Group Travel - Enrollment Terms and Conditions

WE HAVE CAREFULLY READ AND UNDERSTAND ALL ASPECTS OF THIS AGREEMENT AND AGREE TO BE BOUND BY THEM. WE ARE AWARE THAT THIS DOCUMENT CONSTITUTES A WAIVER OF CERTAIN LEGAL RIGHTS

About Rustic Pathways

Rustic Pathways LLC, (“Rustic Pathways”) is a privately-owned company registered in the State of Delaware. The company offers travel programs in countries around the world. Rustic Pathways offers adventure, community service, language, and educational programs for high school students, college students, groups, individuals, and families. As a condition of enrolling in a program with Rustic Pathways, the individual(s) entering into these terms as indicated herein (“you” or “we”) is required to agree to these Enrollment Terms and Conditions. These Enrollment Terms and Conditions constitute an agreement between you and Rustic Pathways.

Itinerary Changes, Trip Cancellations and Refunds

Cancellation by You.
Rustic Pathways’ Cancellation Policy takes into account the costs that we incur before a program’s Start Date, many of which are incurred months in advance and are not refundable, recoverable or cancellable by us. Cancellations and withdrawals are subject to the Rustic Pathways’ Cancellation Policy as set forth below. Once your enrollment application has been received and accepted, cancellation or withdrawal by you results in a penalty, as follows.

• Cancellation or withdrawal must be given by the participant’s parents/guardians in writing (which may be sent via email to cancel@rusticpathways.com or via trackable mail/courier to our main office address, Attn: Cancellations). You may also do this using the “Cancel Now” button on our website. Your request to cancel will be effective on the date and time received by us, based on United States Eastern Time (“Cancellation Date”). We do not accept cancellations or withdrawals over the telephone for any reason or under any circumstances. We will promptly acknowledge receipt of your written cancellation, the applicable Cancellation Date, and itemize any refund amount due you, if applicable. Refunds (if any) will be issued to your original form of payment. If that form of payment is no longer valid for any reason, we will issue a check to the participant’s parents/guardians within 4 to 6 weeks after the Cancellation Date.
• Cancellation or withdrawal by you will result in the loss of the amounts stated above, based on your Cancellation Date.
• If a participant cancels, withdraws, arrives late and/or leaves a program after the Program Start Date, no refunds will be given by Rustic Pathways for any reason whatsoever, including without limitation, illness, injury or other medical issues, security or health concerns, voluntary withdrawal, dismissal by Rustic Pathways (due to rules violations, behavior, discipline issues, violations of laws, etc.), or any other reason. Any costs incurred by Rustic Pathways related to a participant’s early departure/withdrawal from their program are the sole responsibility of their parents/guardians. In addition, participants and their parents/guardians will be solely responsible for any travel plans (and all associated costs and fees) once they depart a Program in progress and Rustic Pathways will have no responsibility for or control over the participant’s safety or activities once they depart the Program.

You acknowledge and agree that if you pay using a credit card or debit to a bank account and if you cancel for any reason, you will not dispute the payment with your credit card company or bank, or process a chargeback or credit to your account, so long as the transaction corresponds to the terms of this Agreement.

Cancellation or Modifications by Rustic Pathways.

Cancellation or Modification without Cause Rustic Pathways reserves the right to cancel, alter, reschedule or amend the Program at any time for any reason Rustic Pathways determines, in its discretion, is necessary or appropriate. Rustic Pathways will make a final decision to offer or cancel a Program a reasonable period prior to the Start Date for a given Program. If a Program is canceled by Rustic Pathways prior to the Start Date under this paragraph, the following Cancellation Policy will apply. A participant may choose between a credit in the full amount paid to Rustic Pathways (less the non-refundable deposit) valid towards any other program offered by Rustic Pathways or a refund of the Total Program Cost paid as of the date of cancellation, less the non-refundable deposit. If a trip is canceled by Rustic Pathways after the Start Date under this paragraph, a pro rata credit or refund (as described above) will be given, depending on the missed portions of the Program. The amount of such pro rata credit or refund will be reasonably determined by Rustic Pathways in its sole discretion, depending on the timing, circumstances and unrecoverable costs previously committed. In either case, (i) all refunds will be issued back in the form of payment used (e.g., if payment was made by voucher, the refund will be in the form of a newly issued voucher); (ii) all credits will be issued in the form of a voucher good for travel on a future Rustic Pathways’ program; and (iii) Rustic Pathways is not responsible for any expenses paid by any participant to third parties such as airlines and hotels for travel prior to or after the Start Date. In the event that a Program is canceled by Rustic Pathways and a credit is given and the participant chooses a less expensive alternate program, the participant will not receive a refund of the difference in cost. If a more expensive program is selected, the participant must pay the difference.

