Booking Terms, Refund & Cancellation Policy

Group Journeys — International Trips

Your deposit

A non-refundable deposit reserves your seat: Rio Carnival $500 · Thailand + Doha $295 · Tokyo $250 · Johannesburg $250 per person. Seats are assigned in the order deposits are received. The deposit is non-refundable from the moment it is paid, because we use it to hold airline seats and hotel space for you.

Payment plans

Every journey has a monthly payment schedule, shown before you book and on every invoice. Payments are due on the 1st of each month of your schedule. If a payment is missed, you have a 14-day grace period to catch up. If the balance remains unpaid after the grace period and we have not heard from you, the reservation may be canceled and amounts paid are treated under the cancellation schedule below. If something changes in your life mid-plan, contact us before the due date — we would always rather adjust a schedule than cancel a traveler.

If you cancel

Cancellations must be sent in writing (email) to reservations@busandplane.com. The date we receive your email sets your place on this schedule:

Refunds are issued to the original payment method within 14 business days.

Name changes: if you cannot travel, you may transfer your reservation to another traveler up to 45 days before departure for a $100 change fee, subject to airline name-change rules — some airlines charge their own fee, which passes through at cost.

If we cancel or change the trip

Events outside anyone's control (severe weather, government travel restrictions, airline schedule changes, natural disasters, civil unrest) may force itinerary changes. In that case we first rebook or substitute comparable services; where a portion of the trip cannot be delivered and we recover the cost from our suppliers, that recovery is passed back to affected travelers. We will never keep money for services we did not deliver and did not pay for.

Pricing

Package pricing is based on current supplier rates and is subject to availability until deposit and supplier confirmations are secured. Once your deposit is paid, your package price is locked — it will not increase, with one exception: government-imposed taxes or airline fuel surcharges introduced after booking, which pass through at documented cost. Roundtrip international airfare from the trip's gateway city is included; travel from your home city to the gateway can be added at additional cost. Late bookings may incur an air supplement if group fare classes have closed.

Travel disruptions, delays and third-party suppliers

Bus and Plane organizes and packages travel; the trips themselves are delivered by independent suppliers — airlines, hotels, ground operators, and excursion providers. By booking, you acknowledge:

• Flight delays, cancellations and schedule changes are governed by the airline's own conditions of carriage. When a flight is delayed or changed, your remedies (rebooking, meal or hotel vouchers, compensation) come from the airline under its rules and applicable law. We will actively help you rebook and will advocate for you with the carrier, but Bus and Plane is not financially responsible for airline-caused delays, cancellations, missed connections, or downgrades, nor for costs they cause.
• Itinerary elements may shift due to weather, local conditions, or supplier changes. Where an included activity cannot run, we substitute a comparable one or refund what we recover from the supplier for that element. Sequence changes to the day-by-day itinerary are not grounds for a refund.
• We are not liable for consequential costs — missed work, unused visas, separately purchased flights or activities, or other expenses outside the package price.
• Personal circumstances (illness, documents, denied boarding, missed departures on your side) are not refundable by Bus and Plane — this is exactly what travel insurance covers.
• Nothing in this section limits rights you have under applicable law that cannot be waived.

Travel insurance

Travel insurance is not included and is strongly recommended — it is the only protection for cancellations on your side inside the no-refund window (illness, family emergency, work). We can point you to reputable providers; buy it within 14 days of your deposit for the broadest coverage.

Travel documents

A passport valid 6+ months beyond your return date is required for all international journeys. Visas, where required, are the traveler's responsibility; we send document requirements and deadlines well in advance. No refund is owed for denied boarding due to missing documents.

Charter & Transportation

Charter quotes are firm for 14 days. A signed charter agreement and 25% deposit confirm the date; the balance is due 14 days before the trip. Cancellation by the client: more than 30 days out, the deposit is refunded less any non-recoverable costs already committed; 30 days or fewer, the deposit is retained; 7 days or fewer, the full contracted amount is due. If Bus and Plane cannot provide the contracted vehicle and cannot arrange an equivalent substitute, everything paid is refunded in full.

Chargebacks and Disputes

Talk to us first — reservations@busandplane.com or the number on the site. We answer within one business day and resolve legitimate problems directly and faster than a card dispute can. Card disputes filed against charges made under these agreed terms will be contested with the signed booking terms, payment schedule, and communication record.

Arbitration Agreement and Class-Action Waiver

Any dispute or claim between you and Bus and Plane LLC arising out of or relating to a booking, these terms, or our services that cannot be resolved directly between us will be resolved by binding individual arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association (AAA) under its Consumer Arbitration Rules, rather than in court. The arbitration will be held in Dallas County, Texas, or at your option conducted remotely by videoconference. Texas law governs these terms.

• Small claims carve-out: either party may bring an individual claim in small claims court instead of arbitration.
• Class-action waiver: claims must be brought individually — not as a plaintiff or class member in any class, consolidated, or representative action.
• Fees: AAA consumer rules cap the traveler's filing fee; Bus and Plane pays the remaining arbitration costs as those rules require.
• Opt-out: you may opt out of this arbitration agreement by emailing reservations@busandplane.com within 30 days of your first booking; opting out does not affect your booking or any other term.
• Before filing: both parties agree to first attempt informal resolution — a written description of the dispute and 30 days to resolve it — before starting arbitration.

Contact

Bus and Plane LLC · Dallas, Texas
reservations@busandplane.com · james@busandplane.com

These terms are accepted at booking (checkbox on the reservation form) and accompany every deposit invoice.