Explorers' Corner Terms & Conditions

We kindly request that you please carefully read and understand all of the following information about Explorers’ Corner’s Terms and Conditions.

Trip Documents

1. A detailed handbook with clothing and equipment list, insurance recommendations, and other information needed to prepare you for your trip is sent out to all participants about 90 days prior to trip departure and after a $800 non-refundable check has been received. You will be provided with a set of paperwork we ask you to complete and return to us, along with a copy of your passport and proof of insurance.
   
   
2. Rendezvous instructions, guide call schedule and final trip details are sent out about two weeks before departure.
   
   
3. Please email any questions, concerns or comments to info@explorerscorner.com. Or call us at +1 510 559 8099. We are here to help prepare you for your trip!

Payment

* Note: some adventures require reservation deposits in amounts greater than $800. You will be informed as to the amount before initial reservations are made.

Cancellations

The following cancellation fees will apply, depending upon the day we receive written notice that you must cancel your trip. All dates are from the departure date. We STRONGLY recommend you obtain cancellation insurance if you don't have travel cancellation, delay, and baggage loss/damage coverage already (such as through premium credit cards, dive certifications, or other insurance providers).

Cancelled Trips

Explorers' Corner reserves the right to cancel any trip due to inadequate sign-up, which makes the trip unfeasible for us to operate. In such case, a full refund of land cost is given, but Explorer’ Corner is not responsible for additional expenses incurred by members in preparing for the trip (i.e., nonrefundable “Advance Purchase” air tickets, visa fees if applicable, equipment, medical expenses, etc.).

Land Cost

In general, trip prices include accommodations, all field arrangements, meals, airport transfers, ground transportation, leadership, guides, ancillary support staff, group equipment, entry fees and permits only as noted in the Itinerary. International airfare is not included. Each trip varies slightly, however. Please refer to the specific trip itinerary for information on inclusions and exclusions on land costs.

Methods of Payment

We prefer personal checks (they must be in US funds drawn on a US bank) but can accept Visa and MasterCard (please be warned that our processor charges a fee of almost 2.5%, which is quite high). All checks should be written out to Explorers’ Corner LLC. Please write your destination and departure date in the memo section and mail to:

Explorers’ Corner LLC
1865 Solano Ave - PMB 926
Berkeley, California, 94707

You may find it simpler to wire us the money, in US funds.  The fees charged by your bank and any intermediary bank may vary and can be difficult to predict, so please confirm the amount and have the bank add their own as well as intermediary fees to your wire, so that Explorers' Corner receives payment in full.  It is very important that you INCLUDE YOUR NAME and TRIP in the "comments" section of the wire so that we know the money is yours!  Our incoming wire instructions are available upon request.

Pricing

Adventure travel generally requires operating with a small group of people. In order to operate these small groups, our trips are priced according to group size. The appropriate group size is stated next to the land cost in the detailed itinerary. In many cases, there is a “tiered pricing charge” for very small groups. This charge will appear on your final invoice if the group is small. All tiered pricing will be based on full revenue trip members. Explorers' Corner staff guests, guides in training or trip's doctor are not included.

Refunds

No partial refunds will be given for unused hotel rooms, meals, sightseeing trips or other arrange-ments for any reason whatsoever. Land cost is quoted as a package and credits are not given for services not used—unless written arrangements have been made with Explorers’ Corner staff prior to departure.

Single Travelers

Accommodations are based on double occupancy. If you are traveling alone and wish to share accommodations, we will try to assign a roommate of the same gender. If there is no one with whom you can share, or you prefer a single occupancy, you are requested to pay a Single Supplement Fee, which will be listed in the trip itinerary. On some trips, Single Supplement is not available.


Unexpected Costs

The cost of delays is not included if any trip has to be delayed because of bad weather, trail conditions, road conditions, transportation delays, government intervention, sickness for which Explorers’ Corner or its agent can not make provision. Tours costs are subject to increase without prior notice, even if you have signed up on the trip and paid in full. We publish our prices well in advance of departure, often more than half a year in advance. Between that time and the time of the trip's actual departure, we are occasionally faced with significant cost increases that we can not absorb, i.e., international currency fluctuations and increases in costs of services overseas. We regret should such a situation occur, but sometimes it is unavoidable.

