Which trips these terms cover
These terms concern future scheduled group tours organized by Doug Barnard, LLC, trading as Doug Barnard Travel. They do not change an existing booking’s agreed terms. Contact: trips@dougbarnardtravel.com. Mailing address: 30 N Gould St Ste R, Sheridan, WY 82801, USA.
Private trips are arranged individually. Their payment schedule and cancellation terms are agreed in writing for the specific itinerary; the group-tour schedule below does not automatically apply.
Your booking documents identify the traveler, departure dates, agreed price, itinerary and inclusions, payment deadlines, and the version of the Booking Terms you accept. Payment and cancellation terms are accepted as part of the booking, separately from the liability acknowledgment in the participant waiver.
The Travel and Tour Waiver and Release of Liability, version DBT-WA-2026-10-24-R4, addresses participation risks and liability. It does not waive your express payment, cancellation, refund, or other financial rights under the booking documents you accept. Those documents control financial matters, subject to rights that cannot lawfully be excluded. A later website revision does not by itself change your accepted booking terms.
Payments
For group tours, the standard payment schedule is:
| When | Payment per person |
|---|---|
| At booking | $750 deposit |
| 90 days before the tour starts | $1,000 second payment |
| 45 days before the tour starts | The remaining balance |
All amounts are in US dollars and count toward your total tour price. A payment will not exceed the balance still outstanding. For a $2,700 booking, the payments are $750, $1,000, and $950.
For bookings made 90–46 days before departure, the deposit and second payment are due together. For bookings within 45 days of departure, the full price is due when booking. Your place is reserved once we confirm your booking and receive the required payment.
Payment deadlines and cancellation charges are separate: paying early does not increase the cancellation charge.
If you cancel your group tour
If your plans change, email trips@dougbarnardtravel.com to cancel. The charge depends on how far ahead of the tour’s start date we receive your written cancellation:
| Time before the tour starts | Total cancellation charge per person |
|---|---|
| 61 days or more | The $750 deposit |
| 60–31 days | 50% of the total tour price |
| 30 days or fewer, including no-shows | 100% of the total tour price |
The cancellation charge includes your deposit; it is not added on top. Charges will not exceed the total tour price. Any amount already paid above the applicable charge will be refunded. The same schedule applies whether you paid in installments or paid early.
For example, on a $2,700 tour: cancel 75 days before departure after paying $1,750 and receive $1,000 back; cancel 50 days before departure after paying $1,750 and receive $400 back; cancel 40 days before departure after paying in full and receive $1,350 back. There is no refund for traveler cancellations within 30 days of departure.
Deadlines use US Eastern Time (America/New_York), including daylight-saving changes, with a cutoff at 11:59 p.m. on the applicable calendar day. Days are counted back from the tour’s start date.
Refunds due under these terms will be issued within 30 calendar days after cancellation, or sooner where required by applicable law. Refunds are returned through the original payment method unless that is not possible or a different method is agreed. Payment-provider or bank posting times may vary.
We do not deduct an additional payment-processing or refund-administration fee from a refund due under this policy. We absorb our own unrecovered processing costs.
Missed payments and booking changes
If an installment is overdue, we will send a written overdue notice giving you seven calendar days to pay. If it remains unpaid after that notice period, we may cancel the booking and notify you in writing. Missing a payment does not automatically cancel your booking or remove an applicable cancellation charge.
If we cancel your booking for non-payment, the normal traveler-cancellation schedule applies as of the date we notify you that your booking is cancelled. This is different from cancellation of the entire tour by the organizers.
Ask us about changes to an existing booking before making alternative arrangements. Any agreed change should be confirmed in writing.
If we cancel or change a tour
If we, the tour organizers, cancel a tour before departure, you may choose an alternative trip or a full refund of all tour payments made to us, including your deposit. This applies whether we cancel for low enrollment, operational reasons, or security, geopolitical, war, or other safety reasons. You are not required to accept an alternative trip instead of a refund.
