The following contract details the agreements between ARTISAN PACIFIC TRAVEL LLC, (“APT”) and you with respect to your travel with us.  Please read this document carefully as the deposit and payment for your trip constitutes consent to all conditions and provisions included.

All tour costs are based upon the specified services in your detailed itinerary as per the “Inclusions” section. Tour costs generally include accommodations; private sightseeing with local guides and/or drivers as specified in the detailed itinerary; admission fees (unless otherwise specified); meals as indicated in detailed itinerary (B=breakfast, L=lunch, D=dinner); accommodation taxes and service charges; regional surface transportation; internal flights (if specified as included); airport, train station and/or port transfers as specified; the full services of Artisan Pacific Travel and our associate offices overseas before, during, and after your trip; pre-trip travel documents. Itemized cost breakdowns are not available. Please refer to the “Inclusions” section of your personalized itinerary for detailed information regarding which services are included in your tour cost.

Quoted tour prices include personalized planning and operational charges, and are based on current rates of exchange, airfares, tariffs and taxes as of the date of issuance of your itinerary. Prices are valid for the travel dates specified in your confirmed itinerary. APT reserves the right to increase tour prices to cover increased costs, airfares, tariffs and taxes, and to reflect fluctuations in foreign exchange markets. Prices are in some cases based on the number of travelers in your party; additions to or withdrawals from the group may alter the price for each participant.

Unless otherwise specified in your detailed itinerary, international flights, private air charters, airport departure taxes, gratuities, laundry, alcoholic beverages, excess baggage charges, visa fees for visas obtained on arrival, travel insurance, tours indicated as optional or not specified in the itinerary, items of a personal nature, and any items not specifically listed as included, are not included.

If booking more than 90 days in advance, a $500 per person deposit is required to reserve your space. Full payment is required 90 days in advance of the start day of your trip. Our prices are quoted in U.S. dollars and reflect a 4% discount for payment by check or wire.  We accept most major credit cards. At our discretion, services and payments may in some cases be transferrable for an additional fee.

All cancellations and refund requests must be made in writing to our Dublin, California office. Your cancellation date will be the date we receive your notice. No verbal refund requests will be honored. Deposits are non-refundable. Refunds of payment will be honored as follows:

Note: Certain tour destinations, or tours booked during peak travel dates, may require additional advance deposits and/or have different payment terms and conditions; in such cases, the payment terms will be specified in the confirmed detailed itinerary.

No refunds will be made after commencement of your tour, whether for early termination, voluntary absence from the tour or for any unused services. Your decision not to travel due to State Department warnings, fear of travel, illness, or any other reason, will be deemed a cancellation. If a flight or other delay for any reason causes you to miss services, no refunds will be given.

Please see our Limits on Responsibility elsewhere in these pages. A change of trip date or change of travel destination(s) may result in additional charges and may be treated as a cancellation with applicable cancellation fees applied. Please allow eight weeks for administration of refunds.

All air fares are subject to restrictions, cancellation penalties, change fees, and general airline policies and may change without notice. Certain airfares are subject to airline administration fees. Internal air arrangements are confirmed on commercial or scheduled flights, unless otherwise specified; requests for private charters must be made directly with APT. Should you cancel or change your air reservation once flights have been ticketed, cancellation and change fees may apply. Air, seat and meal requests are the sole responsibility of the traveler. We cannot be held responsible for aircraft or seat assignment changes made by the airline. Note that regional flights overseas often will not accept advance seat or meal requests. Clients are responsible for reconfirming all flights within 48 hours of each flight. Travelers are responsible for providing Artisan Pacific Travel with official (airline issued), complete and up-to-date international flight details. Ground transportation is provided by air-conditioned vehicles, unless otherwise specified. Note that seat belts are not always available in international destinations.

Accommodation classification is based on a combination of factors including price, location and quality. In remote areas accommodation may be provided on a best available basis. Prices are based on double occupancy rooms with private bath facilities, unless otherwise requested or stated. Note that in many countries king beds and non-smoking rooms are not available. APT reserves the right to substitute comparable accommodations without notice.

All tour participants must be in possession of a passport valid for six months from their date of arrival in any foreign country. For some tours, you will also need to have multiple consecutive blank visa pages within your passport (the number varies depending on the destination(s)). It is the sole responsibility of the tour participant to secure a valid passport with sufficient blank pages for immigration and visa stamps. APT cannot be responsible for visas.

