance insurance coverage at no charge.
Geographic
Expeditions reserves the right to cancel trips that are below the trip minimum
(usually 5 persons). All trip members will be notified a minimum of 30 days
before the trip departs and will receive a full refund. In the event of
trip cancellation, Geographic Expeditions is not responsible for additional
expenses incurred by trip members (e.g., nonrefundable "advance purchase''
air tickets, medical expenses, passport and visa expenses).
Late
Bookings and Overseas Clients
Travelers domiciled outside of the United States and those who book within
30 days of departure are subject to a $100 per person charge due to the extra
communications and delivery costs of making last-minute arrangements.
Service
Charge for Itinerary Changes
Geographic Expeditions is pleased to assist clients with changes in itineraries
which occur after initial planning and issuance of invoice. Due to the overseas
communication expenses and staff time required to change logistics, we must
assess a service charge of $50 per revision. Trip members are responsible
for all additional costs associated with en route itinerary changes.
Single
Travelers
We honestly do not like to assess an additional charge for the single traveler
and will make every effort (if you so desire) to match you with a same-sex
roommate when we receive your application. If there is no one with whom you
can share accommodations, you will be charged the single supplement fee. If
a single room must be assigned to you due to last-minute roommate cancellation
or incompatibility or for any other reason, the single supplement charge (or
applicable pro-rated charges) will be assessed.
Custom
Trips
If our catalog departures do not fit your schedule, or should you wish the
privacy of your own group, we can prepare a Private Journey for you. Because
we operate in some of the most remote places in the world, and still insist
on quality and safety, we may require your trip to be accompanied by a Geographic
Expeditions leader. You should understand that the creation of custom itineraries
is very time-consuming and these trips are typically more expensive than our
catalog departures. Geographic Expeditions charges an initial development
fee according to the size of the group and the length of the trip. This fee
will be credited toward the final payment of your trip, and is not refundable
should you decide to cancel your trip.
1-14
Days |
15
Days or More |
$500 |
$1000 |
If a Private
Journey is canceled more than 60 days prior to departure, there is a nonrefundable
cancellation charge of the itinerary development fee plus $100 per person.
For cancellations less than 60 days prior to departure, please refer to our
regular cancellation/refund schedule in this catalog insert.
Geographic
Expeditions has collaborated with a number of corporations, nonprofit groups,
research organizations, museums, and educational institutions to create private
trips. Please contact our special groups coordinator for more information
and client references.
Medical
and Health Precautions
It is essential that trip members take the necessary health precautions before
traveling overseas. All trip members will receive a booklet entitled Travel
Health Companion. It is essential that you read this booklet. Each trip member
will have to fill out a Medical Questionnaire. If you have a medical or psychological
condition that might affect your welfare or the group's welfare, you must
let us know on the Medical Questionnaire. Geographic Expeditions reserves
the right to disqualify anyone at any time before or during the trip for medical
or psychological reasons. No refunds will be given once the trip commences.
Some trips
require a medical certificate from your physician(s). Please contact us before
you sign up regarding which trips require medical certificates.
Trip
Physicians
Geographic Expeditions seeks qualified physicians to serve as medical officers
on remote trips. Physicians who participate will receive a 20%-50% discount
on the land cost. Please contact our office for details.
Air
Transportation
Geographic Expeditions has a full-service, in-house, air ticketing department
with many years of experience arranging complex travel to remote areas. Unless
you are working with a travel agent or specify otherwise, we will assume that
you want us to make all domestic and international air reservations according
to the trip itinerary. We recommend you contact our air department as soon
as you book your Geographic trip. Early reservations ensure the most desired
airlines, routings, and departure times.
If you
are not using Geographic for your air travel, it is your responsibility to
give us your air schedule at least 60 days prior to departure, so that we
may confirm your arrival and departure hotels. For those individuals not arriving
or departing on the group schedule, airport transfers are not included in
the land cost.
A
note of caution regarding discount air brokers, consolidators, and "bucket
shops.'' First, you should not expect the same level of service from
a discount company that you receive if you book your air travel through Geographic
or your travel agent. Discount agencies sell a large volume of tickets and
typically do not offer professional travel planning consultation. Additionally,
a number of our clients have reported substantial accuracy and credibility
problems in dealing with some budget travel companies. Clients have been informed
they were confirmed on flights and had air tickets issued, only to discover
upon arrival at the airport that they were in fact wait-listed for their flight.
In other cases, clients have found it impossible to obtain frequent flyer
credits on tickets issued by certain companies. In the long run, you get what
you pay for and if you choose the budget alternative, be extremely careful
which company you select and reconfirm all reservations directly with each
airline.
General
Information
For Detailed Trip Information Please Call:
1 [800] 777-8183 : 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday-Friday Pacific Time
or email to: info@geoex.com
Change
of Address
If you are moving and would like to continue to receive the Geographic catalog
and newsletter, please give us a call or write us a note.
Duplicate
Mailings
If you are receiving more than one catalog, we would appreciate it if you
could send us the mailing labels and let us know which one you prefer.
Comments
and Suggestions?
Our staff strives to continually improve our trips and service. Suggestions
and trip ideas are welcomed, and your thoughts are greatly appreciated. Should
you ever have a problem, I encourage you to write or call me. James Sano,
President.
The
InnerAsia Travel Group
Geographic Expeditions, Inc., Geographic Travel, Inc., and InnerAsia Marketing
Services are divisions of the InnerAsia Travel Group, Inc.
Affiliated
Companies
Geographic Expeditions acts as representative for Exum Mountain Guides,
the mountain climbing concession in Grand Teton National Park. Exum is the
oldest climbing school and mountain guide service in North America. It also
organizes international mountain climbing expeditions throughout the world.
Other
InnerAsia companies include: The InnerAsia Consulting Group, an international
trade development company specializing in technology transfers and joint ventures
between North America and Asia; InnerAsia Development Company, an investment
company with interests in China and the Pacific Islands; and InnerAsia
Trading Company, manufacturer of Gangchen Carpets and wool products in
Tibet.
Copyright © All rights reserved
by Geographic Expeditions
Use or reproduction of text is prohibited without
specific permission from Geographic Expeditions.
Geographic Expeditions
2627 Lombard Street, San Francisco, CA 94123, USA
PH: 1-415-922-0448 or 1-800-777-8183
Established 1981
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