OUR SERVICES:
Face The Outdoors, hereby referred to as FTO, provides photo tours, and photography workshops.
CANCELLATION POLICY:
We understand that life happens. If you must cancel a reservation, please contact Face The Outdoors (FTO) as soon as possible. All cancellations must be requested via email to michael@facetheoutdoors.com. Please note that the cancellation policy below. We highly recommend that all trip participants purchase Travel Insurance to cover any non-refundable fees and travel expenses. Any cancellations or changes will be subject to a non-refundable change fee as detailed below.
Any changes or cancellations will incur a $300 USD change fee per person.
At the time of booking, you have the option to pay a 50% deposit or the full workshop/tour amount. If you pay the deposit, the remaining balance will be charged 90 days prior to departure.
For cancellations more than 90 days from departure, we will fully refund all money paid and charge the change fee once we fill the vacancy. If we are unable to fill the vacancy, your deposit can be applied to a future workshop/tour within 365 days of the cancellation date.
Cancellations within 90 days of departure cannot be refunded. If we are able to fill the vacancy, your payment minus the change fee can be applied to a future workshop/tour within 365 days of the cancellation date.
Certain workshops/tours, especially non-US workshops, have unique cancellation terms and conditions. These terms and conditions will be clearly stated on the workshop webpage, checkout forms, and associated liability waivers. The unique cancellation terms and conditions for these workshops will override the generic workshop/tour cancellation clauses contained herein.
No refunds will be given for individually customized workshops/tours. However, you can reschedule the workshop/tour to a different date within 365 days of the cancellation date.
We strongly recommend that all participants purchase Travel Insurance to cover any non-refundable deposits and workshop/tour fees.
Additional Items:
Any non-refundable fees paid to a third party in connection with your tour cannot be refunded.
Face The Outdoors (FTO) cannot offer partial refunds for unused Services. If you have to cut your trip short, no refunds can be given.
Cancellation fees and forfeited deposits are non-transferable to other people.
If you are not present at the time of trip departure, we will try our best to contact you. We cannot offer any refunds for no-shows.
TRIP CANCELLATION:
FTO will do everything in their power to prevent trip cancellation. However, in the event a trip must be cancelled due to low participation rates, guide sickness, accident or death, and passage of law or any action taken by a governmental or public authority, including changes in quota, restrictions or prohibitions, FTO will promptly refund all fees paid minus nonrefundable fees paid to the third party. Should this unfortunate event occur, FTO will inform all trip participants as soon as possible. FTO is not responsible for your personal travel expenses to the Alaska or any other expenses incurred in preparing for the trip. It is for this reason and others, we strongly recommend that you purchase Travel Insurance.
TRIP INSURANCE:
FTO highly recommends that all trip participants purchase their own health, disability, life, and travel insurance. It is the participant’s responsibility to have adequate health and injury insurance for the areas we will visit. FTO is not responsible for any health or injury liability or camera equipment damage.
HEALTH AND PHYSICAL FITNESS:
FTO doesn’t require any COVID testing. However, the health and safety of our participants and staff are our foremost priority. Anyone with active symptoms of a transmissible disease must wear a mask or not attend the tour or workshop until the symptoms resolve.
FTO’s tours and workshops can be physically demanding. As such, FTO clearly labels each tour and workshop with a Physical Difficulty Rating. It is the participant’s sole responsibility to ensure they have sufficient fitness for their intended tour or workshop.
FTO strongly advises that participants purchase Travel Insurance to protect against any unexpected trip changes, interruptions, or cancellations due to health or illness.
ITINERARY CHANGES AND DELAYS
FTO will do its best to honor the published itinerary. However, there are circumstances outside our control that may cause changes or omissions. Examples of these unforeseen circumstances include inclement weather, geopolitical events, unexpected closures, transportation delays, sickness, or other events identified in the Trip Cancellation section above. No refunds will be given for these adverse circumstances.