All baggage is transported at owner’s own risk. Please check directly with the airline for specific baggage allowances. APT arrangements and tour costs are based on one suitcase and one carry-on bag per traveler. If you anticipate that your luggage will exceed this amount, please contact us as soon as possible so that we can arrange larger vehicles for airport transfers and sightseeing accordingly. All money, valuables and travel documents should be packed in a carry-on bag for which you are responsible at all times. APT can not be responsible for loss or damage to baggage. Insurance is strongly recommended.

Participants are understood to be in sufficient good health to undertake foreign travel. Many of our activities such as city walks, skiing and hikes require moderate physical exertion. APT requests that all travelers notify us in writing as early as possible of any physical or health conditions or other special needs while traveling (e.g., wheel chair requirements, access to refrigerators to store medications, dietary requirements or allergies, requests for large seats, limited walking ability during touring, schedule requirements, etc.). We make this request to ensure that your comfort and convenience are taken into consideration for all travel services we arrange. We will make reasonable efforts to accommodate the needs of our travelers. In cases where we cannot accommodate a traveler’s special needs, persons requiring this assistance must be accompanied by a companion who will be responsible for independently providing the needed assistance. We regret that we cannot provide special individual assistance to travelers with special needs for ordinary daily activities, such as walking and dining. Unless specific arrangements have been confirmed with APT, in no instance will we or our suppliers physically push wheelchairs or lift or assist participants onto or off of transportation vehicles.

APT strongly recommends that, before traveling, you review your health and other insurance to ensure you have coverage appropriate to meet your needs, and those of your family and dependents, in case of any personal injury or loss of property. We also recommend consulting with your doctor six to eight weeks prior to your trip for advice on travel medications and recommended prophylaxis and vaccinations. Travelers are responsible for verifying all health conditions at each travel destination. Furthermore, APT strongly recommends the purchase of comprehensive travel insurance and medical evacuation coverage. Any questions about what travel insurance does or does not cover should be addressed directly to the travel insurance company. Travel insurance, medical evaluation and evacuation and hospitalization costs are not included in the tour price.

We strongly recommend purchasing comprehensive travel insurance (including trip delay, trip cancellation, trip interruption, and baggage insurance) once a trip has been booked. Health, accident, and emergency evacuation insurance are also strongly recommended as well as coverage for winter recreational activities such as skiing and snowboarding if partaking in one of our winter tours.

All winter recreational sports including skiing and snowboarding involve inherent risks about which the customer must make himself or herself aware of. By participating in an APT tour, the customer does hereby agree that neither the customer nor associated parties claim for illness, injury or death resulting from the negligence (but not the reckless, wilful, or fraudulent conduct) of APT, or affiliated organizations or the supplier of any element of the tour as a result of the customer’s participation in the tour.

Suppliers, including but not limited to those arranging for or providing air and ground transportation, sightseeing arrangements, ski and snowboard rentals, and lodging, are independent contractors and are not employees of APT. All travel documents are issued subject to suppliers’ terms and conditions. Neither APT nor the suppliers for which APT acts as agent(s), shall be held liable for, and customer waives any claim against, APT and the suppliers for loss or damage to property, or injury to person caused by reason of any failure of performance, defect, negligence, or other wrongful act or omission.

Voluntary changes made by tour participants after the itinerary has been finalized, may be allowed at the discretion of APT and will be subject to a $100 charge per change, in addition to the costs required for the changes, if any. Spelling corrections to clients’ names after air tickets have been issued are subject to airline revision fees. Should events beyond our control require it, APT reserves the right to alter or modify the itinerary without advance notice, to withdraw any tour component from your trip and/or to substitute a tour component of equal standard. Any costs resulting from such modifications shall be the responsibility of the tour participants. If any trip has to be delayed due to bad weather, travel conditions, flooding, flight or other transportation delays, over booking, government intervention, acts of god, acts of war, acts of terrorism, sickness or any other contingency beyond the control of APT, the additional costs of the delays and rerouting will not be included and will be the responsibility of the tour participant. If a tour is canceled, our liability is limited to a full refund of your tour payments, and we will not be liable for any other costs, damages, or refunds of any kind for any loss, delay, inconvenience, disappointment, or expense whatsoever in such circumstances. If, for reasons beyond our control, a tour in progress must be interrupted or cancelled, we will, in good faith, consider refunding a portion of the price, depending on our actual costs incurred, compared to the tour in your itinerary.

