General Terms and Conditions | Go Alaska Tours Reservation Policy

Please read the General Terms and Conditions for Reservation - i.e.: Payment & Reservation Policy - carefully before making a reservation or purchase tour packages or other products via www.goalaskatours.com so as to fully understand all the rights and responsibilities of both parties. As a customer of the Alaska Travel Network Group, you shall understand and accept all contents and articles of these terms and conditions. We reserve the right to change the terms and conditions in part or in its entirety without prior notice.

All reservations are generally subject to a written reconfirmation. Electronically submitted and/or exchanged email requests, email responses, reservation forms and a customer acknowledgement to reserve tours, packages or other services are considerably not an indication for a confirmed reservation - unless you receive a formal itemized invoice and reservation confirmation through our company.

Adjustments and/or changes to any of the following reservation policies, terms and conditions are not permitted or accepted after a reservation is confirmed.

Every customer shall be responsible to familiarize himself with all of the following established policies, terms and conditions before submitting a reservation or request to us. These reservation policies, terms and conditions are considerably accepted through a customer after submitting the required deposit on/or before the indicated due date on our invoice. Any modification of a confirmed reservation thereafter is subject to our acceptance, a written reconfirmation and the payment of applicable service charges and/or cancellation fees.

We do not accept or respond to non-completed and submitted online forms or requests.

Table of Contents

01. Privacy Terms
02. Personal Information
03. Tax Information
04. Payment Policy
05. Late Payments
06. Amendments & Refunds
07. Complaint Resolution
08. Services
09. Website Contents
10. Self Drive Tours, Car & Motorhome Rentals
11. Travel Documents
12. Indemnification
13. Flights to | from Alaska
14. Cancellation Policy
15. Travel Insurance
16. Legal Statement 

1.0 Privacy Terms
We generally do not provide third parties with details of your reservation even if you authorize us to do so. Your personal information may only be used for the purpose to complete the reservation as confirmed and/or requested. For more information please refer to our  Privacy Policy Website.

2.0 Personal Information
Due to the increased security on various levels we may require additional personal information as deemed necessary to complete a reservation.

3.0 Tax Information
All published rates include applicable taxes and mandatory third party service charges levied at the time of publication - unless otherwise specified. Applicable tax rates are subject to change without further notice. We reserve the right to adjust confirmed rates if the current tax rates are changing.

4.0 Payment Policy
To guarantee any reservation we require a deposit as indicated on the invoice within seven (7) days after you receive the written confirmation. The total amount depends on the individual package reserved. Please check the invoice for details. Any late payments may result in a automatic cancellation. As a guaranteed form of payment we accept personal checks, money orders, direct bank transfers, credit card payments via PayPal, Zelle® and wire payments. Credit cards are accepted through PayPal with a supplementary processing fee of 3 % based on the total invoice amount. The credit card service fee (if applicable) is non-refundable and will be added to your final invoice at the time of reservation. All reservations must be paid in full prior to arrival and as indicated on our invoice. Any reservation made less than 45 days prior to the travel date is subject to an immediate full payment of our invoice. Service fees, any bank charges and/or processing and bank transfer fees are the responsibility of the sender. Occurring charges will be charged back to the sender.  

5.0 Late Payments
We do not provide any services to a customer unless full payment has been received on/or before the due date(s) indicated on our invoice. Cancellation fees are still applying according to our cancellation policy below. All cancellation fees are due immediately after receipt of the appropriate invoice and may be deducted from the initial deposit / balance we received from the client.

6.0 Amendments & Refunds
We are dedicated to provide always the best service to our customers. However, due to unforeseen circumstances, there may be changes to your travel plans. Every effort will be made to ensure that your tour itinerary will be the same as planned. That said, in order to ensure your safety, we reserve the right to make amendments including altering, postponing and canceling tours due to weather, transportation, accommodation and other uncontrollable reasons under very rare and special circumstances. Due to the seasonal characteristics of the northern region, many destinations are limited in the number of hotels offered. We reserve the right to substitute hotels of a similar category to confirm complete tour packages if our usual advertised hotels are sold out. Specific room assignments are the sole discretion of the hotel management. Furthermore, we also reserve the right to cancel any scheduled group - or tours based on full charter rates - if the number of customers is inadequate to form or operate the group tour. Any additional fees arising from the postponement or cancellation of tours as a result of uncontrollable reasons shall be solely borne by the customers. Our company does not offer any compensation. A supplier may cancel a tour due to inclement weather conditions or for any other reasons beyond his or our control. If a non-voluntary cancellation occurs we will refund the original tour price less a service charge of $50.00. No further claims are accepted. All refund requests are only honored in written and within fourteen (14) days after a cancellation occurs. Each request need to be accompanied by the appropriate documentation. Please allow a processing time of approximately four (4) weeks.