Equipment

Explorers’ Corner provides the safest and most comfortable sea kayaking equipment. We will provide you with a detailed list of recommended clothing and suggested equipment prior to the trip—and we will set up direct communications between you and the trip leader prior to the trip.

Medical and Health

It is vital that persons with medical problems make them known to us well before departure. The trip has the right to disqualify anyone at any time during the trip if he or she feels the trip member is physically and mentally incapable and/or if a trip member's continued participation will jeopardize the individual involved or the group. Refunds are not given under such circumstances.

Hospital facilities for serious problems are often unavailable, and evacuation can be prolonged, difficult, and expensive. Explorers’ Corner assumes no liability regarding provision of medical care. All trip members will receive appropriate heath information and a medical health form to be filled out and returned to Explorers’ Corner prior to the trip.

As soon as you sign up for a trip, we recommend you contact your doctor and discuss: immunizations; pre-existing condition mediation; treatments you may want to bring in your personal medical kit as well as their proper use (such as antibiotics, motion-sickness remedies, anti-fungal creams, and so on); other concerns you may have.

Responsibilities of Trip Members

Trip members have certain responsibilities to Explorers’ Corner and to other trip members:

1. Trip members are responsible for understanding the conditions implied in the trip itinerary and selecting a trip that is appropriate to their interest and abilities.
   
2. Trip members prepare for the trip by studying the trip itinerary and supplemental trip information sent by Explorers’ Corner.
   
3. Trip members are bringing appropriate clothing and equipment as advised by Explorers’ Corner.
   
4. Trip members will follow normal standards of hygiene in order to lessen risk of travelers' diseases within the group, as advised by the trip leader.
   
5. Trip members are required to follow normal social behavior with fellow trip members and to act in an appropriate and respectful manner in accordance with the customs of countries visited.
   
6. Trip members are required to complete the itinerary as scheduled (or adjusted by the trip leader in the field as necessary).

At the leader’s discretion, a member may be asked to leave the trip if the leader feels the person's further participation may be detrimental to other trip members or to the individual. No refund will be given to a member whose travel arrangements have been cancelled by the trip leader because of behavior, fitness, or health problems. The client is responsible for his or her own behavior and relieved Explorers’ Corner's contractors, agents, etc. of the consequences hereof. This includes without limit violations of in-country law, local, or international law, visa conditions of issuing country, or airline regulations, disobedience of trip leader, or trip staff orders and instructions, police, government, or other individual in an official capacity and behavior violating in-country cultural norms.

Limitations of Liability

Explorers’ Corner, its owners, agents, members, director, shareholders, and employees (collectively, Explorers’ Corner) does not own or operate any supplier of transportation or other goods or serv-ices such as hotel accommodations or sightseeing establishments utilized on your trip, and consequently assumes no responsibility for any injury, loss, damage, delay, or death to person or property arising from the negligent or willful act or failure to act of any person who is to or does provide goods or services for the trip or for the action or inaction of any other third party. Without limitation, Explorers’ Corner is not responsible for acts of God, equipment failures, vehicle accidents, illness from food or otherwise, assaults, theft, or criminal activity, detention, annoyance, delays, quarantine, strikes, failure of any means of conveyance to arrive or depart as scheduled, civil disturbances, terrorism, government restrictions or regulations, and discrepancies or changes in transit or hotel services over which it has no control. Reasonable changes in the itinerary may be made where deemed advisable for the comfort, safety and well being of the trip members and passengers. The right is reserved to substitute hotels, alter the itinerary, and reverse the order of the places to be visited. We will keep you informed of any necessary changes in a timely fashion.

On advancement of deposit to Explorers’ Corner, the depositor therefore, agrees to be bound by the above recited terms and conditions.

Note: Many guides and leaders are independent contractors or are employees of the group operators that we contract with. Explorers’ Corner assumes no liability for loss or damage to baggage to and from an Explorers' Corner trip or while on an Explorers’ Corner Trip.

Date: November 11, 2004