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Terms and Conditions

 

YOUR AGREEMENT WITH VACATIONS BY RAIL

 

By making a payment to VBR Tours, LLC dba Vacations By Rail ("VBR", "we", or "Us") or participating in a trip that we arrange (the "Tour"), you agree to these terms and conditions.

Thank you for selecting VBR as your tour operator for your trip. To ensure you understand the terms and conditions, please read the following. It is important that you understand these terms as they form a contract between you and VBR.

1. DEPOSIT AND PAYMENT POLICY

A non-refundable deposit of up to $700 per person is required to confirm a reservation; itineraries including Rocky Mountaineer require a non-refundable deposit of $750 per person. Full payment is due 90 days prior to travel.

VBR will accept the following credit cards: Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover. You may wish to notify your bank when making large payments to inform them of the amount to be charged on your card. Debit cards may also have a daily limit; please contact your debit card provider.

Vacations By Rail will also accept checks. Check payments should be made payable to Vacations By Rail and mailed to Vacations By Rail, 309 W Washington Street, Suite 1100, Chicago, IL 60606. (Note: There is a $50 service charge for NSF checks. Money order or cashier's check is preferred)

Reservations made within 21 days of departure require a credit card, money order, or certified check. We highly recommend that payments for any booking made within 21 days of departure be sent Express Mail to the above address. Your reservation will not be confirmed until payment is received.

If you do not pay the full invoice by the final payment date, your reservation, and all services on the reservation, is subject to cancellation and all monies collected will be forfeited. 

2. CANCELLATION FEES

Once confirmed, your deposit is non-refundable.

If you choose to cancel, we must receive written notice of said cancellation either via certified mail, overnight courier, or e-mail sent to rail specialist (with a confirmation of receipt from us). The following cancellation and supplier fees apply:

89 - 61 days prior to departure: 25% of the package price plus supplier fees

60 - 46 days prior to departure: 50% of the package price plus supplier fees

45 - day of departure: 100% non-refundable

100% cancellation fee for no shows or if cancellation is made after travel is scheduled to begin

No refund for unused portions of the trip.

Supplier cancellation fees may be assessed in addition to the change/cancel fees stated above.

Other Vacation Cancellation Fees

Deposits and cancellation fees will vary on packages including the following products, and will be confirmed at the time of booking:

Rocky Mountaineer & Haida Gwaii
Arctic Circle Explorer & Kantishna
Alaska Wildlife Adventure
Aurora Viewing at Bettles Lodge
Highlights of Kenai Fjords & Denali Backcountry Delights
River Cruises containing the American Queen
Other vacations fully operated by a third party and privately owned trains may have varying deposit requirements, cancellation fees and terms and conditions which will be confirmed at time of reservation or are available in advance by calling Vacations By Rail at 1-877-929-7245.

In addition to the cancellation fees in Section 2, if you are a no-show, you will incur a cancellation fee equal to 100% cancellation fee. If a flight, rail, or other delay for any reason prevents you from joining the Tour on the Tour start date, you will be considered a no-show, and we cannot provide a full or partial refund or credit toward a future Tour, but you may join the Tour late if you wish. Supplier cancellation fees may be assessed in addition to the change/cancel fees stated above.

If any portion of your trip has been paid with a voucher from either VBR or a supplier, and your trip is cancelled by Us or you, no refund in cash will be returned in lieu of the voucher. Applicable cancellation fees as outlined in Section 2 above, along with any supplier fees, will be deduced from the value of the voucher.  If there is any applicable refund, the funds will revert to a voucher.  The voucher or Future Travel Credit (FTC) will be held by VBR until the original expiration date of the FTC. 

3. CHANGE FEES

Date changes to existing reservations following full payment are considered a cancellation and rebooking.

Name changes are not permitted. A name change is considered a cancellation and rebooking.

A fee of $50 per person plus any supplier fees and price increases will be charged for all other changes. In some cases, supplier fees may be 100% of the services provided.

4. PRICE GUARANTEE

VBR recommends that you pay in full at the time of booking. Once full payment is received, your purchase price is guaranteed.

5. TRAVEL DOCUMENTS

Travel documents are sent to you or your Travel Agent approximately 14 days prior to your departure, provided your reservation is paid in full.

