Fees FAQs

Tour Fee
Cancellation Fee (International Tours)
Cancellation Fee (US & Canada Bus Tours)
Cancellation Fee (US & Canada Flight Tours)
Private Group Fee
Bounced Check Fee
Non-Refundable Deposit
Adult Fees
Double/Twin or Single Room Supplements
Airport Fees & Taxes
Optional Extras

 

 

Tour Fee
What's included in your Tour Fee:
Round-trip airfare or bus transportation from your departure city
Accommodation in triple or quad rooms (except on night trains, cruises, and ferries) always with private bathrooms, unless otherwise noted; participants may be roomed with other same-gender participants from the entire bus group 
Airport transfers at destination (except when booked Land Only or with an individual stay ahead or stay behind) and all transportation between cities, except when deviating from your group
Local public transportation to all scheduled itinerary activities
Full European or buffet-style breakfast daily, as per program description
Dinner daily at your destination (unless otherwise noted)
Lunch, per program description
All excursions, led by professional local guides per program description
City walks led by an Explorica Tour Director, per program description
Visits to select attractions and theater tickets, per program description
Full-time services of a professional Tour Director
All non-optional gratuities
24-hour emergency service
Overnight security in select cities on US and Canadian tours
$100 ($50 for US and Canadian tours) discount toward any future tour with Explorica
Tour Diary
What's generally NOT included in your Tour Fee:
Passport, visa, transit visa and any required travel insurance
Taxes, fuel surcharges, and airport fees (applies to tours departing prior to 9/1/14)
Beverages at dinner
Lunch, unless specified in the itinerary
Optional excursions and/or extensions (including cruise shore excursions)
Explorica’s Travel Protection Plans
Local transportation to unscheduled activities
Tips to Tour Director, bus drivers, local guides, and cruise staff
Weekend supplement of $35 if your departure or return flight falls on a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday (does not apply to tours to the U.S., Canada, or Puerto Rico)
Any applicable private group fee or small group supplement
Any applicable baggage-handling fees imposed by airlines

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Cancellation Fees for tours departing in 2018:
(International Tours)

What is the cancellation policy?

Long before your tour begins, Explorica makes reservations for each enrolled participant, incurring many non-refundable costs. For this reason, we must charge cancellation fees.

In order to protect your travel investment in the event you need to cancel your tour, we recommend purchasing a travel protection plan.
If you withdraw this many
days prior to departure		 You will receive a full refund minus the following amounts
More than 140 Days $300 + the $99 Non-Refundable Deposit
140-106 Days $500 + the $99 Non-Refundable Deposit
105-66 Days 50% of all fees + the $99 Non-Refundable Deposit
65-31 Days 75% of all fees + the $99 Non-Refundable Deposit
30 Days or Less No refund*

* If you notify us of your cancellation in writing at least 24 hours prior to your departure you will receive a $100 refund.

All cancellation requests must be submitted in writing by email to cancellations@explorica.com. If you cancel and name a replacement participant in writing at least 106 days prior to departure, we will refund $200 of your cancellation fees. Regretfully, we cannot refund late fees, bank fees, transfer fees, Travel Protection plan costs, or visa fees and we cannot transfer any payments between participants. You will receive your refund within six weeks.
Reinstating Enrollment

Participants who have cancelled and then want to rejoin the tour must pay a $50 reinstatement fee, plus any difference between the old and new Tour Fees and any applicable late fees, and their enrollment is subject to availability and to all conditions governing late enrollments (if applicable). Travelers must also re-purchase insurance (if applicable). If no space becomes available, all original cancellation fees apply.

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Cancellation Fees for tours departing in 2019:
(International Tours)

What is the cancellation policy?

Long before your tour begins, Explorica makes reservations for each enrolled participant, incurring many non-refundable costs. For this reason, we must charge cancellation fees.

In order to protect your travel investment in the event you need to cancel your tour, we recommend purchasing a travel protection plan.
If you withdraw this many
days prior to departure		 You will receive a full refund minus the following amounts
More than 150 Days $300 + the $99 Non-Refundable Deposit
149-111 Days $500 + the $99 Non-Refundable Deposit
110-76 Days 50% of all fees + the $99 Non-Refundable Deposit
75-31 Days 75% of all fees + the $99 Non-Refundable Deposit
30 Days or Less No refund*

* If you notify us of your cancellation in writing at least 24 hours prior to your departure you will receive a $100 refund.

All cancellation requests must be submitted in writing by email to cancellations@explorica.com. If you cancel and name a replacement participant in writing at least 106 days prior to departure, we will refund $200 of your cancellation fees. Regretfully, we cannot refund late fees, bank fees, transfer fees, Travel Protection plan costs, or visa fees and we cannot transfer any payments between participants. You will receive your refund within six weeks.
Reinstating Enrollment

Participants who have cancelled and then want to rejoin the tour must pay a $50 reinstatement fee, plus any difference between the old and new Tour Fees and any applicable late fees, and their enrollment is subject to availability and to all conditions governing late enrollments (if applicable). Travelers must also re-purchase insurance (if applicable). If no space becomes available, all original cancellation fees apply.

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Cancellation Fee
(U.S. & Canada Bus Tours)

What is the cancellation policy?

Long before your tour begins, Explorica makes reservations for each enrolled participant, incurring many non-refundable costs. For this reason, we must charge cancellation fees.

In order to protect your travel investment in the event you need to cancel your tour, we recommend purchasing a travel protection plan.