Terms related to Glacier Bay Packages: The weather in southeast Alaska can be more unpredictable in comparison to the rest of Alaska. We strongly recommend obtaining travel insurance to cover delays or cancellations that affect you getting to your destination which is Gustavus in Glacier Bay National Park. Since we do not get any refunds, we are not responsible for the weather and airline decisions. Flights may get cancelled and rescheduling may be a possible option based on all service providers availability. Travel insurance can cover expenses affected by delays or cancellations, including affected flights, any additional nights of lodging, missed boat tours, and other out-of-pocket expenses. We reiterate that a travel insurance is the best way forward to address these unpredictable situations.

6.1. Unused Tour Services:
Unused tour services or any portion thereof are generally non refundable. Cancellations or tour changes after the departure date are subject to applicable cancellation fees.

6.2. Additional Iditarod | Winter Touring Information:
We are using ski planes for most checkpoint and wilderness lodge flights. Ski planes are providing a very limited load capacity. For your own safety, we do carry any overweight beyond the officially FAA established plane load limits. Clients who are on day trips may carry a small 15-20 liter backpack. Additional luggage may not be accepted. Our advertised individual or package rates for overnight and day tours - including any ski plane flights - are based and calculated on a FAA standardized or average passenger weight of 185 lb (85 kg) per person. It is mandatory to confirm and log the weight of each passenger at the time of reservation in order to calculate and/or balance the maximum weight for each flight destination and the particular plane type used e.g. Cessna (3/4 Clients), Beaver (6 Clients) or Otter (10 Clients). A out-of-line weight difference at the time of departure may result in the use of a different ski plane type, transportation surcharges for the particular client(s), or even denial or cancellation of services. Our fly outs are also based on full charter rates and/or on a minimum number of participating clients. All clients are solely responsible to pay for any additional expenses in conjunction with ski plane transportation. No refund will be made for any denial of service cancellations.

If local weather conditions are preventing or delaying a safe departure from a wilderness lodge, a checkpoint or any other departure destination on the day that a client is scheduled to fly out or fly back we can not assume responsibility for any additional costs that may be incurred by such delays due to weather - or other conditions - beyond our control.

No refund will be made for delays or cancellations of flights due to weather conditions. To prevent yourself from financial losses we highly recommend to obtain a sufficient cancellation travel insurance.

No refund will be made for early returns or departures prior to the actual tour ending date for any reason e.g.: illness, injury, incoming bad weather fronts or other circumstances. If any potentially bad weather systems are heading towards the checkpoint and/or wilderness lodge we are providing our clients with a chance to make an informed individual decision on whether to stay and finish the tour or to depart earlier to avoid being weathered into the destination for a unknown amount of time.

Nikolai Checkpoint Flight: A minimum number of four adults is required for the checkpoint flight to take place. If this minimum number is not reached and a full refund will be granted.

7.0 Complaint Resolution
We strongly advise every client to inform our company immediately – at the latest within 24 hours - after an incident, complication or problem occurred. Complaints after departure or delayed complaints - for whatever reason - are not honored.

8.0 Services
Advertised and customized Self Drive Tour Packages do not include gasoline, premium insurance, road tolls, additional driver fees, meals and child seats – unless otherwise stated. Specific room assignments are the sole discretion of the hotel management (owner) because we are unable to guarantee a specific type and/or location. For services of all other tours please refer to the appropriate online information/documentation.

9.0 Website Contents
All published rates, descriptions, information and reservation terms are subject to change without further notice and may be used as a guideline only. We cannot assume responsibility for any of these information.

10.0 Self Drive Tours, Car & Motorhome Rental
A valid driver license and a valid major credit card are mandatory for all individual vehicle rentals and/or tour packages including vehicle rentals. Driving on gravel roads/highways is at own risk. The rental car insurance is void on the following highways Denali Highway, Dalton Highway, Top of the World Highway, Taylor Highway, McCarthy Road, Dempster Highway and all other gravel roads. You will be responsible for any damages. All camper and motorhome rentals are requiring a valid credit card. Drivers have to be more than 25 years of age and the drivers license has to be valid for more than 1 year. Contact us if you are below 25 years of age. We reserve the right to substitute a vehicle equivalent or larger at no extra cost to our customers.

11.0 Travel Documents
Clients are responsible for obtaining any travel documents and/or verifying entry requirements necessary for each country of travel and/or transit on your selected tour itinerary. Entry laws differ with respect to travelers’ citizenship. We are not responsible to obtain or keep personal travel documents for customers or assume responsibility for notice of countries’ current requirements. Clients are responsible for any expenses incurred as a result of delays or itinerary changes related to your lack of appropriate travel documents. You should strictly abide by the laws and regulations promulgated by the government of the visiting country, including but not limited to immigration and Customs Laws and Regulations. We will not be responsible for any penalties due to your failure to abide by any regulations of the government of the visiting country.
Confirm Bookings: In order to make absolutely sure you are set for travel, please re-confirm your individual tour services with the local provider at least 24 to 72-hours in advance of your trip via email or telephone. This is a quick verification of your travel details and a great time to arrange any hotel pickups or extra perks you would like included in your excursion. The contact information will be listed on your trip voucher received at the time of booking.

