Reserving Your Place
To reserve space on a trip, please Book Your Trip by contacting Italian Connection on our reservations page or email your request to info@italian-connection.com
You will be sent a reservation form, and once we receive your completed form, you will receive an invoice by email with a link to a secure site where you can input your credit card details to make your tour deposit. Once we receive your deposit, we will send you more information with specific details about your departure, called “Practical Facts,” and we are pleased to assist you with your pre and post-tour travel arrangements. After final payment, and about 1 month before the tour departure, you will receive your personalized “Hip Trip Tips” with practical and entertaining information pertaining to your specific tour.
Payment Schedule
(Early reservations are recommended since group sizes are limited. )
- At time of reservation – $1000 USD
- 65 days prior to departure – Balance due
We accept payment by ACH check or wire transfer in US dollars (USD) or by American Express, Visa and MasterCard credit cards.
Bookings made within the 65-day period prior to the start of a tour are subject to hotel availability and require full payment. Please see the Cancellation and Refund section for details.
Pricing
Our scheduled tour prices are guaranteed and no surcharges will be applied for currency fluctuations. However, the price is based on a minimum group size of 6 paying participants. Should the number of participants on a tour fall short of the minimum, a per-person surcharge will be assessed by agreement with the participants. This system allows us to guarantee your departure and avoids the cancellation of a very small group. Italian Connection staff or guests of Italian Connection (e.g., travel writers and/or photographers) are not included in the 6-person count. (NOTE: The minimum number of participants on a private tour at a fixed price may be more than six – this will always be outlined in advance in the Private Tour Agreement.)
Single Supplements
Tour prices are based on double occupancy accommodations. Single travelers who request a single room will be charged a single supplement. If you are a single traveler who would prefer to share a twin-bedded room, we will try and match you with another single participant. If this is not possible, you will have a single occupancy room, and a single supplement will be charged. Whenever possible, we assign singles a double-sized room. What you are paying for with a single supplement is the comfort and privacy of your own room.
Trip Itinerary
We occasionally may find it necessary to make small changes in our stated itinerary. Usually when we make a change it is simply to improve the trip, but unforeseen circumstances may force us to alter the itinerary. We make every effort to keep any changes to a minimum, and any substitutions will be of equal or greater value.
Switching Trips
If it is necessary for a customer to switch from one tour to another, we will try to accommodate your request without charge, as long as the request is made more than 90 days in advance of the original tour booked. From 90-65 days in advance of the original tour booked, a surcharge of 10% of the trip price will be assessed for switching trips, unless the customer finds participants to fill the original slot. Requests made for switching trips less than 65 days in advance of the original trip will be treated as cancellations and our regular cancellation policy will apply. Italian Connection may decide to waive any fees for switching tours at its discretion on a case-by-case basis.
Cancellation and Refund
Because Italian Connection uses small sought-after hotels that often require prepayment from Italian Connection far in advance, our own cancellation policy is necessary, which is why we recommend the purchase of individual travel insurance.
Deposits are non-refundable. However, if cancellation by a customer occurs 66 days or more before the tour departure, then 50% of the deposit ($500) may be applied as a credit to a future trip take within 18 month. If cancellation by a customer occurs after final payment less than 65 days but more than 45 days in advance, 50% of the final tour payment may be applied as a credit to a future trip taken within 18 months. In both of the above cases, the customer’s credit for future trips is transferable to new participants in case the original customer is unable to reschedule. Cancellations made by a customer 45 days or less in advance of a tour departure result in the loss of all monies received.
Italian Connection reserves the right to cancel any trip prior to departure for any reason whatsoever, such as, but not limited to, not meeting the minimum number of participants, and will do their best to notify any participants far in advance. Should Italian Connection find it necessary to cancel a trip, we shall refund all monies received which will constitute full settlement with the participant and release Italian Connection from any further liability, except when the cancellation of the tour is due to ”force majeure,” in which case Italian Connection’s “force majeure” policy will be applied to its tour cancellation, and the tour will be postponed to a future date and no refunds will be issued to participants; instead, a voucher will be issued with full credit for a future tour, see below:
In case of “force majeure,” which includes but is not limited to earthquake, civil unrest, terrorism, epidemic, pandemic, acts of God, war, natural or manmade disaster, quarantine, government regulations, strikes, civil disorder, curtailment of transportation, or other unforeseen or unpredictable circumstances which result in the impossibility and/or illegality to begin to operate a scheduled tour, a voucher in the amount of payments made by the customer will be issued for future travel, with a validity of 12-18 months at the discretion of Italian Connection. This voucher is transferable to new participants should the original customer be unable to partake in a future tour during the designated time period.
