Caravan Group Information

Caravan 2009 Group Policies

Contact Caravan Groups by e-mailing groups@caravantours.com. Please fax group payments to 312 321-9845. Back to Top

Minimum number

Minimum number for 2009 is 15.

If you wish to reserve group space, please email us at groups@caravantours.com and we will immediately submit your request.

Please note that group requests currently can take up to 72 hours to confirm. As soon as we receive confirmation we will let you know. You will receive a group number with your confirmation. Back to Top

Not all dates can be confirmed as requested

Group blackout dates and other limitations on space (even when free-selling individual space on group blackout dates. ) may mean we cannot offer the preferred date or even a close date. Please make sure your group members are aware of this. They may find they cannot travel as a group on the date or at the price point they wish. Group space on Super, Special and Holiday Value priced tours is extremely limited and usually not available. Please email groups@caravantours.com to verify availability. Back to Top

Group size/ Sharing a bus

We do not offer “exclusive” group space, so please make sure your tour members know they will be sharing the bus with non-group members. We’d like to remind you that the standard review period is now 21-30 days (actual review date will be confirmed with group space confirmation.) If you have a newsletter or group meeting planned to promote your group, please keep this new deadline in mind. We regret that extensions cannot always be offered on the review date.

Group space on any given tour may be subject to limits, even if individual space is available. Group space and rebates cannot be offered to any agent or group leader choosing to also book individual space on the same tour, unless such arrangements have been agreed with Caravan.

Caravan will endeavor to secure rooms close to your companion group members and to seat you together. However, in fairness to all travelers on board, our seat rotation policy may mean the entire group may not always be seated together. As a courtesy to your fellow passengers, please limit any group-specific activities to time off the bus. Caravan can never guarantee bus exclusivity and reserves the right to offer any unsold seats for general sale, once the review period has expired. We also reserve the right to increase tour capacity at any time. Back to Top

No Group Collections for Gratuity

We ask the group members offer gratuities to the driver and tour director on an individual basis. Group space cannot be offered where a group collection is made for the gratuity. Back to Top

Payments

All payments must be made in full, including rebated places. No net or discounted payments can be accepted. Back to Top

Deposit

Deposit is $399 per person (includes optional Travel Protection Plan at $99) and is due by the review date given to you by Caravan. Review date period may vary. Final payment is due 90 days prior to departure. Back to Top

Payment Advisory for Travel Agents and Group Leaders

We accept Visa and Mastercard (sorry, no American Express). We cannot accept check payments for groups, nor net payments, discounted payments or overcharges. Your group payments are posted to the specific group members booked, as if they were individual bookings. We cannot accept consolidated group payments. Please keep your confirmations of deposit and refer to them when making final payment. Please fax or mail payment details to 312 321-9845. You may use the authorization forms provided with your confirmation or draw up your own to include name, address and phone of cardholder, card number and expiration date. If paying with a third party credit card (card belongs to other than agent or client traveling) , we will require written authorization from the cardholder, and any refunds due on that booking will be made to that cardholder. We cannot make exceptions to this.

Once processed, credit card charges and checks cannot be refunded nor can they be substituted by a new card or check except in the event of a cancellation, transfer (usual penalties are assessed where applicable). No overcharges can be accepted. Back to Top

Contact Caravan Groups

As of May 1, 2008, all travel agents must contact the group department by email or fax. The email address is groups@caravantours.com, the fax 312 321-9845. All payments should be faxed to this number. Any requests, questions or name submissions may also be sent by email. If you are a group leader and you or your group members do not have email access, please call 1 800 CARAVAN (1 800 227-2826) and leave a message. Your call will be returned as soon as possible. The group department is available 9AM-4 PM CST Monday-Friday. Back to Top

Final Documents

Travel documents are sent three weeks before departure, please keep this in mind when scheduling any document parties.We will be glad to request early dispatch of documents but cannot guarantee such requests can be accommodated. Back to Top

Name Changes

A penalty of $200 is assessed for a name change when the canceling passenger does not have Caravan’s Travel Protection Plan. To receive any refund, the new passenger must pay AT THE TIME of cancelation. A penalty of $50 is assessed for a name change when canceling passenger has purchased Caravan’s Travel Protection Plan. To receive any refund, the new passenger must pay AT THE TIME of cancelation. The Travel Protection Plan is not transferable or refundable. Back to Top

Flight and Emergency Contact Information

Please be sure to advise Caravan of your group members' flight information and pre/post tour travel plans. This information allows us to prepare hotels for clients' arrival and to track clients should they be late for a tour. For tours where a transfer is offered, we MUST have flight information in order to provide the transfer. Please also advise us of an emergency contact telephone number for each client, someone we can call should an emergency arise during the tour. Back to Top

