Special Group Tours wants to make booking your holiday as easy as possible for you. We promise to give you the service level you deserve should you choose to spend your hard earned money through us.
How to Book
Send us an e-mail: tours@specialgrouptours.com or specialgrouptours@yahoo.com or call us toll-free: 1 866 725 5250 to check if the tour/departure date you want is available or for a custom tour quote.
It's always helpful to give a second choice of date or tour at this stage in case your first choice is already full. Communications via UK/Europe based offices can take approximately 24 hours (occasionally a bit longer over a holiday) so thanks for your patience.
We will reply within 24 hours to your inquiry.
If there is availability, we will offer you a 7-day option on scheduled tours. That is, we will hold no obligation space for you for 7 days. After the 7-day period, if we haven’t received your deposit or heard from you to extend your option, then your option will expire and the space will be available for another guest. Typically we contact you to see if you still wish to join us and just need more time.
NOTE: With a maximum of just 14 guests per departure, tours can fill quickly. Early booking is recommended.
The booking is confirmed once a deposit is received. A non-refundable deposit is required and the balance of payment must be made 30 days prior to tour departure. The deposit requested is $300 USD per person for scheduled tours 3-4 days in duration and $500 USD per person for tours longer than 4 days. Custom designed itineraries require a deposit of 10% of the total quote rate.
A final invoice will be sent approximately 1.5 months prior to departure, reflecting the US dollar balance due to request final/full payment. If you are booking 30 days or less prior departure then the final/full payment is due at time of booking.
Make a Payment
We are able to accept three methods of payment: personal check/money order, bank transfer or credit card.
If paying via check or money order, please make a US Dollar check made payable to: Special Group Tours then post it to our office address: Special Group Tours, 180 Crescent Way,
Albrightsville PA 18210, USA. It is helpful if you note your tour code/date in the memo section.
For ease of guests in other countries, there is the option to wire payments directly into our bank account. The banks will take care of the currency exchange for your convenience. Please note that any bank fees charged by your banking provider are the sole responsibility of the payee.
Pay via credit card payments using Make A Payment button on the www.SpecialGroupTours.com website -- fast, easy and secure. Click the button and fill in the script. Unfortunately the bank isn’t able to alter the script to add a “tour” line so we suggest using the “company” line to put your tour/departure date. We match payments with emails so we will know what tour so don’t worry if you forget to use the “company” line to mention your tour/date! Please Note: We must charge a 3.5% processing fee for the credit card service. The amount for credit card payments will be listed on your final payment request invoice as will our detailed bank transfer information.
We do not automatically add in credit card fees up front, so guests have the lower “cash price” option of paying by check/money order.
Currency Matters
Our suppliers list their rates in British Pound Sterling or Euro and SGT is an American company listing tour packages in USD. Tour costs are subject to the fluctuating exchange rate. The USD rates listed on Special Group Tours’ website are based upon the exchange rate at time of publishing. We reserve the right to change the USD rates should the exchange rate change by 2% or more. For current exchange rate information, please visit www.xe.com/ucc.
Alterations & Cancellation
If you request any alterations to your travel arrangements once we have confirmed a reservation, Special Group Tours will not charge an amendment fee in securing alternative arrangements on your behalf. However, it is no guarantee that your requested changes will be available.
It is IMPORTANT to note that any ground suppliers MAY CHARGE AN AMENDMENT FEE as outlined in their individual terms and conditions (these are provided for you at time of booking should you be confirming a tour other than a specific SGT tour.)
Should you wish to cancel your tour, you must notify Special Group Tours in writing. Cancellation penalties do apply, as outlined in the ground operator’s individual terms and conditions. PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL DEPOSITS ARE NON-REFUNDABLE IF YOU CANCEL YOUR TOUR.
When booking a Special Group Tours departure/custom designed itinerary, the cancellation penalties are as follows:
Cancellation
On or before 60 days: loss of deposit
31 to 59 days: 50% of total cost
30 days to tour commencement: 100% of total cost, no refund available
Please note there are no refunds for any portion of your total tour package once you have begun traveling.
The purchase of travel insurance is highly recommended. We recommend Travel Safe.
Your Travel Safe insurance booklet will be provided along with your deposit receipt in the regular post. Full details on the different levels of service and payment information are outlined in the booklet.
Travel Insurance is an essential component of every successful holiday. Special Group Tours highly recommends the purchase of a travel insurance policy to protect yourself and your belongings during travel or should you have to cancel prior to your tour departure for a medical reason. We will gladly assist you in choosing the policy to best suit your needs. Booking is simple, just fill in the questionnaire in the provided booklet or there is the option for secure online booking.
Please note that your policy must be booked within 15 days of making your deposit to qualify for the Cancel for Any Reason and/or the Pre-Existing Condition upgrades.
For full details on your Travel Safe Policy, please see your enclosed booklet or contact Travel Safe directly via their toll free telephone, 888 411 5378. A full service staff is on hand to assist you. Any difficulties at all, please contact us at Special Group Tours, Toll Free: 866 725 5250.
