Cultural Hi-Ways

Responsibilities and Tour Conditions. Cultural Horizons Unlimited, Inc., ("CHU") which does business as Cultural Hi-Ways, acts only as an agent for the suppliers of lodging, sightseeing, entertainment, transportation and food services, all of which are independent contractors. As an agent, CHU has no control over the employees, equipment or operation of its suppliers, and therefore cannot be held liable for personal injuries, property damage, accidents, delays or other inconveniences that result from the acts or omissions of these suppliers, their employees, or vehicles or equipment owned or operated by them. Likewise, CHU cannot be held liable for the acts or omissions of any other party who is not under its direct control.

Sleeping arrangements. The prices quoted on this web site are based on "quad" occupancy: that is, 4 persons of the same sex sharing a room with 2 double beds. Please contact our office for single, double or triple occupancy prices.

Roommates. We encourage you to sign up even if you don't know anyone else who is going on the tour since you're sure to make new friends along the way. In fact, about half our guests are in the same situation when they book. When you make your reservation please let us know if you have any particular preferences regarding roommates: for example, you'd like to share a room with others from your own country, about your same age, etc. We'll do our best to meet your needs and we'll room you with 3 others of the same sex to give you a lowest possible price.

Friends and family. Our tours are designed for 18-28 year olds. We are happy to make special arrangements for family members, 18 and over, who would like to join our tour but don't fall within the age bracket we service.

Luggage. Luggage on our overnight tours is limited to two pieces; a large suitcase plus a carry-on bag.

Travel to Canada by non-U.S. citizens.
a) A number of Au Pair programs require that an au pair send the white form DS-2019 to them for signature by the program's Responsible Officer. (That signature acknowledges that the au pair is in good standing with the program at the time he or she wants to travel.) Please make sure to check with a representative of your program to see whether this policy applies to you. Also, make sure to do this well in advance of the departure date of your tour with Cultural Hi-Ways. Kindly do NOT send your visa to Cultural Hi-Ways. Also, if you're an au pair, make sure that the trip to Canada you're considering doesn't fall within the 13th month of your stay.
b) You must also have a valid Form I-94 card (Departure Record) stapled in your passport.
c) Citizens of some countries require a separate Canadian visa to visit Canada. IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO DETERMINE IF YOU REQUIRE A SEPARATE CANADIAN VISA TO VISIT CANADA. If you have any questions please immediately contact the Canadian Embassy in Washington, DC or the Canadian Consulate in New York City. Please note that Cultural Hi-Ways cannot be held responsible for guests who fail to provide required documentation.

Travel to Canada by U.S. citizens. For U.S. citizens...beginning June 1, 2009 you are required to present one of the following documents:
U.S. Passport, U.S. Passport Card, Enhanced Driver's License or Trusted Traveler Program Card. Please click here for more information.

Receipt. Once we receive your reservation we'll send you a receipt of confirmation by email. You do not have a confirmed seat on the tour until you receive this e-mail. (We reserve the right to cancel your reservation unless we receive payment in full by the applicable due date). Then, no later than one week before departure, you'll receive a boarding letter. If you don't receive that e-mail please contact Cultural Hi-Ways as soon as possible.

Your e-mail address. When you sign up for one of our tours or events we ask you to provide us with your e-mail address which we use to communicate with you about the tour or event you have booked. While we do not share your e-mail address with other companies, we may share it with other guests participating in the same tour or event. In order to let you know about future Cultural Hi-Ways trips or events we may also use your e-mail address. If you prefer us not to share your e-mail address with other guests or receive information about future trips or events please let us know so we can honor your request.

Returned checks. If you pay by check please note that we impose a charge of $15.00 for each item returned to us unpaid.

CANCELLATION POLICY

If you request to cancel your booking:

For all overnight tours EXCEPT Totally California Plus and Fly to Niagara

For Totally California Plus

If you cancel...	You will forfeit...	If you cancel...	You will forfeit...
15 days or more before departure	$50	42 days or more before tour's start date	$100
14-8 days before departure	50% of tour price	41-35 days before tour's start date	30% of tour price
7 days or less before departure	100% of tour price	34-28 days before tour's start date	40% of tour price
		27-22 days before tour's start date	50% of tour price
		21-15 days before tour's start date	75% of tour price
		14 days or less before tour's start date	100% of tour price

For our FLORIDA over New Year's Eve Trip

If you cancel...	You will forfeit...
43 days or more before departure	$100
32-42 days before departure	50% of tour price
31 days or less before departure	100% of tour price

If you cancel. If you cancel your booking you MUST CALL US IMMEDIATELY and send us written notice of cancellation via e-mail. Your deposit is non-refundable upon cancellation by you. Please see details above for cancellation fees.

If you change your overnight tour booking. You will be charged a fee of $25 should you transfer your booking to an alternative departure date or different Cultural Hi-Ways trip. Transfers may take place 15 days or more before the departure date you originally booked. Any change made to a booking less than 15 days before departure will be treated as a cancellation and normal cancellation fees will apply.

If you change your Totally California Plus booking. You will be charged a fee of $25 should you transfer your booking to an alternative departure date or different Cultural Hi-Ways trip. Transfers may take place 43 days or more before the departure date you originally booked. Any change made to a booking less than 43 days before departure will be treated as a cancellation and normal cancellation fees will apply.

If you cancel a booking for a day trip or event. You will forfeit 100% of the amount you paid. You may, however, transfer your booking to another person aged 18 or over.

If you miss departure. If you fail to join a tour, join it after departure or leave it prior to completion, no refund can be made

Refund for individual tour elements. There can be no refund related to the cost of any individual element of the tour, such as an included excursion, that you do not take.

If we must change or cancel. On rare occasions it may be necessary to change or cancel your booking and we must reserve the right to do so. If it's necessary to cancel, we will try to give you as much notice as possible and offer a comparable alternative (if available). If the alternative is not available or acceptable, we'll offer you a full refund of the monies you've paid, or you may transfer to another trip without paying any transfer fee. If the cancellation of a tour is due to circumstances beyond our control (circumstances like Acts of God and closure of roads or other circumstances beyond the control of Cultural Hi-Ways), we'll give you a full refund less reasonable expenses incurred by us.

Booking a tour via the Internet. If you intend to charge your payment to a credit card, we encourage you to book your tour via our web site. Your booking over the Internet signifies that you've read and accepted all the material appearing under our web site's 'Important Information" page. You are not guaranteed a place on the tour until you have received a receipt letter via e-mail.

Booking a tour at the last minute. While early registration is advised to guarantee a seat, reservations accompanied by full payment will be accepted until the day of departure (if space is still available).

Travel insurance. We strongly recommend you consider the purchase of travel insurance for any tour you select. You can visit www.insuremytrip.com, click on "products", then "package policies". Or you can call toll free 1-800-487-4722 to find out more about a travel protection plan.

Travel insurance is a combination of trip cancellation insurance and 24 hour emergency assistance. Something important to know: If you have to cancel a trip after a cancellation/transfer deadline has gone by, the only way you can get the money back you have paid for a trip is if you have proper trip insurance. If you would like to read more about this, here is a link that explain further for you about trip insurance:

http://www.essortment.com/all/tripcancellatio_rdcc.htm

General. CHU reserves the right to decline to accept any person as a member of the tour, or to require any participant to withdraw from the tour at any time who presents a significant risk to the health or safety of himself or others which cannot be eliminated or reduced to an acceptable level by CHU's reasonable accommodation. Any dispute shall be governed by Florida law and subject to the jurisdiction of St. Lucie County, Florida.