Terms and Conditions

Effective June 22, 2020

ACKNOWLEDGMENT: The payment of any travel services offered by Hello Italy Tours, a New York Incorporated company, offering customized individual packages for travelers constitutes a contractual agreement between the Passenger and the Travel Agent represents your acceptance of Hello Italy Tours Terms and Conditions. Payment of deposit and final payment will be considered as full acceptance of our Terms and Conditions herein reported and fully disclosed on our website.

PRICING: All rates are subject to increase due to an increase of our costs, such as but not limited to airfare, fuel surcharges, taxes, land services and currency fluctuations. Pricing does not include travel insurance and is strongly recommended.  In case of human or computer error, Hello Italy Tours reserves the right to re-invoice for the correct price or service. Due to contractual obligations we cannot breakdown costs of individual services included in an itinerary.

PRICING GUARANTEE: Once we receive your full payment the price is guaranteed, and any subsequent rate of exchange increase will be borne by us, except for newly imposed fees or governmental taxes. Airfares provided at the time of deposit are subject to change until full payment is received and ticket is issued. Some airfares may require instant purchase.

DEPOSIT FOR INDEPENDENT TRAVEL PACKAGES: A non-refundable deposit of $250 per person is due at the time of reservation along with a signed Credit Card/Check Terms & Conditions Authorization Form.  No request will be acted upon until a deposit is received. Any additional deposits on any packages including air, certain hotels or any special services may be requested and once we receive confirmation, these additional deposits will be advised along with the conditions as specified. These deposits may or may not be refundable. We honor most major credit cards. In addition, we also accept wire transfers, ACH and checks. Payment of the deposit indicates you have read and accepted these Terms & Conditions. Bookings are not confirmed until the deposit has been processed by Hello Italy Tours. Bookings made within 30 days of departure are subject to a $100 late-booking fee, plus any costs incurred to ensure timely document delivery.

DEPOSIT ON VILLA & APARTMENTS RENTAL: A non-refundable deposit equal to 35% of the rental is required at time of booking. All cancellations are subject to policies as imposed by the respective vendors and Hello Italy Tours will advise you of said policies at time of confirmation. An on-site security deposit is not included in rental price. Some villas and/or apartments charge for electrical and/or gas consumption and/or heating as they are considered extra and payable on site.

FINAL PAYMENT: Final payment requires our signed Credit Card/Check Terms & Conditions Authorization Form duly signed by the credit card holder and the travel agent. Final payment is due 60 days prior to commencement of the first service. If payment is not received as per above stated deadline, all travel services will be subject to automatic cancellation and cancellation fees will apply. A service reinstatement fee of $50 will be added to your invoice and must be paid in advance in order to apply for reconfirmation of services as well as any price increase.

LATE BOOKINGS: Bookings made within 30 days of the first date of service will be assessed a $100 handling fee.

REFUNDS:  No refunds are allowed for any unused portions of any tour or service. No refund will be given for no shows or for any missed tours or services.  No refunds will be made in the event of a no-show. We strongly recommend that participants purchase travel protection insurance.  If it is determined that a refund is owed, it will be processed against the original form of payment we received.

CANCELLATION:  Cancellations will only be accepted in writing and need to be emailed to operations@helloitalytours.com.

INVOICING: You are responsible for verifying everything on your invoice is accurate and complete, including dates of travel, options selected, and that each name matches the relevant passport. Hello Italy Tours is not liable if we are not notified of any inexactness within 5 days of sending out the invoice. Changes are subject to fees and penalties. In the case of billing errors, Hello Italy Tours reserves the right to re-invoice you with correct pricing.

TRAVEL PROTECTION PLAN: Health, accident, baggage, trip delay, and trip cancellation interruption insurance are strongly recommended and available directly online with Hello Italy Tours. If you must cancel your participation in a travel program, trip cancellation insurance may be the only source of reimbursement. To review different plans and your specific state, click the following link: Travel Insurance. Travel Insurance coverage varies by state and the insurance premium is non-refundable.

HOTEL ACCOMMODATIONS: Are classified in accordance to Italian government rating. Hello Italy Tours, reserves the right to make substitutions with hotels of similar ratings. Such classifications and number of stars allocated may not reflect the expectations of US travelers. In rare cases and through no fault of Hello Italy Tours your hotel may be overbooked upon your arrival and you will be offered a similar or superior accommodation at no extra charge. Air-conditioning systems in hotels do not necessarily conform to U.S. standards. Air-conditioning is often shut down at night until the start of the summer months. Hotel check-in time is generally not before 3:00 p.m. and check-out time is prior to noon.  In accordance with the Italian Law, hotel city taxes are not included in our rates, cannot be prepaid and must be paid at the time of checkout. Some hotels require cash for city tax.

