Terms & Conditions
Please Carefully Read the Following Information
TOUR PACKAGE: Your tour price includes transportation (all modes listed), accommodation, local taxes, services of a professional tour director, meals as indicated on itinerary, admission to attractions specified, and luggage handling. Price does not include meals other than those indicated, gratuities other than those indicated on final itinerary, and GST on tour fare when applicable.
DEPOSITS: A deposit is required within three days of booking. Deposit requirements are outlined in detail on each tour brochure. If a deposit or balance becomes overdue and we cannot contact you, your reservation will be canceled.
CANCELLATIONS: The cancellation policy for each tour is described in detail on the tour brochure. There is no refund if you cancel your holiday after departure due to illness of yourself, a family member or a travelling companion.
TRAVEL INSURANCE: Insurance is not included in tour fares, but it is available as an option at our offices. We strongly recommend purchasing insurance to protect the non-refundable portion of your fare and to provide coverage for unexpected events. Insurance must be purchased at time of final tour payment. We sell three insurance packages, which are underwritten by TIC Travel Insurance: Cancellation Insurance Plan #1: Includes coverage for trip cancellation, upgrade and trip interruption. Medical Insurance Plan #2: Includes coverage for medical and emergency transport expenses. Excess medical insurance should be considered mandatory: DO NOT TRAVEL OUT OF COUNTRY WITHOUT IT! Comprehensive Insurance Plan #3: Includes coverage for all benefits of Plan #1 and #2, plus other benefits. Detailed brochure is available. Premiums are quoted on each tour itinerary. Premiums are always subject to change until paid as insurance companies can change premiums without any notice.
Download Travel Insurance Brochure
BORDER CROSSING: For any travel outside of Canada, a valid passport is required. This includes entry into the United States. Passport numbers and expiry dates are required for any tour entering/exiting the United States by air. This information will be collected at final payment. Passengers are responsible for ensuring that they have valid documentation for all border crossings. Passengers without valid documents may be detained by Customs Officers and therefore miss their tour. Wells Gray Tours nor Wells Gray Tours (Victoria) Ltd. can assume responsibility for portions of a tour missed due to improper documentation. We will arrange stops at duty free stores whenever possible.
GRATUITIES: Gratuities are at your discretion. The following are guidelines. Remember to use local currency.
- Tour director and coach driver: $2-5 per person per day to each tour director and driver. Tips should be offered on a voluntary and individual basis depending upon the quality of service. Please do not start a group collection, as this can be embarrassing to some passengers. The most discreet method is to place the tip in an envelope (available at your hotel) and on the final day either hand it to the tour director or driver or leave it on her/his seat.
- Meals: in Canada, 12-15% of the pre-tax bill, in the U.S., 15-17%. Note: For included meals, gratuities have been paid.
- Chambermaid: $1 per person per night - this is especially important when you have multiple nights in one hotel.
- Baggage handling: $2 per bag. Note: Tip for luggage handling at hotel is usually included.
- Local guides: $2-3 per person for every 3 hours of service.
- Transfer driver with luggage handling: $2 -5 per person.
- Cruises: This varies per cruise line. For budgeting purposes, count on $10 per person per day.
- Train: $5-10 per person per day for on board attendants, depending on standard of service.
LOST ITEMS: Passengers disembarking at the end of a tour are urged to check that they have all personal belongings with them. Lost items are usually held at head office in Kamloops. Wells Gray Tours and Wells Gray Tours (Victoria) Ltd. cannot take responsibility for any items lost on tour.
LUGGAGE: The limit per person is one large suitcase and a small carry-on bag. On some tours longer than 10 days, you may bring two pieces of luggage. Luggage tags are included in your ticket package. The Wells Gray tag is essential for the efficient handling of bags at hotels. Please attach the completed tag to your suitcase before arriving at your departure point. Liability: Luggage insurance is not included in your fare. Please note that neither Wells Gray Tours, Wells Gray Tours (Victoria) Ltd. nor the motorcoach company can assume responsibility for lost or damaged luggage or its contents.
