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Frequently Asked Questions
Cancellations
- Will I have to pay a fee for canceling my reservation?
- 90 days prior to departure or more: $500 per person
- 89-60 days: 40% of your trip price paid
- 59-30 days: 65% of your trip price paid
- 29 days–departure: 100% of your trip price paid
Cancellation Charges for Small Ship Adventures and River Cruises:
- 90 days prior to departure or more: $750 per person
- 89-60 days: 40% of your trip price paid
- 59-30 days: 65% of your trip price paid
- 29 days–departure: 100% of your trip price paid
Effective for reservations booked prior to 1/1/25:
Cancellation Charges for Land Adventures and Land Vacations:
- 90 days prior to departure or more: No fee
- 89-60 days: 10% of your trip price paid
- 59-30 days: 65% of your trip price paid
- 29 days–departure: 100% of your trip price paid
Cancellation Charges for Small Ship Adventures and River Cruises:
- 90 days prior to departure or more: No fee
- 89-60 days: 40% of your trip price paid
- 59-30 days: 65% of your trip price paid
- 29 days–departure: 100% of your trip price paid
You will not be charged a fee for any changes made to your reservation up to 90 days before your trip departs. Such changes include: alterations to an existing departure date (such as removing air add-ons, optional pre- and post-trip extensions, stopovers, and other personalization options); moving your reservation to an alternate departure date or trip; and any changes to your air options. Changes to your reservation made within 89-30 days of your departure will be charged a $150 service fee per person per call, plus any additional fees charged by the airline. Please note that within this time frame, some elements of your trip may already be finalized and cannot be changed. Starting from 29 days until your departure date, your reservation will be finalized; no changes will be possible, and cancellations will be subject to the fees detailed above.
Travel Troubleshooter: Should Overseas Adventure Travel cover fare after cancellation?
DEAR TRAVEL TROUBLESHOOTER: I booked a trip for two to Costa Rica through Overseas Adventure Travel last year. It included pre-trip and post-trip extensions and round-trip airfare from San Francisco. I also paid for a business class upgrade, which cost $2,032 per person.
In late December 2022, I received a call from Overseas Adventure Travel advising that it had canceled the pre-trip portion due to a lack of interest. I had to rebook the airline tickets because the departure date would now be different. Because we were only two months from departure, the cost for this rebooking was an additional $1,056 per person, which the agent advised I would have to pay.
I appealed the decision to the executive contacts on your website, but never got a response.
During the trip, I spoke to some of the travelers who indicated they had inquired last October about the pre-trip. Overseas Adventure Travel told them that the pre-trip had been canceled, but the company waited another two months to advise me of the cancellation. If it had told me immediately, once the decision was made, that the pre-trip was canceled, the airfare would have been much less than it was two months before departure.
— Julie Brown, San Ramon
ANSWER: You’re right. Overseas Adventure Travel bears some responsibility for the increase in your costs. If it knew that your pre-trip was canceled, it should have told you immediately. Instead, it appears the company waited several months, and it’s no secret that airfares start to rise as you get closer to your departure date.
Overseas Adventure Travel’s terms are clear that the “company is not responsible for any losses you may incur” as a result of cancellations.
I’m also troubled by the way the company handled your request for help. You started with a polite phone call and then followed up in writing, first through the customer service department and then to an Overseas Adventure Travel executive (as you note, I list their names and numbers on my consumer advocacy site, Elliott.org).
“When I spoke with several customer service reps at Overseas Adventure Travel, they told me that they never respond to written correspondence and that we needed to call them, not write to them,” you told me. “They also refused to let me speak with a supervisor or manager.”
I have a problem with that kind of “customer service.” A company should always answer its customers, even if it’s to politely say “no.”
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If you’re considering a tour with Overseas Adventure Travel, it’s helpful to know that they will hold you responsible for their schedule changes, at least when it comes to airfare. Also, they may not respond to your emails.
I contacted Overseas Adventure Travel on your behalf. A representative responded to me.
“Regarding Ms. Brown’s experience with customer service, we have expanded our traveler support team and extended our hours of operation to address the high volume of inquiries,” the representative told me. “We spoke with Ms. Brown, and she accepted a $2,100 certificate in compensation for this issue.”
Christopher Elliott is the founder of Elliott Advocacy, a nonprofit organization that helps consumers solve their problems. Email him at chris@elliott.org or get help by contacting him at elliottadvocacy.org/help/.
(c) 2023 Christopher Elliott
Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.
https://www.oattravel.com/faq-home/cancellationshttps://www.mercurynews.com/2023/08/07/travel-troubleshooter-should-overseas-adventure-travel-cover-fare-after-cancellation/
