Terms and Conditions of Traveling with Journey Beyond Travel
Travel Insurance
Journey Beyond Travel highly recommends that each traveler obtain comprehensive travel insurance that covers medical emergencies, evacuation, loss of effects, repatriation, trip cancellation and interruption, and all other expenses which might arise as a result of loss, damage, injury, delay or inconvenience occurring to you. You agree to assume all costs of medical care and transportation that is provided to you, and any minors traveling with you, during the trip. Journey Beyond Travel has no liability to cover anyone’s medical costs or exit from a country in any situation.
Payment, Deposits and Acceptance of Booking
To make a booking, you must complete our booking request and submit it to us along with the specified deposit for your trip. Acceptance of your booking must be confirmed in writing by us. There is no contract for services between you and JBT without such written confirmation. Payment may be made in the manner specified on the booking form. We reserve the right to treat any reservation that is not fully paid according to the reservation and payment terms as a cancellation and subject to the cancellation terms below.
Those who Sign Up Late or Last Minute
If a traveler wishes to travel within 60 days within a trip’s start date, the deposit will be due first, followed by the final payment soon thereafter. Journey Beyond Travel reserves the right to process final payments automatically at any time before the trip start date and will send clients a receipt.
Cancellation Policy and Refunds:
If a traveler wishes to cancel a tour, the traveler must notify Journey Beyond Travel as soon as possible in writing. If you are one of our partners, please refer to our Destination Management Company page to review. Please send a typed statement with date, name, and signature to our email. We consider a cancellation received the working business day it arrives to us (US & Moroccan holiday dates are non-business days), not the day you send it out or notify us. If a traveler, family, travel group, or anyone who has reserved with Journey Beyond Travel cancels a reserved trip with us, it means for each person per tour:
According to the number of days prior to your in-country start date using our services, an automatic loss of:
61 days or more: all initial deposits;
46-60 days: initial deposits, 50% of final payments made;
45 days or less: 100% of tour cost.
Please note that initial deposits are not included in any reimbursement payments. If, however, you have paid for your trip in full and must cancel before the 61 day mark, you’ll be refunded up to 100% of the final payment amount (minus any extra initial payments collected for non-refundable hotel deposits). In some cases, initial deposits can vary from what is outlined on our website or what is initially quoted. (The booking party will be advised of any variances in advance.) Additionally, some final payment amounts following a deposit are divided into two timely payments. The first of these is treated as a part of the initial deposit and is nonrefundable.
If you leave a trip in progress, for any reason, JBT will not refund any monies. No refunds will be made for any unused portions of a tour (including but not limited to meals, transport, lodging, sightseeing, trekking), including those that are the result of your removal from a tour and for reasons related to weather, terrorism, civil strife, personal, family or medical emergencies or any other circumstances beyond our control. Journey Beyond Travel does not insure plane tickets, missed flights or anything dealing with your travel, plans or arrangements. For this reason, we strongly advise you to purchase trip cancellation and interruption insurance at the time of booking, as this will cover trip cancellation charges in certain circumstances.
Explanation of Cancellation Policy
The explanation below serves as a guide to travelers and may not be interpreted to differ from our cancellation policy above. When a trip is booked with JBT, we secure reservations and schedule guides, drivers, and other services on your behalf. Initial deposits and payments help us cover these associated fees and are therefore nonrefundable and not included in any reimbursements. At 60 days or less, Journey Beyond Travel is liable by contract to pay all drivers and guides in full. This protects their work, livelihoods, and helps to balance the nature of high/low seasons in tourism. As a note, it’s among the variety of reasons we have the best drivers and guides and why they are truly vested and have deep trust in JBT. Additionally, at 60 days or less we are liable for payment to some hotels, riads (traditional Moroccan lodging), vendors, and other suppliers. Our contracts with riads/hotels differ with their cancellation policies you’ll find online. Our preferred rates mean stricter penalties that begin at 45-60 days. A cancelled trip doesn’t mean that Journey Beyond Travel is not responsible for any costs associated with your trip. Contractual percentages to suppliers, vendors, drivers, guides, staff, along with certain taxes are due from the point of booking. At 30 days or less, Journey Beyond Travel will have dispersed 100% of funds for your trip and no refund amounts would remain.
