Force Majeure

ALP reserves the right to cancel any trip, before or after its start date due to conditions beyond ALP’s control (force majeure). In these booking conditions, “force majeure” means any event which we or the supplier of the service(s) in question could not, even with all due care, foresee or avoid. Such events may include, whether actual or threatened, war, riot, civil strife, terrorist activity, industrial dispute, health epidemics, natural or nuclear disaster, adverse weather conditions, fire and all similar events outside our control.

We cannot accept liability or pay any compensation where the performance or prompt performance of our obligations under our contract with you is prevented or affected by, or you otherwise suffer any damage, loss or expense of any nature as a result of, “force majeure”. ALP is not responsible for any costs incurred by the pilgrim in preparation for a program that is altered or canceled, including for any indirect, consequential, incidental, or other damages or costs incurred by the pilgrim or his/her family, such as non-refundable airline tickets or change fees.

If a trip is canceled due to Force Majeure before or during your journey, ALP will transfer remaining funds to a future pilgrimage.

Passports, Visas & Documents

A valid passport is required for travel. If you do not have a valid passport please contact your closest passport office. Passports typically need to be valid for 6 months after your return from the EU. When and if a visa is required, it is the pilgrim’s responsibility to obtain one. ALP owner, agent, or employees cannot be held liable for clients not having proper passports, visas, or other travel documents. If you must cancel due to lack of appropriate documents the usual cancelation policy applies. A Passport Card is not useful for international air travel. Attempting to use this instead of a Passport Book will result in a denial of boarding by the airlines and entry by the legal authorities.

ALP Itinerary Disclaimer

Though every effort will be made to follow the itinerary, it should be considered as an indication, rather than a contract of places to be visited. Occasionally, local religious holidays, national days, weather, traffic conditions and other events may necessitate changes in the sequence of visits or the missing of certain events, visits or activities. ALP will do its best to find appropriate substitutes, but there will be no price adjustments for changes. ALP will let you know about significant changes before the trip; other changes may be communicated to you by your trip leaders on the trip.

Brochure/Website/Advertising material accuracy

The information contained in our brochure, on our website and in our other advertising material is believed correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of printing or publication. However, errors may occasionally occur, and information may subsequently change. Times and distances for outdoor activities are calculated with great care, but they should be considered estimates and not exact figures.

Travel Insurance

We highly recommend you purchase comprehensive travel insurance for your pilgrimage.

Promotion Policy

ALP may use pilgrims’ names, photos, and other images in promotional material, videos, and press releases. Photos used may be ones that ALP staff takes on the pilgrimage or ones that are shared directly with ALP or part of shared albums that ALP staff is a part of. ALP may use these without compensation to the pilgrim, for use in any media throughout the world in perpetuity, including for sale, reproduction or display on the internet, in publications and/or for any informational, promotional, or other use.

Lodging

See your particular trip information for more details. The lodgings and their rooms and how they match up with ALP’s lodging levels is the sole discretion of ALP.  Occasionally ALP may have to change a lodging to a lower level; if so, any refunds are at the sole discretion of ALP.  ALP will do its best to accommodate your requests for a single room when available for an extra fee based on the particular situation. These requests must be made at the time of booking. Occasionally ALP When arriving for the pilgrimage in the early morning, it is not always possible to check in to lodgings immediately, but you will typically be able to leave your luggage with the hotel or ALP staff and not have to carry it around until check-in. ALP cannot be responsible for any damages you make to your room or any other property throughout the pilgrimage. Individual beds may be placed closer together than you are used to. 

Meals & Drinks

ALP will do its best to accommodate special food requests but cannot guarantee that it will be possible. If a pilgrim’s food allergies are severe and food purchase is limited, ALP may require the pilgrim to provide additional food. Fixed or limited menus are often utilized by ALP in restaurants. Some meals may be picnics. Breakfasts are local and are typically less hearty than the American style. A drink is typically included with dinner. If alcohol is included on your trip for those of legal drinking age, this includes house wine or beer. Otherwise, soft drinks, canned juice, or sparkling water may be ordered. Specialty drinks like cocktails, mocktails, fresh juices, smoothies, or similar drinks are not included. See your particular trip information for more details.

