Terms & Conditions for Art in Europe Tours

 

This is an overview of what Art in Europe Tours (AET) is offering and what you are committing to in signing up for one of our tours. By signing, you are agreeing on your own behalf and on behalf of your agents, heirs and assigns, to be bound by these terms and conditions. Please read carefully before signing and before reserving your spot. 

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TOUR PRICING AND WHAT YOU ARE PAYING FOR

The price for the tour you've selected will be locked and guaranteed when we receive your deposit. For current tour prices, please visit the specific tour web page. Please note that AET reserves the right to change tour prices at any time until your deposit is paid.

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Your payment(s) are for the following:

•  Guided, instructional tours focused on art, art history and cultural/historical insights including admissions to museums and sights seen as a group.

• All breakfasts and one dinner (at AET’s discretion).

• Nightly accommodations at carefully-selected hotels or hostels.

• All group transportation to and from tour sights and accommodations (does not include optional activities or independent travel during the tour).

• All guide and driver tips.

• A tour “info pack” with your itinerary, applicable passes (train, metro, museums etc.).

• A money belt.

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YOUR ATTITUDE AND REASONABLE EXPECATIONS

AET tours are physically active. Even though our hotels are centrally located, they may not feature all the amenities you are accustomed to in the U.S. Your best experience will be most assured by your positive attitude and your ability to do the following: 

1. Carry or roll your own luggage for over uneven surfaces from the train station to the hotel and haul it up flights of stairs to your room.

2. Be able to walk and stand for 2-4 hours at a time, inside, outside and in all weather conditions. Climb steep streets and stairs, get on and off public transportation. NOTE: Your tour guide cannot and will not provide physical assistance for any of the above-listed activities! If you require help on these things you must be accompanied by an able companion who can be entirely responsible for providing that assistance. If you have concerns about the physical demands of your specific tour, contact us early.

3. Sleep in hotels with little or no air conditioning and poor Wi-Fi connection, and deal with (even enjoy!) possible street noises.

4. After orientation and transportation lessons, be able to navigate towns and cities on your own for periods of time.

5. In a COVID-19 world we must all maintain high health and safety standards. Tour members agree to follow all safety precautions and health directives set by your guide, by AET, or by local officials. Examples include, but are not limited to: maintaining proper social distancing, using face masks (covering your nose and mouth), regular temperature checks, proper handwashing, the use of hand sanitizer, quarantining if you are showing symptoms of COVID-19 or other contagious illness, and/or being seen by a health professional as a condition of continuing on with the tour.

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​PHYSICAL EFFORT

Walking

• This tour encompasses a great deal of walking. Please refer to the tour itinerary to see the estimated mileage.

• You must be able to comfortably be on your feet for hours at a time, with no assistance, as we either walk or explore museums and sites.

• Be aware and be prepared to walk and tour in all kinds of weather conditions.

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BAGS & PACKING LIGHT

Art in Europe tours requires everyone on our tours to use one carry on bag, and one daily carry bag (or purse). Travel with one bag brings mobility, peace of mind, helps makes you safer and you will be a more efficient and nimble traveler.

• Bring one 21" x 14" x 9" carry-on bag, plus one smaller day bag, that you are responsible to be able to carry or lift at all times. Packing light and bringing lightweight luggage is essential.

• Our style of travel requires packing light, but still having all you need for a fantastic experience.

• You must be able to carry or pull your luggage to and from the train station, from platform to platform, and possibly several flights of stairs.

• You are responsible to carry your bags, not the tour guide. If you need assistance you are responsible to have someone with you to help or take care of your needs, and is responsible for your care. The tour guide cannot provide assistance.

• Your Pre-Tour planner kit includes tips for packing light and creatively.

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SMOKING POLICY

No smoking or vaping of any kind is allowed in the hotels or anywhere that other tour members are present.

 

ACCOMMODATIONS

Your tour price for accommodations is based on double occupancy. Solo travelers will be matched with someone of the same sex in a double occupancy room. Be prepared with ear plugs in case you, or your roommate, blissfully snores the night away!

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We book smaller hotels or hostels that are located downtown and provide a unique experience rather than the typical larger chain motels that are usually on the outskirts. These hotels are placed in neighborhoods that place you "on the ground" in great locations the minute you walk out the door, rather than outside of town in a big box chain motel. A large part of this tour's experience is staying in a hotel that is not "Americanized", but comes with everything you need and is loaded with character. 