PARTICIPANT RESPONSIBILITY
FTO reserves the right to accept or decline a participant for any reason allowable by law. FTO expects that all participants act in a polite and law-abiding manner. Any illegal activity, drunkenness, illegal drug use, poor treatment of other tour participants or staff, disrespectfulness, etc. will not be tolerated. FTO reserves the right to send participants home early at their own expense if they cannot comply with these expectations.
RELEASE OF PHOTO/VIDEO RIGHTS
FTO reserves the right to take photographs, videos, and/or sound recordings during the workshop/tour. The resulting media can be used in whole or in part for promotional purposes, including, but not limited to: advertising and publicity both in print and electronic media. By booking a tour with FTO, the participant agrees to allow his/her likeness to be used by FTO without compensation to the participant. If the participant prefers that his/her likeness not be used, he/she must notify FTO in writing prior to scheduled tour. We also reserve the right to use, in all or in part, any written reviews or feedback you may provide to us in our advertising and publicity both in print and electronic media.
LIMITATION OF LIABILITY
FTO may work with third-party hotel operators, transportation providers, food & beverage establishments, and other independent service providers for its tours. Although FTO tries to utilize good and reputable service providers, their individual actions are not subject to FTO’s control. Neither FTO, its affiliates, owners, employees and contractors, nor any associate organization shall be held liable for any act, injury, loss, expense, damage, deviation, delay, curtailment or inconvenience caused to or suffered by any person or their property. FTO disclaims any liability for any: (a) act, neglect or default of FTO, or of any persons for whom it would otherwise be responsible, or (b) defects or failures of any aircraft, vessel, automotive vehicle or other equipment or instrumentality under the control of independent suppliers. In addition, FTO cannot be liable for delays in departure or interruption of your travel arrangements caused by weather conditions, technical problems with any transportation mode, or other equipment or instrumentality, or any causes beyond the control of FTO. In no event will FTO be responsible for incidental, consequential or special damage or loss suffered by any person. FTO’s maximum liability, for any reason whatsoever, will be limited to the amount paid to FTO for its Services.
In issuing tickets and coupons for transportation of the purchaser by any means and making arrangements for hotel or other accommodation, FTO is not acting as principal but only as agent for the other companies, corporations or persons. The participant further understands that FTO neither owns, controls, or operates such third-party suppliers and accordingly, agrees to seek remedies directly and only against those suppliers and not hold FTO responsible for their acts, negligence, or omissions.
Without limitation, FTO is not responsible for any injury to person or damage to property arising out of any negligent acts or omissions of itself or of any persons for whom it would otherwise be responsible, or acts which are beyond its control, including but not limited to acts of God or force majeure, weather emergencies, breakdown, or failure of diving or mechanical equipment, government actions, inclement weather, sickness, attacks by animals, availability of emergency evacuation, medical care or the adequacy of the same, criminal activity of any kind, terrorism, war, civil disturbance, sanitary conditions, quality or sanitation of food, quarantine, customs, regulations, epidemics, strikes, travel provider overbooking, safety and/or security standards at hotels, accommodations or otherwise, any problems or injuries whatsoever arising from hiking or for any other reason beyond the control of FTO. The participant is solely responsible for any costs for medical evacuation, use of aircraft, or other unplanned expense.
ARBITRATION
Any controversy or claim arising out of or relating to this Agreement or the performance thereunder, including without limitation any claim related to bodily injury, property damage or death, shall be settled by binding arbitration in Fairbanks, Alaska, USA in accordance with the rules of the American Arbitration Association then existing, and judgment on the arbitration award may be entered in any court having jurisdiction over the subject matter of the controversy. This Agreement to arbitrate does not waive or modify the liability release contained in this document. The dispute will be resolved by a single arbitrator who must be a lawyer admitted to practice in the courts of at least one state in the United States. The arbitrator so described will be selected by the American Arbitration Association. Each party to the dispute shall have the right to veto one arbitrator. There will be judicial review of the arbitrator’s decision if either side can show plain error in the application of law or be able to show an abuse of discretion with respect to factual findings. The parties waive the right to rely on any state law or statute which creates an exception to enforcement of the requirement that disputes be resolved pursuant to arbitration in the manner set forth herein.
