We are pleased that You have decided to use Grodberg Media, LLC d/b/a Epic Experiences (hereinafter, “We,” “Us,” or “Epic Experiences”) services in connection with Your vacation and travel booking. Asking Us to make arrangements for and book Your flight, hotel, car rental, tour, cruise or other travel bookings shall confirm, signify and govern Your acceptance and agreement to the following Terms and Conditions (“Terms”):
Parties
You acknowledge and agree that Epic Experiences is acting as a third-party, independent intermediary travel agency. We arrange travel services and sell travel related products for third-party Suppliers that supply goods and/or services. These services include, but are not limited to, air transportation, baggage transport, ground and sea transportation, hotel and lodging accommodations, tours, tour guides, escorts, and other travel and/or vacation services (collectively, the “Travel Services”). You expressly acknowledge that You have been advised that the Suppliers whose names appear in the information provided to You are those who are actually responsible for providing the Travel Services You have purchased. Accordingly, Epic Experiences makes no representation or warranty regarding the Travel Services to be supplied by the Suppliers. Your booking shall be at all times subject to the Supplier’s terms and conditions. You acknowledge and agree that if the Travel Services You purchase through Us are not supplied in accordance with Your booking, Your sole remedy lies with the Supplier and not with Epic Experiences. Furthermore, You acknowledge that Epic Experiences shall not be responsible for negligent actions or omissions on the part of such Suppliers, which may result in loss, damage, delay or injury to You or Your travel companions or group members. Moreover, You agree not to hold Epic Experiences responsible should any of these Suppliers fail to comply with any applicable law or regulation.
Prices and Fees
A) General Terms Prices and availability of the Travel Services quoted by Epic Experiences are not guaranteed until full payment is made. Accordingly, You acknowledge and agree that pricing and availability of the Travel Services are subject to change without notice. Please note, You are required to pay a non-refundable booking fee to Epic Experiences in an amount equal to $150 to $250 US dollars, which will be indicated in advance by Epic Experiences, plus any deposit requested by the travel supplier at the time of booking.
All booking fees and deposits are non-refundable. Final payment is due in accordance with the terms set forth in the travel confirmation You receive upon making the booking.
You acknowledge and agree that Epic Experiences is not responsible for any errors or omissions in any quotes, advertisements, resulting in inventory, content, or pricing discrepancies for travel services nor is Epic Experience responsible for any errors or omissions that may occur as a result of incorrect information from Suppliers and other third-parties. As such, Suppliers reserve the right not to honor any published prices that they determine were erroneous due to electronic, printing, or clerical error. You acknowledge this right and agree to hold Epic Experience harmless for any actions or damages arising from discrepancies in pricing.
B) Additional Taxes and Fees Epic Experiences reserves the right to charge You for any increase in taxes, fees and/or fuel surcharges incurred after full payment is made. You acknowledge this right and agree to pay such additional taxes, fees and/or fuel surcharges. Furthermore, You acknowledge and agree that the some Suppliers reserve the right to and may charge additional fees including, but not limited to, fees for: oversized baggage, pets, customs, airport transportation, hotel accommodation taxes and/or resort fees, ground and sea transportation, tours, and tour guides.
C) Airline Fees You acknowledge that some airfares or other Travel Services must be paid in full at the time of booking. Please contact your airline or refer to its website for detailed information regarding their checked baggage policies.
Damages and Losses
Epic Experiences assumes no responsibility for and shall not be liable for any refund, personal injury, property damage, or other loss, accident, illness, delay, inconvenience, or irregularity which may be caused by: (1) any defaults, wrongful or negligent acts, or omissions of the Suppliers; (2) any defect in or failure of any vehicle, craft, equipment, or instrumentality owned, operated, or otherwise used or provided by the Suppliers; (3) any wrongful or negligent acts or omissions on the part of any other party not under Epic Experiences control; and (4) any Supplier price drop after Your Travel Services have been confirmed, paid in full, or ticketed. (5) any pandemic. You hereby release Epic Experiences from all claims arising out of any problem covered in this paragraph.
Government Idenfication Requirements
A) Domestic You understand that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) requires You to carry a government issued identification card for domestic travel in order to board a flight. Please note if You are a US Resident a REAL ID compliant driver’s license, or passport, is necessary to board a domestic flight on or after May 3, 2023. A REAL ID driver’s license has a star in the upper right corner. For more information, please visit the Homeland Security website or the TSA’s website.