The traveler-cancellation charges above do not apply when we cancel the tour. The refund method and timeframe stated above apply.
Unless required by applicable law, this refund does not include independently booked flights, hotels, visas, insurance, or other third-party expenses. Consider the cancellation/change terms of those purchases before booking.
Get written confirmation from us that your departure will proceed before booking non-refundable flights or other independent travel. A booking or deposit alone is not that confirmation. Written departure confirmation does not eliminate the possibility of later cancellation because of changing circumstances.
If we postpone your tour or make a substantial change to it, you may accept the revised arrangements or choose a full refund of all tour payments made to us, including your deposit. You are not required to accept new dates or a substantially different trip. The traveler-cancellation charges do not apply if you decline those changes. Email us your choice; any refund due will be issued within 30 calendar days after we receive your refund request, or sooner where required by law, using the refund method described above.
A substantial change is one that materially alters the overall nature or main features of the trip, such as changing the main destination or removing a major part of the itinerary without a comparable replacement. Routine adjustments to routes or timing, and replacing individual activities with comparable alternatives, are not substantial changes on their own.
Security concerns and travel advisories
Some tours visit destinations subject to serious security risks and government advice against travel, including Level 4: Do Not Travel advisories. Conditions can change. Read current advice for your destination and consider the risks before booking.
If the tour is still proceeding and you choose to cancel because of a new or changed travel advisory, regional developments, war-related concerns, or personal concern about safety, the normal traveler-cancellation schedule applies. These circumstances do not create an additional refund exception. Any refund available under that schedule remains available.
If the organizers instead decide to cancel the tour, the full-refund provision above applies. Nothing here guarantees safety or limits rights that cannot lawfully be excluded.
Travel insurance and documents
Suitable travel medical and emergency evacuation insurance is required for future group-tour bookings under these terms. Your policy must cover the full tour dates, the specific destination/countries you will visit, and the activities planned for the tour. There is no routine opt-out from this requirement.
Provide proof of coverage by the final-payment deadline, 45 days before departure. If booking within 45 days, provide proof when booking. Proof should identify the insured traveler, insurer, coverage dates and destination/territorial scope, and include insurer or assistance contact details.
Verify destination coverage directly with the insurer. Not all policies cover every country. Level 4: Do Not Travel advisories, travel against government advice, war, political events, and particular activities may affect or exclude coverage. A generic insurance certificate is not assurance that your destination is covered. Providing proof to us does not replace your responsibility to check the policy and its exclusions.
Trip cancellation and interruption cover is strongly recommended in addition to the required medical/evacuation cover. Check whether it covers organizer cancellation and independently booked flights or other expenses; reimbursement is not guaranteed simply because insurance was purchased.
Providing proof is a condition of joining the tour; you cannot participate without the required cover. Contact us promptly if you have difficulty arranging it. A policy must remain valid for the tour; if it changes or lapses, contact us immediately.
You are responsible for arranging valid passports, visas, and other required entry documents unless the tour page expressly states otherwise. We can advise and assist where possible, but cannot guarantee visa issuance or entry.
If you cannot travel because of a visa refusal or missing, invalid, or unsuitable travel documents, the normal traveler-cancellation schedule applies. The organizers may consider individual circumstances at their discretion. This does not limit any rights that cannot lawfully be excluded.
Private trips
For a private trip, we will agree on payment and cancellation terms in writing for your particular itinerary. Please ask about those terms before confirming or paying for your trip.
Governing law and courts
Subject to mandatory applicable law, these Booking Terms are governed by Wyoming law. Disputes concerning them shall be brought in a Wyoming state court of competent jurisdiction or the United States District Court for the District of Wyoming where it has jurisdiction. Nothing in this clause deprives you of a governing-law or court-access protection that cannot lawfully be excluded.
Questions before booking?
Email trips@dougbarnardtravel.com and we’ll talk through the details. See our Privacy Policy for information about inquiries and booking correspondence.