Bags

Each trip indicates on the website and in the trip information packet what type of baggage is allowed.

Pilgrims should have the ability to transport their own luggage between transportation means and hotel rooms. This may include walking through towns on uneven pavement and/or uphill as transportation cannot always reach our lodgings. ALP is not responsible for lost, damaged, or stolen bags at any point in the trip including during luggage transfers. If ALP or its suppliers provide dry-bags/containers for water related activities, we cannot guarantee their efficacity

Delayed/Early Arrival/Departure

ALP does not bear any responsibility for pilgrims arriving before or staying after the pilgrimage start and end times. ALP cannot be responsible for the cost of any missed flights due to traffic, road problems, holiday closures, or any other form of delays in getting to the airport on a pilgrimage. If your departure flight time at the end of the pilgrimage changes to an earlier time without significant notice to ALP, ALP cannot guarantee that transportation will be provided. ALP cannot guarantee it will cover transport expenses if your arrival is delayed beyond the arrival time period for your trip.

Special Requests/ Accommodations/ Conditional Bookings

If you have any special requests, you must advise us at the time of booking. We regret we cannot guarantee any request will be met. Failure to meet any special request will not be a breach of contract on our part. We regret we cannot accept any conditional bookings, i.e. any booking which is specified to be conditional on the fulfillment of a particular request. All such bookings will be treated as “standard” bookings subject to the above provisions on special requests.

Young Travelers

Travelers who are less than 18 years old on the departure date must be accompanied by an adult. Due to heightened security, many countries have adopted practices to prevent international abductions of children. If a child will be traveling with adults other than the parents or with only one parent, it is recommended that a notarized letter be written by the parents or non-traveling parent granting authorization including the dates of travel. We also suggest that you contact the appropriate consulate and airlines because they may have additional requirements.

Independent Contractors

ALP has no control over and does not assume any responsibility for the actions of the other and/or any independent contractors providing any goods or services for the pilgrimages.

Pilgrim Conduct

Pilgrims agree to follow the field practices and policies described in pre-pilgrimage information, pilgrimage orientation, and as taught by leaders and guides throughout the pilgrimage, and to be responsible for their own well-being and for contributing to the well-being of the group. Pilgrims agree to follow all country and local laws. Pilgrims agree to be courteous to local residents and merchants, customs, and culture. Pilgrims agree to act appropriately for their situation of being on a Catholic pilgrimage. You may drink alcohol in accordance with local laws and regulations in free time. However, you may not drink alcohol before or during outdoor activities or any other activities scheduled by ALP unless given permission by ALP staff. Pilgrims are expected, if they drink, to drink in moderation and never to get drunk. No drugs allowed. Prescription drugs must be indicated on the health form. Pilgrims may smoke tobacco cigarettes if they are of age, but they must not disturb others with their smoke.

Free Time

ALP is not responsible for pilgrims before and after their pilgrimage (per stated beginning and ending dates and times or for early departure due to evacuation, expulsion, or separation). On the pilgrimages, pilgrims may have “free” time in a town or other locations. ALP has no responsibility for pilgrims during this free time and pilgrims accept the risks that arise from this unsupervised free time. ALP staff may from time to time provide assistance or even accompany students in these free time activities, but in doing so, they are acting as private individuals, and ALP is not responsible for their conduct. If you are not participating in a scheduled activity with the group such as an outdoor activity or a museum visit, you are considered to be on “free time” and staff accompaniment is not guaranteed.

Equal Opportunity- No Discrimination- Harassment

ALP provides equal opportunities to all and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, religion, national or ethnic origin, age, or disability. However, ALP does reserve the right to deny admission or ongoing participation on medical or health grounds, in appropriate cases. No harassment of any kind will be tolerated on the pilgrimages.

Jurisdiction

Any dispute between the pilgrim and ALP will be governed by the substantive laws (not including the laws which might apply the laws of another jurisdiction) of the State of Wyoming and pilgrims consent to jurisdiction in Wyoming. Any mediation or suit shall occur or be filed only in the State of Wyoming. Pilgrims agree to submit to mediation prior to filing suit.

If any part of this agreement is found by a court or other appropriate authority to be invalid, the remainder of the agreement nevertheless will be in full force and effect.