Important Tour & Packaged Travel Information

Commercial Travel Services - Your American Express Representatives

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Tour Travel Packages are pre-arranged trips. Tour Packages can include basic travel services such as your accommodations and transportation -- or consist of an inclusive travel plan which will include transfers, most or all meals, sightseeing, special guides etc. Normally tour packages are put together by an independent tour operator. They are then made available to you through travel agencies.

Purchasing a Tour travel package generally delivers good value, and is a convenient form of travel. With a tour package you don't have to spend a lot of time alone, or with an agency putting all the travel pieces together. Some times however, it can be confusing for you unless you travel shop wisely and read all the fine print found normally in the back of travel brochures.

The excellent article below will go a long way to providing you with a sufficient amount of knowledge to help you make an informed decision when selecting the right tour package for you. We are also including some Travel Industry Terminology and each terms meaning to further enhance your ability to make the right choice. There will be some very minor differences between American and Canadian travel rules and regulations, however policies are essentially the same and are geared to protect all travellers.

While Commercial American Express Travel Services would like to have your business, it is always important that you make certain that the travel agency you deal with, is properly registered and has a solid reputation for honesty and integrity. Also, get your travel agent's assurance that the tour operator with whom you will be investing a significant sum of your hard earned money, is worthy of your business and trust. Where applicable, check with your nearest Better Business Bureau. Read on:

Travel Terminology

General Terms

Brochure--A printed folder describing a tour or a package and specifying the conditions of the offering.
Carrier--Any organization that deals in transporting passengers or goods.
Certified Travel Counselor (CTC)--A degree attesting to professional competence of a course of study by the Institute of Certified Travel Agents. The Certified Travel Associate Degree is awarded to non-agent personnel who have completed the course (see Travel Agent below).
Commission--The amount paid by the supplier (carrier, hotel, tour operator, etc.) to the travel agent for selling transportation, accommodations, or other services.
Conditions--The section or clause of a transportation or tour contract (often the last page of a brochure) that specifies what is offered to the purchaser. A condition clause often specifies what is not offered and may spell out the circumstances under which all or part of the contract may be invalidated. (Also referred to as the participants' agreement, terms and conditions, or responsibility clause.)
Confirmed Reservation--An oral or written confirmation by a supplier that it has received and will honor a reservation.
Escort--A person who accompanies a tour from departure to return, as guide, trouble shooter, etc., or a person who performs such factions only at the destination (also known as a "host").
Escorted Tour--Prearranged travel program, usually for a group, with escort service or sightseeing program conducted by a guide.
Escrow Account--Deposit account in a bank maintained by the charter operator that protects passenger funds until services are performed.
Extension--A fully arranged sub-tour offered optionally at extra cost to buyers of a tour or cruise. Extensions may occur before, during, or after the basic travel package.
Foreign Independent Tour (FIT)--An international prepaid tour, usually unescorted, although guide service is often offered on some segments. An FIT is designed to the specifications of an individual client or clients.
Gateway--City, airport, or area from which a flight or tour departs.
Group Inclusive Tour (GIT)--A prepaid tour of specified minimum group size, components, and value.
Guaranteed Tour--A travel program guaranteed to operate unless cancelled before an established cutoff date (see Conditions above).
Institute of Certified Travel Agents--An organization concerned with developing and administering educational programs for travel agents (see Certified Travel Counselor).
No Show--A passenger or guest who fails to use or cancel his or her reservation.
Overbooking--The practice by a supplier of confirming reservations beyond capacity in expectation of cancellations or no shows; or, the same result due to error. Many carriers have admitted that they intentionally overbook their flights because of the high number of passengers who are no shows.
Package or Package Tour--Any advertised tour. Often a tour to a single destination that includes prepaid transportation, accommodations, and some combination of other tour features--meals, transfers, sight-seeing, car rental, etc.
Tour--Any prearranged (but not necessarily prepaid) journey to one or more places and back to the point of origin.
Tour Operator--A company that creates a package tour and/or performs tour services. Most tour operators sell both through travel agents and directly to clients.
Travel Agent--A person or company that promotes and sells transportation and related services, including travel packages.

Air Transportation Terms

The United States Department of Transportation & The Canadian Transportation Agency--The first is the federal agency that regulate air transportation to and from the United States as well as within the United States. The latter is the federal agency that regulates Canadian air transportation.
Charter Operator--A company that makes all the arrangements to permit individuals to participate on a single itinerary in a public charter and that is directly responsible to the charter participants (see Public Charter).
Direct Flight--Air transportation on which the passenger does not have to change planes. Not necessarily nonstop.
OW--One-way airfare.
Public Charter--Air transportation alone, or air transportation together with hotel and other land arrangements, organized by a charter operator and generally priced below regularly scheduled air service.
RT--Round-trip airfare.
Standby--A conditional status. The holder of a standby ticket is not eligible to board his or her flight until all passengers who have or want confirmed reservations have been accommodated.

Land Terms

Land Terms--includes those services available to a traveler after he or she has reached his or her destination.
American Plan (AP)--Hotel rate that includes a bed and three meals (see also Modified American Plan).
Bed and Breakfast--Overnight accommodations usually in a private home or boarding house with breakfast included in the rate.
Continental Plan (CP)--Hotel rate that includes bed and continental breakfast (usually at least a beverage and rolls or toast, sometimes juice).
Double--Any hotel plan for two persons; more specifically, a room with a double bed.
Double Room Rate--The full price of a room for two people. (Be careful: Some say double and mean double occupancy.)
European Plan--Hotel rate with bed only; meals extra.
Family Plan--A discount schedule offered by some hotels and resorts to second and successive members of families who travel together.
Guaranteed Payment Reservation--A hotel reservation secured by the guest's agreement to pay for his room whether he uses it or not. Payment is usually guaranteed by a company, travel agent, or tour wholesaler who has an established credit rating with the hotel, or by use of a credit card as a guarantee.

