FAQs
 
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Frequently Asked Questions| Iberia (Spanish company) | www.iberia.com |
| Continental Airlines (American company) | www.continental.com |
| American Airlines (American company) | www.aa.com |
| KLM (Royal Dutch airline) | www.klm.com |
| Copa Airlines | www.copaair.com |
| Avianca (Colombian company) | www.avianca.com |
| Grupo Taca | www.grupotaca.com |
| Lan | www.lan.com |
| Santa Bárbara Airlines | www.santabarbaraairlines.com |
| Delta Airlines Inc. | www.delta.com |
When should I book my flight? Do I need to use the Ecuador Expeditions International Flights Booking Service?
Fares are generally less expensive when booked early. You may use our International Flights Booking Service (e-mail us) or book flights yourself. Please note that flights booked online are often difficult to change. If you book your flight, please send us a copy of your flight schedule as early as possible as this allows us to book pick ups and hotels.
PIONEER JOURNEYS TRIPS
Pioneer Journeys Trips
Why should I travel with Pioneer Journeys?
We are a group of passionate adventure travelers and experts on Ecuador’s destinations; and we’d like to show you both the most adventurer side of Ecuador and the most exiting high quality relaxed destinations. Take a look at some reasons to book through Pioneer Journeys.
How big are your groups? What if I'm Traveling Alone?
As a Tailor-made specialized company, we serve groups and solo travelers. In case of groups, they are always small, normally of a maximum of 12 travelers (according to the needs of each adventure activity and to minimize ecological impact). As a solo traveler, you have the opportunity to book our activities alone (bear in mind that most of them are more expensive when travelling alone) or join a group. When we organize our clients trip requests, we try to join travelers together if that is their desire.
If we can’t build up our perfect trip using the itineraries of your catalogue, can the trip be customized to suit our needs?
If you have a special request we will be happy to tailor an itinerary to match your specifications. Just fill in a Booking Form telling your requests. As an example, one of our travelers wanted a helicopter flight through the Amazon Jungle…we successfully organized it!
What kinds of meals are served during your Expeditions and Relaxed Destinations?
In our high quality destinations you’ll find a wide variety of local and international cuisine. While in our Expeditions, we understand that muscle-powered journeys require enormous amounts of food. We consider our meals to be an essential ingredient to the success of our trips. We guarantee that you will have plenty of fuel to stoke the fire. Our guides are excellent cooks, eager to have you sample their specialty dishes. Many meals will be enjoyed in restaurants as well, always prepared to satisfy international tourism needs.
What if I have special dietary requirements?
We will try to accommodate your special diet request (e.g. vegetarian, gluten free, etc.). Tell us your food requests in your Booking Form.
Can I extend the trip?
If you want to arrive early or extend your stay, it's easy to do and we can help you. If you are looking for suggestions, we are just a phone call or e-mail away with a world of exciting ideas.
What types of insurance should I have?
Out-of-country medical insurance is mandatory on all of our adventures, and we recommend trip cancellation insurance. If you are not covered through your own plan, just contact our office and one of our operations staff will help you choose the plan right for your trip.
What time should I arrive and leave and where do I meet the guides?
If you have booked our transfer service (recommended) your guide or an Ecuador Expeditions representative will meet you at the airport. Look for a large Ecuador Expeditions sign. If you have preferred to arrive to your hotel by yourself or you are already in Ecuador, we’ll meet you at your hotel conveniently in advance to organize your trip.
What if I arrive early or depart late? Can you arrange extra night lodging? Is there a single room option for your Expeditions and Relaxed Destinations?
We are happy to make arrangements such as personalized tours, extra hotels rooms, airport pick ups and arrange for private rooms. Please indicate that you would like a private room on your Booking Form or e-mail us and we will contact you with information on single room supplement costs.
BOOKING AND PAYMENT
Booking, Payment, Terms and Conditions
1. Navigate through our Catalogue, Fill in your Booking Form and Send it.
2. Our Expert Staff will contact you to help final designing your trip.
3. Booking and Payment.
1. Navigate through our Catalogue, Fill in your Booking Form and Send it.
Surf our Catalogue of Mixed Tours proposals, Sport Expeditions, Active Itineraries and Special Offers. Besides your preferences, take into account your total time disposal for your trip.Fill in the form with the required issues and the information you think will help us to advise you the best. Pose any question you have.