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Solo Travelers and Private Room Fees

We offer solo travelers the option to either share a room with another solo  tour member of the same gender,  or  pay a fee (“private room fee”) to secure a private room.  If you wish to guarantee a private room, we offer a limited number of private rooms on each tour, for a private room fee. (Refer to your tour's web page at for current solo traveler room fees.) If you request a private  room when you sign up, but one is not available, we will notify you of your option to  either  cancel your reservation  or  agree to share a room with another member of that tour. European single-bed rooms are generally smaller and more basic rooms, therefore be aware that a private room fee guarantees a private room, not a larger or nicer room. Private room fees are refundable if cancelled at least 60 days prior to tour departure; those cancelled later will be forfeited unless you booked a tour less than 60 days before its departure date, in which case, the private room fee becomes non-refundable after 3 days.

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​​​If you wish to come early on the tour, or stay longer, you will have all the hotel information you need in your packet to make your own arrangements.

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TOUR DEPOSITS AND REFUNDS

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​Deposits

To reserve a seat on an AET tour you must agree to these Tour Conditions and provide us with a deposit of $500.00 per person. We accept MasterCard, Visa, and American Express  for all tour payments. We also accept personal checks, or money orders in US dollars drawn on a US bank. Your final tour payment will be listed on your tour invoice/account, and is due at least 60 days prior to the start of the tour.  Missing the final payment deadline may result in you being removed from the tour. If you sign up less than 60 days before tour departure, the entire tour price must be paid at sign-up, and is immediately non-refundable.  Deposits are to be done electronically through our website or other electronic methods.

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Returned Payments

If your payment to AET is returned or rejected for any reason (if your check “bounces”), you will be charged a $45 fee per occurrence. Each such fee will be added to your remaining tour balance, which must be paid in full prior to tour departure.

 

Cancellations, Refunds, and Credits​

At AET’s discretion you may receive a credit for future travel with AET, but only if you cancel your reservation for a “qualifying reason,” as outlined below, and do so before the tour begins. If you cancel your reservation for a qualifying reason at least 60 days before the first day of the tour, you will be credited 100 percent of your original tour price. If you cancel your reservation for a qualifying reason within 30-60 days of the first day of the tour, you will be credited 50 percent of your original tour price. Credits are non-transferable, and will expire one calendar year following the date of your originally-scheduled tour. Please do not consider this a substitute for travel or any other kind of insurance.

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​Deposits

• Initial deposit of $500.00 secures your reservation and you agree to tour details, terms and conditions.

• Subject to the limits stated hereafter, deposits will be refundable until 60 days of tour departure. ​

• If you sign up less than 60 days before scheduled departure, the entire tour cost will be immediately non-refundable. That money may be eligible for a credit, (under circumstances explained below) but once your deposit refund date has passed, your deposit will not be refunded under any circumstance. 

• Missing the final payment deadline may result in your being removed from the tour.

• Your final due date and amount will be listed on your tour invoice.

• Any payments to AET become non-refundable on the final payment due date, which is 60 days before scheduled departure.

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Credit Requests and Process

If you need to cancel your tour, you must notify AET immediately in writing, sent via email to chris@artineuropetours.com. Cancellations become effective on the date received by AET and are governed by these terms. Before you request a credit for a qualifying event, if you have comprehensive travel insurance, you must first file a claim with that insurance provider before requesting a credit from AET. We will only process requests for credit upon proof of a filed claim and the final insurance payment or decision.

 

We ask that you also must provide the following documentation along with your cancellation notice:

• For an unexpected illness or injury, provide a letter from your attending physician, on their letterhead, verifying your stated reason for cancelling as well as the date of the onset of the condition given, as well as their advice against traveling.

• In the event of a death, we require a death certificate or obituary.

• If you cancel because of a crime, disaster or accident, you must provide a copy of a pertinent police, fire department or investigative report.

• For unexpected loss of your employment, we require documented proof of your termination.