6. TRAVEL INSURANCE

We strongly recommend that you purchase a travel protection plan to cover all non-refundable trip expenses, trip delay and interruption with return transportation and a medical evacuation policy. Travel insurance is available through third-party travel insurance companies, and limits vary by insurer and policy purchased. Insurance will cover most losses, but coverage may vary. No representation or description of the insurance made by our staff constitutes a binding assurance or promise about the insurance.

7. SAFETY

Vacations By Rail will not have liability regarding provision of medical care or the adequacy of any care that may be rendered. You agree that you will hold VBR harmless regarding any provision of medical care or the adequacy of any care rendered.

No weapons of any type are permitted on VBR vacations at any time. This includes, but is not limited to, firearms, knives, mace, brass knuckles, and other weapons of any type.

8. TRAVELERS WHO NEED SPECIAL ASSISTANCE ON TOUR

At time of reservation, you must report to VBR any special needs while on tour. VBR will make reasonable attempts to accommodate special needs and disabilities, but is not responsible in the event it is unable to do so nor responsible for any denial of services by rail carriers, air carriers, hotels, restaurants, or other independent suppliers. VBR does not provide personal services (such as pushing a wheelchair, assisting with walking, moving or assembling mobility equipment etc.) and VBR does not provide individual assistance to a vacation participant for walking, dining, getting on and off coaches, trains, cruise ships, and other vehicles, or other personal needs. A qualified and physically able companion should accompany travelers who need such assistance.

In the event you fail to notify VBR at the time of the reservation of any special needs or disabilities requiring special attention, VBR reserves the right to cancel your booking or terminate your vacation in its sole discretion, if your special needs or disabilities are not suitable for the vacation, pose a threat to the health and safety of other participants or VBR staff, or if you are not traveling with a companion who provides all the assistance you require. VBR will not refund or cover any costs or expenses incurred for cancellation, booking, or termination of the vacation. Cancellation penalties as applicable to your vacation shall apply.

Not all sightseeing stops/sites, transportation, hotels, lodges and other components of your vacation are accessible for people with special needs or are required to comply with the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA), and some locations and sightseeing activities require extensive standing, sitting, climbing stairs, or walking-sometimes on unpaved or cobblestone streets. VBR will not refund or cover any cost or expense incurred for any missed activities due to a participant's inability to fully participate with the group. The ADA is only applicable within the United States, and facilities for disabled individuals are limited outside its borders. Most transportation services, including the touring motorcoaches, are not equipped with wheelchair ramps.

9. MEDICAL PROXY

If you are unable to authorize your own medical attention and treatment, you authorize us or our subcontractors or agents to authorize medical attention and treatment on your behalf. You agree to hold harmless and release us or them from any liability for medical attention authorized by us or them on your behalf. We assume no liability regarding provision of medical care or evacuation services. Any of our staff or subcontractors who may provide or seek emergency medical care on your behalf may not have had formal medical or first aid training and are acting only as a Good Samaritan.

10. POSTPONEMENT, CANCELLATION OR TOUR INTERRUPTION

We reserve the right to cancel or postpone the Tour for reasons beyond our control including any event named in the Risks of Travel section below. You may transfer your booking to a later date or we will provide you with a future travel credit (FTC), for some or all monies you paid to us, toward a future Tour arranged by us during the 18-month period after we notify you of the postponement or cancellation.

If we cancel or postpone your Tour and you choose to transfer your booking, the new Tour will be subject to the terms and conditions of this agreement based on your original travel date. If the alternative date is lower, we will refund the price difference as a Future Trip Credit (FTC) voucher.  If the alternative date is higher, you will be responsible for the increase in price.

If, for reasons beyond our control including any event named in the Risks of Travel section below, a Tour in progress must be interrupted or cancelled, we will, at our sole discretion, provide you either an FTC or refund in the amount of the refund we receive from our suppliers.

Except as set forth in this section we will not be liable for any other costs, damages, or refunds of any kind for any loss, delay, inconvenience, disappointment, or expense whatsoever including expenses incurred by you for arrangements made independently of Us such as airline, hotel, excursion and travel insurance charges. 

11. ITINERARY CHANGES

We will make commercially reasonable efforts to keep the itinerary as it has been published; however, the final itinerary may vary due to Supplier schedules, availability, and factors beyond our control. We may in our sole discretion substitute services of similar quality for any service stated in the itinerary.