2. Our Expert Staff will contact you to help final designing your trip.
In a maximum of 48 hours we’ll answer you with a detailed trip proposal taking into account your requirements and answering the questions you may have posed. From that point, you’ll be able to change the proposal, take our Expert’s advice and finally approve your Trip. Then we’ll proceed to a Temporary Booking and sending of an e-receipt to you that will confirm the booking has been successful.
3. Booking and Payment.
Once you have received the email from us confirming that your tour has been successfully booked, the next step is to organize payment with our sales staff (see How to Pay section). We’ll send you an e-receipt within the same day of payment which contains precise details of your booking and represents your final booking confirmation. From there we will organize all of your tickets and have them waiting for your arrival to Quito (see Ticket Pickup section). See also our Terms and Conditions.
HOW TO PAY
Payment methods and handling fees
If you have booked a tour at least 2 weeks in advance then we accept the following payments:
• EUROPEAN BANK
• ECUADOR BANK
• PAYPAL
• MONEYGRAM / WESTERN UNION
• CASH
• CREDIT CARD
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• EUROPEAN BANK - we can charge you in EUROS if you deposit / transfer into our Spanish account. There is no handling fee charged per transfer but we do use a lower exchange rate than the current published banking rate in order to account for rate fluctuations between the time we request your transfer and the time we receive it, and to cover costs of sending the money into Ecuador.
(Our bank details are available upon request - tell our salesperson which bank you wish to pay into and he/she will provide full details to you)
• ECUADORIAN BANK - we hold a Bank of Pichincha account in Ecuador which we can receive international transfers into - this is particularly recommended if you have either a USA or EUROPEAN bank account; a $25 handling fee applies. Alternatively, if you are already in Ecuador, then you can deposit cash into our account in any branch of Bank of Pichincha - this is the best option in order to avoid both banking charges and exchange rate costs.
• PAYPAL - quick, easy, online, and the only method which accepts credit card payments (except for flight payments). Paypal charge us 4% on the total sum of money requested as a service commission to use their services and so you should add this cost to your payment. This includes both the paypal service commission charge and exchange rate fees to pay into our SPANISH-based paypal account.
PayPal procedure details: You must be a verified paypal member in order to pay large sums of Money: Paypal sets payment limits on each account. Usually the limit is fairly low (around $500) on unverified accounts, and much higher (around $5000) on verified accounts. So for large payments you usually need to hold a verified account. Paypal provide simple instructions to help with account verification, and the whole process usually takes 1 to 2 weeks.
• MONEYGRAM / WESTERN UNION - money-wiring is the quickest way to get money to us and is also extremely secure. Moneygram currently charge 4% to use their services, and Western Union between 3 and 5%.
Moneygram/Western Union procedure details:
People are sometimes nervous because the money-wiring process is new to them or seems confusing, but really there is no need for worry because it is both quick and very simple:
- ask Ecuador Expeditions for details of who and where to wire the money to.
- locate the agent closest to you on either the MG (www.moneygram.com) or WU (www.westernunion.com) websites. There are agents in most towns and cities in the world.
- visit the local agent with the cash you would like to deposit (including the % sending fee) and your passport as ID.
- tell the agent who you want to send money to and their current location (city, country). The agent will take your personal details, check your ID, take your money, organize the wire, and finally give you a receipt.
- email us to let us know the reference number that is written on your receipt so that we can collect the money here in Quito.
It's as simple as that and the money arrives to us just 10 minutes after you have sent it!!!
• CASH - of course we accept US$ cash in our Quito office, but check the rules that apply with last minute bookings first.
• CREDIT CARD - we can only accept credit card payments for domestic flight payments, and only when our client is in our Quito office with passport as proof of ID.
Payment options in a last minute tour: A last minute booking is classified as a booking made less than 2 weeks before your trip departure date.
