Cancellation Policy
If you wish to cancel your tour, please email details to martin@martinbaileyphotography.com. We will reply and confirm receipt of your cancellation as soon as possible. If you do not receive confirmation within 48 hours, please contact us via our Contact Form.
Deposits
A deposit is required for each participant to secure your place. Payment in full is required when booking is made less than 90 days before the tour/workshop start date.
Balance payments are due 90 days before the start of the trip. Martin Bailey Photography K.K. reserves the right to cancel your reservation if payment is not received when due.
Refunds
If you decide to cancel and Martin Bailey Photography K.K. can refill your space, your deposit(s) may be refunded at our discretion. If we cannot backfill your space, we cannot refund your
deposit/reservation fee.
Tour Cancellation/Postponement from Excessive Participant Cancellation
All tours have a minimum number of participants required to make the tour financially viable. Martin Bailey Photography K.K. will inform you when the tour has reached the number of participants required to proceed. If, however, after the tour is confirmed, there are significant participant cancellations that cause the group size to drop below the minimum number of required participants, in extreme cases we may be forced to cancel or postpone the tour to another year. Depending on the timing, although we will evaluate and refund any recoverable costs for the tour, your refund may not be the full amount paid to Martin Bailey Photography K.K. To avoid any financial losses that you may incur in such a case, or for any other reason, we strongly advise you to take out trip insurance.
Cancellation Terms
If you cancel your tour the following charges may be applicable.
- If you cancel more than 61 days before the start of your tour, your balance will be refunded in full
- From 60 to 31 days before the start of the trip, 75% of your balance will be refunded
- From 30 to 8 days before the start of the trip, 50% of your balance will be refunded
- From 7 days to 72 hours before the start of the trip 25% of your balance will be refunded
- If you cancel less than 72 hours before the start of the trip, we cannot refund your tour fee (balance)
- No refunds will be given for services and activities that you choose not to utilize during the tour
Force Majeure
Cancellation of the tour due to natural disasters and other forces outside of your control or the control of Martin Bailey Photography K.K. will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, depending on how close we are to the tour start date. The funds for most tours are payable to external entities as early as three months before the start date and would require negotiation specific to the situation to determine how much of the tour fees can be returned, if any. We strongly advise you to take out trip insurance (see next section) to cover any losses you may incur should either party have to cancel your tour/workshop.
Notes on Cancellation Fees and Notification Timing
- Any transfer charges and transaction fees incurred on accepting and/or refunding any payments will be deducted from any refund amounts due
- The days to tour start are calculated from 9 am Japan Standard Time (UTC + 9 hours). Email received after 6 pm JST may be calculated from 9 am JST the following day.
Insurance
Insurance requirements for your tour are as follows…
Each participant must be covered by Medical Insurance that is valid overseas.
We strongly urge you to take out travel, cancellation, curtailment and default insurance for your trip. Travel Insurance helps to minimize the risk of monetary losses you would incur in the event of a delay of your departure due to weather, airline strike, missed connection, etc. or due to your inability to travel for reasons such as illness, injury, unforeseen financial complications and other personal circumstances, or if you are required to cancel or cut your trip short for medical, injury or any other reasons. There is also a risk that natural disasters cause the tour to be cancelled or cut short due to circumstances outside of your control and that of Martin Bailey Photography K.K. or our contracted service providers, for which we do not assume any responsibility.
There are restrictions and limitations on any insurance program. For this reason, choose your insurance carefully. Check their policies regarding trip cancellation, baggage, cost of international flights and medical insurance. If you intend to include cancellation insurance, the travel insurance companies could require that you buy insurance no later than 7 to 14 days after paying your deposit. If you wait longer, some companies may enforce stricter conditions, so do not delay contacting an insurance company. To buy online, try companies like travelexinsurance.com, worldnomads.com or insuremytrip.com.
If you travel with a lot of camera gear, you may need additional insurance to cover your gear overseas. If in
doubt, check with your insurance company.
Participant Agreement, Release & Assumption of Risk
In consideration of the services of Martin Bailey Photography K.K., their agents, owners, officers, volunteers, participants, employees, and all other persons or entities acting in any capacity on their behalf (hereinafter collectively referred to as “Martin Bailey Photography K.K.”), I hereby agree to release, indemnify, and discharge Martin Bailey Photography K.K., on behalf of myself, my children, my parents, my heirs, assigns, personal representative and estate as follows:
- I acknowledge that travel to foreign countries entails unanticipated risks which could result in physical or emotional injury, paralysis, death, or damage to myself, to property, or to third parties. I understand that such risks simply cannot be eliminated without jeopardizing the essential qualities of the activity. The risks include, among other things: the hazards of walking on uneven terrain
(cobblestones) and slips and falls, street muggings, hijacking, my own physical condition.
- I expressly agree and promise to accept and assume all of the risk existing in this activity. My participation in this activity is purely voluntary, and I elect to participate in spite of the risks.
- I hereby voluntarily release, forever discharge, and agree to indemnify and hold harmless Martin Bailey Photography K.K. from any claims, demands, or causes of actions which are in any way connected to my participation in this activity, exclusive of an act of gross negligence or willful misconduct on the part of Martin Bailey Photography K.K. if proved in a court of law.
- I certify that I have adequate insurance to cover any injury or damage I may cause or suffer while participating, or else I agree to bear the costs of such injury or damage myself. I further certify that I am willing to assume the risk of any medical or physical condition I may have.
- On Japan tours, I understand that Martin Bailey Photography K.K. and their agents will make every effort to ensure that we arrive back in Tokyo by the end of the last day of the tour, but I understand that weather conditions or other circumstances outside of their control could cause delays, and I agree that I will not hold Martin Bailey Photography K.K. or their agents responsible for any additional charges related to change or cancellation of international flights or hotels after the tour.
- In the event that I file a lawsuit against Martin Bailey Photography K.K., I agree to do so solely in Tokyo, Japan, and I further agree that the substantive law of Japan shall apply in that action without regard to the conflict of law rules of that state. I agree that if any portion of this agreement is found to be void or unenforceable, the remaining document shall remain in full force and effect.
Subject to Change
Your tour itinerary has been carefully designed to assure participants the best opportunities that our destinations have to offer; however, should events arise that are beyond our control, activities and hotel arrangements are subject to change without notice.
Effectiveness and Interpretation of Agreement
Any and all legal proceedings sustained from this agreement shall be set in the jurisdiction of Martin Bailey Photography K.K. This tour and workshop participation agreement sets forth the entire understanding of above mentioned agreement and unless otherwise stated is not inclusive of any oral or prior written agreements. Any modifications or changes to this agreement must be in written form and signed by both parties.
The participant signature below serves as a complete understanding and agreement to all terms and statements above.