12. TRIP DELAY

Train travel, as well as other forms of transportation, is subject to delays and service disruptions. VBR is not responsible in whole or in part for any delays, delayed departures or arrivals or missed carrier connections or for the loss of any purchased services that cannot be used as the result of delays or service disruptions. VBR strongly encourages purchasing travel insurance against trip delay and trip interruption.

13. ACCURACY OF INVOICE DETAILS 

You are responsible for providing and verifying full, complete and accurate information for all participants and services at the time of reservation. Under no circumstances are We liable for any errors or omissions in the information provided by you to complete the reservation. If you do not notify The Company of any error within 5 days of making the reservation, you are solely responsible for all fees assessed due to incomplete, erroneous or inaccurate details. 

14. PRICES AND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Prices are subject to change without notice, and all reservations are based on availability. Prices listed are quoted in U.S. dollars, per person.

Holiday, peak travel periods and bookings less than 30 days prior to departure, may require a surcharge and may be subject to special payment and cancellation conditions.

Advertised promotions are not retroactive to existing bookings

National Park Fees for independent travel are not included in the cost of the reservation. They are your responsibility and are purchased at the applicable National Park.

Transportation services do restrict the size of baggage along with the weight. Information on baggage is available upon request from Vacations By Rail. You are responsible for complying with transportation service baggage restrictions.

Tour prices do not include gratuities, baggage handling, excess baggage charges, fuel surcharges, items of a personal nature, items not specified as included in the itinerary description, and all other incidental charges. Where rental cars are available, the rental does not include state and local taxes, airport fees, loss damage waiver (LDW) and other insurance, gasoline and surcharges for drivers under the age of 25 (where applicable). Additional fees may apply for one-way car rentals and are paid locally.

All amenities shown for a particular hotel property may not be available in every room category. Special room requests, including bedding requests, will be communicated to the applicable party but cannot be guaranteed.

VBR reserves the right, at any time, to substitute comparable alternate accommodations and the right to pass along any additional costs charged by our suppliers.

In the event of a technical or clerical error in a published price, service or feature, VBR reserves the right to cancel your reservation and provide a refund for your reservation, including after your reservation is confirmed.

15. USE OF LIKENESS

VBR Tours, LLC reserves the right to photograph and/or videotape activities on tour for us in publicity and promotional materials. Please notify VBR Tours, LLC in writing if you do not want photos of yourself to be used.

16. INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL (Passports, Visas and Identification)

You assume full and complete responsibility for checking and verifying any and all passport, visa, vaccination, or other entry requirements of your destination and your connecting points, and all conditions regarding health, safety, security, political stability, and labor or civil unrest at such destination. Many countries require your passport to be valid for six months or more after your date of entry. Some countries will not admit persons convicted of a crime. Some countries require both parents' consent for minors to travel.

17. AGENT FOR SUPPLIERS

We act as a sales agent for any airline, hotel, car-rental company, tour operator, cruise line, bus operator, railroads, or other service provider named in your itinerary or confirmation ("Suppliers"). We are not responsible for the acts or omissions of the Suppliers or their failure to adhere to their own schedules, provide services or refunds, financial default, or failure to honor future trip credits. We have no special knowledge regarding the financial condition of the Suppliers. We have no responsibility for car accidents caused by you or any other person or entity.

18. RISKS OF TRAVEL AND RELEASE

We assume no responsibility for and shall not be liable for the acts or omissions on the part of any other party not under our control or any acts of God, unsafe conditions, terrorism, health hazards including pandemics, illness, weather hazards, or contraction of or exposure to an infectious disease, bacteria or virus including COVID-19. We have no special knowledge of dangers during travel or at destinations. For information related to such dangers, we recommend going to the State Department travel website at www.travel.state.gov, click on "Find International travel Information" then click on "Country Information", and fill in the name of the destination country. For medical and health information, we recommend going to the Centers for Disease Control website at www.cdc.gov/travel, then click on "Destinations" and scroll to the name of the destination country. YOU HEREBY EXPRESSLY ASSUME ALL OF THESE RISKS AND DANGERS, AND YOU HEREBY EXPRESSLY AGREE TO FOREVER RELEASE, DISCHARGE AND HOLD US, AND OUR AGENTS, EMPLOYEES, OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, ASSOCIATES, AFFILIATED COMPANIES, GUIDES, GROUP LEADERS, AND SUBCONTRACTORS HARMLESS AGAINST ANY AND ALL LIABILITY, ACTIONS, CAUSES OF ACTIONS, SUITS, CLAIMS, AND DEMANDS OF ANY AND EVERY KIND AND NATURE WHATSOEVER WHICH YOU NOW HAVE OR WHICH MAY HEREAFTER ARISE OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE TOUR OR PARTICIPATION IN ANY ACTIVITIES IN WHICH YOU PARTICIPATE.

19. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY

NEITHER VBR TOURS, LLC NOR ANY OF OUR EMPLOYEES, AGENTS, SUCCESSORS, ASSIGNS, SUBSIDIARIES OR AFFILIATES SHALL BE LIABLE TO YOU OR OTHER THIRD PARTY FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER OR NOT VBR TOURS, LLC WAS ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES, ARISING OUT OF OUR SERVICES OR THE VACATIONS. FURTHERMORE, IN NO EVENT SHALL OUR LIABILITY WITH RESPECT TO ANY VACATION EXCEED THE FEES PAID BY YOU TO VBR TOURS, LLC FOR SUCH VACATION. THESE DISCLAIMERS OF TYPES OF DAMAGES AND LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY APPLY TO ANY DAMAGES OR INJURY, WHETHER FOR BREACH OF CONTRACT, TORTIOUS BEHAVIOR, NEGLIGENCE, PRODUCT LIABILITY OR UNDER ANY OTHER CAUSE OF ACTION. BECAUSE SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW SOME OR ALL OF THESE DISCLAIMERS AND LIMITATIONS, THE ABOVE DISCLAIMERS AND LIMITATIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU. IN SUCH STATES, DAMAGES SHALL BE DISCLAIMED AND LIMITED TO THE GREATEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY SUCH STATE LAW.

VBR TOURS, LLC MAKES NO IMPLIED OR EXPRESS WARRANTIES IN THE OFFERING OF ANY VACATION DESCRIBED.

20. CREDIT CARD MERCHANT

We are the merchant on your credit card transaction. Please bear in mind that our services consist of facilitating the sale and paying the Suppliers. If a Supplier does not provide the service or ceases operations, your recourse is against the Supplier, not us. You agree not to initiate a chargeback against us or a refund request that is not authorized by this agreement and to pay any and all legal fees incurred by us in disputing any such claim for refund.

21. CLAIMS DEADLINE, GOVERNING LAW, AND EXCLUSIVE JURISDICTION

You agree to present any claims against us within 30 days after your Tour ends and to file suit within one year of the incident, and you acknowledge that this expressly limits the applicable statute of limitations to one year. This agreement is governed by the internal substantive laws of the State of Illinois, without regard to its conflict of laws provisions. You agree that the courts in Chicago, Illinois will be the exclusive jurisdiction for all claims brought by you or us, and you hereby submit to the personal jurisdiction of those courts.

22. SELLER OF TRAVEL LAWS

California Seller of Travel 2108470.

Florida Seller of Travel ST40974, powered by Great Rail Journeys North America, LLC.

 

Updated 8 December 2023

Privacy Policy

Your privacy is important to Vacations By Rail®. Vacations By Rail is committed to protecting your personal information and will not rent or sell your information to a third party. It is intended solely for the securing of travel products and services and periodic announcements of our products we feel would be of interest to you.

We may change this Policy from time to time. If we make material changes, we will notify you by revising the date at the top of this Policy and, in some cases, we may provide you with additional notice (such as adding a statement to our website or sending you a notification). We encourage you to review this Policy often to stay informed about our information practices and the choices available to you.

By using our website and services, you agree to the privacy practices described in this Policy. If you do not agree with this Policy, please stop using our website and services.

Information We Collect

Affiliates and Partners

You may be asked to provide your personal information anytime you are in contact with Vacations By Rail or a Vacations By Rail affiliated company or partner. Vacations By Rail and its affiliates and partners may share this personal information with each other and use it consistent with this Privacy Policy. They may also combine it with other information to provide and improve our products, services, content, and advertising.