If you are in Quito then it is best to pay us in US$ cash in our office. If you are currently travelling in Ecuador (but not in Quito) then our Ecuadorian bank account will be cheapest and easiest. If you are outside of Ecuador then we can only accept the Moneygram / Western Union form of payment because all other payment methods take too long to reach us.
Advanced Deposit and Full Payment: Generally speaking we require at least a 30% deposit at time of booking in order to confirm your reservation. Full payment is then due at least 2 months before your date of travel. Of course should you prefer to pay in full at time of booking then that is also no problem.
Only in the case of bookings made less than 2 months before date of travel we do immediately require full payment.
Consult our full terms and conditions for further information.
The importance of a Prompt Payment: It is important because the terms and conditions of the operators that we have to pay on your behalf are often very strict, and late payment can mean that your reservation is cancelled by the operator, or the tours that we directly organize are already at its full of capacity.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS
The terms and conditions described herein apply to all services and programs booked with ECUADOR EXPEDITION INTERNACIONAL ACTIVETRAVEL CÍA. LTDA. ,(Commercial Name: Pioneer Journeys) hereinafter referred to as “PJ“. These terms and conditions shall also apply to any third-party program or services sold or arranged by PJ. The user of PJ services agrees to be bound by the present terms and conditions and any other change that might be updated in the future on the website and that are valid at the time of operation of the service provided by PJ.
Some of our trips and services are operated by third-parties we continuously evaluate its quality of service and whom we contract on your behalf. Our contract below defines clearly the role of each party (the User, PJ, and the Operator).
Any payment to PJ for services provided constitutes joint acceptance by the customer and the end USER to observe the terms and conditions described in the present document. Any trip member, traveler, customer or any person or company that hires services shall be called “USER”. All USERS of PJ are responsible for reading and understanding the present section. All contracts are governed by Ecuadorian law and shall be interpreted in the framework of this law.
CAUSE 1.- Participants
1.1.- The company ECUADOR EXPEDITION INTERNACIONAL ACTIVETRAVEL Cía. Ltda., from here on and for the effect of this contract will be called "PJ".
1.2.- The person contracting the services of PJ from here on will be called the "USER".
CLAUSE 2.- Objective and application of the Contract
2.1.- The USER contracts the PJ to provide the agreed travel services and the necessary advisory service and contacts with tourism operators that are legally established in Ecuador, conforming to the Ecuadorian regulations of safety and product quality, in order to travel and participate in the activities and destinations offered by PJ and chosen by the USER.
2.2.- These General Conditions also apply to USERS buying services from agencies, wholesalers, and operators acting as intermediaries, via internet or any other instrument approved by PJ.
2.3.- The USER accepts the general terms and conditions published and updated by PJ and declares that he / she has read, understood, and accepted them in their entirety without entitlement to claims and that he / she is fully responsible for transmitting them to other USERS so that they will be apprised of them.
CLAUSE 3.- Obligations of the parties
3.1.- Are obligations of PJ:
3.1.1.- To provide the services booked and paid by the USER to PJ in agreement to the established price. PJ may do the aforementioned both by its own means or providing the best operators in the market that are legally established and authorized to operate in agreement with the Ecuadorian law.
3.1.2.- To provide all of the necessary information that the USER will require about his/her contracted travel destination or tour.
3.1.3.- To contact the family, insurance company and / or embassy of the USER in case of accident caused by acts of providence or force majeure. PJ is not responsible for injuries, death or any other damage that was caused by the USER in a state of drunkenness, during street fights, or under any other circumstances that are caused by the USER.
3.2.- Are obligations of the USER:
3.2.1.- To have clearly understood and accepted the social risks that travel inside of Ecuador implies, including risks that exist in the practice of extreme sport such as mountain biking, rafting, kayaking, rock and mountain climbing, biking, trekking, horse-riding, snorkeling and diving, and any other activity or sport where there is contact with nature.
3.2.2.- To hold valid travel insurance up to the end date of the tour contracted, or, in the absence of such an insurance policy and having no intention of obtaining one, to declare PJ exempt of all responsibility for any kind of accident, death, injury or physical problem that occurs during the contracted trip. Insurance is not included on PJ tours.
