STS Vacations TOUR PARTICIPANT AGREEMENT
(last updated: June 2017)
TOUR OPERATOR
Student Travel Services, Inc. (dba STS Vacations), 2431 Solomons Island Road, Suite 302, Annapolis, MD 21401 has arranged the vacations offered on this website. STS Vacations (STS) acts as tour operator.
PACKAGE PRICE
Package Price includes items outlined on your Trip Confirmation. Hotels, departure cities, and departure dates are listed on your Trip Confirmation and are incorporated in this agreement by reference. Package prices are based on current rates, and are subject to change at any time prior to departure without notice due to fuel related increases, changes in government taxes, etc.
TOUR OPERATOR
STS Vacations, 2431 Solomons Island Road, Suite 302, Annapolis, MD 21401 has arranged the vacations offered on this website. Student Travel Services, Inc. (STS) acts as tour operator.
RESERVATIONS/PAYMENTS
Deposit and agreement to the terms and conditions of this agreement are required to confirm your reservations. Trips may be reserved prior to September 1 for $50 per person. A $100 payment is due the 10th of each month with the remaining balance due in full on May 1, 2018.

Accounts not paid in full by due date will be automatically canceled without notice. Accounts may be reinstated subject to availability and a $25 per person reinstatement fee. Upon receipt of deposit, a confirmation/invoice will be emailed to you or your Travel Agent. Receipt of deposit by STS constitutes acceptance of these terms and conditions. There is a $50 service charge for all checks/charges returned to STS for any reason. VISA, MC, Discover, and American Express are accepted.
CANCELLATIONS
ALL PAYMENTS ARE NONREFUNDABLE (except as otherwise provided in this agreement), unless you are able to find a replacement, at which time a full refund less a $25 per person administrative fee and any airline-imposed fees will be issued. If your roommate(s) cancels, you and your remaining roommate(s) must pay applicable occupancy surcharges prior to the departure date.
TRAVEL PROTECTION PLAN
OPTIONAL TRAVEL PROTECTION FOR TRIP CANCELLATION IS STRONGLY RECOMMENDED. The Travel Protection Plan may be added or removed to your trip anytime prior to final payment. The policy does not go into effect until your package is paid in full. A copy of the relevant travel protection policy is available from STS upon written request or online at www.chocolatecityinvasions.com.
CHANGING YOUR RESERVATIONS
There is a $25 per person fee (plus any airline-imposed fees) for changing your reservation in any way once deposit has been received by STS. For the purpose of this paragraph, adding passengers to an existing reservation will not be considered a change.
DOCUMENTATION
U.S. Citizens are required to carry proper documentation of U.S. citizenship. Foreign nationals must consult their local consulates for documentation requirements. Children under 18 years of age must carry a notarized letter of consent signed by both parents or legal guardian for travel outside the US. U.S. citizenship documentation requirements are subject to change without notice. No refunds will be issued for passengers who are denied boarding for failure to obtain proper citizenship documentation.
SECURITY DEPOSIT
Hotels may require up to a $100 per person cash security deposit at check-in. This will be refunded upon checkout provided that there are no charges or damages to your room.
UNUSED TOUR SERVICES
No refund will be issued for unused accommodations, flights, or tour services if the tour participant leaves the tour for any reason.
AIRCRAFT, FLIGHT SCHEDULES AND DELAYS
Public charter air services are provided by Miami Air Int’l, United, Delta Airlines, Omni Air Express, Southwest, Sun Country, Swift, Dominican Wings or Xtra Airways. Public charters are operated by STS, Apple Vacations, TNT, Funjet, and Vacation Express. Scheduled air services are provided by United, Sun Country, American Airlines, Southwest, Frontier, AeroMexico, Jet Blue, Delta, Spirit Air and Southwest. STS and the airline reserve the right to substitute any duly-licensed air carrier and/or to change aircraft type, routing and do not guarantee single plane or nonstop service.
FLIGHT DELAYS
Flight delays are unfortunate, but are an inherent risk in air travel. Flight delays, missed nights accommodations and expenses incurred due to flight delays, and missed connections to/from charter flights are beyond the control and responsibility of STS.
FLIGHT SCHEDULES/CHANGES
Flight times are not guaranteed and may affect actual length of time in vacation destination on travel days. Any flight information provided prior to departure is considered tentative and is subject to change in accordance with operator’s option plan as set forth at the bottom of this agreement. Therefore, it is the sole responsibility of the tour participant to reconfirm both outbound and return flights.
UNUSED TOUR SERVICES
No refund will be issued for unused accommodations, flights, or tour services if the tour participant leaves the tour for any reason.