B) International You understand that the TSA requires You to carry a passport for international travel in order to board a flight. You should also have a passport for a cruise that stops at any international ports. You also may need to obtain one or more visas, depending on your nationality and destination. Please note that passport and visa information may be obtained by contacting the Travel Advisory Section of the U.S. State Department at 202.647.5225 or by visiting the State Department’s Web site at travel.state.gov. Please be advised that Epic Experiences is not responsible if You are unable to travel from one country to another or if You are detained for any reason in a foreign country. You expressly release Epic Experiences from any liability relating to such inability to travel. Non-U.S. passport holders should contact the embassies of their destination and transit countries to obtain entrance requirements.
It is Your responsibility to ensure you are aware of any health requirements for Your travel destinations and to ensure that you carry all necessary vaccination documentation.To obtain medical information, you may contact the Centers for Disease Control at 404.332.4559 or visit the CDC’s website at cdc.gov.
Many countries require your passport is effective at least 6 months after departing the country. Please check your passport expiration to be sure it meets the conditions of the country/ies you are visiting.
Only a passport (booklet) is acceptable for international air travel, not a passport card.
Many countries will not allow entry or require special permission if you have had a conviction of any sort of crime, misdemeanor or DUI. It is your responsibility to find out if the country you are traveling to has any such restrictions in the event you have had legal issues.
C) Domestic and International You acknowledge and agree that the name, date of birth and gender that appears on Your identification card must exactly match the same such data that is listed on Your airline ticket and in Your Travel Services booking records. You acknowledge that Your failure to strictly comply with these requirements may result in You being denied boarding or an undue delay at an airport security checkpoint causing You to miss Your flight.
Travel Documents
You assume sole responsibility to independently confirm all documentation requirements for all passport, visa, vaccination, or other entry and/or travel requirements of each destination. You assume sole responsibility for, and hereby release Epic Experiences from any claims or responsibility for any and all damages incurred as a result of Your failure to comply with applicable documentation requirements, including but not limited the requirement that You procure, and have on Your person the proper travel documents at all times. Epic Experiences recommends that You consult with the appropriate domestic and foreign governmental agencies for the current document requirements.
Destination Information
Epic Experiences has no special knowledge regarding the financial condition of the Supplier, unsafe conditions, health hazards, weather hazards, or climate extremes at locations to which You may travel. For information concerning possible dangers at destinations, Epic Experiences recommends visiting the Travel Warnings Section of the U.S. State Department at www.travel.state.gov. You hereby release Epic Experiences from all claims arising out of any problem covered in this paragraph.
You acknowledge that hotels undergo renovations from time to time. Hotels take all possible steps to limit disruption to guests. Where Epic Experiences is advised of renovations, this information may be passed on to You at Epic Experiences’ sole discretion. However, in no event will Epic Experiences accept any liability whatsoever for the dissatisfaction of the Hotel Guest on behalf of which the booking has been made by us, which arises as a result of or in relation to renovations being undertaken by the hotel.
You acknowledge that bookings made by the Epic Experiences for a triple or quad room do not guarantee one bed for each person in the room and that rooms may not be able to fit extra bedding. You further acknowledge double/twin rooms will consist of either one large bed or two smaller beds, that bedding is on a request basis only, and is completely subject to availability on arrival. Epic Experiences will strongly request your preferred bed configuration and bears no responsibility for bedding offered by the hotel.
Cancellation Policy
Please be aware that most travel bookings are non-refundable and any cancelled bookings will incur charges. These charges can be up to the full cost of the booking, regardless of whether Travel Services have commenced. Where Epic Experiences incurs any liability for a cancellation fee or charge for any Travel Services which You cancel, You agree to indemnify Us for the full amount of that fee or charge. Please note, some Supplier confirmations state that their goods and/or services are non-cancellable and You acknowledge such policy and agree that you have chosen to purchase a non-cancellable trip component.
Furthermore, should You cancel Your Travel Services and trip after it has been fully booked and confirmed, You acknowledge and agree that Epic Experiences will charge you a one time, non-refundable cancellation fee of $250.00 US dollars per person to the credit card on file.
Effective January 12, 2021 Epic Experiences will only cancel trips when advised in writing by You.