3.2.3.- To have all immigration documents in order according to Ecuadorian law, and to communicate to PJ any kind of special food requirement, disability or sickness that exist at time of travel.
CLAUSE 4.- Deposit and confirmation of Tour
4.1.- Your reservation is confirmed by PJ only after receipt of a 30% deposit payment which must be received within 1 week (7 days) of the original booking. In cases where reservation is made less than 61 days prior to trip departure then full tour payment is required within 1 week of the original booking.
CLAUSE 5.- Payment
5.1.- The full balance of the tour fare must be paid no later than 60 days prior to the departure date otherwise PJ may treat the booking as being cancelled by the USER and apply cancellation charges as set out in clause 6. Tickets will only be issued to the USER once full payment has been received by PJ.
CLAUSE 6.- Tour Cancellation
6.1.- Cancellations by the client must be made in writing and will only be effective once PJ is in receipt of the written document.
6.2.- If the USER cancellation is received 91 days or more in advance of the trip, 100 % of the initial value deposited to PJ will be refunded to the USER less a charge of USD 100,00 per person for administrative services.
6.3.- If the USER cancellation is received between 61 and 90 days before the start of the trip, the USER will forfeit 100% of the initial value deposited to PJ plus an extra USD 100,00 per person for administrative services.
6.4.- If the USER cancellation is received less than 60 days before the start of the trip, the USER will forfeit 100% of the total tour value.
6.5.- All yachts operating in Galapagos are subject to alternative USER cancellation fees. For tours booked on these vessels and destinations, clauses 6.2, 6.3 and 6.4 will not apply. It is the responsibility of the USER to check the specific cancellation terms with PJ in this case.
6.6.- If PJ modifies the itinerary due to force majeure or acts of providence such as wars, internal commotion, protests / strikes, terrorism, fire, natural disasters, public authority decisions, or any other extreme circumstances, PJ is not obligated to compensate the USER.
CLAUSE 7.- Rates
7.1.- Rates are those published by PJ and are guaranteed for the stated period, unless there are steep increases in prices for fuel and logistics, changes in local and international policies and government regulations, exchange rate fluctuations or any other event affecting the operation beyond PJ’s control.
7.2.- If there is any adjustment, it shall be reported when a firm booking with full payment is received. All items not specifically included in the itinerary must be paid directly by the passenger.
7.3.- PJ accepts no responsibility for discrepancies between verbal quotes and written quotes. After payment has been made, all information contained on PJ’s service itinerary is considered correct.
CLAUSE 8.- Guides and group leaders
8.1.- PJ complies with all national regulations for tourism. All guides have sufficient experience and are highly knowledgeable about each one of the areas that the passengers shall be visiting. PJ provides USERS with experienced guides who are fluent in English and Spanish. Any other language must be requested when booking the space and shall be provided only if it is available. If at the time of tour it has not been possible to provide the guide in the language that was requested, the extra charge for this language shall be refunded if it has already been paid for, but no other claim for this shall be considered.
8.2.- The customer recognizes that any local or foreign group leader who is being provided by the customer is not allowed to operate and act as a guide on Ecuadorian territory and/or the Galápagos Islands. The group leader must comply with all requests made by the local guide authorized by PJ and will be able to coordinate all steps, whenever possible and in accordance with contract terms, with the local guide authorized by PJ. Group leaders shall not be able to change the itineraries presented by PJ or other itineraries operated by PJ without the prior written authorization of PJ. Group leaders are forbidden to offer alcoholic beverages or any other substances to guides, drivers, crew members, or any other staff member of the tour.
CLAUSE 9.- Transportation to the tour assembly point
9.1 Unless otherwise agreed between the USER and PJ, the USER is responsible for making his or her own arrangements to arrive at the tour assembly point. There are no arrangements in existence should the USER be delayed at the outward or homeward points of departure.
CLAUSE 10.- Complaints procedure and refunds
10.1.- If the USER experiences a problem during the tour, then they should inform PJ immediately and in writing. PJ will endeavour to put things right as soon as possible. PJ will not be responsible for giving refunds for any circumstances on your tour arising beyond PJ's control.
