TourTheSouthwest.com LLC
         Your Source for "Custom Designed Private Tours" of the West & Southwest USA

When you sign one of our tour “Agreements” you are accepting and fully agree to all the following general company "Terms and Conditions" as they might apply to your tour Agreement. Some of these terms only apply to our “Day Tours”, some only apply to our smaller “Custom Private Tours”, and some only apply to our “Custom Motorcoach Tours”.

 

Terms and Conditions

LIABILITY

You understand and agree that the owners of TourTheSouthwest.com LLC shall not be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, consequential or exemplary damages, including, but not limited to, physical injury of any kind, damages for loss of profits, and damages for loss of property as a result of any tour or other services booked through us. Your only and sole recourse is through any provided insurance company’s coverage.

TourTheSouthwest.com, LLC does not always provide the local tour guide, shuttle services, limousine service and other services. When using our tour services, you understand that TourTheSouthwest.com LLC sometimes acts as a booking agency for different services, tour companies, and independent guides. We do not own or directly control any of the tour companies, independent guides, and vehicle lease or rental companies through whom we book tours and services that you have requested or that are a part of your tour agreement.

PAYMENTS, CANCELLATIONS, AND REFUND POLICY

We usually require a 20% to 50% non-refundable deposit for all “Custom Tours”. The deposit amount varies depending on the length of the tour, booking deposit requirements for the chosen tour "activities" and local tours, the number of tour participants, and other considerations.

We require a full non-refundable deposit or payment in advance for any "day" tour(s), defined as any tour that does not include accommodations.

We require a full non-refundable deposit or payment in advance for our "step-on-guide" services.

If you cancel your tour(s), deposits and other payments are not usually refundable. No “Custom Tour” contract cancellations will be accepted within 60 days prior to the first tour date and the contractor will be held responsible for full payment within the 60-day limit.

Additional days, additional locations, and/or additional passengers may be added to a Custom Tour agreement when possible, based on availability of tour guide(s), accommodations, tour vehicle, etc. Additional charges will be applied.

If TourTheSouthwest.com LLC, our designated Tour Operator, our tour guide, our designated Shuttle Service, or our designated Motor Coach Company cancels your confirmed and scheduled tour prior to departure for any reason, you will receive a FULL refund of any charges for said services canceled. If we are forced to cancel a tour that is in progress, you will receive a prorated refund based on the number of days not completed on the trip. We have never canceled any booked tour or any portion of a tour for any reason, including weather.

We will not make any tour charge refunds if we return you to your designated return location later than planned. It is impossible to control all situations such as traffic problems caused by construction projects, weather conditions, and highway accidents.

We do not recommend a departure by an air flight on the last day of your tour as we cannot guarantee your tour ending time. We will not be responsible for any refund for any airline tickets purchased or for any non-refundable airline tickets purchased by any of our tour participants. You are fully and totally responsible to be available and on site at the agreed to starting location and starting time of your tour(s). Your personally purchased “Travel Insurance” may cover any such unavoidable delays before or after your tour.

SIGHTSEEING & SIDE TOURS

Local area sightseeing tours, guides, and admissions are usually covered in the tour price as outlined in the itinerary and in your signed “Agreement". Such activities are NOT included in our charges if not specifically listed in your itinerary and Agreement.

If a prepaid activity or local tour is canceled due to rain or flooding, etc., TTSW will "substitute" one or more other activities of equal or greater value.

GRATUITIES

Tips to your guide, your bus driver, local tour guides, doormen, hotel and restaurant staffs, and dining room tips on meals are not usually included in our charges for Custom Tours except as specified in your Custom Tour Agreement.

CONTRACTUAL AGREEMENT & RELEASE OF LIABILITY FORM

A “Contractual Agreement” will be used by TourTheSouthwest.com LLC to officially book and confirm any tour. Our tours have the option of a “Group Agreement” or may have “Individual Participant Agreements” depending on the preference of the person(s) booking the tour.

We will provide a “Release of Liability” form that must be signed and returned by each person on all our tours.

INSURANCE

We do not normally include any personal tour participant travel insurance in our price quotes or charges for any of our tours. We strongly recommend insurance to protect your investment because your travel, tour, and deposit commitments can be substantial. We also recommend that you have your own accident, liability and personal property insurance. TourTheSouthwest.com LLC has a license to sell individual or group Travel Insurance policies when requested.

The vehicles that we use for our “Custom Tours” are usually insured for “liability” through our vehicle rental/lease/charter companies.

Bus motorcoach companies that we sub-contract are required by Federal laws to carry significant insurance policies and must meet other Federal regulations. When requested, we can usually acquire a copy of the paper work that shows their compliance with these Federal regulations.

We may have limited choices as to who provides our local area sub-contracted tours and we do not have any control over their insurance policies. Each of our sub-contracted tour agents and vehicle providers may have their own vehicle insurance policy, may purchase a policy from their vehicle rental/lease/charter company, or may NOT have any insurance at all. In most case we cannot verify another local tour company’s insurance policies, the quality of their insurance, or if they even have insurance.