Your trip will be arranged by Artisan Pacific Travel LLC (“APT”) acting only as agents for the hotels and other places of accommodation, tour companies, airlines and air charter companies, vehicle companies, railroads, ship lines, and other vendors and their owners or contractors (“our supplier associates”) providing accommodations, touring, transportation or other services included in your trip. APT does not own or operate any entity which is to or does provide goods or services for your trip. All such entities are independent contractors. As a result, APT cannot be liable for any negligent or willful act of any such entity, their employees or agents or of any third person. All vouchers, coupons, exchange orders, receipts, contracts and tickets issued by APT are issued subject to any and all tariffs, terms and conditions under which any such accommodations, sightseeing, transportation or other services are provided by our suppliers.

APT shall not be liable for (a) expenses such as additional hotel nights and meals not specified in the individual trip itineraries, but which may be required to get to or from a trip start or end; (b) expenses due to the delay of a trip for any reason (e.g., bad weather, trail conditions, land slides, flooding, sickness, etc.); (c) expenses incurred in recovering luggage lost by airlines, belongings left behind on a trip, or in shipping purchases or other goods home from abroad.

Travelers should be aware that US and Japan government travel and health advisories may exist. In the event of an emergency, US and Japan consular services may not be available in all areas. APT can accept no responsibility or liability for passenger health or safety. All travelers should be prepared for unexpected changes in the itinerary, and should arrive with a flexible attitude toward their visit and with the understanding that it is impossible to control, foresee, or guarantee all aspects of the tour.

Any dispute concerning, relating, or referring to this contract, brochures, web information, or any other literature concerning my trip, or the trip itself, shall be resolved exclusively by binding arbitration in Dublin, California, according to the then existing commercial rules of the American Arbitration Association. Such proceedings will be governed by substantive (but not procedural) California law excluding any application or consideration of the California Arbitration Act. The arbitrator and not any federal, state, or local court or agency shall have exclusive authority to resolve any dispute relating to the interpretation, applicability, enforceability, conscionability, or formation of this contract, including but not limited to any claim that all or any part of this contract is void or voidable.

You agree to present any claims against us within 30 days after the tour ends, and to file a case within one year of the incident, and you acknowledge that this expressly limits the applicable statute of limitations to one year. Artisan Pacific Travel’s maximum liability, for any reason whatsoever, will be limited to the amount paid to Artisan Pacific Travel for its services.

Neither Artisan Pacific Travel nor any of their affiliates or agents, shall be or become liable or responsible for any loss, injury or damage to person, property or otherwise in connection with any accommodations, transportation, touring, or other services provided resulting directly or indirectly from any acts of God, fire, breakdown in machinery or equipment, acts of government or other authorities, wars whether declared or not, hostilities, acts of nature, animals, criminal acts, acts of terrorism, civil disturbances, strikes, riots, thefts, pilferage, loss or damage to baggage, illness, allergic reactions, disease, epidemics, quarantines, medical or customs regulations, financial defaults of service providers, delays or cancellations of or changes in itinerary or schedules, or from any other causes beyond the control of APT including, without limitation, any act of negligence or breach of contract by any independent third party who is to or does supply any goods or services for your trip, or for any loss or damage resulting from insufficient or improperly issued passports, visas or other documents, and that neither APT nor any of their agents shall be or become liable or responsible for any additional expenses or liability sustained or incurred by you as a result of any of the foregoing causes. The services provided by our suppliers are subject to the laws of the place where the services are provided and any conditions imposed by those suppliers. The liability of the suppliers may be limited by their tariffs, conditions of carriage, tickets and vouchers, and international conventions and agreements.

Artisan Pacific Travel LLC and its affiliated entities and its employees, shareholders, officers, directors, successors, agents, and assigns, neither own nor operate any person or entity which is to, or does, provide goods or services for these trips or tours. Because Artisan Pacific Travel LLC does not maintain any control over the personnel, equipment, or operations of these suppliers, Artisan Pacific Travel LLC assumes no responsibility for and cannot be held liable for any personal injury, death, property damage, or other loss, accident, delay, inconvenience, or irregularity which may be occasioned by reason of (1) any wrongful, negligent, willful, or unauthorized acts or omissions on the part of any of the tour suppliers, or other employees or agents, (2) any defect in or failure of any vehicle, equipment, instrument owned, operated or otherwise by any of these suppliers, or (3) any wrongful, willful, or negligent act or omissions on any part of any other party not under the supervision or control of the Operator.

APT reserves the right to take photographic or film records of any of our trips, and may use any such records for promotional and/or commercial purposes without payment.

Registration as a Seller of Travel does not constitute approval by the State of California. Artisan Pacific Travel LLC is a participant in the California Travel Consumer Restitution Fund. California law requires certain Sellers of Travel to have a trust account or bond. Artisan Pacific Travel LLC has such a trust account.

Payment of tour fees shall constitute consent to all provisions of this Agreement as set forth herein.