CALUSE 11.- Disabilities and health problems
11.1.- Any physical disability or health problem that might require special attention or treatment should be reported in writing to PJ. In these cases, PJ reserves the right to decline the provision of services. Trip members are responsible for selecting a trip that is in keeping with their abilities and interests. PJ will not be held liable for any consequences or expenses incurred for any changes, cancellations, accidents, injury, death, etc., caused by any disability, whether it has been reported to PJ or not. No refund will be forthcoming for missed sightseeing, meals, early/late departures and visits that were not enjoyed by the USER. PJ shall not be held liable for the provision of medical care during the trip.
11.2.- PJ also reserves the right to refuse, revoke, accept or restrain the further participation of any person it deems incapable of withstanding the hardships or meeting the requirements of participating in the activities that have been planned or contracted.
11.3.- PJ shall not be required to refund any portion of the fare paid by any passenger who must leave the tour prematurely for any of the reasons specified above. Therefore PJ will not be responsible for accommodations, meals, return transportation or other expenses incurred by the passenger for these reasons.
CLAUSE 12.- Information
12.1.- All information provided by PJ is given in good faith by the company, and is based on the latest information available at the date of publication.
CLAUSE 13.- Limitation of liability
13.1.- Third parties responsibilities:
PJ is not responsible for services provided by third parties as PJ only acts as their broker or agent, as specified in the terms of the general conditions. As agents, tickets, exchange orders, or vouchers, if issued by PJ, are subject to each and every term and condition under which such means of transportation, accommodations or other services are offered or provided.
In the case of operational issues that affect a tour that is being operated by a third party, it is the responsibility of the tour operator and not of PJ to provide an alternative tour or a refund to the USER. PJ will not be held liable for, and USERS release PJ from, any injury, damage, loss, accident, delay or irregularity which may be caused by any such third party, person, firm or corporation in carrying out or failing to carry out arrangements previously agreed upon, or for the misconduct, whether willful, criminal or otherwise, of any such third party, person, firm or corporation in providing or failing to provide services.
PJ shall not be held liable for any loss, injury, death or harm unless it was caused by PJ’s negligence when using PJ’s own facilities in which case liability shall be subject to local laws and regulations.
No employee, servant, agent or associate of PJ may change any of the previously listed booking conditions without the prior written consent of the General Manager of PJ.
13.2.- USER responsibilities:
PJ may accept children as USERS, but shall not be held liable for any accident that might occur to minors. Children are the sole responsibility of their parents and/or legal guardians.
The USER is responsible, and pledges to compensate PJ, for all penalties, fines, losses of money and/or expenses incurred or imposed by virtue of any act, omission or violation of law by the USER and for any damage to the facilities and equipment caused by any willful or negligent act or omission on the part of the USER.
PJ reserves the right to take photographs or shoot film of any trip and its USERS, and may use any such material for promotional and/or commercial purposes.
USERS must be in sound health and physical condition. It is their responsibility to decide if their participation in the tour is safe as they will have to practice outdoor sport activities and other active experiences, in Ecuador. Nevertheless, in no case shall PJ be held liable for incidental or consequential damages. In view of the above, PJ reserves the right to restrict the participation of USERS in those activities if they entail any kind of imminent hazard for the USERS or other group members.
CLAUSE 14.- Duration of the Contract
14.1.- The contract exists from the moment of its signature until the end of te tour that has been contracted.
14.2.- Anything not stipulated directly under this contract will be governed under current Ecuadorian Tourism law at the date of the present contract.
CLAUSE 15.- Acceptance
15.1.- THE USER accepts the content of the present contract which is signed in English to confirm clear and total understanding of its clauses. The total or partial payment done by the USER to PJ shall be interpreted as the USER’s acceptance of these Terms and Condition.
CLAUSE 16.- Jurisdiction & Process
16.1.- This present agreement shall be governed by Ecuadorian law and therefore interpreted within the framework of this law. In the event of a dispute between the parties as a result of the present agreement, if it has not been resolved amicably between the two parties, both PJ and the USER shall be subject to the jurisdiction of the civil judges of the city of Quito and the Civil Code Procedure.