Verticalife Outdoor Travel Company
Terms and Conditions
1. FOREWORDS
1.1. We believe transparency is paramount to clarify our, and your, responsibilities. We do, however, try to let common sense prevail (in your favour) as we believe this is the basis for all interactions, regardless of legal reasons.
1.2. We suggest you to carefully read these general conditions of contract, which constitute the terms and conditions by which we offersservices related to travel, stays and sports activities.
1.3. Participation in Verticalife travels and activities is subject to compliance with these rules and conditions, as well as those stated in our offers, in the explanatory documentation provided to you before departure and in the technical notes presented on the website or on the program sent to you during the booking process.
1.4. Our services abroad often lead to areas where the local services are not always comparable to European standards and/or where efficiency and punctuality are not always perfect. You may therefore at times need to exercise patience and a minimum of flexibility and collaboration.
1.5. Verticalife's offers and estimates are not contractual offers, and are subject to reconfirmation of the price and services included in the specific offer, depending on availability at the time of your confirmation.
Prices: What’s Involved
The prices published on our website are approximate and we reserve the right to apply changes at any time before you book. If we do, you will be told of the revised price applicable to your booking before you commit yourself. Thereafter, the price of your travel arrangements is locked unless abnormal surcharges arise, such as increases in: transportation costs, security charges, government-imposed fees and other costs imposed by third parties.
Working with you, we can also build a specific and detailed price proposal for you and your group to include services, experiences and other activities that you may wish to include as part of your vacation and that might not be part of the published offer.
Group tours will run with as few as 1-2 people. Pay an extra $500 per person and you are departing!
We require a 25% deposit which is fully refundable up to 15 days after you book.
In some cases, we offer self-led journeys. In those cases, we will manage your booking and make all necessary arrangements. Payment terms and conditions may vary from accommodation to accommodation and your contract might be directly with the hotel. We will make you fully aware of these at the time of your reservation.
In general, incidental expenses such as room service are to be paid to the hotel directly. Accidents do happen, but please take reasonable care of the property and its contents; leaving it as you found it. If something gets broken or damaged, please alert us so that we can remedy it for you or at least for the next guest.
We (and the property owners) do reserve the right to charge you for additional costs incurred due to repair, replacement or loss as a result of damage caused during your stay. These charges can include but are not limited to: costs for excessive cleaning required if the property is not left as you found it, or costs for repair or replacement due to damage caused.
Every effort is made to minimize clerical mistakes, but they can occur. We reserve the right to correct any error in advertised and/or confirmed prices.
Booking, Confirmation and Payment with Confidence
This Agreement will become effective once the following steps have been fulfilled: a) you have paid a deposit of 25% of the total cost of your travel arrangements and b) Verticalife’s booking receipt (or confirmation invoice) has been sent to you. When you make a booking you guarantee that you have the authority to accept on behalf of all members of your party the terms of this agreement. You must check Verticalife’s confirmation carefully and raise any questions with Verticalife immediately upon receipt.
Our aim is to make reserving a vacation with us a positive event.
You can reserve your vacation at any time – hours, days, months even a year in advance, so long as a spot is available.
When making your reservation in advance, we request 25% of the full cost of the stay (refundable deposit up to 15 days past booking); the balance is due in installments per the table below.
Pay 25% deposit. 100% refundable for 15 days.
Pay 25% 155 days prior to the trip
Pay 25% 125 days prior to the trip
Pay 25% 95 days prior to the trip
At the due date, we will remind you that the balance is due, and if autopay is activated will charge the credit card you left on file. If we do not receive the balance within seven days of the due date, your reservation is automatically cancelled.
Once funds from credit card processing happens, we will send you confirmation of your reservation and ask that you inform us (within 7 days) if any details are incorrect.
If you want to add a service or experience at a later stage, please get in touch.
