Reservation & Cancellation Policies

  Before booking a hike or trip with ESC Outside, we encourage you to thoroughly read our Reservation & Cancellation Policies below AND make sure you read and understand your personal responsibilities delineated on the Safety & Responsibility page on our website.

Our policies are intended to be fair, both to our guests and to our small business.  Ultimately, we are a small adventure travel company operating on public lands in some of the country’s beautiful and challenging environments.  Our groups are intentionally small and each spot on a trip represent an irreplaceable opportunity.  The closer to a trip’s start date that a guest cancels, the more difficult it becomes to fill that spot, and that is what informs our cancellation policy.  It’s also the reason that we STRONGLY RECOMMEND PURCHASING TRIP CANCELLATION & INTERRUPTION INSURANCE. Both RIPCORD & TRAVEL GUARD are good options

We’re excited to share the trail in the great outdoors with you; in the most authentic way we believe possible! Thanks so much for understanding, and for choosing ESC Outside. We’ll see you soon!

Reservation Policy:

The trip prices listed on our website are per person and the same for all guests, whether single or double occupancy.  A deposit of $150.00 per person is required to reserve a hike and $1000.00 per person is required to reserve a trip with ESC Outside.  The remaining balance is due 60 days prior to the start of the trip. Reservations made within 60 days of the trip starting date require payment in full.  ESC Outside strongly recommends Trip Cancellation & Interruption insurance available through Ripcord or Travel Guard.

Trip Cancellations - Please Read Carefully:

IF WE CANCEL – ESC Outside reserves the right to cancel any trip because of internal reasons including but not limited to inadequate signups (see Trip Minimums below) or loss of staff due to injury or illness.  If ESC Outside cancels a trip due to internal reasons, a refund of the total amount paid will be given.  Refunds are limited to the amount actually paid to ESC Outside.

IF MOTHER NATURE CANCELS – Should your trip have to be cancelled or postponed by a force majeure (including but not limited to: weather causing delays or cancelled flights, fire, flood, earthquakes, hurricanes, volcanic eruption, pandemic, ongoing or newly introduced travel ban or government statement) ESC Outside is not obligated to provide a refund or offer alternative travel services. Thus, we strongly encourage you to purchase Trip Cancellation & Interruption Insurance so that you are covered in the event of an unexpected change of plans.

IF YOU CANCEL – If the participant cancels a reservation earlier than 60 days prior to the starting date, the deposit will be refunded, minus a $500.00/participant administration fee. If the participant cancels within 45 days of the trip starting date, there will be no refund of any costs.

ITINERARY CHANGES OR DELAYS:

Once a trip has begun, ESC Outside reserves the right to alter the itinerary.  Occasionally once a trip has started, weather or other factors may cause delays, destination changes, or make completing the trip impossible.  In these circumstances, there will be no refund of fees.  ESC Outside is not responsible for any additional costs (e.g. airline flight changes, additional hotel nights, etc.) associated with trip delays or itinerary changes due to weather or other factors.

Our trips include at least two nights in a hotel or lodge. Our trip rates are the same for all guests, whether single or double occupancy. 

• Due to limited inventory with our vendor's accommodations, a single room cannot always be guaranteed.
• Please be sure to confirm your rooming arrangements by emailing us or calling 1-907-903-3981

You can rest assured we’ll do our level best to make certain that your dietary needs are met. Beyond the excellent restaurants we visit, we strive to ensure options for vegetarian, vegan, and many allergy-restricted diets are available. However, based on where we may be visiting, we cannot always provide the same diversity or sophistication for restricted diets as you may be expecting. ESC Outside does our best to support local business’s. We are always on the lookout for great coffee shops; and our dining arrangements are the best of the areas we are visiting. Please call us with any questions or concerns.

To guarantee any ESC Outside trip goes at the listed price, a minimum number of participants must sign up.  Most of our trips require a minimum of 3 to 4 guests to guarantee departure.  However, in the event your trip does not meet the minimum we will still offer the trip at below the minimum required for a modest surcharge – see below

Trips with a minimum of 4:

1 guest: Listed price PLUS 100%
2 guests: Listed price PLUS 50%
3 guests: Listed price PLUS 25%

Trips with a minimum of 3:

1 guest: Listed price PLUS 100%
2 guests: Listed price PLUS 50%

At 75 days-prior to the starting date we will let you know whether your trip has met the minimum number of participants to guarantee the departure.

You will then have two full weeks to consider the following options.

1. Elect to pay the below minimum surcharge to guarantee the trip.
2. Switch to any another itinerary during the same dates – subject to availability and trip price adjustment.
3. Cancel your trip for a full refund
4. Roll your entire balance into a credit for a future trip with no penalty.

Please contact us with any specific questions or concerns.