Booking Conditions
How to make your Reservation
After planning your custom tour and selecting your departure date with your chosen travel provider, simply complete and submit their tour planning remittance payment via their invoice, as well as submitting any payment via the provided pay link for total flight costs. SouthAmerica.travel’s partner agencies generally accept wires, bank transfers, ACH (U.S.), Visa, MasterCard, and American Express, and may accept Diner’s Club, JCB, Discover, PayPal, and cryptocurrency. The initial Tour Planning Remittance is generally 20% of the land package price. Minimum USD 250 per person. A higher remittance amount may be required for certain custom itineraries, lodges and cruises, special events such as Carnival and New Year’s, or for securing special flight arrangements. Some flight tickets and special non-refundable land arrangements (such as Carnival and New Year’s accommodation) may not be paid by credit card. See also note in the International Flights section below. Please make your reservations as early as possible since many flights are completely filled 3 to 6 months before departure.
Final Payment
Final payment is generally due 45 days in advance of the tour, depending on the chosen Travel Partner. These payments are due in their office or submitted online 45 days prior to the departure date. If reservations are made less than 45 days prior to departure, payment in full is often required at the time of booking. If final payments are not received on time, SouthAmerica.travel’s partners may cancel the reservation and invoke their cancellation fee.
Cancellations, Changes & Refunds
Each partner agency has its own cancellation policy – please contact them for details. In general, if cancellation is received in writing by SouthAmerica.travel’s partners not less than 45 days prior to departure, your payment will be refunded, less 20% (minimum USD 250) per person of the full package price, as well as any non-refundable items. If you must withdraw or make a change 45 days or less prior to departure, the following fees generally apply:
45 Days to 31 Days: prior to departure 35% of total
30 Days to 15 Days: prior to departure 50% of total
14 Days to Day of Departure: 90% of total (100% thereafter)
Additionally, USD 175 or more may be assessed for changes in air travel bookings after tickets have been issued, if change is allowed by carrier, in accordance with the airline’s and issuer’s change and cancellation policies, and depending on the booking class of the ticket. Fee assessments and changes are the responsibility of the ticketing agent and airlines. Certain items (including but not limited to Cruises, Lodges, Tickets, Carnival & New Year’s hotel deposits) are non-refundable and therefore excluded from the refund policy. See note on Travel Insurance below.
Invoices in Your Currency
The currency of tourism in South America has historically been the US Dollar. SouthAmerica.travel’s partner’s financial system is therefore set to invoice in USD, however charges may be processed in their local currency.
Final payment: SouthAmerica.travel’s partners will re-calculate non-USD invoices with the daily exchange rate at the time of your final payment, which, as exchange rates fluctuate, may be higher or lower than the rate of your initial tour planning remittance.
Surface Travel & Sightseeing and Land-Only Tours
Ground arrangements may include inter-city travel by train, plane, yacht, boat, schooner, or air-conditioned car, van or motor coach as per the itinerary. If you wish to make independent flight arrangements, you may still reserve the land portion of a tour.
Flights
Your air transport is a contract made with the airline through the ticketing agent, which is independent of SouthAmerica.travel. Listed prices for flights are estimates only, based on best space availability, and are not guaranteed. SouthAmerica.travel’s partners work with various agents to secure the lowest fares available. Tickets may be issued by a 3rd party consolidator directly. The airlines hold a limited number of seats at listed prices; other fares are negotiated at the time of booking to get the best possible fare. For early bookings, they may be able to negotiate a lower price. In most cases, the airlines require immediate payment at the time of booking to hold seats on flights and for travel with airpasses, where available. SouthAmerica.travel’s agents will inform you about this when the situation arises. Often least cost bookings require immediate payment, in full, and are non-refundable. Requests for specific airlines and/or seats are accepted as preferences only and cannot be guaranteed. All airline seat assignments and frequent flyer programs are under the control of the respective airlines. Domestic overnights due to flight scheduling are the responsibility of the Traveler. We suggest you contact the airlines directly regarding seat assignments and special meals.
Taxes & Fees
If not collected in advance by the airline, airport taxes must be paid by the Traveler at check-in. Please call the airline in advance if unclear whether airport taxes are included in your fare. Entrance Fees to National Parks and other destinations are set by the respective governments, and often change without advance notice. The Traveler is responsible for any changes in fees made after initial booking.
Visas & Immunizations
Check the visa and other entry requirements for your trip to South America at the earliest opportunity. It’s imperative that you check the entry requirements for all countries you are visiting based on the passport you hold. Don’t forget to consider any countries you are traveling through on the way to or from South America. Some visas need to be obtained well in advance.
More information regarding entry requirements can be found at our Tourist Visa Information Page or with IATA Travel Centre. As these requirements may change at short notice, please use this only as a guide, and reconfirm all information with the consulate of the countries you’ll be visiting.
Information regarding immunizations can be found on the website of the Center for Disease Control (wwwnc.cdc.gov). You are strongly encouraged to consult a physician.
Meals
Many foods in South America will be familiar to North Americans and Europeans, and include many additional – and amazing – flavors! Please inform your tour director or guide of special dietary requirements at your first meeting; s/he will do his/her best to arrange for other meals.
