Payments
Deposits and Payments. A deposit is required to complete your registration for a tour. Tour deposits are $500 per person for tours less than 21 days in length and $700 per person for tours 21 days in length or longer. Deposits are nonrefundable. No deposit is required to sign up for a waitlist.
Payment Schedule: A nonrefundable deposit is due upon your tour registration. Final tour payment is due 90 days prior to tour departure for tours under 21 days. Final payment for tours over 21 days in length (EPIC Tours) is due 120 days prior to the tour departure.
If we do not receive the full balance by the applicable deadline, we may cancel your registration, retain all amounts previously paid, and offer your place to someone on the waitlist.
Payments for Additional Services: Fees for optional services, including special activities, transportation, and single supplements are due in full when requested. Additional Service Fees are included in your total tour payments and are subject to the cancellation and transfer rules below. Optional services may be limited and are not available on every tour.
Cancellations and Transfers
If you must cancel your trip reservation for any reason, it is your responsibility to notify Adventure Cycling Association immediately through your My Adventure Cycling Account or in writing via email to tours@adventurecycling.org. Sorry, but we cannot accept cancellations or transfer requests by telephone.
Participant Cancellation or Transfer
Should you choose to cancel or transfer your tour registration:
| Time Before Departure | Epic Tours (21+ Days) | Non-Epic Tours (<21 Days) |
|---|---|---|
| 121+ days | Refund less deposit; transfer allowed | Refund less deposit; transfer allowed |
| 120-91 days | Final payment due at 120 day mark; no refunds at 120 day mark; transfer allowed; $100 fee for changes | Refund less deposit; transfer allowed |
| 90-67 days | Transfer allowed; no refund; $100 fee for changes | Final payment due at 90 day mark; no refunds at 90 day mark; transfer allowed; $100 fee for changes |
| 66-46 days | Transfer allowed less 25% tour cost and $100 fee | Transfer allowed less 25% tour cost and $100 fee |
| 45 days or less | No refunds or transfers | No refunds or transfers |
Rules for Transfers and Tour Credits: Transferred funds expire within the calendar year of the original tour’s start date. For example, if your tour was scheduled to start in 2027, your funds need to be used on a tour that departs prior to December 31, 2027. Any unused Tour Credit is forfeited after that date.
If you decide to transfer your registration, but do not know which tour you’d like to transfer the funds to, we can hold your funds as a Tour Credit on your account until you select a tour. But the funds must be used on a tour that takes place in the same calendar year or they will be forfeited.
If the new tour costs less than the original tour, the unused balance will remain available as a Tour Credit until its original expiration date. The balance is not refundable. If the new tour costs more, you must pay the difference under the payment schedule for the new tour. If the applicable payment deadline has already passed, the difference is due when the transfer is made.
You may request that Tour Payments be transferred to another person if we receive the request more than 45 days before the original tour’s departure. The person whose account holds the Tour Payments must make the request in writing. Tour Credits resulting from a prior transfer cannot be transferred to another person.
Adventure Cycling Cancellation:
We generally determine whether a tour has sufficient enrollment 60 to 90 days before departure, but we reserve the right to cancel or combine tours at any time.
Cancellation for Insufficient Enrollment
If we cancel your tour before departure because of insufficient enrollment, you may choose either:
- A refund of the Tour Payments you made by cash, check, or payment card less any amounts you may voluntarily choose to donate to ACA ; or
- Transfer of those Tour Payments to another tour departing in the same calendar year.
If you paid in full and choose to transfer, we will also provide a $200 tour coupon for use toward the new tour. The coupon has no cash value, is nonrefundable and nontransferable, and expires when the related Tour Credit expires.
Amounts originally paid with a Tour Credit will be restored as Tour Credit and will retain their original expiration date. We generally issue refunds to the original payment method, but we may issue a check when necessary.
Cancellation Due to Circumstances Beyond Our Control
We may cancel, reroute, postpone, or end a tour because of circumstances beyond our reasonable control. These circumstances may include but are not limited to severe weather; wildfire; natural disaster; epidemic or pandemic; public-health or government orders; road or border closures; travel restrictions; civil unrest; war or terrorism; labor disruptions; transportation interruptions; or other events that make the tour illegal, impossible, impracticable, or unsafe (each, a “Force Majeure Event”). Insufficient enrollment is not a Force Majeure Event.
If we cancel a tour before departure because of a Force Majeure Event, Tour Payments are nonrefundable and no new Tour Credit will be issued. Upon request, we will provide documentation reasonably available to us concerning the cancellation to support a claim to your travel-insurance provider. We cannot guarantee that an insurer will approve or pay a claim.
If we cancel or end a tour after departure because of a Force Majeure Event or another health or safety concern, no refund or Tour Credit will be provided for any unused portion of the tour.
For all cancellations:
No refund or Tour Credit will be provided for:
- a participant’s late arrival;
- a participant’s decision or inability to continue after the tour begins for any reason;
- food, lodging, activities, or other services that a participant does not use; or
- dissatisfaction with weather, road conditions, an itinerary change, or a reasonable rerouting made for safety or operational reasons.
Except as expressly stated in this Policy, Adventure Cycling Association cannot make exceptions to these cancellation and transfer terms.
We strongly recommend purchasing travel insurance that covers trip cancellation, interruption, delay, medical emergencies, and other risks that may prevent you from attending or completing a tour. Coverage varies, and some policies exclude particular events or preexisting circumstances. Review the policy carefully before purchasing it.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Do not purchase nonrefundable airfare, lodging, or other travel arrangements until Adventure Cycling Association confirms that your tour will operate. Adventure Cycling Association is not responsible for the cost of traveling to or from a tour,
Optional Donation of Refund. If you are entitled to a refund under this Agreement, you may voluntarily direct ACA in writing to treat all or a portion of the refund as a charitable contribution to ACA in lieu of receiving that amount. Any such contribution shall be entirely voluntary and will be acknowledged by ACA in accordance with applicable tax requirements. ACA does not provide tax advice, and participants should consult their own tax advisors regarding the deductibility of any contribution.
Travel Insurance
ACA STRONGLY RECOMMENDS that participants obtain travel insurance covering trip cancellation, interruption, medical expenses, emergency evacuation, delays, and other travel-related risks. Certain Tours may require proof of travel insurance as a condition of participation. ACA reserves the right to require minimum insurance coverage for designated tours and may deny participation if proof of required coverage is not provided.
Adventure Cycling Association has partnered with Generali Global Assistance. Information is available at generalitravelinsurance.com. We also have received positive feedback from past participants that WorldNomads and Faye are also good options. Adventure Cycling Association does not provide travel insurance for participants nor determine whether a policy will cover a particular loss, and purchasing insurance does not change this cancellation and transfer policy.
The health and safety of all Adventure Cycling members, tour participants, and community members where we travel is of the utmost importance to the staff and leadership of Adventure Cycling. We can’t wait to tour with you!
PLEASE NOTE: The above applies to all 2027 Tours. Please reach out to tours@adventurecycling.org if you are inquiring about a 2026 cancellation.