Alterations Made By You
If You wish to change any part of Your booking or Travel Services after they are booked and confirmed, We will use our best efforts to assist You. Please note, Suppliers are under no obligation to make any changes, although changes may be possible. If a Supplier can make a change to Your booking, Epic Experiences will charge an administrative change fee of fifty dollars ($50.00) per person to the credit card on file, which is in addition to any change fee the Supplier may charge.
Airline Schedules
The airline on which You are booked may change its departure time. It is Your responsibility to contact the airline to check there has been no change to the time of departure.
Refusal of Service
Suppliers reserve the right to refuse service to You at their sole discretion, including without limitation, if You: (1) lack proper documentation for the country or destination; (2) have a contagious disease; (3) are under the influence of alcohol, drugs or narcotics; and/or (4) manifest disruptive and/or unruly behavior. Epic Experiences assumes no liability for the acts of the Supplier in refusing service.
Insurance Advisory
Travel insurance protects You and Your investment in the Travel Services. Unless otherwise noted, travel insurance is not included in Your booking or the Travel Services to protect against Supplier default/bankruptcy protection, delay, interruption, missed connection for cruises, cancellation, medical emergency, lost luggage and baggage delay, illness, job loss protection and change of plans, accidental death and disability, travel accident/sickness medical expenses, and more.
Travel insurance plans provide insurance coverage that only applies during the covered trip. You may have coverage from other sources that provides you with similar benefits but may be subject to different restrictions depending upon your other coverages. You may wish to compare the terms of the policy with your existing life, health, home, and automobile insurance policies. If you have any questions about your current coverage, call your insurer or insurance agent or broker.
You acknowledge that You may purchase travel insurance through Epic Experiences. If You do not purchase travel insurance, You acknowledge and agree that if You cancel or interrupt Your travel or the Travel Services for any reason, a portion or the entirety of Your booking may not be refunded and Epic Experiences cancellation penalties will apply resulting in the loss of monies up to the full cost of Your booking and related costs.
Please note, You are not required to purchase travel insurance in order to engage Epic Experiences in booking your travel services.
Force Majeure
Epic Experiences shall not be liable for any delays or failures in performance resulting from acts beyond its reasonable control including, without limitation, acts of God, earthquakes, terrorist acts, pandemics, virus, disease, illness, World Health Organization, Center for Disease Control or US State Department advisories and or alerts, fire, floods, shortage of supply, breakdowns or malfunctions, interruptions or malfunction of computer facilities, or loss of data due to power failures or mechanical difficulties with information storage or retrieval systems, labor difficulties, war, or civil unrest.
Very rarely, you may be forced by “force majeure” to change or terminate your trip after departure but before the scheduled end of your trip. This is unlikely but if this situation does occur we regret we will be unable to issue refunds (unless we obtain any refunds from our Suppliers), pay you any compensation, or meet any costs or expenses you incur as a result. Epic Experiences reserves the right to cancel any services described in a trip itinerary due to Force Majeure.
Impossibility of Performance
No refund(s) will be issued for cancellations due to actual or threatened terrorist events, unless offered by the Supplier.
If travel plans are delayed or cancelled for any reason there will be no refunds issued by Epic Experiences, except in those circumstances where Epic Experiences has issued its own schedule of cancellation, applicable to all or a portion of a booking (whenever such a schedule is issued, it will specifically indicate which trip component(s) it is issued for and will ONLY apply to the specific trip component(s) indicated.
Please note that a trip or booking often consists of multiple components, each of which may carry its own cancellation penalties (example: an airline ticket, a pre-trip hotel night, a multi-day adventure vacation through a tour operator, a post-trip extension designed by Epic Experiences, all of which may be subject to a different set of cancellation policies).
Miscellaneous
These Terms shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of New York, irrespective of any conflict of laws principles. Any action or proceeding arising under these Terms shall be brought exclusively in the Supreme Court of the State of New York, County of New York within one (1) year of the date of the event giving rise to such action occurred.
These Terms constitute the entire agreement between You and Epic Experiences with respect to the subject matter herein, unless superseded by a written agreement signed by the parties. If a court deems any provision of these Terms unenforceable or invalid, then that provision shall be deemed severable from these Terms and shall not affect the validity and enforceability of any remaining provisions.
Any waiver by a party to declare a breach or seek any remedy available to it under these Terms or by law will not constitute a waiver as to any past or future breaches or remedies. These Terms may be executed in two or more counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original, but all of which together shall constitute one and the same instrument.
We thank You for the confidence You have placed in Us.
Photo credit: Francois Chlous