It seems every adventure travel company promises the best guides, the best food, the best service, but do they provide a safety net for the unexpected? Here are a few suggested questions from Jim Sano, president of Geographic Expeditions, to ask to help make sure your backside is covered.
1. Do you provide around-the-clock logistical and air support services? (this is especially important in the event of cancelled, delayed or changed flights?)
2. Do you include medical evacuation, expense, and assistance coverage, with access to a board certified emergency physician?
3. What assurances do you provide to protect my travel investment?
4. Do you accept major credit cards?
5. Are my deposits and payments placed in a U.S.-based financial institution or an offshore entity?
6. How will you protect me from currency rate fluctuations? (Some international currencies have fluctuated by as much as 40% over the past 12 months) How to do mitigate the fuel surcharge risk?
7. What are your payment/cancellation terms and conditions? What are your cancellation policies in the event of a U.S. State Department, Centers for Disease Control, or World Health Organization travel warning?
8. Do you offer optional trip cancellation/interruption insurance, including cancel for work reasons?
9. Does your company participate in a U.S.-based seller of travel/consumer protection program?
10. Does your company possess current liability insurance with an A-rated company?
Source: Choosing the Right Adventure Travel Company; Canadian Mountain Holidays, The Adventure Blog.
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".