In the event that a “force majeure” situation should occur while a tour is in progress, Italian Connection’s top priority will be the safety and security of its participants, which may involve the disruption and/or ending of a tour. Whenever possible, the payments made for the remaining unused part of a tour interrupted by “force majeure” will be utilized to assist and/or repatriate affected customers, but does not constitute financial liability on the part of the tour operator Italian Connection nor will any refunds to the participant be forthcoming.
(Note: For private groups, our payment, cancellation, and refund policy may differ because of our prepayment agreements with tour hotels. All details will be provided before confirmation.)
Trip Cancellation Insurance
Trip cancellation insurance is not required but is strongly advised. Italian Connection does not sell travel insurance.
Some credit cards used for payment of an Italian Connection Tour may offer some coverage; it is the participant’s responsibility to check what is offered by their own individual credit card.
For USA residents, we suggest that you consult Generali insurance, a division of EuropAssistance, at https://www.generalitravelinsurance.com Or you may want to compare a selection of insurance companies and their coverage through sites such as insuremytrip.com. We always advise that you visit individual insurance company websites for detailed information about cancellation insurance, coverage, pre-existing conditions, and the premiums that are applied; in other words, read the fine print.
“Cancel for Any Reason” (CFAR) travel insurance that is offered by some companies at a higher premium cost, must be purchased within a specific time period of your initial deposit (usually 7-14 days) and must eventually include the FULL cost of the trip, which can be added at a later date to the insurance policy – this includes airfare, pre and post-tour hotels, etc. Most CFAR policies will reimburse only 50%-75% of the covered cost in case of cancellation, so please read policy restrictions carefully.
Limitation of Liability
These paragraphs (together with the Waiver of Liability section of the Application form) define our responsibility with respect to all our trips. Payment of your deposit represents your acceptance of the following terms and conditions:
Italian Connection gives notice that services provided in connection with its itineraries, including transportation, hotel accommodations, restaurants and other services, are purchased from various independent suppliers who are not affiliated with Italian Connection in any way. Although it endeavors to choose the best suppliers available, Italian Connection has no right to control their operations and therefore makes these travel arrangements upon the express condition that Italian Connection, and its own agents and employees, shall not be liable for any delay, mishap, inconvenience, expense, irregularity, bodily injury or death to person, or damage or loss of property occasioned through the conduct or default of any company or individual engaged in providing these services. Each of these passenger conveyance companies, hotels, restaurants, etc., is subject to the laws of the country where the service is provided.
Italian Connection shall not be liable for: (a) expenses such as additional hotel nights and meals not specified in the individual trip itineraries that may be required either en route, prior to, or following a trip, when caused by individual clients’ travel arrangements, by airline scheduling or airline schedule changes, canceled flights, missed flight connections or by other factors not under Italian Connection’s control; (b) expenses incurred in recovering luggage lost by airlines, belongings left behind on a trip, or in shipping purchases or other goods home from abroad; (c) bodily injury or property damage for any reason, including but not limited to acts of God, weather, quarantines, epidemics, strikes, civil disturbance, theft, default, detention, annoyance, changes in government regulations, pandemics, terrorism, war, or failure of conveyance to arrive or depart as scheduled, etc., or (c) any other “force majeure” situation over which Italian Connection has no control.
Italian Connection reserves the right to take photographic or film records of any of our trips, and may use any such records for promotional and/or commercial purposes in promoting its tours.
Italian Connection reserves the right to substitute trip leaders or hotels from those listed in their trip information without notice. This has been an extremely rare occurrence during our many years in business.
Italian Connection reserves the right to decline to accept or to restrain from further participation any person it judges to be incapable of meeting the rigors and requirements of participating in the activities, or any person whose actions or deportment impede trip operation or the rights, welfare or enjoyment of other trip members. No refund will be made other than for the cost of unused meals, constitutes the limit of Italian Connection’s responsibility in such a case.
Tour Participant’s Responsibility
Tour participants have the responsibility to select a trip appropriate to their abilities and interests. In order to assist you, we grade each trip with a Walking Level rating (Stroll, Easy, Moderate and Fitness). We are also happy to discuss the trip with you, as well as provide you with names of past participants who can share their experience with you. Tour participants are held responsible for being in sufficient good health to undertake the trip. Tour participants are responsible for preparing for the trip by carefully reviewing the itinerary and pre-departure information sent by Italian Connection and for bringing the appropriate clothing and equipment as advised therein.