Personal Information

When you purchase travel products from our web site, register for an interest or wait list, and sign up for one of our newsletters, we ask for personal information to be kept on file and used only for these purposes. We may collect information about you such as your name, phone number, date of birth, email address, home address, passport or license number, contact preferences, names of the people travelling with you, and travel preferences, such as dietary or accessibility needs.

If you're booking with others or for someone else, you will have to give us their information as well. It is your responsibility to ensure that they are aware that you have done so, and that they accept how we use and process their information as well as yours.

Payment Information

We collect payment information, which may include your credit, debit, or other payment card information, and the security code associated with your payment instrument at the time of your transaction in order to process your payment.

Information We Collect Automatically When You Interact with Us

When you access or use our Website or otherwise transact business with us, we automatically collect certain information, including:

  • Log Information: We collect information related to your access to and use of our Website, including the type of browser you use, access times, pages viewed, your IP address, and your activity on our Platform.
  • Device Information: We collect information about how you access our Website, including data about the device and network you use, such as your hardware model, operating system version, mobile network, IP address, unique device identifiers, browser type, and app version. We also collect information about your activity on our Website, such as access times, pages viewed, links clicked, and the page you visited before navigating to our Platform.
  • Location Information: In accordance with your device permissions, we may collect information about the precise location of your device. You may stop the collection of precise location information at any time (see the Your Choices section below for details).
  • Information Collected by Cookies and Similar Tracking Technologies: We (and our service providers) use tracking technologies, such as cookies and web beacons, to collect information about you. Cookies are very small text files that your web browser manages for you. We have kept the use of cookies to a minimum, but when they are used on this Website they are only used for anonymous tracking of what web pages have been accessed, how frequently, and for how long. You are an anonymous web user until you elect to make an online purchase, sign up for an interest or wait list, or register for our newsletter, at which point you will need to provide personal information. You may disable cookies, but it may affect the functionality of the Website.

Information We Derive

We may derive information or draw inferences about you based on the information we collect. For example, we may make inferences about your location based on your IP address or infer that you are looking to purchase certain products based on your browsing behavior and past purchases.

How We Use Google Analytics

For analytics, we use Google Analytics, a web analytics service provided by Google, Inc. ("Google"). Google Analytics may set cookies on your browser or mobile device or read cookies that are already there to collect information. Google Analytics may also receive information about you from apps you have downloaded that partner with Google. Google Analytics collects information such as how often you use our Platform and how you use our Platform. We use the information provided by Google Analytics to improve our Platform. We do not combine the information collected through the use of Google Analytics with personally identifiable information.

For more information regarding how Google collects, uses, and shares your information, please visit http://www.google.com/policies/privacy/partners/. By using our Platform, you consent to the processing of data about you by Google as described here and in Google's privacy policy. You can control the information provided to Google and opt out of certain ads provided by Google by using of the of the methods set forth in http://www.google.com/policies/privacy/partners/ or use the Google Analytics opt out browser add-on at http://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout?hl=en.

Use of Information

Your personal information could be used in the following ways:

Processing your bookings: We use your personal information to ensure the services you've selected, which may include flights, hotels, transport, insurance, and other ancillary products are provided to you. We need certain information about you and your party so we can fulfil the contractual obligations when you make a booking.

User Accounts: The information that you provide when you set up an account allows us to provide you with additional services including the ability to manage your bookings, personal settings, and access to special offers.

To communicate with you about your booking: We'll need to contact you using the email or telephone number you provided to give you information relevant to your arrangements. For example, to confirm your booking, notification of any changes, security alerts, administrative messages about your arrangements, and reminders.

Customer Services: You can contact us at any time, whether this is a general query, a question about your booking, or to report an issue. You can do this through our website, by telephone or email. We'll use the information that you've given us to answer any questions and respond to your query or other queries you might have in the future. If you do contact us by telephone, your call may be recorded and reviewed for quality and training purposes. Recordings are only kept for a limited period and then automatically deleted unless we have a legitimate interest in keeping them for a longer period.

Personalization of your experience: We sometimes use your data to enable us to show you the most relevant products and services we think you'll be interested in, such as the best deals and special offers for destinations you like or have been to previously.