 

“Qualifying Reason" for Credits

AET may credit payments made by you toward and for future travel with AET if one of the following medical or family emergency events requires you to cancel your reservation. A “qualifying” reason must arise less than 60 days prior to your tour's start date. It is AET's sole discretion to determine if your situation qualifies for a credit. For these purposes, we consider your traveling partner to be someone sharing accommodations with you on the tour, and an immediate family member to be your spouse, step-child, or blood relative in the first degree. 

1. If you, your travel partner or an immediate family member dies or suffers an unexpected serious injury or illness requiring hospitalization or urgent medical care prior to you beginning the tour.

2. If you, your travel partner or family member suffers a documented personal disaster (such as your home floods or burns down, or you are a victim of a serious crime) necessitating a change in travel plans.

3. If you or your spouse are called into active military service or have military leave time revoked.

4. If you experience a documented loss of employment.

5. Documented illness (or exposure within 10 days of the tour beginning) due to coronavirus and/or COVID-19 may be considered a qualifying reason for a credit. However, fear of infection or concern regarding the virus in tour locations is not a qualifying reason.

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Changing Tours

If necessary, at least 60 days prior to departure of your original tour choice, you can transfer to any other tour we offer in the same calendar year with seats still available. In that event we will apply your original deposit to the replacement tour with no transfer fee. If you transfer to one of our other tours, the price of the new tour—as of the date we confirm your change—will be applied. Tour exchanges within 60 days before the original tour's departure are generally not possible. 

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​Forms

To travel on our tour all tour members are required to review and accept a General Release and Waiver Agreement, a COVID-19 Waiver of Liability Agreement, and a COVID-19 Health and Safety Pledge prior to the beginning of a tour. Omitting important information, or altering any of these agreements, will render it invalid, and could result in expulsion from a tour at your own expense

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​Participation/Expulsion

We want everyone on each tour have an enjoyable experience, and we will do our best to make that happen. But much depends upon you! Occasionally someone participating in a tour misbehaves or does something that threatens the safety, or detracts from the comfort or convenience of other members of the tour. In those circumstances AET retains the exclusive right and discretion to expel that person from the tour, at any time, at any place, at their expense, with no offer of credit. 

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PASSPORTS

Please have your passport in your possession long before the trip. Remember it takes up to 18 weeks currently to get it processed, 6-12 weeks for an expedited passport at a higher price. Go here for more information. Make sure your passport does NOT expire during our tour - that will be a large hassle to sort out at the local embassy. 

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ITINERARIES CAN CHANGE

Europe can be full of surprises, and flexibility is essential. We will adapt to whatever comes along  (good or bad!) to provide you with the best possible tour, however, uncompleted portions of any planned tour itinerary are not a cause for refund. Additionally, if for any reason we cancel a tour that you have signed up for, the entire amount you have paid to AET for that tour will be refunded to you within 14 days of cancellation. Alternatively, you may choose to transfer your payments to another tour with seats available (see "Changing tours," above) but that transfer/exchange needs to take place within two weeks of the cancellation notice. AET and its representatives will have no other obligations to tour members related to cancelled trips, including any additional costs or fees related to the issuance and/or cancellation of airline tickets or other travel reservations not made by AET.

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​HEALTH

You agree to follow all safety precautions set by the guide, as well as be responsible for your own medical care. These precautions may or may not include the following and will be determined by the guide:

• Maintaining social distancing

• Use of face masks

• Regular temperature checks

• Regular use of hand sanitizer and hand washing

• If symptoms of Covid-19 or other illness are exhibited, quarantining will be necessary, as well as seeing a healthcare professional. Continuing on with the tour in the case of illness will be at the discretion of the tour guide. Illness during the tour or uncompleted portions of the tour itinerary due to illness are not a cause for refund.
   

​INSURANCE

Art in Europe does not provide trip insurance, but we highly encourage you to purchase comprehensive trip insurance from a reputable trip insurance company. Illness, accident or any other circumstance that could occur which necessitated you cancelling or coming home early is a possibility. Trip insurance brings peace of mind in case something should happen. Credit cards often tout trip insurance, but do your due diligence and fully read up on their terms and conditions as sometimes there are strict limitations on what they cover. A separate comprehensive trip insurance policy will make sure you and any loved ones are fully covered. US health insurance policies could possibly not cover you while traveling abroad, so please check with your provider. 

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Art Tours Europe, LLC is registered with the State of Utah (#12373994-0160).