LUGGAGE RESPONSIBILITY
INTERNATIONAL – For international travel, including domestic portions of international travel, the liability limit for delay, damage, or loss to checked and unchecked baggage is governed by the Montreal Convention, or its predecessor, the Warsaw Convention, including their amendments and special contracts of carriage embodied in applicable tariffs.
DOMESTIC – For travel wholly between U.S. points, liability for delay, damage or loss to checked baggage, including carry-on baggage if tendered to the carrier’s inflight personnel for storage or otherwise delivered into the custody of the carrier is limited to a maximum of $3,300 USD per ticketed passenger. If you wish to declare a higher value beyond the stated limit of liability, additional insurance coverage can be purchased.
OPERATOR CANCELLATION
If STS must cancel the charter: STS will notify you in writing within 7 days of the cancellation, but in no event later than 10 days before the scheduled departure date. In the event of complete cancellation, STS’s only liability will be to refund, within 14 days of the date of cancellation, all moneys paid. STS as charter operator may not cancel the charter less than 10 days before the scheduled departure date, except for circumstances that make it physically impossible to perform the charter trip.
CUSTOMER SERVICE
If you require assistance in any way while on your tour, you must notify our on-location staff who will make every effort to accommodate you. Under no circumstances will STS reimburse you for long-distance phone calls or other out of pocket expenses. If the matter cannot be resolved, please write our Customer Service Department within 60 days of the completion of your tour. Failure to write to tour operator within this 60-day time period will release STS from all claims and liability.
MAJOR CHANGE
In accordance with Part 380 of the DOT’s Special Regulations, the applicable major changes are as follows: (1) a change in departure or return dates of more than 48 hours (unless the change results from a flight delay experienced by the carrier), (2) a change in origin or destination city for any flight leg other than a change in the order in which cities are visited, (3) a substitution of any hotel that is not named in the operator-participant contract; and (4) a price increase of more than 10% occurring more than 10 days prior to departure. If STS becomes aware of a major change 10 or more days prior to departure, STS will notify tour participants within 7 days of first knowing of such a change. If STS should become aware of a change within 10 days of departure, it will notify tour participants as soon as possible. Upon receiving notification of a major change, tour participant may cancel in writing within seven days, but in no event later than the date of departure, and receive a full refund within 14 days of STS receipt of notice of your cancellation. If STS gives tour participant notice of change after departure, the participant may decline to accept the change and be sent a refund for the portion of his or her payments allocated to the hotel accommodations or transportation not provided within 14 days after scheduled return date. In either case, STS shall have no further liability to the tour participant.
DISPUTES
Any controversy or claim arising out of or relating to this Agreement in any manner whatsoever, or breach thereof, shall be resolved by BINDING ARBITRATION by a single arbitrator in accordance with the Rules of the American Arbitration Association. The location of such arbitration shall be the principal office of Student Travel Services, Inc. located in the State of Maryland. The decision of the arbitrator shall be final. Judgment upon any award rendered by the arbitrator may be entered in any Court having jurisdiction thereof.
OPERATOR’S OPTION PLAN
All trip dates have been set to coincide with your Spring Break. STS reserves the right to schedule STS Bulk Air and charter flights to depart your desired city any time on or after Friday and to return from your destination no later than Sunday of your booking week. The following are considered “co-terminal” airports; (Newark, LaGuardia and JFK), (BWI, Reagan National and Dulles), and (O’Hare and Midway). Your airport and final trip dates will be assigned no later than 10 days prior to the departure date. Land changes: The tour operator reserves the right to substitute equivalent accommodations when necessary.
MISCELLANEOUS
All notices, offers, acceptances, requests and other communications hereunder shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been duly given if mailed by certified or registered mail, with postage prepaid, to STS and the tour participant at the addresses set forth in this agreement. Any such notice shall be deemed to be received when delivered or within three (3) business days after it is mailed. The validity and construction of this agreement or any of its provisions shall be determined under the laws of the State of Maryland. The invalidity or enforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not affect or limit the validity and enforceability of the other provisions hereof. This agreement contains the entire understanding between the parties hereto and supersedes any other oral and written agreements or understandings between them. Except as otherwise provided for in this agreement, no modification or addition hereto or waiver or cancellation of any provision shall be valid except by a writing signed by the parties. This agreement shall bind and inure to the benefit of the parties, and their respective successors and assigns or personal representatives. STS may assign this agreement without the tour participant’s permission. The tour participant may not assign any part of the benefits of this agreement to another party without STS’s express written permission.
Travelers under the age of 18 are considered minors and require parental consent to travel with Student Travel Services. Accepting this Tour Participant Agreement implies that parental consent has been obtained by the minor traveler.