The Deposit
To hold a space on a trip, the participant is required to leave a deposit. This generally accounts for about 20% of the total trip’s price. The value is applied to the total trip trip on the final payment.
A participant does not hold a space on a trip without having paid a deposit AND receiving confirmation from Brendan van Son
Second Payment
There are certain trips that will require a “second payment”.
This occurs on trips that have major costs that need to be paid well in advance to secure certain activities such as gorilla trekking or safaris.
There is no time frame on when certain “second payments” might be need. It depends on the trip and activity, however it’s generally 1 year prior to the trip’s start date.
Final Payments
The final payment refers to the amount paid minus the paid deposit and second payment.
This will be requested by Brendan van Son 1 year prior to the booking of the trip, and is due 120 days before the trip’s start date.
Cancellations
The Deposit:
The deposit is fully refundable up to 90 days prior to the tour’s start date, minute a 10% fee.
Any cancellations that occur within 90 days prior to the tour’s start date will be non-refundable.
Second Payments:
Once a second payment is made, it is completely non-refundable.
There may be cases where a local operator or supplier may be able to offer a partial refund, but this is not guaranteed. As a result, Brendan van Son recommends booking trip cancellation insurance as soon as a second payment is made.
Final Payments:
Final payments are fully refundable up to 150 days prior to the trip’s start date.
After 150 days, there will be no refunds given on final payments made.
As such, it’s highly recommended by Brendan van Son to take out a trip cancellation insurance once any final payment is made.
Refunds:
Any refunded amounts will be issued to the method of payment used by the participant.
**All refunds are processed within 60 days of request.
Booking Terms
In making a booking, you are agreeing to the terms and conditions outlined on this page. The following terms must be followed by participants in order to join a tour or workshop with Brendan van Son:
- Adequate travel insurance to cover travel-related cancellations – or a letter by the participant accepting responsibility for not having insurance.
- Adequate camera gear insurance – or a letter by the participant accepting responsibility for not having insurance.
- Follow all rules set forth by Brendan and other tour leaders regarding safety.
- Follow all rules set forth by Brendan and other tour leaders regarding environmental hazards.
- The participant must notify Brendan or other tour leaders of any extenuating health concerns.
- The participant must notify Brendan and other tour leaders of any prescriptions in case of medical emergency. Note, this can come in the form of a sealed envelope, or another method to maintain privacy.
Right to Dismiss Participant
Brendan van Son and co-leaders retain the right to dismiss participants while on the tour if one of the following breaches of contact happens:
- Verbally or physically abusive behaviour.
- Racism, misogyny, or other discriminatory language.
- Consumption of illegal drugs.
- Breaks local laws.
- Refuses to follow rules put in place by tour leaders.
- Dangerous behaviour which endangers participants or themselves.