Hotel Classifications

The following are generally understood throughout Europe, and to an extent, the world, but it is sometimes difficult to know whether a hotel is being described by a reliable source. There is neither an official nor generally accepted rating system for U.S. hotels.

European Hotel Ratings

Deluxe--Top-grade hotel; all rooms have private bath; all the usual public rooms and services provided; high standard of decor and services maintained.
1st Class--Medium-range hotel; at least some rooms with private bath; most of the usual public rooms and services are provided.
Tourist (Economy or 2nd Class)--Budget operations; few or no private baths; services may be very limited.
The Official Hotel & Resort Guide (OHRG), which is often referred to by travel agents, further subdivides these three categories into three groups: superior, average, and moderate. Thus, a deluxe/superior hotel rates with the best in the world and a 1st class/average hotel is about midrange. OHRG says that hotels below its tourist/superior rating should be used with caution by Westerners. In addition, many governments rate their hotels according to the international five-star system under which a five-star hotel is best. Some countries are meticulous and generally current in their ratings; many are not. In general, three-star and better hotels (and a few two-star properties) are believed to be suitable for Western travelers.
Modified American Plan (MAP)/Demi-Pension (DP)--Hotel rate including bed, breakfast, and either lunch or dinner.
Per Person Double Occupancy Rate--The price per person for a room to be shared with another person; the rate most frequently quoted in tour brochures (often abbreviated: pp. dbl. occ.).
Single Supplement--An extra charge assessed to a tour purchased for single accommodations.
Transfer--Local transportation and baggage handling service, as from one carrier terminal to another, from a terminal to a hotel or from a hotel to a theater. The conditions of a tour contract should specify whether transfers are private car or motorcoach and whether escort service is provided.

How to Avoid Problems
Make every effort to determine if the tour operator you're thinking of doing business with is reliable. Ask your travel agent if he or she has ever used the tour operator in the past. If so, were their clients satisfied with the service? Recommendations from friends and relatives are added evidence, but no assurance, that your travel experience will be a satisfactory one.

Before arranging your trip, remember to check with Commercial American Express Travel Services who only supply you with tours or tour packages from the most reputable travel companies.

A Buyer's Checklist

When reading travel advertisements and/or brochures, pay particular attention to the following:

Small Print or Asterisks--Make sure that asterisks or small print are not used as a means of altering the meaning of any advertising statement. Asterisks are commonly used to indicate restrictions--required length of stay, particular days and/or time of departure, or additional charges.
Availability--Make sure that the travel services are currently available at advertised prices. If the travel service at the advertised price is not immediately effective, availability should be stated in the advertisement.
Extra Charges--Any extra charges such as port taxes, service charges, or single supplement charges should be clearly and conspicuously disclosed.
Features--If the brochure/advertisement states, for example, you can play golf or you will be able to visit an amusement park, it does not necessarily mean that these attractions will be included in the travel program for the advertised price. Make sure to look for the following:
- What features are included in the package price:
  - airfare
  - hotel
  - transfers
  - sightseeing
  - gratuities
  - baggage handling
  - meals
  - mileage charges (where a car rental is involved)
  - The total number of nights in each city and hotel, as well as the amount of free time you will have on the tour.
  - The daily itinerary/schedule of events.
  - The name of each hotel and the type (grade) of accommodations offered by each.
  - Whether the tour is escorted and, if so, to what degree.
Conditions--You should pay special attention to the contents of the "conditions" clause, usually found in fine print on the last page of the brochure.
- How firm is the price (i.e., does the tour operator have the right to increase the fare)?
- What are the cancellation penalties? What is considered a valid reason for either you or the tour operator to cancel the trip?
- What are the "major changes" under which a tour operator will give you a full refund?
Abbreviations--Common abbreviations used in travel ads and brochures include:
- AP--American plan
- CP--Continental plan
- dep.--departure date
- FIT--foreign independent travel
- GIT--group inclusive tour
- MAP--modified American plan
- OW--one-way
- pp.dbl.occ.--per person double occupancy
- RT--round-trip
- single supp.--single supplement

When booking reservations, either through a travel agency or with a tour operator directly, obtain the following information:

If you book your vacation through a travel agency, what is the name and address of the tour operator?
Has the advertised price changed? Do the charges you pay match the charges you expected?
How far in advance is full payment required?
How much deposit is required?
Is there an escrow account? To whom is payment made? (If you have to sign a contract, make sure it specifies that you pay directly to the escrow account at a bank. Also, ask to know the name of the bank in which the escrow or account is maintained.) Canadian agencies are regulated to ensure that all travel consumers are protected against loss should a tour operator or agency fail financially.
What is the confirmation procedure? (Warning: Confirmations have limitations--for example, a hotel is not obligated to honor a reservation if the guest arrives after 6 p.m., unless late arrival is specified. However, if the reservation is guaranteed, then that hotel is obligated to honor it.)

Remember--Purchasing a travel package has the advantage of convenience and, in many cases, value--but you must do your homework. Use the Glossary of Travel Terminology and Buyer's Checklist to help you understand what the various packages have to offer, and whether they are right for you.

Regardless of where, or with whom you book your travel arrangements, we want you to enjoy all life's journeys. Travelling can be so much fun and such an enjoyable experience if you are properly prepared. Please use the information we have supplied here, even print it out for future reference -- as we wish you "Safe & Happy Travelling!"

Commercial American Express Travel Services