Requests to Make Changes to Booked Tour
If a traveler wishes to make a change to their tour itinerary after we have confirmed the tour, the traveler must notify Journey Beyond Travel as soon as possible in writing. Please send a typed statement with date, name, and signature by fax to (718) 304 1180 in the US. Any modification of dates, upgrades, alteration of itineraries, or other requests by you will incur extra charges, as discussed further below. The fee will vary according to the type and scope of the change. Any confirmed changes will become due immediately and are payable by the client using a major credit card.
If a traveler or group wishes to change their tour dates, it will be dependent upon availability. Our suppliers, which include hotels and transportation providers, often impose additional fees or penalties for changes and cancellations. As such, if a change of dates is granted, traveler(s) will be expected to pay any associated fees or cost differences in order to re-arrange transport, hotels, or any other fees. If a traveler or group requests a change of tour dates before a trip’s start date and it cannot be arranged, it may be treated according to our cancellation policy. No changes of tour dates can be made 60 days before an already booked tour. Journey Beyond Travel does not cover any charges due to such changes.
Proviso Regarding Change and Cancellation Requests
Journey Beyond Travel may choose to work with any tour changes or cancellations on an individual basis. The parameters above help to safeguard both parties should an issue beyond our control arise. Although much easier if requests or cancellations are made 60 days or more before a trip’s start date, when a traveler(s) requests changes or cancels a trip, we will work with them to the best of our ability to accommodate.
Pre-Departure Documents
To participate in a JBT tour, you must read and sign our Release and Waiver of Liability, Assumption of Risk and Indemnity Agreement before the tour starts. If you do not submit this and other necessary documentation prior to departure, we reserve the right to treat the booking as cancelled by you and impose the cancellation fees set forth above.
Baggage
Baggage and personal effects are at owner’s risk throughout the tour. All costs incurred for lost, damaged or delayed baggage is at owner’s expense.
Visas and Passports
Travelers should also research information regarding visas to enter Morocco. Your passport must have at least six months of validity upon your in-country arrival date. Journey Beyond Travel will not be held liable or refund any monies for any reason if your entry is prolonged or denied into Morocco.
Depending on your country of residence or origin, you may be required to obtain a visa before arrival. Citizens of the United States, Canada, Europe Union, Australia, and New Zealand can stay for a period of 90 days before exiting Morocco. Holding a resident card or green card to any country, does not mean that you can enter Morocco with it. You may still need to apply for a visa. Be prudent and careful to check your government’s pages online and by visiting or contacting the nearest Moroccan consulate or embassy.
It is your responsibility to obtain valid and effective documentation, including passports, visas, permits, and vaccination certificates, where necessary. You also assume complete and full responsibility for 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. You are solely responsible for any adverse consequences resulting from missing or defective documentation. JBT may provide information or advice given on visas, vaccinations, climate, clothing, baggage, special equipment, etc. in good faith as a courtesy to you. JBT is not responsible for any errors or omissions as to the information provided.
Traveling with Journey Beyond Travel Means that you Accept Being
– Ready to leave at the departure city at the tour departure day and time. We are not responsible for any losses due to cancelled or missed flights, changed flight itineraries, late arrivals, or early departures.
– Flexible and accepting of a different culture and customs – Flexible with your tour correspondent(s), guide(s), driver(s), & hotel staff
– Following all rules, decisions and advice of the guide or staff
– Accepting and accommodating of host country nationals
– Complying with all local laws
– Adequately assessing your abilities
– Respecting other participants
Our decision, or the decision of the local operator or guide, is final on all matters that may threaten the safety or interfere with the well-being of the group or individual travelers. We, or the local operator or guide, have the right to remove anyone who we a) judge to be incapable of meeting the rigors and requirements of participating in the tour activities; or b) determine to detract from others’ enjoyment of the tour.