Cancellation or Modification Resulting from External Events Outside of Rustic Pathways Reasonable Control. While Rustic Pathways makes every effort to plan for foreseeable contingencies, it is not responsible or liable if it cancels, modifies or postpones a program as a result of events that are beyond its reasonable control. These include “force majeure” events such as (but without limitation) an Act of God, weather, natural disasters, fires, floods, declared or undeclared war, terrorism, actual or potential pandemics or epidemics (including COVID), other public health issues or emergencies, acts of a government organization, sanctions, quarantines, strikes, labor disputes, disruptions to transportation, or other events beyond Rustic Pathways’ reasonable control that make it actually or potentially impossible or illegal for Rustic pathways to conduct the program as originally contracted. In these situations, Rustic Pathways incurs substantial non-recoverable costs and expenses of its own in planning and pre-paying amounts for a program. As a result, if a program cannot depart as originally scheduled or is interrupted for any reason as described in this paragraph, participants will only be entitled to receive a full credit (if prior to the Start Date) or a partial credit (if after the Start Date). Cancellation, modification or postponement by Rustic Pathways for reasons as described in this paragraph will not be a violation of its obligations to any participant and will not be deemed a “failure” to provide travel services.

Regardless of the reason for cancellation, modification or postponement, Rustic Pathways is not responsible for any other costs or expenses incurred by a participant or their parents/guardians in preparing for a Program that is cancelled, modified or postponed.

Early Departure/Late Arrivals/Itinerary Changes.

Rustic Pathways carefully plans the schedule and itinerary for each of our Programs. There may be instances when for reasons outside our control – e.g., flight delays or rescheduling for a chaperoned group flight or cancellations by third party providers of scheduled activities – changes to the Program schedule or itinerary may need to be made. In these situations, we will do our best to alter the itinerary and schedule in such a way as to find reasonable substitutes for missed activities if possible, and in general, to not detract from the overall Program experience for participants. Such alterations do not constitute cancellation by Rustic Pathways or a “failure” to deliver the contracted services by Rustic Pathways, and will not entitle participants to any kind of refund or credit. If a participant elects to withdraw as a result of any necessary alteration to the schedule or itinerary after the Start Date, no refunds or credits of any kind will be given.

Liability Waivers, Releases, Medical Disclosures & Rules

Both participants and their parents (and any group chaperones and/or staff) will be required to sign and comply with various liability waivers and releases prior to the beginning of any Rustic Pathways trip. These documents include the Participation Enrollment Agreement and the Acknowledgement and Assumption of Risks & Release and Indemnity Agreement. Participants are also required to disclose medical information requested on the Medical and Emergency Information Form. These forms will be distributed after all enrollments have been received and processed. You acknowledge that you are responsible for ensuring that all required paperwork is returned to us by the applicable due date. Participants (and any group chaperones and/or staff) will not be permitted to travel on any Rustic Pathways trip unless all required paperwork has been received in our administrative office by the date stipulated with your paperwork, which is usually at least 30 days prior to departure.

Passports & Visas

All participants require a valid passport. The expiration date on your passport must be a minimum of six (6) months after the scheduled return date of the trip. Some countries may also require a visa. Please check with your local consulate to see if this applies to you. Rustic Pathways is not responsible for a participant’s failure to obtain or provide proper, valid identification or documentation or to comply with all required immunization, vaccination or other requirements to travel on a program. No refund will be issued should the participant be denied access to transportation or any other aspect of their planned trip due to invalid or missing identification or documentation or for their failure to meet any other requirements for travel on a program, such as immunization or vaccination requirements. Any costs incurred as a result of a participant’s failure to obtain or provide proper, valid identification or documentation (or otherwise comply with travel requirements) are the sole responsibility of the participant and their parents.

Participant Expectations

Rustic Pathways expects participants to be enthusiastic, cooperative, attentive and appreciative at all times. The possession or use of illegal drugs, tobacco, or alcohol is forbidden on all trips. Participants are responsible for selecting a program suitable for their comfort level and capabilities. Trips sometimes operate under difficult and challenging conditions and Rustic Pathways reserves the right to decline anyone from joining a program with justifiable cause. Rustic Pathways also reserves the right to remove participants from a program if they create a hazard to themselves or others, behave in a disruptive manner, interfere with the successful operation of the Program, or otherwise violate the Rustic Pathways rules. Any costs associated with a participant’s dismissal, including but not limited to additional hotel or flight expenses as determined in Rustic Pathways’ reasonable discretion, will be the sole responsibility of participant and his/her parents/guardians. No refunds or credits of any kind (including, without limitation, of the Total Program Cost or other amounts paid to Rustic Pathways or its third party providers) will be given in these situations. All participants are responsible for reading and being familiar with these rules, all of which are available on our website. All participants are encouraged to contact Rustic Pathways personnel with any questions about any of the rules.