WAIVER OF JURY TRIAL
In connection with any action or legal proceeding arising out of this Agreement, the parties hereby specifically and knowingly waive any rights that either party might have to demand a jury trial.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF RISK:
The participant on any FTO tour or workshop understands and acknowledges that your travel in an organized tour by FTO may involve risk and potential exposure to injury and possibly death. You also realize and acknowledge that risk and dangers may be caused by the negligence, fault or wrongdoing of the owners, employees, contractors of FTO or of other participants, contractors and/or subcontractors to FTO. Risk and dangers may arise from foreseeable and unforeseeable causes. The participant fully understands and acknowledges that the aforementioned risks, dangers and hazards are a potential in connection with your tour or workshop.
EXPRESS ASSUMPTION OF RISK:
In recognition of the inherent risk of the travels and related activities in which you are intending to engage, you confirm that you are physically and mentally capable of participating in the activity, that you are willingly and knowingly electing to participate in this tour in spite of the potential risk of danger, and you knowingly, willingly and voluntarily assume full responsibility for any injury, loss or damage suffered by you or caused by you, whether caused in whole or in part by the negligence, fault or wrongdoing, whether expected or not, of the owners, employees, contractors, or subcontractors of FTO or of other participants. You understand and acknowledge that due to the remoteness of where we travel, emergency evacuation and/or search and rescue may be delayed or unavailable and that medical facilities and supplies may be limited and you acknowledge that it is your responsibility to assess the impact such limitations may have on any existing medical condition(s). You understand and acknowledge that FTO reserves the right to accept or reject any participant for any legal reason, and FTO or its guide has the right to disqualify you from any trip activity, if in FTO’s judgement, you are incapable of that activity and/or your continued participation in the tour will endanger yourself or the safety of the group. It is your responsibility and obligation to inform FTO, at the time your reservation is made, of any medical or physical disability, including food allergies, or limitation that might disable you or render you unable to perform or safely complete the tour or any activity on the tour. You further acknowledge that you are the best judge of your own conditions and limitations, and that it is incumbent upon you to fully disclose the full extent of any such conditions or limitations to FTO.
RELEASE OF LIABILITY:
In consideration of the Services and arrangements provided by FTO, you, for yourself and for your heirs, personal representatives or assigns, do hereby release, waive, discharge, hold harmless and agree to indemnify FTO, and its owners, agents, employees, contractors, subcontractors and affiliates from any and all claims, actions, or losses for bodily injury, emotional injury or distress, property damage, wrongful death, loss of Services, lost profits, consequential, exemplary, indirect or punitive damages or otherwise which may arise out of or occur during your travel in connection with FTO’s Services and any activities conducted in conjunction therewith. YOU SPECIFICALLY UNDERSTAND AND AGREE THAT YOU ARE RELEASING, DISCHARGING AND WAIVING ANY CLAIMS OR ACTIONS THAT YOU MAY HAVE PRESENTLY OR IN THE FUTURE, FOR THE NEGLIGENT ACTS, OMISSIONS OR CONDUCT OF THE OWNERS, EMPLOYEES, CONTRACTORS, SUBCONTRACTORS, AGENTS OR AFFILIATES OF FTO.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:
By booking this workshop/tour you have, on the date booked, read and understood these terms and conditions. I acknowledge that these terms and conditions affect my legal rights and I agree to be bound by their terms. My booking also signifies my intention (on behalf of myself and all other customers/participants for whom I am purchasing the travel package) to relieve and indemnify Face The Outdoors LLC, d/b/a “Face The Outdoors”, d/b/a “Face The Outdoors Photography”, its owners, employees, affiliates, agents, contractors and subcontractors from any liability for personal injury, emotional injury or distress, property damage or wrongful death which I/we might suffer during participation in FTO’s Services.