The following document concerns both the liability of Young Pioneer Tours and the responsibilities of the customer.
We are Young Pioneer Tours and we look forward to the opportunity to act as your tour operator. The following conditions describe your obligations as a customer when purchasing either an independent tour or a group tour through us. The terms “we”, “us” and “our” refer to Young Pioneer Tours. The term “you” refers to the customer.
BOOKING POLICY
For North Korea tours 30% deposit is due upon booking confirmation. The remaining 70% balance must be paid in cash at the pre-tour meeting held on the first day of the tour.
For the majority of our international tours, a minimum of 50% deposit is due upon booking confirmation. The remaining 50% balance must be paid in full six weeks prior to the tour commencing. This will be clearly detailed to you during the booking process.
CANCELLATION POLICY
All cancellation notices must be received in writing and will become effective as of the date of receipt by us. YPT can provide a tour cancellation confirmation letter so you are able to claim any losses with your travel insurance provider.
Tour refunds will be calculated based on the information contained in the following table:
| Days in advance of tour start date | Percentage of tour cost refunded |
| 46 days or more | 100% |
| 31-45 days | 50% |
| 30-0 days | 0% |
- You are liable for any transaction charges associated with the refund process.
- All cancellations or re-bookings will incur a minimum €50 or $50 administration fee.
- In the event of the company incurring non-refundable costs and expenses, including, but not limited to flight booking and hotel reservations this shall be deducted from any refund due to you.
NORTH KOREA VISAS
Our ability to obtain North Korea visas for our customers has been on the whole extremely successful and any inability to obtain a visa has always been for cause.
If you have provided accurate information and your visa is refused, we will grant a full refund of any payments made to us minus associated transaction fees and costs. We will not be liable for any costs incurred by you in travelling to the location from which the tour was scheduled to depart.
In the event you intend to travel to and from China using a transit visa, you bear full responsibility for ensuring the transit visa is organised correctly. We will endeavour to offer assistance in the event of issues arising with your Chinese transit visas, but will in no case be held liable for any costs incurred in arranging your entries/exits.
It’s important to note that the decision to grant a transit visa ultimately lies with the immigration officers at the airport. We recommend, as best practice, that you apply for a double-entry Chinese visa in advance of the tour so your visa is already secured. If you are using the transit visa, we recommend you schedule your flight to arrive in Beijing the day before your North Korean tour. This ensures that we will have the visas from the embassy and allows you time to deal with any delays you may face at immigration.
We cannot take journalists to the DPRK. We ask all journalists to notify us of their position, we can then suggest other alternatives. In the event that you intentionally mislead us in an attempt to enter the DPRK or any of our other destinations depending on our invitation, any deposit paid will be forfeited.
INTERNATIONAL TOUR VISAS
On all other international tours, visas are your responsibility. YPT does provide full visa support, advice, and assist with letters of invitation (LOI) or visa authorisations, but in the event that a visa is not granted our cancellation policy above will apply.
FORCE MAJEURE
Force majeure is any event or circumstances which we could not, even with all due care, foresee or avoid. Such events may include but are not limited to war, pandemic, riot, civil strife, terrorist activity, industrial dispute, natural or nuclear disaster, adverse weather or road conditions, fire, bureaucratic obstacles, changes in schedules or mode of transport by ferry companies, airlines, bus or train operators and all similar events outside our control.
If such an event or circumstance arises and said event or circumstance results in our inability to deliver the tour itinerary, customer shall be entitled to a full refund minus a €50 or $50 admin fee and any reasonable costs incurred by us.
TRAVEL INSURANCE
Young Pioneer Tours holds no responsibility in whole or part and customer agrees we are not liable for any and all liability or claims for any occurrences including but not limited to any delay, loss, accidents, personal injury, political unrest, sickness, medical expenses or property damage occurring on tour.
Therefore, we require the customer to obtain sufficient insurance that, in the event of any possible risk, will provide sufficient cover for customer and if applicable, any dependents he or she is travelling with. It is your responsibility to ensure that the insurance coverage includes, but is not limited to, medical and health cover for an injury or sudden illness while on tour, 24-hour emergency service and assistance (including repatriation if you become too ill to continue the tour), cancellation and curtailment, lost and stolen possessions cover, and personal liability cover. Any claims must be directed towards your insurers.
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LOCAL LAWS
Customers are required to follow local laws and regulations at all times. In the result of a breach of local law, we will not be held in any way responsible and the customer will take responsibility for any consequences, financial or otherwise, that arise from their actions.
Customers are required to follow the guidance and company rules of Young Pioneer Tours at all times.
We reserve the right to expel without refund, those customers who refuse to abide by company policies.
TOUR ITINERARY
Due to the nature of travel/tourism to our unique destinations, itineraries do not provide or imply a guarantee of the tour’s contents. Though we will make every effort to keep itineraries as described and to find suitable replacements, Young Pioneer Tours and our travel partners reserve the right to make changes to the itinerary in response to unforeseeable events.
NORTH KOREA TRAVEL AGREEMENT
By booking a tour with Young Pioneer Tours to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), customer acknowledges that he or she has read, understands, and agrees to our DPRK travel agreement.
NON-LIABILITY FOR CHANGES
Young Pioneer Tours reserves the right to change these terms and conditions at any time and we will notify you if such changes are made.
Price quotations are subject to change without notice and will not be binding until a booking has been confirmed.
We fully reserve the right to change or amend all itineraries on a case-by-case basis depending on the situation on the ground. In such cases we will always endeavour to provide a suitable replacement.
Train, and flight tickets are subject to availability. We reserve the right to change the mode of transport depending on availability.
If for any reason you do not complete any portion of a tour, or abandon a scheduled tour after departure, no refund shall be given nor will any credit be given towards future travel.
PAYMENT POLICY
We accept payments by bank transfer in USD, GBP, EUR and AUD. We accept payments by credit/debit card in USD, GBP, EUR. In all cases, sending and receiving bank fees are your responsibility. We will provide details as part of the booking process.
Tours are invoiced in the currency advertised on our website; either EUR or USD. Payments received in other currencies are credited at the prevailing exchange rate on the day they are received.
When paying by bank transfer you are required to put ONLY the invoice number provided as payment reference. Do NOT under any circumstances put your tour destination, or Young Pioneer. Failure to comply with this may result in the cancellation of your tour and loss of any moneys paid.
PRIVACY POLICY
This privacy policy only covers information collected at this website, and does not cover any information collected offline by Young Pioneer Tours. All Young Pioneer Tours websites are currently covered by this privacy policy.
SECURITY
Personal information provided on the website and online credit card transactions are transmitted through a secure server. We are committed to handling your personal information with high standards of information security.
We take appropriate physical, electronic, and administrative steps to maintain the security and accuracy of personally identifiable information we collect, including limiting the number of people who have physical access to our database servers, as well as employing electronic security systems and password protections that guard against unauthorised access.
Our website uses encryption technology, like Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), to protect your personal information during data transport. SSL encrypts ordering information such as your name, address, and credit card number. Please note that email is not encrypted and should not be used for transmitting credit card information.