Transfers

Transfers in Latin America are organized by your Caravan representative upon arrival (first day of tour only). Transfers are provided for some USA and Canada tours- please see our current brochure. In the USA and Canada, any arriving transfer is provided by hotel courtesy shuttle or by an independent service. If you are part of a larger group and are joining a tour where the arrival transfer is provided by hotel shuttle, you might wish to call the hotel in advance to verify transfer arrangements. Caravan will send your flight details to the hotel in question but does not otherwise make any special arrangements where the transfer is provided by a hotel courtesy shuttle. Limited shuttle capacity may cause delays in transferring larger groups. Please be aware that our independent transfer services and hotels are not always able to respond to delayed flight arrivals. Sufficient capacity vehicles are not always available at short notice, when a flight has been substantially delayed. Larger groups might wish to avoid any late night scheduled arrivals. If you flight is delayed, on the day of arrival, please contact your Caravan tour director at the hotel. Back to Top

Airport and Departure Taxes

Airport and departure taxes are not included in the price. For your guidance, you should expect to pay $20.00 per person departure tax for the Copper Canyon tour. This tax is payable in cash and on an individual basis. Caravan will provide the necessary forms for you to fill. Please contact your airline for all other tours. Back to Top

Meals

Where meals are included by Caravan, we regret we cannot guarantee any special requests, even for vegetarian meals. We will be glad to take a note of your request, but we cannot make any advance arrangements. Any availability of alternate dishes can only be determined on site at the restaurant concerned, and varies by departure and tour. Many of our clients chose to bring prepackaged snacks, in case an alternative is not available. If you have a serious food allergy, please contact Caravan. While we cannot make any assurances about the food on our tour, we would like to discuss this important issue with you.

F.A.Q.

How many persons constitute a group in 2008?

12 persons. If 11 full-fare paying clients buy our Travel Protection Plan, the 12th person would generate a rebate equivalent to one-half of a twin space. For example, for Costa Rica in 2008, that would be a rebate of $597.50 in high season. Please note that the rebate is not offered for all departures. Please call the group department to verify available dates for groups. Please note the rebate is only awarded to groups who book on a group basis and sign our group agreement. We cannot retroactively convert individual bookings to group status and no rebate will be paid on bookings not covered by the group agreement. No travel agent commission is paid on rebated or partially rebated places. Back to Top

Not all my group wish to purchase the TPP – can our group still block space?

Yes, if the date you have chosen is generally eligible for a group block.

See also: Travel Protection Plan. Back to Top

My group prefer to purchase an outside Travel Protection plan. Can we still block space?

Yes. Purchase of Caravan’s Travel Protection Plan is optional. Clients who purchase outside insurance can still book group space but will not qualify for the group rebate. Caravan’s Travel Protection Plan also includes some coverage for the air tickets you have purchased separately. Some restrictions apply.

See also: Travel Protection Plan. Back to Top

I need the insurance to cover my add-ons. Your insurance does not.

The plan does NOT cover independent items of any kind (with the exception of your flights to and from the tour, covered for medical and other limited reasons specified in the policy). We cannot offer the rebate without purchase of our Travel Protection Plan but you may still block space and purchase your own insurance. Back to Top

Our group leader needs to have a single room- does the group rebate cover that?

The group rebate is set at the twin rate pricing. In this case, the group leader would pay the balance and taxes/fees for a single room. Back to Top

We have to get one free place for our group leader.

Be sure to verify that you have chosen a departure which pays a rebate, and that your group buys our Travel Protection Plan. In 2008, you will need to sell at least 24 seats to generate this rebate that will be sent when travel is complete. Whilst we will do our very best to work with you, please be aware that our shorter review periods might mean you do not have time to sell into the rebate zone. We are aware that some groups will not travel unless their group leader travels with them. Unless the group is able to sell into their target zone within the given period, Caravan may not be a good fit for this group. Back to Top

When will I receive our group rebate?

The rebate check is sent to the group leader or booking agent when travel is complete. The rebate is only paid on bookings that meet all the group terms and where a group agreement has been signed. It is mailed to the travel agent or group leader and cannot be credited prior to travel. Only one check is sent- we regret we cannot divide the rebate amongst group members. Back to Top

Can Caravan arrange transfers if the tour does not provide them?

We cannot arrange additional transfers or customize existing arrangements. Please be sure to check with us to verify start and end dates and timings, before arranging your own transfers. Where a complimentary transfer is provided, please remember that larger groups may have to be transferred over two or more trips, depending on shuttle capacity and availability. We regret we cannot alter timings, hotel locations or customize transfers to accommodate either large groups or flight times that fall outside of Caravan’s stated parameters. Unused transfers cannot be refunded. Please also see the paragraph TRANSFERS for important information regarding delayed flight arrivals for groups. Back to Top

What are your blackout dates?

The group rebate is not offered for all departures- please contact Caravan to discuss group eligible dates. If you have made a waitlist request for dates yet to be confirmed, please note that the time frame or price point you are requesting may not be available for groups. Your group request is not confirmed until we have given you a contract and group number. Other space restrictions may apply to these black out dates even when free selling individual places. Please be sure your group is aware of this so as to avoid disappointment. If waitlisting for space in a new travel season, where dates, prices and group policies are not yet available, your group may prefer to make alternate plans. Back to Top

Why are some tours not available for group blocks?

Owing to high demand and fast sold-out rates- and in order to be fair to our individual clientele- we have only limited space available for groups. Back to Top

Does your Travel Protection Plan extend to air coverage?