Cancellation, Changing your Reservation & Insurance
Should you wish to cancel your confirmed booking, you must notify Verticalife in writing. The following schedule will be observed from the date upon which written notification is received by Verticalife to compensate Verticalife for its estimated losses and expenses. If you decide to cancel your trip, the following fees apply and are due to Verticalife at the time (prior to departure) we receive written notice of your cancellation.
125 days or more Security deposit plus $300
61-90 60% of overall cost
21-15 80% of overall cost
Less than 15 days prior to departure 100% of overall cost
The figures are expressed as percentages of the total price. Your decision not to participate on the Tour due to State Department warnings or advisories, fear of travel, or the like will be deemed a cancellation. If a flight or other delay for any reason prevents you from joining the Tour on the start date, you will be considered a no-show, and we cannot refund you or make exchanges.
To cancel, you can contact us by any means convenient to you. We will confirm your cancellation in writing ( email ).
If you use email or post to inform us of a cancellation and you don’t hear from us within 3 days, please get in touch again in case of technical difficulties. The cancellation is only valid, once confirmed by us in writing.
If you need to change the date of your stay, every effort is made to accommodate your wishes; dates can be amended depending on availability and within reason. a $300 fee is applied per person/reservation.
Sometimes life happens, and you need to cancel your trip or return home early Verticalife cannot issue refunds in many cases. It’s not easy to maintain logistics for these trips and what can be an issue from one party can quickly become an issue for the entire group and can jeopardize their departures. It is for these reasons that we adhere very strongly with the policies we have in place.
Travel insurance helps you protect against last-minute cancellation, trip interruption and to cover medical treatment or emergency medical evacuation during your trip. Along with holiday insurance It is compulsory for our guests. Personal holiday insurance, is a policy that covers you adequately for hiking, cycling, winter sports, third party risks and costs incurred from damage to property or adjacent properties during your stay caused by you or any member of your party, your employees or visitors to the property. Once your reservation is confirmed we make every possible effort to meet and surpass your expectation and to provide you with the optimal outcome you have hoped for when booking.
Alterations and Cancellation by Verticalife
In extreme circumstances beyond our control (known as force majeure and which includes type of events such as natural disasters causing flooding or fire or absence of snow) we may be forced to offer you an alternative property, an alternative resort or an alternative valley/region or to even cancel the tour completely. In the unlikely event that any alteration is made by Verticalife which is deemed to be significant (for example, a change of booking date), you have the right to cancel the trip and receive a full refund of monies already paid. Verticalife shall not be liable for any refund should we be forced to cancel or change your holiday due to circumstances amounting to Force Majeure. Such circumstances shall include, but are not limited to: war or threat of war, riot, civil strife, terrorism, industrial disruption, natural disasters, fire, technical problems, adverse weather, governmental action, government travel restrictions due to health reasons and similar events beyond our control, please keep in mind that the interest and safety of our guests and staff are paramount and take precedence over anything else.
Release of Liability:
We act only in the capacity of agent for the suppliers of the travel services named in your confirmation or itinerary or otherwise providing services or goods in connection with the Tour (the “Suppliers”), such as airlines, hotels and other lodging providers, local hosts, sightseeing tour operators, bus lines, car rental companies, driving services, restaurants, and providers of entertainment. We assume no responsibility for any personal injury, property damage, or other loss, accident, delay, inconvenience, overbooking, default, strikes, or irregularity which may be occasioned by reason of any act or omission of any of the Suppliers or airlines providing flights to or from your Tour. Each user assumes full and complete responsibility for all risks of travel and for complying with all laws of the country in the itinerary. We and our Suppliers assume no responsibility for any personal injury, property damage, or other loss, accident, delay, inconvenience, or irregularity which may be occasioned by reason of any matter beyond our or our Suppliers’ exclusive control including but not limited to a delay or cancellation of a flight that causes you to miss all or any portion of the Tour, acts of God, acts of government, war, terrorist acts, riots, disaster, weather extremes, or strikes. We have no special knowledge regarding the financial condition of the Suppliers, unsafe conditions, health hazards, weather hazards, or climate extremes at locations to which you may travel. For information concerning possible dangers at destinations, we recommend contacting the Travel Warnings Section of the U.S. State Department at 1 (202) 647-5225 or www.travel.state. gov, and click on “Travel Warnings.” For medical information, we recommend contacting the Centers for Disease Control at 1 (800) 232-4636 or www.cdc.gov/travel. Our Suppliers have their own booking conditions or conditions of carriage, and these conditions are binding between you and the supplier. Some of these conditions may limit or remove the relevant transport provider or other Supplier’s liability to you. You can get copies of such conditions from our offices, or the offices of the relevant Supplier. Certain providers or operators of certain activities will ask you to sign an indemnity waiver form. Generally speaking, these explain the risks to you and indemnify them against claims by you. If you are not willing to comply they will in certain circumstances not allow you to stay or take part in the activity. By accepting the terms of this Agreement you accept that you will sign these indemnities. If you are in any doubt, or would like to see precise wording, please let us know.
