Terms of Service
Jennifer De Witt is a Certified Travel Advisor with FORA Travel, Inc. We are here to ensure every aspect of your trip is seamless and memorable. Thank you for choosing us as your trusted partner in travel.
Please take a moment to review the following Terms and Conditions, which outline the rights, responsibilities and requirements associated with your travel arrangements.
These terms ensure transparency and clarity and helps to retain consistent levels of quality in all aspects of our services. These terms and conditions empower you to make informed decisions and embark on your journey with confidence.
Requirements for Securing Our Services
Flight planning and reservations are limited to Business Class and First Class
Travel Insurance and/or Cancel-For-Any-Reason Protection is mandatory
Clients must read, understand, and agree to the following before any transactions occur.
Introduction
Our Professional Services
We agree to provide services and/or professional recommendations as follows.
Pre-Planning Consultation
We actively listen to your needs and desires around your lifestyle, travel goals, travel history, budget, travelers and destination interests to incorporate into proposed itineraries.
Once contracted for trip development, we provide support in case of any issues that may occur before, during and/or after travel.
Planning
We will research a number of business class flights, hotels, tours, cruises, excursions, and/or workshops, etc., to provide a first and best proposal to meet your unique needs and desires.
We provide consultations to the client and their fellow travelers during the planning stage and respond to all queries in a timely manner.
Booking
We will utilize trusted suppliers to offer you the best value and service for your hard-earned money.
We will facilitate booking of travel, including business class airfare, hotels and resorts, cruises, tours, ground transportation, excursions, etc., or any desired combination, and its related services.
We handle all files in the event of any supplier or arrival changes.
We manage all travel portfolio details such as deposits, payments, invoicing, and room allocation details.
Confirmation/Pre-Departure
We will create a detailed final itinerary to ensure peace of mind with a smooth and memorable vacation.
We will provide all required travel documents no later that ten (10) days prior to departure, provided travel has already been paid in full.
While Traveling
We will handle any desired changes with booked suppliers and add-ons with new suppliers.
Post Return
We will always be sure to follow up to hear more about your experience with us and our suppliers. We will request a review for use on our website, social media, and marketing collateral.
Passports, Visas, Immunization Requirements
Travelers are solely responsible for checking their passport expirations, verifying the entry requirements for their destination, and applying for any necessary visas.
Valid passports are required for all international destinations.
Please note that many destinations require your passport to be valid six (6) months after the date of your return.
It is each traveler’s responsibility to make certain that they have proper immunizations before travel – please see your health provider for advice. The CDC website has a list of required immunizations and/or other health notes for each country.
Each foreign country holds different views of past criminal offenses – if you have a current or past offense, please contact that country directly for entry and exit requirements. Travelers with DWI or DUI records should check whether current rules exclude admission to foreign destinations. For example, Canada often denies entry to travelers with a DUI conviction. It is an invasion of privacy for members of our staff to make such an inquiry and these requirements remain the traveler’s responsibility.
For further information, please visit the U.S. State Department website: travel.state.gov.
Check-in & Departure Responsibilities
It is strongly recommended that you check in a minimum of two (2) hours prior to scheduled departure for domestic flights and three (3) hours prior to scheduled departure for international flights.
It is the traveler’s responsibility to reconfirm flight times at least 24-72 hours prior to scheduled flights.
The travel agent does not assume responsibility for any air or schedule changes.
Certain countries require departure taxes that require payment in cash.
*Recommended check-in times are subject to change without notification. It is the traveler’s responsibility to remain abreast of changes in condition or airport rules that might require earlier arrival times. This information can be found when entering your confirmation number on the airline website.
Financial Terms
Clients are responsible for ascertaining any foreign transaction fees on their debit or credit cards. The travel agent is not responsible for any foreign transaction fees incurred when making payments to vendors located overseas.
Quotes given in Euros or other foreign currency will have an estimate of the USD equivalent which will be accurate on the day of the quote.
The travel agent is not responsible for any fluctuations in the exchange rate between quoting and charging the transaction.
It is the traveler’s responsibility to note the final payment dates and plan accordingly.
The travel agent will make every effort to contact the traveler with reminders; however, the travel agent is not responsible for missed payment dates when the traveler is unresponsive.
Suppliers may have deadlines of 5 pm, 9 pm, or midnight for their cutoff dates. It is the traveler’s responsibility to take this into account and not assume that their payment meets the deadline.
Any cancellations that result from the traveler’s missing final payment are the traveler’s responsibility and reinstatement may have additional costs.
Group Bookings
When travelers do not live at the same address, the travel agent will correspond with the initial group leader (the person who made the first contact) throughout the quote process.
The group leader will be responsible for communicating the details of the quote and/or any agent questions to the rest of the group.
The travel agent is not responsible for any dissatisfaction with the itinerary by group members: the group leader accepts responsibility for checking the itinerary.