Yes, it does- we do not sell air and this plan will cover the air you have purchased separately for cancellation/tour interruption for medical reasons (some restrictions apply). The plan also covers a total of 7 pre or post tour travel days under Part B. Please note that Part A coverage only extends to the Caravan Tour portion. Pre and post tour hotel cancellation charges, and other independent add-ons are not covered.

See also: Travel Protection Plan. Back to Top

How many do we need to get our own bus?

We do not offer exclusive group blocks. If your group sells out the initial block of space and there is still availability, we will be glad to increase your space at that point to a maximum of 30 seats. The maximum bus capacity is typically 40-46 passengers and Caravan reserves the right to determine full capacity at any time. We regret, Caravan cannot guarantee tour bus “exclusivity”. Back to Top

Can you guarantee our group will sit together?

Caravan will endeavor to secure rooms close to your companion group members and to seat you together. However, in fairness to all travelers on board, our seat rotation policy may mean the entire group may not always be seated together. As a courtesy to your fellow passengers, please limit any group-specific activities to time off the bus. Back to Top

We have a smaller group but want our own bus- can you do special pricing for us?

We are not able to adjust the pricing of our tours to accommodate smaller “exclusive” groups. Back to Top

Our group won’t decide until … they always come through but we need to hold space longer

Because of high demand for space on our tours, we cannot always extend initial review dates. This policy may not work for all groups. However, since dates might be added later in the season, we recommend you check back with us when your group is ready to commit- we may have new dates available. We cannot accept deposits without names. Back to Top

I want to block space on behalf of my family group but I don’t have time for administrative duties!

Once we have confirmed your group’s block, your group members can call with the group number and add their names and payments themselves. On request, we will send their confirmations and documents directly to their preferred address. Please remind your group members to ask! Back to Top

We love the itinerary but we'd like to visit a place which is not included in your itinerary.

We regret that Caravan cannot customize tours nor change the given itinerary for groups. Our Travel Protection Plan does not cover cancellation penalties for independent add-ons. Back to Top

Our group is coming in a day early- Can Caravan meet us and book the hotel?

Caravan does not offer any special rates at hotels nor do we book independent pre-tour and post-tour nights. If you wish to benefit from room continuity at a particular hotel, please book a standard room and advise Caravan so we can make a note in our rooming list. Caravan cannot extend transfer services to include pre-tour or post tour arrivals and departures. Unused transfers cannot be refunded. Back to Top

What is a promotionally priced departure?

Some of our tours have two price points. The lower price offered is a promotionally priced departure. Back to Top

Can we take our own tour director?

Although your personal tour leader would be welcome to join the group, only the Caravan tour director can lead the group and issue instructions and commentary. Back to Top

We loved traveling with our first tour director…

We will be glad to note your request but we cannot guarantee that a particular tour director will be assigned to your tour. Caravan cannot advise the name of your tour director prior to travel. Back to Top

My group are of mixed citizenship and includes minors- can you advise us regarding visas and other travel documentation?

We only keep information regarding travel for US Citizens. Please be sure to check with the consulate of your destination country AND with the airline regarding entry documentation. Any information offered by Caravan is intended as a guide and clients should always verify the information with an official source. Airlines should always be contacted to verify documentation needed for security purposes. Clients resident overseas, please note: Our Travel Protection Plan is now offered to all Caravan clients, regardless of country of residency. Back to Top

What are your recommendations when traveling with minors?

It is recommended that children under 18 years old traveling internationally without both parents or legal guardians, carry a notarized letter of authorizations signed by the missing parent(s) or guardian(s). A notarized birth certificate showing only one parent, a parent’s death certificate, or a court order of child custody may also be permissible. Failure to have proper documentation could result in denial of admission to the country or denial of boarding by your airline, due to international child protection laws. Back to Top

Is deposit refundable?

The deposit of $300.00 is not refundable- unless clients have purchased Caravan’s Travel Protection Plan. Under the plan, deposits are refunded for cancellation for any reason. The $100.00 deductible will be applied and the $99.00 policy itself is non-refundable. Back to Top

What forms of payment do you take?

Caravan welcomes Visa, MasterCard and Discover credit cards. We regret we do not take American Express cards and cannot accept check payments for groups. Back to Top

Does your Travel Protection Plan cover tour cancellation for any reason?

Yes-Caravan’s Tour Cancellation Protection Benefit provides a full refund less a deductible of $100 per person for tour cancellations made for any reason whatsoever prior to departure. Cancellations made within 72 hours prior to the start of the tour, or during the tour, will be charged an additional $50 per person administrative fee. Please note, the coverage for air tickets applies to cancellation for medical reasons only. Some limitations apply. Back to Top

Does Caravan offer shells, letterhead, etc?

Although we do not offer shells and other promotional stationery, group leaders are welcome to use information from our website to promote their Caravan group. This use does not extend to groups not traveling with Caravan. Groups cover their own marketing expenses. Back to Top

Does Caravan offer student discounts, senior discounts, etc?

Caravan does not currently offer any discounts. All travelers receive the same low price. See also our group rebate section. Back to Top

We are resident overseas- can we still take your Travel Protection Plan?

Yes!