Terms & Conditions - Earthwatch

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Expedition Contribution

Costs Not Included

Payment Policy

Discounts for Past Team Members

Expedition Contribution

The cost of each expedition (your contribution), may vary according to team dates so please check prior to making your booking. On average, expeditions range from AU$500 to AU$5000, excluding airfares. By balancing costs across our program, we are able to assist some research that would not be self-supporting. Depending on the size and needs of your team, roughly 50% goes to field costs; 34% to advance planning, reconnaissance, team recruitment and logistical support and 16% is used for administrative support, communications and post expedition follow-up.

Costs Not Included

The main additional costs will be your transport expenses to and from the rendezvous site, which is listed in the expedition guide. Additional costs may include passports, visas, airport taxes, and the costs of any side trips made during time off from the expedition. Some expeditions have additional in-country travel costs to reach the expedition site. Ask our Expedition Coordinator if this is relevant to your expedition.

Payment Policy

If you sign up:

60 days or more prior to team departure: A minimum AU$500 deposit is required to reserve a place on an expedition. The balance of payment is due 60 days prior to team departure.
less than 60 days prior to team departure: The full contribution is required to reserve a place on an expedition as funds must be sent directly to the expedition at this stage.

Trip and flight cancellation insurance is highly recommended. You are advised to check flight availability prior to payment.

Note: Terms and conditions for weekend, teen and family teams may vary, so please consult our Expedition Coordinator on +61 (0)3 9682 6828.

Method of Payment

You can pay either by cheque, money order, Visa, MasterCard or via electronic transfer. Call our office for banking details.

Cancellation Policy

If you cancel:

90 days or more prior to team start date: payments are 100% refundable less AU$100 handling fee. If transferring to another expedition 100% of your payment will be credited - there is no handling fee.
between 45 and 89 days prior to team departure: your deposit of AU$500 is non-refundable, the remainder of your payment is refundable. If transferring to another expedition 100% of your payment will be credited - there is no handling fee.
less than 45 days prior to team departure: there are no refunds or transfers, all payments are non-refundable and non-transferable. The only exception is if you are denied acceptance on the expedition by Earthwatch or the Principal Investigator.

Trip and flight cancellation insurance is highly recommended.

Note: Any funds retained due to late cancellation will support expedition field research and will be considered a donation to Earthwatch Australia.

Terms and conditions for weekend, teen and family teams may vary, so please consult our Expedition Coordinator on +61 (0)3 9682 6828.

Earthwatch Cancellation

In the event that Earthwatch must cancel an expedition or team, your expedition contribution will be refunded in full. As Earthwatch expeditions are designed to meet the needs of the scientist, teams may be cancelled if there are not enough volunteers to collect a meaningful amount of data or otherwise do enough useful research. Other reasons for cancellation may include, but are not limited to, extreme weather at the research site or political unrest in the host country. Earthwatch does not reimburse airfare or other personal travel expenses associated with a cancelled expedition. For this reason, trip cancellation insurance is highly recommended.

Expedition Forms

All volunteers will need to complete expedition forms including a health form which requires a doctor's signature. We need the expedition forms at least 60 days prior to the departure of your Earthwatch expedition, or in the case of late bookings, by a mutually agreed date. The forms contain valuable information for Earthwatch and the Principal Investigator to help make the field experience a success. Earthwatch reserves the right to remove you from a team if we do not receive your completed forms in a timely manner.

Right of Refusal

Earthwatch reserves the right to refuse bookings on its expeditions. Refusal is an unusual event and is normally due to an applicant's failure to meet the health and fitness requirements of a particular expedition or if Earthwatch is concerned about disruption of team compatibility. Earthwatch will support the right of the expedition staff to dismiss a participant from an expedition once in the field should their behaviour compromise the safety, research objectives or general performance of the team.

Insurance

It is essential that volunteers have travel insurance to cover themselves for medical, accident, evacuation, baggage loss, delays and personal liability. It is also important to have additional cancellation insurance which covers against travel agent cancellation penalties. This is in case your expedition is cancelled by Earthwatch for reasons beyond our control and you no longer wish to use your flight ticket. For Australian volunteers on Australian expeditions it is recommended that air evacuation is covered.

Travel Bookings

You need to arrange your own travel to and from the rendezvous point. Be certain to read carefully the rendezvous information in the briefing before making any booking. Please do not book your flights until you receive the most current expedition briefing or ask for advice from Earthwatch. Try to make sure that the tickets are refundable or changeable, bearing in mind that there is always a slim possibility that project dates may change.

Discounts for Past Team Members

Past team members are eligible for the following discounts:

2nd - 9th expedition - 5% discount
10th + expedition - 10% discount

Past team member discounts cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer or discount. Past team member discounts only apply to those who fully funded their previous expedition.

Correct as at March 2008. Earthwatch Australia retains the right to change these Terms and Conditions without notice.