Hotels
Hotels reserved for our tours are rated as First Class or above, and are indicated by the appendage **** in the itinerary. The few exceptions (generally, small hotels and pousadas (B&B’s)) have been chosen for location and/or atmosphere. These hotels are clean, comfortable and located to best facilitate guided sightseeing of the area. If for any reason, it becomes necessary to utilize other hotels, they will generally be of a similar or higher standard. Triple room accommodations are available on a limited basis, sometimes at a reduced price. Triple rooms usually consist of a twin-bedded room with an additional folding bed or cot for the third person. They may not be comfortable for three adults.
Small Groups
In cases of groups of less than 10 passengers, intercity transport may be on regularly scheduled first class intercity coaches or planes. In such cases, a guide/driver will escort you from your hotel/sightseeing to the coach station or airport and may assist with check-in. Another qualified guide will await your arrival at your destination, and will assist with transfer to your hotel. Dates for tours are generally guaranteed; however, should a group consist of only 1 passenger, Single Traveler fees may apply.
Tour Price Does Not Include
Beverages, meals not detailed in the itinerary, as well as desserts at barbeque (all-you-can-eat) “Rodizios”; personal expenses including passport & visa fees, optional sightseeing tours, traditional end of the tour gratuity to your Tour Director or City/Sightseeing Guide (generally USD 3-5 p.p./per day) and Driver (generally USD 2-3 p.p./per day), tips to local city guides, Travel Insurance (see note) & other items of a personal nature.
Travel Insurance
To protect yourself against unforeseen circumstances, it is a condition of booking one of SouthAmerica.travel’s partner’s tours that travelers have inclusive travel insurance for the full duration of their travel arrangements including illness, injury, death, loss of baggage and personal items, cancellation and curtailment. Such insurance policies may be available from your Travel Consultant, insurance broker, and other sources. In addition some providers offer an inclusive travel insurance that also covers “cancel for any reason” (see Travel Insurance for South America for a variety of options).
Contractual Terms and Obligations
SouthAmerica.travel inc, dba www.SouthAmerica.travel, hereafter referred to as SouthAmerica.travel, 9620 NE Tanasbourne Dr Suite 300 #1040 Hillsboro OR 97124 USA, acts solely in the capacity of informational agent, and collects consumer-provided contact information from potential travelers freely supplied to SouthAmerica.travel by same, forwarding this information to relevant local South American travel suppliers and tour operators. SouthAmerica.travel does not itself provide any travel reservation services in any form. As agent, SouthAmerica.travel shall not be responsible for breach of contract or any intentional or careless actions or omissions on the part of such suppliers which result in any loss, damage, delay or injury to you or your travel companions or group members. In addition, SouthAmerica.travel and its partners shall not be responsible for any injuries, damages, or losses caused to any traveler in connection with terrorist activities, social or labor unrest, mechanical or construction failures or difficulties, diseases, local laws, climactic conditions, abnormal conditions or developments, or any other actions, omissions, or conditions outside SouthAmerica.travel’s control. Traveler assumes complete and full responsibility for, and hereby releases SouthAmerica.travel and its suppliers from any duty of, checking and verifying any and all passport, visa, vaccination, or other entry requirements of each destination, and all safety or security conditions at such destinations, during the length of the proposed travel. For information concerning possible dangers at international destinations, contact the Travel Advisory Section of the U.S. State Department. For medical information and requirements, contact the Public Health Service. For tax information and holiday/museum schedules contact the respective tourist office. By embarking upon his/her travel, the traveler voluntarily assumes all risks involved in such travel, whether expected or unexpected. Traveler is hereby warned of such risks and is advised to obtain appropriate insurance coverage against them. Any contract for travel exists between the consumer and the contracted agency partner in SouthAmerica. No contract, either proxy or de facto, exists in any form between consumers and SouthAmerica.travel. If there is any dispute between any consumer and SouthAmerica.travel’s partners, the parties will submit to mediation by a mediator chosen by both parties and, if not resolved by mediation, then by binding arbitration by one arbitrator chosen by the parties, or if no choice can be made, then by an arbitrator chosen by a federal judge for the country of the agency’s location. All proceedings shall occur in the country of the chosen agency, and the laws of the agency’s location shall apply. The passenger agrees to this exclusive jurisdiction and venue in the agency’s location for resolving all disputes. SouthAmerica.travel partners strive to arrange all services to the traveler’s expectations. Should a service supplier not deliver to the traveler’s expectations, the service supplier must be notified immediately as to allow for the opportunity to remedy the situation. Should the situation not change to the traveler’s satisfaction, the partner agency must receive notification of the dispute in writing (e-mail or fax) within 24 hours. Transportation companies, airlines, etc., are not to be held responsible for any act, omission or event during the time passengers are not on board planes, transportation or conveyances. The passenger contracts in use by the airlines or transportation companies when used shall constitute the sole contract between the airline, transportation company and passenger or purchaser of this tour and SouthAmerica.travel assumes no responsibility in this connection. SouthAmerica.travel is not responsible for typographical errors and all prices shown are approximations of travel costs for the displayed itinerary in Standard category at low travel season prices, in U.S. Dollars. Prices in other currencies are at that day’s exchange to the US Dollar and may not reflect your final price. Cancelation terms and booking conditions published by the local travel operator at time of reservation shall take precedence.
*Updated August 13, 2022
