Booking Conditions The Royal Scotsman is a luxury hotel train and coach tour operated by The Great Scottish & Western Railway Company Limited (GS&WR), using train haulage supplied by English Welsh & Scottish Railway Ltd. Carriage on The Royal Scotsman is subject to the booking conditions of GS&WR as well as The Society of International Railway Travelers (SIRT). These conditions are outlined below. How to Book: Call our Tour Desk at 1-800-478-4881 or (502) 454-0277 to make a reservation. An initial deposit of 25% of the total trip cost is required within seven days of making a reservation, along with a completed tour booking form. An additional deposit of 25% is due by January 7, 2005. Final payment is due April 27, 2005, 90 days prior to departure. The initial deposit can be made by check or credit card (Mastercard, Visa, or Discover); all other payments must be made by check. Credit cards may be used for the second deposit and final payment, but a 3% surcharge will apply. Reservations are on a first-come, first-served basis. Cancellations: Notice of cancellations must be received by this office in writing. If cancellation occurs prior to January 7, 2005, a refund will be given less a $300 per person administrative fee. After January 7, 2005, all payments will be non-refundable. Cancellations made between January 7 and April 27, 2005 will incur a penalty of 50% of the total tour cost. Final payment is due 90 days prior to departure, April 27, 2005. After this date, the tour is 100% non-refundable. No refunds will be made in the event of "no-shows" or cancellations the day of the trip. No refund will be given for unused portions of the tour.  Insurance: We strongly recommend that all passengers protect themselves with tour insurance to cover costs in the event of cancellation. Upon booking (or in advance upon request), we will send a brochure about Travelex tour interruption/cancellation insurance. We recommend purchasing coverage immediately upon booking. In order to cover pre-existing conditions, coverage must be purchased within 14 days of the initial trip deposit. Passport: A valid passport is required, valid for six months after departure from U.S. Minimum/maximum Participants: The tour will have a minimum of 20 passengers and a maximum of 36. Surcharges: Surcharges may be imposed to cover increases in transportation costs including the cost of fuels, dues, taxes or fees chargeable for services. GS&WR/SIRT will not impose any surcharges on the price of tour arrangements less than 30 days before departure, and GS&WR/SIRT will absorb the first 2% of any surcharges that apply.  Price does not include: Airfare; gratuities; passport and visa fees; personal expenses such as laundry; telephone calls; optional excursions; services other than those specifically mentioned in the included section; accident; sickness, trip cancellation and baggage insurance; and excess baggage charges.  Special requests: If the guest has any special requests regarding diet, etc., please inform IRT in writing of such requests prior to departure. GS&WR/SIRT do not guarantee that such requests will be met and has no liability to the guest if they are not met.  Medical: Any physical or mental condition that may require special attention must be reported in writing. All Society trips require some walking on the train itself and during tours.  Baggage: Baggage and personal effects are taken at owner's risk throughout the trip and baggage insurance is strongly recommended. Luggage space on this train is limited. While there is no maximum baggage allowance for this tour, please remember that your bags will be sharing a compartment with you. We recommend that each passenger travel with one suitcase and one carry-on bag. Also note: most national and international airlines permit no more than 44 pounds per passenger. Private transfers and baggage handling will be offered on an optional basis. Responsibility: The Society of International Railway Travelers, Inc. (IRT) and Hardy Publishing Co., Inc. (HPC), parent company of The Society of International Railway Travelers, act only as agents for the passenger with respect to travel services. IRT and HPC do not own or operate any of the suppliers of services or accommodations for your trip. As a result, IRT and HPC are not responsible for any negligent or willful act or failure to act of any such supplier of any other third party over whom IRT and HPC has no control. We can assume no responsibility nor liability in whole or in part for any delays, delayed or changed departure or arrival, missed carrier connections, loss, damage, weather, strikes, acts of God, circumstances beyond our control, force majeure, war, quarantine, criminal activity, expense, accident, sickness, injury or death to person or property, or mechanical defect, failure, or negligence of any nature howsoever caused in connection with any accommodations, restaurant, transportation or other services, for any substitution of hotels or of common carrier equipment beyond our control, with or without notice, or for any additional expenses occasioned thereby. If due to weather, flight schedules or other uncontrollable factors you are required to spend an additional night, you will be responsible for your own hotel, transfers and meal costs. No refund will be made for any unused portion of the tour due to these causes or voluntary cancellations. Baggage is at the owner's risk entirely.  