JBT’s Cancellations of Tours, Evacuation, and Flexibility
JBT and/or its local independent operators reserve the right to cancel, shorten or otherwise alter or modify the tour itinerary without prior notice if air schedule or surface transportation changes or security matters or other events beyond its control (e.g., mechanical breakdown, flight cancellations, illness, strikes, political disputes, weather, border crossing problems) make such changes necessary for the safety, comfort and/or convenience of travelers.
If, prior to departure, we make any significant changes because of a problem with a supplier, for example a hotel bankruptcy, we will, as soon as reasonably possible, notify you of available alternatives. Such changes may require a supplemental payment from you or possibly a refund less any non-refundable deposits and third party cancellation fees. If there is a cancellation, which is rare, we will refund to you all payments made less any nonrefundable deposits and third party cancellation fees or, at our sole discretion, give you the option of participating in an alternative tour. If the alternative tour chosen by you is of lesser or greater value than the tour originally booked then you will be entitled to a refund of the price difference or be required to pay the price difference, whichever the case may be. We will not reimburse you for any personal expenses such as airline tickets, hotel or other travel expenses due to changes in itineraries or tour cancellations.
If emergency evacuation from a country is necessary, Journey Beyond Travel will not be responsible for these costs, but will help to arrange the procedure.
Medical Emergency and Evacuation Plan:
For medical emergencies, Journey Beyond Travel has the following strategic plan in place. All travelers should have travel insurance to cover any unforeseen incidents. A signed liability waiver is also required from every traveler booked on a trip. For trekking and adventure excursions, our guides are equipped with basic first-aid kits and a satellite phone for use in emergency situations. For medical emergencies, our strategic plan is to: 1. Transport the injured party to the nearest competent in-country clinic or hospital. We have an exhaustive list of hospitals and doctors in each city and region of the country. The US Consulate also maintains a list. 2. If the injured person(s) is/are not able to make medical decisions, then a family member, emergency contact, travel partner, or Journey Beyond Travel may do so and may contact your insurance provider on your behalf. Our trip policies form gives us permission to do so without liability. Most insurance providers will transfer emergency calls to their medical department to further assess the situation. 3. If a traveler needs to be medically evacuated from Morocco, an in-country physician will authorize the evacuation and your insurance provider will work with their worldwide partners to schedule the evacuation. If the insurance provider proves to be ineffective or prolongs the transfer, we work directly with Flight Serve UK who can arrange medical evacuations from Morocco to the nearest (or necessary) European city. In cases where time is not of the essence, patients from the United States or Canada can be flown back to their home country for treatment. In some cases commercial airlines are used (with bed, nurse, and sometimes a physician on board) to save on costs. Any medical evacuations from Morocco will have to be 100% paid in full by the traveler or their insurance provider before any flights are scheduled. For those without adequate insurance, this can cost more than $5000 per hour.
Responsibility
Please be aware that Journey Beyond Travel works with and hires host-country nationals to help with its tours. We hire parties that are competent, reliable, and qualified in what they do, based on information that is reasonably available to us. These goods and services are not under our control, however. Because we act only as an intermediary for independent vendors and suppliers, we assume no responsibility for their actions or inactions, including delay, cancellation, overbooking, financial default or strike.
Photography
You agree that JBT may copyright in its own name, use, re-use, and reproduce any images, photos or videos that you send to us, or that are taken by our guides and/or other travelers of you individually or in a group, in any medium, including but not limited to print, electronic media, or Internet, free of charge and without your right to inspection, for promotion and publicity purposes worldwide related to our travel products and services.
If you do not want us to use any images of you that are taken by us or other participants during the expedition, you must inform us in writing before your trip departs.
Claims and Complaints
If you find a problem or something that does not meet your expectation, or claim any failure by JBT or any of its vendors or suppliers, you must promptly notify us or the local operator or guide so that the problem can be rectified, if possible. Failure to do so while you are on the trip will result in your ability to claim compensation from JBT being extinguished or at least reduced. Further, if you make any changes on your own without following the notice procedure described above, you assume responsibility for any added costs you may incur and forfeit any potential refunds.
If satisfaction is not reached through this notice procedure during the trip, you must submit further complaint in writing to us within 30 days of the end of the tour. We will not accept any liability for claims received after this period.