Marketing: Where you make a booking, or in any other case, if you have opted-in or signed-up, we may contact you with information about other products and services that we offer that are like those that you have already purchased or inquired about, and we think may interest you based on your personal information. Don't worry, you can opt-out of these emails at any time.

Newsletter: If you have subscribed to a Vacations By Rail newsletter and wish to stop receiving this communication, click the Unsubscribe link at the bottom of the email and follow the instructions. Should you wish to stop receiving other communication related to future travel and new products, please contact a Vacations By Rail travel specialist or email [email protected].   

When you book or register with us, we will ask you if you would like to receive marketing communications. You can change your marketing preferences online, over the phone, using the "unsubscribe" link in our emails, replying STOP to the short code in our marketing text messages or by writing to us at any time.  Of course, the choice is entirely yours, but if you say you do not want to receive marketing information from us you will miss out on receiving great offers and promotions that may be of interest to you.

You may still receive service-related communications from us.  For example, confirming bookings you make with us and providing important information about the use of our products and/or services.

Promotional Activities: From time to time, and especially if you travel with us, we also request information via surveys, contests, polls, and other promotions, and of course, you may contact us via email with any comments or questions. Participation in any of these activities is voluntary and therefore your decision if you wish to share additional information with us. In these instances, we will collect personally identifiable informational (for instance, your contact information) and demographic information (for instance, zip code, age range, etc.). Contact information is used to notify winners and award prizes when submitted for contests and prize drawings or to be in touch for customer relations measures for surveys and direct emails. Information collected through surveys will be used for purposes of gauging your satisfaction with our product and monitoring and improving our offerings.

Improving our services: Sometimes we might use your data to help us improve the quality and functionality of our services. This could include eliminating bugs in our system, data analysis, testing, and statistical and survey purposes, all of which helps us improve the service we offer.

Security: We may use your data as part of efforts to keep our sites (and the information you provide to us) safe and secure, and to prevent fraud or unauthorized access/use of our sites.

Fraudulent Claims: We may use your personal information to prevent, detect, or defend any claims/actions we believe to be potentially fraudulent or detrimental to our legitimate interests.

Legal and regulatory compliance: We might need to use your information in relation to any legal disputes, regulatory, compliance or criminal investigations, or if necessary, to enforce our rights.

Sharing Information

In certain circumstances we may share the information you provide to us with organizations outside of Vacations by Rail. The third parties who we might share your data with include:

Service Providers: If you make a booking, we'll have to share your booking data with the third parties, such as hoteliers, airlines, insurers, and transfer providers to complete your booking contract. The data shared may include your name and the names and ages of any guests travelling with you, any preferences, or special requests you told us about when you made your booking and your contact details. If you contact us with a query about your booking, we may pass this on to our providers if they are needed to answer you.

Third party support services: These includes anyone who provides support services or functions on our behalf, including payment card processing, business analytics, review agencies, advertising, and customer support services. This may be to send you marketing material on our behalf or to collate information that can be analyzed to improve our service. They have access to and may collect information only as required to perform their agreed functions and are not permitted to share or use information for any other purpose.

Payment Processors and other financial institutions: When you make a payment on your booking, we use a third-party payment processor to take your payment. If you request a chargeback on your booking, it may be necessary for us to share certain details with the payment processor and the relevant financial institution, so they can manage the chargeback. This may include a copy of your booking confirmation, financial details and the IP address that was used to make your booking.

Referring websites: If you were referred to our site via another webpage, we may share some information about you with that referring website so that they can contact you about their products and services, which may include Google Analytics.

Business Affiliates: We may share your data with our business affiliates with whom we offer relevant joint services. This may include other agencies and advertising networks. We do this to maximize the services that we provide you and so they may contact you directly about their relevant products and services that may interest you. You can unsubscribe from these emails at any time.

Advertising: We use third-party advertising companies to serve ads when you visit our Website. These companies may use information (not including your name, address, email address, or telephone number) about your visits to this and other Web sites in order to provide advertisements about goods and services of interest to you. If you would like more information about this practice and to know your choices about not having this information used by these companies, visit www.networkadvertising.org/managing/opt_out.asp.

Law enforcement authorities: We will disclose personal information insofar as it is required by law or where we believe it is necessary for the prevention, detection, or prosecution of potentially criminal acts, including for fraud, immigration, customs, security, or anti-terrorism purposes.

