TRIP PROTECTION PLAN
The easy, affordable way to protect your vacation investment! Missing a vacation is bad enough. Losing the money you paid for your vacation is even worse. The trip protection plan is your ticket to worry-free travel. Now you can protect your travel investment at a very affordable rate – take the peace of mind with you when you travel. The policy covers trip cancellation, interruption and delay, lost or stolen baggage and travel documents, baggage delay, medical expenses and emergency medical transportation. Coverage can be purchased any time up to 24 hours before departure. The policy cost depends on the traveler’s age and the trip cost – please contact your reservation agent for a quote. We will be happy to mail you a brochure with more detailed information.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS
PRICES, DEPOSIT AND PAYMENT: Unless otherwise noted, prices shown on the website are per person, based on two persons sharing a hotel room or cabin. All prices are in US Dollars. A passenger who travels alone is required to pay a single supplement. Prices listed are in effect at time of publishing and are subject to change without notice. Red Star Travel reserves the right to change the price of a tour at its discretion. Once your deposit is received at Red Star Travel, the land portion of your vacation and/or cruise price is guaranteed. A deposit of $300 per person ($400 per person for cruises) is due within seven calendar days of booking, but no later than the final payment deadline for your tour type, in order to secure your reservation. Final payment must be received by Red Star Travel at least 60 days prior to tour departure. For cruise tours or rail tours final payment is due 90 days prior to departure. Red Star Travel is not responsible for payments made to your travel agent but not received by Red Star Travel. Bookings may be canceled by Red Star Travel if deposit or final payment is not received by due dates. Payment may be made by cash, check, or by client’s American Express, Visa, MasterCard or Discover cards. All deposits and payments should be mailed to: Red Star Travel, 8201 164th Ave NE, Suite 200, Redmond, WA, 98052.
REVISION FEE: A $30 per revision handling fee, to cover processing costs, is charged for any changes made to a reservation once deposit is received and written confirmation/invoice has been sent. When dates are changed on the tour packages, it is considered a canceled trip and cancellation penalties will apply.
LATE BOOKINGS: Reservations made within 60 days of departure require immediate full payment (90 days for cruise and rail tours).
LAND AND CRUISE CANCELLATION POLICY: Trip Cancellation Insurance is available to purchase through Red Star Travel and is strongly recommended. All cancellations must be received in writing and are effective at date of receipt. Cancellation charges are as follows: For cancellations 121 days or more before departure: $100 per person ($200 for cruise tours). For cancellations 120 – 90 days before departure: 10% of the land and cruise price or the reservation deposit amount, whichever is greater. For cancellations 89-60 days before departure: 35% of the land and cruise price. For cancellations 59-30 days before departure: 50% of the land and cruise price. For cancellations received less than 30 days before departure: 100% of the land and cruise price. There is no refund for no-shows and for cancellations after the start of the tour/cruise. There is no refund for unused services or if portions of the cruise and/or land arrangements are missed. If you cancel your tour/cruise after you have received your air tickets from Red Star Travel, you must return the complete final tour documents, including the unused air tickets, to Red Star Travel before we can process any refund due to you.
AIR TRANSPORTATION: Airlines require that the passenger’s name on the air ticket be exactly as it appears on their passport. Unless otherwise specified air transportation is Economy Class. Red Star Travel arranges air as a special service for the passenger and cannot be held responsible for inconvenience or costs incurred by delays, lost luggage, disruption of air service over which it has no control. Air transportation is subject to the terms and conditions of the airline’s ticket contract. Requests for seat assignments, special meals and special services must be made directly with the airline. International and domestic air schedules are subject to change at any time. Red Star Travel is not responsible for notifying passengers of flight schedule changes after the air tickets are issued. We recommend that you contact the airline within 72 hours of departure to reconfirm flights.
AIR TAXES & FEES: US Customs & Immigration fees, US departure taxes, other governmental or quasi-governmental fees, air taxes, fuel surcharges and airport facility charges are approximately $75 to $200 per person, depending on the route, and will be added to the invoice. For some destinations local authorities may impose taxes or fees that cannot be prepaid and are collected locally. For example, airport taxes in China and Asia are not included and will be collected before each departure – approximately $6 per person for each flight within China and $11 per person for flights out of China. These fees are approximately $7 to $30 for other Asian countries. When possible, Red Star Travel will include information about these charges in your final documents.
AIR CHANGES, CANCELLATIONS AND REFUNDS: Airline tickets issued by Red Star Travel are usually highly restrictive and cannot be reissued, revalidated or exchanged. A $50 per person administrative fee plus applicable airline change fees or cancellation penalties are assessed for any changes to air tickets once air tickets have been issued, including cancellation of air. Airline penalties vary depending on carrier and can be substantial. In some cases airline tickets issued by Red Star Travel are nonrefundable.
INSURANCE: Red Star Travel cannot be responsible or liable for loss, damage or theft of personal luggage and belongings, nor for personal injury, accident or illness. In most countries outside the USA, insurance coverage for personal injury, accident or illness is not available on the basis of USA standards. Check with your insurance agent to be sure you are adequately protected for any eventualities. For your protection an optional travel insurance plan is available for purchase through Red Star Travel.
TOUR DOCUMENTS: A tour document packet is sent 21-30 days before departure. Documents for all passengers cannot be released until full payment conditions have been met. Rail tickets are issued under the regulations of each country’s rail system. Train reservations may not be available for certain cities. Rail tickets are not refundable. If you request that your documents be sent earlier, there is a $50 handling charge to cover the cost of extra processing.
TRAVEL DOCUMENTS: A valid passport is required on international programs. Passports must be valid for six months after the return date of the trip. You will be notified if your destination requires a visa. Non-US citizens are advised to contact the appropriate consular office for entry requirements pertaining to their trip. Obtaining and carrying these documents is the sole responsibility of the passenger. Red Star Travel will gladly assist in obtaining the necessary visas in most cases for an extra fee. It is the passenger’s responsibility to notify Red Star Travel if they will be needing this assistance. Red Star Travel cannot and will not be responsible for any delays, damages and/or losses, including missed portions of the tour that are related to improper travel documentation.
HOTELS: All hotels offered in conjunction with our tours are Superior Tourist Class, First Class or better consistent with classifications of the OHRG and established European standards, with a few exceptions. In some remote destinations, where none of the available accommodations meet the Superior Tourist Class standards, we book the best accommodations available in that area. We must reserve the right to substitute hotels if absolutely necessary. Hotel bookings canceled after departure from the USA are subject to 100% cancellation penalty. Please note that it is standard policy that hotel rooms are not available for check in before 2 p.m.
BAGGAGE: Airline baggage allowance regulations are based on a measurement system whose combined overall dimensions do not exceed 106 inches. Carry-on luggage cannot exceed 45 inches. On flights within Europe, baggage is limited to 44 lbs. (20 kilos). One bag not to exceed 106 inches may be taken on escorted tours. For additional bags, there will be an additional charge of approximately $5 per bag per handling.
HEALTH AND DEPORTMENT: Please bring any issues regarding your health or mobility to the attention of the Red Star Travel reservationist when making your booking. A companion responsible for providing any required services must accompany disabled passengers, or any person requiring special assistance while traveling. Due to space limitations, wheelchairs and walkers cannot be carried onto motorcoaches. River cruise ships generally have no elevators; cabin doors and restrooms are not wide enough to allow access by standard wheelchairs. Included shore excursions typically require a high degree of mobility, and handicapped facilities may not be available internationally to the level usual in the USA.