By agreeing to move forward with the deposits, the group leader acknowledges that all parties have been informed of necessary details.
All quotes assume that travelers will arrive at destinations together. If travelers arrive separately on different flights, they will be responsible for the additional cost of airport transfers.
Trip Documents
Travelers will receive their travel vouchers through email or through the postal service, depending on the trip type. Trips booked within thirty (30) days of departure may be limited to email documents only.
Last Minute Bookings
Bookings made within thirty (30) days of travel may incur a Rush Planning Fee in addition to any usual Planning Retainer Fees. The travel advisor will inform travelers of this fee before moving forward with a quote.
Travelers traveling within the next thirty (30) days may be asked to submit copies of their passport and a client demographic form before the travel agent moves forward with a quote.
Limited Liability
The travel advisor is not responsible nor liable for any error, omission, injury, property loss, accident, act of terrorism, disappointment, or any other unforeseeable event.
The travel advisor is not responsible for missed connections, schedule changes, aircraft changes, or trip interruption.
It is the traveler’s responsibility to have proper travel documents for all trips including but not limited to vouchers, passports, visas, marriage licenses, or birth certificates.
Change and cancel fees may apply. Hotel and tour operator fees may apply at the time of a change or cancellation of existing schedule.
All rates are subject to change without notice until deposit is made.
Payments
The travel agent does not “keep” payments on behalf of clients.
When a traveler submits a credit card authorization, the travel agent makes the payment directly to the hotel, cruise, tour, or activity vendor.
The travel agent never receives monies directly from the client except for the Planning Retainer/Service Fee and/or Rush Planning Fee.
Traveler’s Responsibility to Communicate
The travel agent is not liable for any errors or omissions arising from travelers’ significant delay in responding to requests for necessary information including but not limited to:
Airline schedule needed to book appropriate transfers or transportation
Payment deadlines
Customized suggestions for excursions or inquiries if services are needed
The travel agent reserves the right to refuse to continue to work with clients who do not respond to emails within a reasonable timeframe.
Travel Insurance
Travel protection and insurance is necessary to protect your investment. Unless specifically noted, travel insurance is not included in the cost of the client’s itinerary. Should the client opt out of travel insurance, the agent will not be held responsible for any and all bookings, reservations, fees, or transactions including cancellation costs.
The travel advisor will add travel insurance, cancel-for-any-reason protection, to the booking and send the Description of Coverage to the client.
The travel advisor is not authorized to answer specific questions about coverage. It is the client’s responsibility to contact the insurance provider if they wish to clarify the coverage before or after purchasing.
Please note many ‘adventure destinations’ such as the Galapagos and/or African safaris may require a minimum level of travel insurance.
Cancellation Fees and Non-Refundable Payments
All cancellation fees/penalties are from the supplier/vendor/hotel. It is the traveler’s responsibility to review the terms and conditions on their invoice.
The traveler agrees that the term “non-refundable” in any quotes, bookings, or invoices means that the booking cannot be refunded under any circumstance, including for reasons of pandemic, war, force majeure, or other unforeseeable events.
The traveler waives their right to sue or institute a credit card dispute or “charge back” to the travel advisor or its partners for said penalties, fees, or real or alleged damage related to non-refundable deposits/payments or any other transaction.
The travel agent must be reimbursed by the client for any financial penalties incurred due to credit card “chargebacks.”
Suppliers
Travel agent makes arrangements with accommodation providers, activity providers, airlines, cruise lines, coach lines, car rental agencies, and other independent parties (“Suppliers”) to provide you with some or all the components of your booking.
Suppliers may also engage the services of local operators and/or sub-contractors for the provision of services that form part of your booking.
Although travel agent takes care in selecting the Suppliers, travel agent is unable to directly supervise them and therefore cannot be responsible for their acts or omissions.
By accepting these terms and conditions, you agree that travel agent is in no way responsible for the acts and omissions of the Suppliers.
The travel advisor does not represent any Suppliers, including but not limited to airlines, tour and accommodation providers. Suppliers are not travel agent’s employees and travel agent is not responsible for them.
You acknowledge and agree that travel agent is not liable for any loss, damage, delay, inconvenience, or injury to you or your group or your property in connection with your booking.
Supplier Quotes and Pricing
Availability and price quotes are applicable to the date and time at which they are requested and cannot be guaranteed until payment is made in full.
Jennifer Jo De Witt, CTA, will ensure the client receives quotes, deadline, deposit, refund, and cancellation details within a timely manner to make financially prudent travel decisions.
Upon booking ,we will provide you with instructions of payments and all due dates. You must make all payments in full and on time. Failure to make payment may result in the cancellation of your travel. In such a case, this would be considered a cancellation by you.
Acknowledgment
The traveler understands the aforementioned and will not institute a “charge back” or dispute any charges due to the clauses herein.
Thank you for your time and attention. We look forward to exceeding your expectations!
If you have any questions or want additional information, contact jennifer.dewitt@fora.travel