No revisions of the printed itinerary or the "included" section are anticipated; however, IRT and HPC reserve the right to make changes at any time and for any reason, with or without notice, and IRT and HPC shall not be liable for any loss whatsoever to passengers by reason of such cancellation, substitution or changes. All fares as well as ship and train schedules, port calls, hours of arrival and departure, special programs, and guest lectures (if applicable), are subject to change without prior notice. IRT and HPC shall not be required to refund any portion of the fare or make any other compensation under these circumstances. IRT and HPC cannot be responsible for penalties assessed by air carriers that may result due to operational and/or itinerary changes, regardless if the passenger and/or IRT and HPC make the flight arrangements. Any additional expenses resulting from the above will be paid by the individual passenger. IRT and HPC reserve the right to substitute a similar category for those listed in this brochure. IRT and HPC reserve the right to increase the tour price in the event of cost increases due to changes in air fares, changes in the itinerary, currency fluctuations or fuel surcharges and such increases are to be paid to IRT and HPC by the tour participant upon notice to the tour participant of such increases.  When issued, the air tickets shall constitute the sole contract between the Air Company concerned and the purchaser of these tours and/or passenger. Please note that advertised air rates can change before ticketing. The airlines and other transportation companies concerned are not to be held responsible for any act, omission, or events during the time passengers are not on board their conveyances. By forwarding of deposit or final payment by either check or credit card, the passenger certifies that he/she does not have any mental, physical or other condition of disability that would create a hazard for him/herself or other passengers and accepts the terms of this contract. IRT and HPC reserves the right to decline to accept or retain any person as a tour member should such a person's health, mental condition, physical infirmity or attitude jeopardize the operation of the tour or the rights, welfare, or enjoyment of other participants. Behavior: Passengers are expected to behave in a reasonable manner toward other passengers, IRT personnel and other persons with whom we have contact during our tour. If a passenger behaves, in the opinion of our tour leader, in a way likely to disrupt the enjoyment or endanger the safety of other passengers, the tour leader will issue him with a verbal warning. Should this not resolve the matter, a second, written warning will be issued. If the disruptive behavior continues after the second warning, then the passenger will be removed from the tour and will have to make his own arrangements to return home. No refunds for the untraveled portion of the tour will be entertained. The right is retained to refuse any application for reservation(s), cancel any reservation(s) or decline to accept or retain any person as a member of the tour group at any time. Acceptance of terms: Upon payment of a deposit, by either check or credit card, tour participants indicate acceptance of all stated IRT and HPC terms and conditions. A signature accepting these terms is also required on the supplied tour booking form. Optional Activities that may be Dangerous: Depending on the itinerary you have selected, optional activities furnished by independent suppliers will be available at some of the places you will visit. Some of these activities carry with them the inherent risk of serious personal injury. These activities include, but are not necessarily limited to: walking safaris; horseback /elephant back/camel safaris; canoe trips, white-water rafting and river cruises; hot-air balloon trips and gorilla-tracking on foot; locomotive foot-plate rides, cab rides or photo run-bys; helicopter rides scuba diving; shark diving; boat rides. You should be aware that your safety cannot be guaranteed. Should you elect to participate in such activities while you are on tour, you are of course, free to do so. However, you must understand that such participation will be at your own risk, and that The Society of International Railway Travelers, Inc. assumes no responsibility for your safety.  Complaints: The stated mission of The Society of International Railway Travelers is to offer the very best in rail travel around the globe for our members. However, if you have a complaint during your journey, please bring it to the attention to your tour leader as quickly as you can. Should the problem remain unsolved, please write to the Society at its main office at 1810 Sils Ave., Louisville, KY 40205). Our desire is to set things right. We cannot accept liability for any claims not made to us in writing within two months of completion of your journey. We also cannot tender any refunds for any reason outside the terms set forth above. All claims will be settled by arbitration in Louisville, Kentucky. The Society of International Railway Travelers 1810 Sils Ave., Louisville, KY 40205 800-478-4881 or 502-454-0277

Please call us with questions, bookings:
800-IRT-4881
www.irtsociety.com

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