Insurance

We strongly recommend that all participants purchase additional insurance, including conditional coverage for cancellation, medical expenses, emergency evacuation (often not covered by standard health insurance) and trip disruption with adequate coverage to protect your investment from unexpected and unforeseen events.

It is the participant’s and their parents/guardians’ responsibility to ensure that their medical/health insurance provides coverage for travel abroad (including in the destination country), and that the levels and types of coverage are sufficient to address all potential types of injury or illness that may occur while traveling. We also strongly recommend that participants purchase emergency medical evacuation coverage since the medical facilities in country may not meet U.S. standards or provide all desired treatment options.

Types and levels of available coverage vary, and you should carefully review available options for coverage and discuss them with the insurance provider to ensure that you understand the benefits and exclusions of your chosen insurance option. Rustic Pathways makes no representations or warranties about available insurance options or how the insurance company handles claims. Please understand that there will be no exceptions to our standard Cancellation Policy and other than as expressly stated in our Cancellation Policy, Rustic Pathways will not provide any refunds or credits for amounts not covered or reimbursed by insurance.

International Travel Costs and Exchange Rates

Rustic Pathways works very hard to keep its prices as low as possible and to always be transparent with the Rustic Pathways families.
The ”Total Program Cost” means: (1) the Cost Per Paid Participant for your Program (2) the Airfare Cost per Paid Participant, and (3) airfare taxes and fuel surcharges, and other third-party fees, costs, permits and licenses, which will be added to your Total Program Cost once they are known. There will be other costs (in addition to the pre-paid Total Program Cost) incurred by the participant both before and during programs. These generally include the cost of travel to and from Program Meeting and Program Departure Locations, insurance premiums, visa fees, medical expenses, optional activities, baggage fees, laundry, phone and internet usage, souvenirs, snacks, and other incidental costs which are not included in the Total Program Cost. In addition to those additional costs you incur prior to the start of your Program, we strongly recommend you have a valid credit card on file prior to the Start Date that Rustic Pathways is authorized to charge to cover other incidental and unexpected costs a participant incurs during their trip.

Globally our program prices and airline prices are calculated approximately one year in advance using the exchange rates at that time. In the event of global economic shifts in exchange rates, fuel price increases, airline price increases, or other significant cost increases, Rustic Pathways reserves the right to retroactively bill clients for these increases.

Payment

The Total Program Cost (including any applicable airfare costs) is due when we accept your enrollment unless you elect to pay under our installment plan as agreed in your enrollment form. Installment payments are not available for late season enrollments – i.e., 90 days or less before the Program Start Date. Note that late application period enrollments remain subject to the same timelines set forth in our Cancellation Policy just as with any other enrollment. All payments must be paid on or before their due date as stated in Rustic Pathways’ invoice to you. Amounts that are not yet known at the time you enroll will be added to your total balance and amortized across any remaining installments (if any). If no installments are due, those amounts will be invoiced in full and due as stated in our updated invoice to you.

Rustic Pathways reserves the right to cancel a ’participant’s enrollment on any program if any required payment is not made on time. Unless you otherwise comply with the terms of our Cancellation Policy as set forth below, no refunds of any kind will be given if we cancel your enrollment due to your non-payment.

Agreement

By completing this application, we agree that we would like to apply for admission to a Rustic Pathways program. We have read the Rustic Pathways brochure and application form carefully, and we willingly agree to comply with all of the various requirements and conditions spelled out in these materials. We understand that student travel can be dangerous and we agree to abide by the policies, rules, conditions and instructions provided by Rustic Pathways to minimize the risk of injury, accident, damage, or death. We further understand that Rustic Pathways has the right to remove any applicant from any program at any time if their behavior or participation is deemed, in Rustic Pathways’ sole discretion, to be detrimental or dangerous to themselves or others. We also understand that we (and all participants) will be required to sign and comply with various written waivers, liability releases, and terms and conditions as a condition of participation in this program.
We agree that (a) this document and all other aspects of our relationship with Rustic Pathways are governed by the laws of the State of Ohio, without regard to its rules on conflicts of laws, and (b) any legal proceeding must be filed only in the state court located in Lake County, Ohio, which will be the sole jurisdiction and venue for any legal proceeding relating to or arising out of the Program, this Agreement or otherwise. Before filing a lawsuit, we agree to first attempt to settle any dispute (not settled by discussion) through mediation before a mutually acceptable Ohio mediator. This Agreement is intended to be interpreted and enforced to the fullest extent allowed by law. If a court or any other appropriate authority finds any portion of this document to be invalid, the remainder will remain in full force and effect and binding upon the parties. The foregoing conditions will be binding upon the participant personally as well as upon his/her heirs, parents and guardians, executors and administrators, and any and all members of their family.

5.0 Updated: Nov. 10, 2023