Please note that while we have procedures and security features to protect your information from access by unauthorized persons and against unlawful processing, accidental loss, destruction, and damage, we don't control the privacy practices of any of these third-parties or your Service Providers and we would encourage you to review their own privacy policies where appropriate.

Furthermore, any information that you provide directly to your Service Providers or other suppliers is not covered under this Privacy Policy and we would urge to check their own privacy policies before providing any personal information.

Legal Basis for Processing Personal Data

When we process your information as described above, we will be relying on one or more of the following legal rights:

Performance of a contract: We use your information to carry out the contract that you have with us and your Service Providers. We'll use the information that you provide us when making a booking to conclude and process the reservations with the relevant third-party Service Providers.

Consent: You may, through your action(s) of providing us your details, consent to us sending you marketing and promotional material. If you do kindly give us this consent, we'll rely on this consent when contacting you. You can always withdraw your consent at any time by simply unsubscribing.

Legitimate interest: We may use your information for our own legitimate interest, for example to provide you with the most relevant content on our site or to promote new services and for certain administrative and legal purposes. If you fail to complete a purchase, we may send you some follow-up emails to try and help you, or seek your feedback or offer you alternative products related to your selection.

Business transaction: We may use your data in connection with a business transaction such as the sale of a part or the whole of our business.

To Comply with a legal obligation:  We may share your personal data with regulatory authorities such as immigration, border control, security, anti-terrorism, and any other legitimate legal obligation as required.

To protect your vital interests or those of another individual: We may share your information in the case of an emergency.  For example, with insurance companies or medical personnel.

Storage of Data

Vacations By Rail uses secure SSL encryption to protect your data that is transmitted electronically thus ensuring that your personal information is protected as it is sent to us. Only authorized personnel are permitted to access your information in the course of their work with us. Our data security protections meet the "reasonable security requirements" of the New York "Shield Act".  While we do our best to protect your information, no information transferred over the internet or stored electronically can be guaranteed to be completely secure and you provide your information to us at your own risk.

We'll only retain your information for a reasonable period, or for so long as either you or the law allows.

When you pay for your tour, we don't store your card details - instead we use an encrypted authorization 'token' issued by your payment provider to collect the payments.

Browser Do Not Track

Our Website does not support Do Not Track (DNT) at this time. DNT is a privacy preference you can set in your web browser to indicate that you do not want certain information about your web page visits tracked and collected across websites. For more details, including how to turn on Do Not Track, visit www.donottrack.us.

Your Rights with Regard to Your Information

You have the following rights in relation to the personal information that we hold about you:

You may request a copy of the personal information we are keeping about you by submitting a request to us at the below address.

You may ask that we correct any inaccuracies in the data, ask us to transfer it to another party or provide it to you for transfer it to another party yourself.

You can ask us not to process your personal information for marketing purposes at any time by sending a request to the below address or clicking 'unsubscribe' on any of the emails that we send to you. Alternatively, you can also email [email protected] and it will be done for you. We will let you know if we intend to use your data for marketing purposes.

You have the right to request that we delete all personal information that we hold about you. If there is no other reason beside you providing your consent for us to hold your data, we will delete it upon receiving your request.

We may not delete your personal information if one of the following exceptions exists:

  • Information is necessary to complete the transaction;                                                                                                              
  • Information is necessary to detect security incidents;                                                                                                                 
  • Information is necessary to protect against deceptive, fraudulent, or illegal activity;
  • Information is necessary to identify and repair errors;                                                                                                             
  • Information is necessary to promote free speech;                                                                                                                      
  • Information is necessary for scientific, historical, or statistical research in the public interest;
  • Information is necessary for internal uses of the company if those uses are reasonably expected by consumers;
  • Information is necessary to comply with a legal obligation; or                                                                                                      
  • Information is used internally in a manner that is compatible with the context of the collection.

If you would like to exercise any of your above rights, please contact us at [email protected] writing 'Data Subject Access Request' in the subject line. We will deal with any requests we receive in accordance with the relevant Data Protection laws.

Data Collected Through Mobile Devices

Mobile devices can be used to access our services, as well as versions of our regular website. These mobile sites work in a similar way to our main website. Sometimes we make use of something known as cross-device tracking, which allows us to track user behavior across different devices. We use this to improve the service that we provide you and for marketing activities, so advertisements shown to you on other websites may be offered based on your activities on linked devices.