CAR RENTALS: Each car rental day is for a twenty-four-hour period starting from the time you pick up your vehicle. Car rental prices do not include gasoline, road taxes, toll fees, ski racks, snow chains, baby or toddler seats. These services are on a request basis and can be requested and paid locally at the rental car location. Drivers 18-21 years of age will only be allowed to rent certain cars and with restrictions to the type of vehicle and an increase of insurance required by the car rental company. The renter undertakes to produce a major credit card at the time of check out to cover any potential additional charges not covered by the value of the voucher itself and that the rental company is entitled to charge.  A valid driver’s license must be presented at the time of check out.  Italian law requires drivers that do not have a European Union driving license to show their home country license as well as an International Driving Permit (IDP) or an International Driving License (IDL). The rental company will require you to present your IDP or IDL when you pick up your rental.  You can apply online at InternationalDriversLicenseApplication.  Drivers are responsible for following the specific Terms and Conditions each car rental company provides at the time of the rental. 

RAIL TICKET:  Once rail tickets are issued, they are non-refundable and non-changeable. Unused rail tickets are non-refundable. Lost or stolen rail tickets or rail passes are neither refundable nor replaceable. Handling and/or issuing charges are not refundable. Hello Italy, Tours, acts only as a booking agent and is not responsible or liable for any loss, damage, death, injury, delay, inconvenience or irregularity caused by any vehicle defect or through the negligence, misconduct, strikes or other acts, defaults of omissions of any carrier.  Seating is automatically assigned by the system and there are no guarantees that seats will be together. Hello Italy Tours, does not control seat assignments which are entirely at the discretion of the rail companies.  If a seat assignment is requested and available there will be an additional charge.  All bookings are subject to the conditions, tariffs and regulations imposed by the rail company.

In the case of a Trenitalia strike, cancellation, delay or malfunction (with the exception of regional trains), customers should submit their request online directly to Trenitalia via the following link:

http://reclami-e-suggerimenti.trenitalia.com/rimborsi/en/Anagrafica.aspx

Trenitalia regional train refunds requested due to the above reasons must be submitted to a Trenitalia ticket office within 24 hours by the customer while in Italy or the refund will not be valid.

CLAIMS: For verifiable claims to be considered, the claim must be sent in writing to operations@helloitalytours.com within 7 days of the termination of the last date of service.  The claim must be accompanied by supporting documentation. If it is determined that a refund is owed, it will be processed against the original form of payment we received.

TRAVEL DOCUMENTS: We are “eco-friendly” and will be issuing electronic documents that will be e-mailed approximately 21 days prior to departure date, provided payment in full has been received 60 days prior to the first date of service. Hard copy documents, if requested, will be sent via UPS only to a physical address and not a P.O. box and require a fee of $25. Final documents must be carefully read and reviewed upon receipt. Failure to contact us in time to allow for any correction and re-sending of the final documents could result in the loss or cancellation of your reservation, tickets or services listed on the documents for which Hello Italy Tours will not be responsible. In such a case, no refunds will be possible.

RESERVATION CHANGES:Any modifications made to an existing reservation or a finalized itinerary will result in a $50 per person change fee. There is no additional charge to add any additional services to your itinerary at any time. Any change of travel dates on a finalized booking is subject to availability and the current price at the time of the change and the applicable fees for those new dates. No changes can be made 21 days prior to departure. 

PASSPORT/VISA:  United States citizens require a valid passport when traveling to Italy. Non-US citizens should contact the Italian Consulate or Italian Embassy about requirements for travel to Italy based on the passport they possess. Italy requires at least two blank pages for an entry stamp. Passports are required to be valid at least six months before your return date. Airlines may not allow you to board if this requirement is not met.

AIRLINE CONTACT INFORMATION: Pursuant to TSA Secure Flight requirements, passengers are responsible to provide Hello Italy Tours with their full name as it appears on their passport, date of birth, gender, address, phone number, email and redress or known traveler number (if available) for all passengers. Passengers must ensure that names are correctly listed on their invoice. Any variation between the spelling of your name on your air-ticket and passport will require re-ticketing, often at the cost of a completely new ticket. Failure to provide this information will prohibit a ticket from being issued and may result in the cancellation of airline reservations.

AIRLINE TICKET NAME CHANGES:  Name corrections before ticketing will incur a minimum fee of $50 per passenger, and are subject to fare, and or flight schedule changes.  Any name changes after ticketing including minor spelling corrections may require airline reservations to be canceled and rebooked. Reservations are subject to current availability and pricing at the time of rebooking. Once airline tickets are issued, subsequent name corrections will be subject to an airline rebooking fee which may be as much as the full value of the airline ticket plus a $50 revision fee per change. Hello Italy Tours will not be held responsible for the denial of services by a carrier due to any name discrepancy. Name changes must be advised in writing. 