The following cancellation policies apply:
If you withdraw this many days prior to departure You will receive a full refund for covered reasons minus the following amounts
More than 60 Days $99 Non-Refundable Deposit
60-31 Days 50% of All Fees + $99 Non-Refundable Deposit
30 Days or Less 100% of All Fees + $99 Non-Refundable Deposit

All cancellation requests made within 60 days of your departure must be submitted in writing by email to cancellations@explorica.com. Regrettably, we cannot refund late fees, bank fees, transfer fees, tickets and deposits for pre-booked events, or Travel Protection plan costs, and we cannot transfer any payments between participants. You will receive your refund within six weeks.
Name Swap Option

Should you cancel your enrollment 31 days or more prior to departure and find a replacement participant for your enrollment slot, your cancellation fee will be reduced to only $25 (plus all nonrefundable items). Note: The Travel Protection Plan is non-transferrable and non-refundable.
Reinstating Enrollment

Participants who have cancelled and then want to rejoin the tour must pay a $50 reinstatement fee, plus any difference between the old and new Tour Fees and any applicable late fees, and their enrollment is subject to availability and to all conditions governing late enrollments (if applicable). Travelers must also re-purchase insurance (if applicable). If no space becomes available, all original cancellation fees apply.

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Cancellation Fee
(U.S. & Canada Flight Tours)

What is the cancellation policy?

Long before your tour begins, Explorica makes reservations for each enrolled participant, incurring many non-refundable costs. For this reason, we must charge cancellation fees.

In order to protect your travel investment in the event you need to cancel your tour, we recommend purchasing a travel protection plan.
The following cancellation policies apply:
If you withdraw this many days prior to departure You will receive a full refund for covered reasons minus the following amounts
More than 95 Days $99 Non-Refundable Deposit
95-31 Days 50% of All Fees + $99 Non-Refundable Deposit
30 Days or Less 100% of All Fees + $99 Non-Refundable Deposit

* If you notify us at least 14 days prior to your departure you will receive a $50 refund.

All cancellation requests made within 95 days of your departure must be submitted in writing by email to cancellations@explorica.com. For Canada flight tours, if you cancel and name a replacement participant in writing at least 60 days prior to departure, we will credit your account $75. Regrettably, we cannot refund late fees, bank fees, transfer fees, tickets and deposits for pre-booked events, or Travel Protection plan costs, and we cannot transfer any payments between participants. You will receive your refund within six weeks.
Reinstating Enrollment

Participants who have cancelled and then want to rejoin the tour must pay a $50 reinstatement fee, plus any difference between the old and new Tour Fees and any applicable late fees, and their enrollment is subject to availability and to all conditions governing late enrollments (if applicable). Travelers must also re-purchase insurance (if applicable). If no space becomes available, all original cancellation fees apply.

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Private Group Fee

If your group has elected to have its own bus and Tour Director rather than travel with other groups, a Private Group Fee will be added to each paying participant’s account based on the reservation size selected in the pricing stage.  This fee ensures that tour costs are covered for groups that do not reach Explorica’s minimum group size requirements. 

After the enrollment deadline has passed, the Private Group Fee will be reconciled on all paying participant accounts based on the final reservation size.  At this time, an additional fee may be assessed if the final reservation size does not meet the original anticipated number of paying participants.  Conversely, refunds will be issued if the group exceeds the original anticipated number of paying participants.  Payment should be made promptly and the quoted fee for a private tour is based on your group size and tour costs.

The Private Group Fee will be reconciled on each paying participant's account one day after the tour’s final enrollment deadline.

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Bounced Check Fee

Payments rejected due to insufficient funds, disputed by your credit company, returned to us by the drawer’s bank, or returned due to a stop payment order are subject to a $35 non-refundable fee.

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Non-Refundable Deposit

The Non-Refundable Deposit is $99 per person for International tours departing from the U.S. and includes:
A $100 discount on future International tours, or a $50 discount of future North American tours
Access to your personal Tour Center for six months after each tour

The Non-Refundable Deposit is not transferable, and must be paid even if you only plan to travel with Explorica on one tour.

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Adult Fees

As our prices are based on student rates, we charge a flat rate adult supplement to those 23 years of age and over. The adult fee for international tours is $125 per adult and $45 per adult for US and Canada tours.  

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Double/Twin or Single Room Supplements

All students room together in same-gender triples or quadruples (except on night trains, cruises & ferries). Adults are automatically placed in twin rooms unless a single is requested. The double/twin or single room supplement will apply in addition to the adult supplement, and will be charged even if the adult requests a triple room. Participants under the age of 23 are not permitted to room in singles. Please note that single room accommodations are not available on night trains, cruises or ferries. Double/twin accommodations are not available on night trains, and cannot be guaranteed on ferries.
The rooming supplements are:

International Tours
Double/Twin: $45 per night and $70 for cruises and ferries
Single: $85 per night

U.S. & Canada Tours
Double/Twin: $45 per night
Single: $85 per night

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Airport Fees & Taxes

Explorica's Tour Fees include airport fees, taxes, and airplane fuel surcharges.
These fees and taxes include:
Airport taxes, which are levied by departure, arrival, and connecting airports
Security taxes and fees, introduced in response to September 11th
Immigration taxes
Airport improvement fees
Airline fuel surcharges
Passenger facility charges

Explorica does not implement or collect these charges. They are levied by the airports and transportation agencies that control all flights. We simply collect these fees from our travelers and pass them onto these agencies.

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Optional Extras

Explorica offers a variety of optional excursions, specialized travel arrangements such as individual stay ahead and stay behinds and travel protection plans for each tour.

Please note that our Greek Cruise Line offers its own optional shore excursions. You are more than welcome to take advantage of these activities, but you must book them separately during your cruise through the cruise line. These activities are not associated with Explorica, and they are not included in your Tour Fee.

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FAQ Sections

General FAQs 

Fees FAQs