Fitness Level & Risks
If you have any medical or psychological conditions, it's very important that you let us know well before departure so that we can work with you as much as possible. Trip leaders have the right to disqualify anyone at any time during the trip if they feel the trip member is incapable of continuing and/or if a trip member's continued participation jeopardizes the group's or the individual's own safety. Under these circumstances, refunds are not given. Please keep in mind that we will encounter high altitudes, extreme weather conditions (cold and heat) and the activities we perform are inherently dangerous.
No form of hiking, bicycling or skiing is without risk, and serious injuries and death can and do occur, even to trained and experienced cyclists and skiers using proper equipment. No claim is made or implied that all sources of potential danger to the hiker, skier or cyclist have or can be identified. No one should participate in hiking, cycling or skiing who does not recognise and wish to personally assume the associated risks.
Whenever you intend to go hiking, skiing or cycling it is your personal responsibility to ensure that you are fit to hike, ski or cycle. It is your personal responsibility to ensure your suitability for the terrain hiked, skied or cycled. It is your personal responsibility to ensure that you are in good health.
Remember, conditions will change through the day and a run hiked, skied or cycled in the morning may be more difficult in the afternoon when you are tired.
Illness or injury, taking medication, fatigue, pregnancy, medical procedures or surgical operations will usually entail temporary unfitness. If you are any in doubt about your fitness you should refrain from hiking, skiing or cycling, inform your Verticalife Leader immediately and seek advice from a doctor.
Verticalife provides experienced hike, ski and bike leaders who are first aid trained. Not all our hike, ski, bike leaders are certified instructors or guides. Certified guides are available and are often employed when strictly necessary.
Privacy Policies
For the purpose of the Data Protection Act 1998, all personal and other information and details collected by us in the course of our business, belong to us and will not be disclosed to any third party except to the Property Owner/Hotel Partner (and/or his representatives) in connection with a reservation.
Provided you have not indicated otherwise, we may use your personal information for marketing our services in the future. We will in any event never transfer your details to any other third party.
If you ever tire of Verticalife and wish to be removed from our marketing lists at any time in the future, then please contact us. For more information read our entire privacy policy
Binding Abitration:
By executing this contract, you agree that any dispute concerning, relating or referring to this Agreement, the site or any other literature concerning my trip, or the trip itself, shall be resolved exclusively by binding arbitration pursuant to the Federal Arbitration Act, 9 U.S.C. §§ 1-16, either according to the then existing Commercial Rules of the American Arbitration Association (AAA) or pursuant to the Comprehensive Arbitration Rules & Procedures of the Judicial Arbitration and Mediation Services, Inc. (JAMS). Such proceedings will be governed by Michigan law without consideration of any federal, state, or local court or agency. The arbitrator alone shall have exclusive authority to resolve any dispute relating to the interpretation, applicability, enforceability, conscionability, or formation of this Agreement, including but not limited to any claim that all or any part of this Agreement is void or voidable. By agreeing to these terms and conditions, you, as well Verticalife, waive our right to a trial by jury.