Amendments
JBT reserves the right to update and/or alter these terms and conditions at any time, and shall post the updated terms and conditions on its website at www.journeybeyondtravel.com. Any such amendment shall take effect 10 calendar days following their posting to JBT’s website. You may access the most current terms and conditions at any time on JBT’s website at https://www.journeybeyondtravel.com/terms/terms or by sending a written request to us by fax at to (718) 304 1180 (US number). Travelers shall be deemed to have accepted any amendments to these terms on the date that they take effect, i.e., 10 calendar days following their posting on JBT’s website. JBT recommends that all travelers review and familiarize themselves with the latest terms and conditions on JBT’s website prior to their trip.
Force Majeure
JBT will not be deemed in breach of this agreement or otherwise liable to you, by reason of delay in performance or nonperformance of any of its obligations under this agreement to the extent that any such delay or nonperformance is due to any Force Majeure. “Force Majeure” means any circumstances beyond our reasonable control, including without limitation acts of God, terrorist activities, insurrection, explosion, flood, tempest, forceful wind, fire or accident, war or threat of war declared or undeclared, sabotage, civil disturbance, labor strikes, requisition, sickness, quarantine, government intervention, weather conditions, and unforeseen circumstances.
If JBT and/or any of its suppliers or vendors are affected by Force Majeure, they shall be entitled to, and may in their sole and absolute discretion, vary or cancel any itinerary or arrangement in relation to the expedition. We must normally make substantial and non-refundable payments to its suppliers far in advance of the scheduled departure date. As such, payment of any refund by us to you as a result of the nonperformance of any obligations will be less any non-refundable deposits and third party cancellation fees. Further, we shall be entitled to deduct from any refund recoverable the reasonable actual and potential costs to JBT of the Force Majeure.
Limitation of Remedies
You agree that to the extent consistent with applicable law, the maximum amount of recovery to which you may be permitted to recover from JBT shall not exceed the land cost of your trip with us. To the maximum extent permitted under applicable law, JBT shall not be liable for any special, consequential, indirect, incidental or other damages, including lost profits, whether such damages arise in contract, negligence, tort, under statute, in equity, at law, or otherwise, even if JBT has been advised of the possibility of such damages. You expressly waive any right you may have to recover such damages.
Binding Arbitration
In the unlikely event of any controversy or claim or interpretation thereof, you agree the following conditions will apply: 1) all disputes and matters arising out of, in connection with, relating to this Agreement and/or the transactions and relationships among the parties contemplated by this Agreement shall be filed and resolved exclusively by binding arbitration in the state of Delaware, United States, under the American Arbitration Association Rules as modified by the terms of this Agreement; 2) any arbitration proceeding in the United States will be governed by Delaware substantive law; 3) any arbitration award shall be binding and judgment upon the arbitrator’s award may be entered or enforced in any court of competent jurisdiction; 4) the arbitration shall take place before a single arbitrator, selected pursuant to the applicable rules, and shall be conducted on an expedited basis and in strict confidence; and 5) this waiver and all documents associated with any claim may be officially translated, presented and binding in any official language necessary. You also agree that this Agreement is intended to be as broad and inclusive as permitted under applicable law. You agree that if any portion of this Agreement is found to be void or unenforceable, the remaining provisions shall remain in full force and effect.
Severability
You agree that if any portion of this agreement is found by a court to be void or unenforceable, the remaining portions of the agreement shall remain in full force and effect. Any unenforceable or invalid provision will be replaced with one that is valid and enforcement and which achieves, to the extent possible, the original objectives and intent of the original provision.
Successors and Assigns
This agreement shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon JBT and the participant and their respective heirs, legal personal representatives, successors and assigns.
Headings
Headings in this agreement are for convenience only and shall not be used to interpret or construe its provisions.
Merger
This agreement is the final, complete and exclusive statement of the parties’ agreement on the matters contained in this agreement. This agreement supersedes all prior negotiations and agreements.
On advancement of deposit to JBT, you agree to be bound by this agreement.