AIR TRANSPORTATION: Baggage allowances and fees vary by airline. If baggage fees do apply, this cost will be additional and must be paid directly to the airline. By purchasing an airline ticket, the passenger agrees to the terms and conditions of the airlines’ contract of carriage, which can be viewed on the airline’s website. In all cases, airlines may change flight schedules, aircraft, seat assignments. Such changes or omissions are at the sole discretion of the airline and are outside the control of Hello Italy Tours. It is recommended that you reconfirm your flight information and check-in for your flights at the airline’s website 24 hours prior to your scheduled departure. Failure to use any portion of your airline reservation may result in automatic cancellation for all continuing and return flights. In all cases, unless additional time is required by the airline, it is important to arrive at the airport 2 hours prior to departure for domestic flights and 3 hours prior to departure for international flights. Latecomers may lose their assigned seat or be denied boarding at their own expense. Choice of free pre-reserved seat assignments may be limited at the time flight reservations are confirmed, and may not be assignable until check-in. For a fee, airlines may offer additional pre-reserved seat assignments, which may be purchased directly on the airline’s website. Seat assignments are at the sole discretion of the airline and are subject to change by the airline without notice. Hello Italy Tours cannot guarantee seat assignments. In the event of any change in flight itinerary made directly between passengers and the airline, it is the passenger’s responsibility to advise Hello Italy Tours of amended flight details in writing to operations@helloitalytours.com.  Hello Italy Tours cannot be held responsible for land services, including but not limited to arrival and/or departure transfers, if flights are changed without our knowledge.

BAGGAGE: Porterage is not included in any of the packages unless specifically stated. The limit of baggage is one large suitcase and one small carry on. For some taxi/coach transfers, additional luggage may be subject to an extra charge due on the spot. Baggage should always be taken care of by the owner. Baggage insurance is recommended. To review different plans and your specific state click the following link:  Travel Insurance. Coverages vary by state and the insurance premium is nonrefundable.

BROCHURE/WEBSITE DISCLAIMER: Hello Italy Tours is not responsible for any typographical or printing error.

RELEASE FROM LIABILITY: As of the date of this publication, all information is thought to be accurate, available and current. The information, products and services published herein may include inaccuracies or typographical errors. Hello Italy Tours does not guarantee the accuracy of, and disclaims liability for, any inaccuracies, including (but not limited to) the price, information and description of the products and services described herein.

Hello Italy Tours, its agents, representatives, contractors, and employees does not own or operate any entity which is to or does provide goods or services for your trip including, for example, ownership or control over hotels or other lodging facilities, airline, vessel, bus, van or other transportation companies, local ground operators, providers or organizers of optional excursions or equipment used thereon, food service or entertainment providers, etc. All such persons and entities are independent contractors. Independent contractors may utilize Hello Italy Tours logo on signage for identification purposes which does not signify Hello Italy Tours ownership, management or control. As a result, Hello Italy Tours is not liable for any negligent or willful act or failure to act of any such person or entity, or of any other third party. Without limitation, Hello Italy Tours is not responsible for any injury, loss, or damage to person or property, death, delay or inconvenience in connection with the provision of any goods or services occasioned by or resulting from, but not limited to, acts of God, acts of government, force majeure, acts of war or civil unrest, insurrection or revolt, strikes or other labor activities, criminal or terrorist activities of any kind, or the threat thereof, overbooking or downgrading of accommodations, structural or other defective conditions in hotels or other lodging facilities, mechanical or other failure of airplanes or other means of transportation or for any failure of any transportation mechanism to arrive or depart timely or safely, sanitation problems, food poisoning, lack of access to or quality of medical care, difficulty in evacuation in case of a medical or other emergency, illness, epidemics, pandemic or the threat thereof or for any other cause beyond the direct control of Hello Italy Tours. In addition, I release Hello Italy Tours from its own negligence and assume all risk thereof.

BINDING ARBITRATION: I agree that any dispute concerning, relating, or referring to these Terms and Conditions, this release, or any other literature concerning my trip, or the trip itself shall be resolved exclusively by binding arbitration according to the existing commercial rules of the American Arbitration Association in New York. Such proceedings will be governed by substantive New York law. The arbitrator and not any federal, state, or local court or agency shall have exclusive authority to resolve any dispute relating to the interpretation, applicability, enforceability, conscionability, or formation of this contract, including but not limited to any claim that all or part of this contract is void or voidable. Upon payment of a deposit, tour participant indicates acceptance of the above Terms and Conditions and of the Arbitration Agreement.

These Terms and Conditions do not apply to our customized groups. To review a selection of our group proposals click the following link: Customized Group Tours. 

If you are looking for an escorted group tour, please contact us directly either via email at info@helloitalytours.com or call us at toll free 1-(866) HI ITALY (444-8259).