Personal Information of Minors

We do not knowingly collect information from children under the age of 13 and require that those making purchases on vacationsbyrail.com are 18+ years of age. Some travel products may be subject to age restrictions or qualify for age-related savings. We only process information about children with the consent of the parents or legal guardians.

Links to other sites

Our Website may contain links to other sites that are not operated by us. If you click a third-party link, you will be directed to that third party's site. We strongly advise you to review the Privacy Policy of every site you visit. We have no control over and assume no responsibility for the content, privacy policies or practices of any third-party sites or services.

Data Controller

We control the processing of data over our sites - in legal terms, this means that Vacations by Rail is the Data Controller for the purposes of EU Data Protection laws.

Transfer of Information to the United States and Other Countries

Vacations buy Rail is headquartered in the U.S., and we have operations and service providers in the U.S. However, we process and store information in the U.S. and other jurisdictions. Therefore, we and those that perform work for us may transfer your information to, or store or access it in, jurisdictions that may not provide equivalent levels of data protection as your home jurisdiction.

Contact Us

For questions regarding this Privacy Policy, please email [email protected].

Passenger(s) agreement

Please review and accept the following to help ensure all information for your reservation is correct.  Some changes are considered a cancellation and therefore subject to cancellation penalties.  Other changes will incur a change fee in addition to supplier fees and price increases.

  • First and last names are spelled exactly as they appear on the government-issued identification you will be using during your trip.
  • Travel dates are correct.
  • The number of nights and hotel room category/rail accommodations category is as you have requested.
  • When scheduling your connecting travel, such as flights or rail tickets, please arrange for departures at least 24 hours after the scheduled arrival of any long-distance train, as many of these trains are often delayed for reasons beyond the control of the railroad.
  • Consider booking a pre- and/or post-hotel night stay. Because of the chance of flight delays, cancellations, or missed connections, an additional hotel stay ensures a restful and hassle-free beginning and end of your trip. A Vacations By Rail® travel specialist can assist you with these arrangements.
  • Trip protection insurance is available to protect your vacation investment in the event that unforeseen circumstances cause your vacation to be canceled, delayed. or interrupted. Your rail specialist will be able to assist you with a quote for travel insurance.

For reservations requiring a deposit payment upfront

  • By making payment for the vacation listed, I acknowledge that I have read and accepted the Terms and Conditions, including the cancellation/refund policy, and authorize my credit card to charge the amount of my purchase.

For reservations not requiring a deposit payment upfront

  • Do not book any flights or connecting transportation you may require until you receive your confirmation invoice, as some of these services associated with this tour may be on request and may need to be reviewed by a rail specialist.

 

Last updated: December 6th, 2021

Modern Slavery Statement

Introduction

Great Rail Journeys Limited is a global tour operator dedicated to promoting ethical and sustainable tourism. We are committed to ensuring that modern slavery and human trafficking have no place in our operations or supply chains. This statement outlines the steps we have taken during the financial year ending October 2024 to comply with the UK Modern Slavery Act 2015.

Our Commitment

As a global business, we recognize the risks associated with modern slavery within the travel and tourism sector, including the sourcing of goods and services and our interactions with partners worldwide. We are committed to working transparently and collaboratively to safeguard human rights and prevent exploitation across all aspects of our operations.

Supplier Code of Conduct

Our suppliers and partners are required to adhere to our ethical standards, with clear contractual obligations prohibiting modern slavery and human trafficking.

Due Diligence and Risk Assessment

We conduct risk assessments across our supply chains and operations, with a focus on identifying high-risk regions and activities, which includes auditing key suppliers and partners, and requiring compliance certifications from suppliers. Our suppliers are contractually obliged to implement due diligence procedures for their subcontractors, suppliers and other participants in their supply chains.

Monitoring and Reporting

We encourage open reporting through confidential mechanisms available to employees, suppliers and customers. All reports are thoroughly investigated and corrective action is taken as needed.

Next Steps

We are committed to continuous improvement by enhancing supplier engagement and strengthening our due diligence processes. We will also continue to collaborate with industry groups and other organizations to address modern slavery risks in tourism.