GROUP LEADER

For larger size “Custom Tours”, the group leader shall be the person who is responsible for most of the important communications between the guide/driver and the group. The designated group leader will make all necessary decisions for the group, will be the only person who can make requests of the guide/driver, will be the person who helps the guide check in at all the hotels, and as needed helps assign hotel rooms to the group participants.

TOUR GUIDES

Your tour guide will be an experienced professional who will remain with your group throughout the duration of your tour or as otherwise stated in your tour Agreement. For our smaller size group tours the guide will also be your vehicle’s driver. For our larger motorcoach tours the guide will also perform the duties of a tour director.

PERSONAL EXPENSES

Phone calls, room service, alcoholic and bar beverages, mineral water, soft drinks, laundry, airline excess luggage charges, vaccinations, visa fees and services, airport departure transfers, airport and departure taxes, and other optional or incidental extras are not included in your tour price.

CLOSURES AND ITINERARY CHANGES

Some parks and other site visits, museums, shopping, and scheduled activities may be disrupted due to unforeseen circumstances such as government closures, weather, local events such as bicycle and road races, and religious, state and/or locally observed holidays.

We pledge to make every effort to operate all tours as agreed to in your itinerary. We reserve the right to alter the itinerary; to curtail portions of the itinerary; and to substitute sightseeing, hotels, and/or conveyances as deemed necessary or which may be required due to unforeseen closures, weather conditions and other factors.

TourTheSouthwest.com LLC does not make any tour refunds due to any of the above closures and changes. Any resultant added expense would be covered by TourTheSouthwest.com LLC.

ACCOMMODATIONS

Accommodations are selected on the basis of quality, location, cleanliness, dining facilities, and the warm hospitality of their management and staff. We believe you will be delighted with our selections. Room assignments are always made by the hotel / motel in an impartial manner.

Special requests for smoking/nonsmoking rooms, king-size beds, and connecting rooms need to be made when booking your tour or at least 30 days prior to departure. We try to honor all requests but in some hotels and locations special requests cannot always be honored.

In most locations, rollaway cots are available but are not recommended for comfort. All hotel and lodge accommodations come with private baths, as well as many other amenities. Although quality may vary from place to place, we seek to provide the best rated available accommodations unless otherwise stated in your tour Agreement.

In the National Parks and in some peak season locations, accommodations may be somewhat rustic, but their location gives you the opportunity to more easily view the splendor of the parks and other undeveloped areas. Service staffs in National Park facilities are often part-time employees who are relatively inexperienced. Their service and amenities may not compare to the hotels we use in locations outside the Parks.
We must be informed in advance if you or someone in your group has a disability that prevents their independence. A travel companion must assume full responsibility for their care and mobility.

LUGGAGE RESPONSIBILITY

On our smaller Custom Tours, baggage handling will be provided for those who have special needs or who are not physically able to handle their own baggage.

If luggage handling is included in your motorcoach tour Agreement, we will provide that service for one bag per person of up to 50 pounds maximum. If luggage weight exceeds 50 pounds, you may be asked to remove items to make the weight acceptable or you will have to handle your own baggage at all times. Each person may bring another smaller overnight bag with a maximum size of 8 inches deep, 16 inches high, and 30 inches long. Maximum weight is 20 lbs. These bags are the responsibility of each passenger. All baggage in the storage bays under a motorcoach tour can only be accessed on arrival at the evening accommodations. Passengers are also responsible for the smaller bags and other items that are stored in the overhead area of most motor coaches, storage areas with doors that are similar to the overhead areas on an airplane.

Every effort is made to handle luggage carefully. We cannot be responsible, assume liability, or accept claims for loss or damage to luggage and personal effects due to breakage, theft, or fair wear and tear through its handling by anyone including the bus driver, your tour guide, any hotel personnel, your airline, or any group carrier handling. It is important for your own self-interest and protection that you make certain you have adequate insurance to cover these eventualities.

MEDICAL ISSUES

We must be advised in writing, at or prior to booking, of any participant with a medical, physical, emotional or mental condition that may require professional attention during the trip or may require the use of special equipment. If someone in your group has a disability that prevents their independence, a travel companion must assume full responsibility for their care and mobility. Your tour guide will assist where possible and when available. If a participant requires a wheelchair or walker, they must provide their own small, collapsible wheelchair or walker. Certain features, locations, sites, activities, and certain trips are not wheelchair-accessible. We reserve the right to decline any trip participant whose condition, in our opinion, may affect the health, safety or enjoyment of other participants. We cannot normally accommodate women past their seventh month of pregnancy.

PHOTOGRAPHY & VIDEO WHILE ON TOUR

Occasionally, we will use photographs and/or video taken by fellow guests or by your Guide/Director on your tour for promotional purposes or on our website. If you prefer that your photo not be used in any marketing activities, please notify your Guide/Director or TourTheSouthwest.com LLC at the start of your tour.

CHANGES TO THESE COMPANY "TERMS & CONDITIONS"

Our Terms and Conditions are subject to changes and updates at any time. Because your tour may be very unique and very custom designed, the Terms and Conditions that we provide to you when you sign one of our tour "Agreements" may be slightly different than the terms on this webpage.