12.0 Indemnification
The Alaska Travel Network Group, its employees or agents and / or affiliated companies acting only as agents - and therefore none of them shall be liable for any injury, damage, loss, loss claims, accident or delay which may be generated by reason of any company or person who engaged in conveying the travelers, or otherwise in connection therewith, or of any hotel owner, manager or employee. Therefore, we accept no responsibility for losses or additional expenses due to delay or changes in train -, bus -, ship -, airplane - or other services, sickness, weather, war, quarantine, government action or other causes.

13.0 Flights
All long distance flight reservations in conjunction with any of our tours are based on restricted airfares. These fares may require full payment within 48 hours after confirmation or at the time of reservation - please refer to our invoice. Generally - all fares are non-refundable and may not be changed after a specific reservation is confirmed. We cannot assume any responsibilities for airfare price increases and/or cancellations for whatever reason. 

14.0 Cancellation & Change Policy
The following cancellation (No-Show) charges are applicable to every confirmed reservation and/or voluntarily or involuntarily cancellation due to non-payment - without any exceptions.

• Package Tours - Motorcoach Tours - Self Drive Tours - Rail Tours - Northern Lights Tours
  Up to 90 days in advance - 15 % of the entire invoice amount
  89 - 60 days in advance - 20 % of the entire invoice amount
  59 - 45 days in advance - 25 % of the entire invoice amount
  44 - 30 days in advance - 50 % of the entire invoice amount
  Less than 30 days in advance - 100 % of the entire invoice amount

• Iditarod Packages
  Up to 90 days in advance - 25 % of the entire invoice amount
  89 - 60 days in advance - 50 % of the entire invoice amount
  59 - 45 days in advance - 75 % of the entire invoice amount
  Less than 45 days in advance - 100 % of the entire invoice amount
  No shows - 100 % of the entire invoice amount

• Motorhome Rental
  Until 60 days in advance - 25 % of the entire invoice amount
  Until 45 days in advance - 40 % of the entire invoice amount
  Until 30 days in advance - 50 % of the entire invoice amount
  Until 14 days in advance - 75 % of the entire invoice amount
  Less than 14 days in advance and no shows - 100 % of the entire invoice amount

• Adventure Tours i.e.: Canoe, Kayak, Rafting & Wildlife Viewing Tours
  Until 60 days in advance - 50 % of the entire invoice amount
  Less than 60 days in advance – 100 % of the entire invoice amount

• Flight Reservation
  After confirmation - No Refunds

• Bettles Lodge 
  After confirmation - No Refunds
  
  
• Group Tours
  Please refer to the individual arrangements
  
  
  

  Tour Changes:
  Once confirmed and invoiced, any changes to existing Alaska reservations are subject to an administrative fee, plus any applicable cancellation fees charged by service providers.  This applies to changes of dates, names or services. All requests for changes must be received in writing.

  The following administrative fees will be charged every time a change is made.  Changes within 30 days will be processed on an individual basis considering availability and penalties.

  • One Day Tours (per-occurrence): $10 per person / per tour
  • Tour packages of 3 nights or less: $45 per person
  • Tour packages of 4-7 nights: $60 per person
  • Tour packages of 8-14 nights: $95 per person
  • Tour packages of more than 14 nights: $145 per person
  
   

15.0 Travel Insurance
We strongly encourage you to purchase travel insurance to cover: cancellation fees associated with an outing as well as airfare or other nonrefundable expense in the event you need to cancel a trip; medical expenses incurred on a trip; and the cost of a possible medical evacuation from a trip. We have made arrangements with USI Travel Insurance Services for you to purchase a comprehensive travel insurance plan. Feel free to contact USI Travel Insurance Services if you have questions on this policy or its coverage as Alaska Travel Network Group is not equipped to provide specific answers to questions on the insurance program.

16.0 Legal Statement
This General Terms and Conditions (i.e., Reservation Policy) is deemed an agreement between customers and Alaska Travel Network Group. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware, without reference to conflicts of law rules. As a condition of the use of Alaska Travel Network Group and its service, the customer agrees to submit to the personal and exclusive jurisdiction of the courts located within the county of Seattle, Washington. If any provision of this Agreement is found invalid or unenforceable, that provision shall be enforced to the maximum extent possible, and the other provisions contained herein will remain in full force and effect. The failure of Alaska Travel Network Group to insist upon or enforce strict performance of any provision of the Agreement shall not be construed as a waiver of any provision or right.