ACCOMMODATIONS: The hotels mentioned in the tour descriptions are confirmed at the time the brochure is printed. It is very unusual for changes to occur, but passengers will be notified whenever possible. Hotel Lists: Your ticket package contains a hotel list, which gives the hotel name, address and phone number. You should leave this list with family/friends so you can be contacted while on your tour. If they do phone, they should tell the hotel operator that you are a member of the Wells Gray tour as this information will speed the connection. Special rooming requests: If you wish a ground floor room where there is no elevator, a lower floor room in a high-rise hotel, a room adjacent to another passenger, or a non-smoking room, please make this request at the time you book your tour. Although we make every effort to satisfy your request by passing the information on to hotels, it cannot be guaranteed in advance. Please note that special requests cannot be accepted within two weeks of departure. Also note that many hotels still do not have enough non-smoking rooms to accommodate all guests who ask for them. "Deluxe rooms": Although descriptions of hotels tend to be relative only to the norm in each area, our choice of accommodation is in the "deluxe" to "first class" range rather than the "moderate" to "economy" range. We try to strike a happy medium by maintaining a high standard of hotels while keeping a close eye on costs. Virtually all hotels we use are approved by the National Tour Association or the Canadian or American Automobile Association which have rigourous guidelines for membership. AAA rating is usually ♦♦♦ or better.
ROOM PARTNERS: Our reservation system tracks partner requests, and you can add your name to our partner request list or we can provide you with the name and phone number of a possible partner. Together you can decide if you are compatible and would like to book together. Wells Gray Tours nor Wells Gray Tours (Victoria) Ltd. can assume responsibility for added costs due to disagreements encountered while travelling.
SINGLES: Some hotels limit the number of single rooms assigned to each group, so people travelling alone should make reservations early. Singles are requested to sit with other singles on the coach, so that travelling companions can sit together.
DEPARTURE TIMES: We suggest that you arrive at your departure point no earlier than 15 minutes prior to the time shown on your ticket. The first day of a tour usually has many stops for passenger pick up and the coach is scheduled to depart as close as possible to the time on your ticket.
SEAT ROTATION: This is mandatory on all tours, and your tour director will describe the pattern and the frequency of the moves. For fairness to other passengers, exceptions will not be made.
SMOKING ON THE COACH: All motorcoaches are non-smoking, but rest stops are frequent.
DIETARY NEEDS: On tours with included meals, please advise us of your special needs at least one month prior to departure, so we can notify our suppliers. We can also inform you about scheduled times for meals.
ITINERARY NOTES: Your tour itinerary includes many attractions, but there may be some attractions that are additional and listed as optional. Other times you have a choice of various options for either attractions or accommodation. Please choose these options when Wellsyou book your tour as some are limited in space. If you wish to leave the tour at any time to visit friends and family, you are certainly welcome to do so. Please ensure that the tour director is informed and note that Wells Gray Tours nor Wells Gray Tours (Victoria) Ltd. will make a refund for any missed or unused portions of the tour package.
SPECIAL NEEDS: If you require assistance in any way, you must be accompanied by a travelling companion who will be fully responsible for your needs while on tour. Some tours may not be suitable due to the level of activity, so please discuss your needs with us when you book your tour.
CONSUMER PROTECTION: In British Columbia, the Registrar of Travel requires that any business or organization that collects advance deposits from people for future travel must be registered with the government and must hold those deposits in trust. This protects consumer deposits in the unlikely event of bankruptcy. Wells Gray Tours and Wells Gray Tours (Victoria) Ltd. are also members in good standing of the National Tour Association, which requires its members to carry at least $1 million in professional liability, errors and omission insurance.
CURRENCY: Your credit card is a convenient way to pay for many meals and purchases. Travellers cheques are widely accepted and should be carried in denominations no greater than $20 due to the difficulty of cashing larger amounts. ATM and debit card availability is high in Canada and US, but less in other countries. You should also carry some cash with you in the currency of that country for gratuities and in case credit cards or travellers cheques cannot be used.
CHANGES TO FARES: Due to the uncertainties of inflation and foreign exchange, we reserve the right to modify tour fares in the unlikely event of cost changes.
COMMENT SHEETS: We always strive to improve, and comments from our customers are very important. Your tour director will hand out a comment sheet during the tour (with a confidential envelope if desired), so you can tell us what you think. In order to maintain a high standard of service, Wells Gray management reads every passenger's comments and discusses problems and praises with hotels, the motorcoach company, other suppliers, and our staff.