Italy Photo Workshop – Terms & Conditions

Italy Photography Workshops – Terms & Conditions

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La Dolce Via Travel highly recommends the purchase of trip insurance to protect your investment. Please note option at deposit checkout

DEPOSIT DUE AT TIME OF REGISTRATION: $1000 per PERSON per segment.

This deposit is non-refundable. Please seriously consider the purchase of trip insurance to cover yourself in the event of cancellation.

REMAINING BALANCE DUE February 15, 2024

Terms and Conditions

Deposit and Final Payment – A non-refundable deposit of $1000.00 per person per segment is due with reservations. Final payment is due in the La Dolce Via Travel (LDVT) office no later than February 15, 2024. The address is:

Cancellation Coverage – For your protection, you have the opportunity to purchase trip cancellation insurance program through Travel Guard International. If a traveler must cancel a tour before departure for any covered reason, claims will be processed efficiently. In addition, if a passenger must leave a tour early due to personal illness or death of an immediate family member, it guarantees a full refund of any unused services. This insurance, when purchased within 15 days of the deposit, covers pre-existing conditions. Some restrictions, limitations & exclusions apply. An explanatory brochure will be included with your deposit acknowledgement. Note – Itinerary times, routings or content may change due to local conditions.

Exclusions – LDVT reserves the right to alter its refund and cancellation policy when a substantial amount of cancellation or postponement of travel is attributable to: conditions resulting from an act of God, natural or man-made disaster, fire, government action, civil disorder, war, hostilities between nations, or unavailability of transportation through no fault of La Dolce Via Travel.

Passport and Identification – Each tour member is responsible for their own valid passport. Please be sure that it is valid for six months beyond your return date.

Prices Subject to Change – We reserve the right to change the prices of these tours at any time up to the departure date,in the event of foreign currency fluctuation, airline surcharges or other factors beyond our control. Should the need arise, you will be consulted prior to any action taken.

Responsibility – LDVT does not own or operate any entity, which is to or does provide goods or services for your trip including, for example, lodging facilities, airline, vessel, minibus, or other transportation companies, guides or guide services, local ground operators, providers or organizers of optional excursions, food service providers, etc. All such persons and entities are independent contractors. As a result, LDVT is not liable for any negligent or willful act or failure to act of any such person or entity or of any third party. Tour members are also subject to the terms and conditions set forth on their airline ticket. In common with other companies, LDVT acts only as an agent for tour members in arranging room accommodations, transportation, sightseeing, admissions and restaurants. LDVT reserves the right in its sole discretion to make changes in the itinerary and is not responsible to any person for expenses, loss of time, money or other happening resulting from a change of tour scheduling made for tour members. LDVT reserves the right to accept, decline or retain any person as a member of the tour, and is not responsible for any losses or damages of personal property, or for injuries, expenses or damages incurred or claimed by any tour members. Your payment to LDVT constitutes a contract between the parties and acceptance of the foregoing terms and conditions. This contract will be governed by the laws of the State of Illinois and subject to the jurisdiction of DuPage County, Illinois. LDVT is not responsible for any injury, loss, death, inconvenience, delay, or damage to person or property in connection with the provision of any goods or services whether resulting from, but not limited to, acts of God or force majeure, illness, disease, acts of war or civil unrest, insurrection or revolt, animals, strikes or other labor activities, criminal or terrorist activities of any kind, overbooking or downgrading of accommodations, mechanical or other failure of airplanes or other means of transportation, or for any failure of any transportation mechanism to arrive or depart on time. If due to weather, flight schedules or other uncontrollable factors you are required to spend an additional night(s), you will be responsible for your own hotel, transfers and meal costs. Baggage is entirely at owner’s risk. Passenger certifies not to have any mental, physical or other condition or disability that would create a hazard for himself/herself or other passengers.

Airline and Airport Taxes and Charges – All taxes, fuel surcharges, security charges, and any other type of taxes or charges imposed by airlines, airports, governments, etc., are not included in the tour prices. At the current time, US departure tax is in the $200-280 range per person. These taxes are subject to change.

Baggage & Insurance – Each tour member is limited to one large suitcase and small carry-on bag. Please check with your airlines on size limitations. As La Dolce Via Travel cannot take responsibility for lost or damaged luggage, the travel insurance is highly recommended.

Air Conditioning – Please be advised that foreign air conditioning systems in public places, hotels and minibuses are not up to US standards.

Tour Cancellation by Operator – Be clearly advised that from time to time, a tour departure may be cancelled for lack of participation. We do not expect that this will occur. In such case, the operator’s sole responsibility is to provide a refund without any other liability whatsoever. Operator further will have no responsibility for any conjunction tickets, non-refundable or otherwise.

Refund Policy – If you cancel your trip, the cancellation charges shown below will apply depending on the length of time remaining before departure. Your right to receive a refund is limited. Optional cost trip interruption, cancellation and medical insurance coverage is made available to each tour participant and is highly recommended. Any passenger failing to appear on day of departure shall forfeit any non-refundable tour costs as well as pay the normal cancellation fee. All cancellations and refund requests must be sent to La Dolce Via Travel in writing and are subject to the following cancellation charges which are based on the price of the tour and the number of weeks prior to departure we receive your notice. Airline ticket revision fees to change or cancel your air ticket once tickets are issued are not covered by this plan.

CANCELLATIONS CHARGES FOR FUNDS BEYOND DEPOSIT

Time Prior to Departure	Cancellation Charge
91 or more days	50% of tour cost
90-61 days	75% of tour cost
60-1 day before tour	100% of tour cost

All charges indicated above are per person. Cancellations made 60 days and less before departure will be charged 100% of the tour cost.

Proof of Claim – Claim of illness or injury must be strictly valid and supported by the submission of a detailed medical certificate signed by a board certified physician with the full specificity of law. In case of death, a death certificate with raised seal is required.

Refunds – All refunds are conditioned upon your understanding that your acceptance of a refund is on the express condition that you release us from all further liability and you thereby waive all additional rights and remedies under this contract or any applicable state, federal or foreign law. No refund will be made for any accommodations or services included in the tour that you do not use. In case of printing typographical error, computer error, or human billing error, we reserve the right to invoice or re-invoice participants with corrected billing.

Tour Members Needing Special Assistance – We regret that we cannot provide individual assistance to a tour member for walking, dining, getting on and off minibuses and other transportation vehicles, or other personal needs. Travelers who need such assistance must be accompanied by a qualified companion.

Smoking – Smoking on the minibuses is not allowed. However, regular stops are scheduled for those who wish to smoke.

Arbitration Agreement – Any controversy or claim arising out of or relating in any way to these Terms and Conditions, to the Responsibility Clause, to the brochure, to the website, or any other information relating in any way to the trip, or to the trip itself, shall be settled solely and exclusively by binding arbitration in Illinois, in accordance with the rules of the American Arbitration Association then existent.