Your Questions Answered
BOOKING FAQs
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What is included?
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What happens after I book?
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What about flights?
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When can I book my flights?
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What is the payment policy?
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What is your cancellation policy?
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Can I switch trip dates or destinations after booking?
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Traveling with a friend?
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Partial trips or discounts?
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Do trips go on sale?
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Why is there an inaugural trip discount?
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How do referrals work?
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What does joining the waitlist mean?
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What does itinerary “subject to change” mean?
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What is the FTLO Traveler's Pledge?
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The price of my trip is different from the price on the trip page.
1. what is included?
Each trip page has a breakdown of what is and isn't included. In general, the trip price includes accommodations, in-country transportation, curated activities and some meals (usually all breakfasts and 3-4 lunches/dinners).
2. What happens after I book?
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Once you fill out the booking form and submit your deposit, you will receive an automatic confirmation that you submitted a booking request.
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We will manually confirm your booking and someone from our team will follow up with a personal email welcoming you to the trip and detailing next steps.
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At some point before your trip (normally 2-5 months, if not earlier) we will give you the green light to book your flights with details about when and where you must be to meet the group on the first day. Do not book your flights until you get the green light from one of our team members.
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Four weeks before the trip, you will receive an invite to our online portal we lovingly call “The Departure Hub.” Here, you can see who else you’re traveling with and find useful items like a detailed trip guide with hotel information, a suggested packing list, and other tips.
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One week before the trip, the trip leader will start a group chat with everyone on the trip so you can start to connect!
3. What about flights?
Our trips do not include flights. We let you book your own flights because it allows you the freedom to choose an itinerary that works best for you, use miles, sit in first class (ayy!), extend your trip, etc.
4. When can I book my flights?
You shouldn’t book your flights until you receive the official FTLO Greenlight Email. This will be sent to you 2 to 4 months prior to the start date of your trip.
5. What is the payment policy?
There is a trip-specific non-refundable deposit to reserve a spot. If you choose to pay in installments, the remainder is to be paid according to the following schedule:
90 days before trip - 50% of trip cost
60 days before trip - 75% of trip cost
30 days before trip - 100% of trip cost
You will be sent automatic payment requests with a link to enter credit card information. Installments should be paid within 3 days of payment request.
Keep in mind, sometimes prices go up as it gets closer to the departure date and paying a deposit does not guarantee a specific price. To lock in your trip price, you can pay the full amount when you sign up.
For full terms and conditions, please click HERE.
6. Can i switch trips?
Yes! FTLO allows one complementary trip transfer for trips further than 60 days out (90 days for Lapland, South Africa, Japan, and Argentina). Additional trip transfers will incur a change fee of $100.
7. What is the cancellation policy?
If you cancel a trip, you will be responsible for the below amounts based on the date we receive your written confirmation of cancellation.​
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61 days or more days before departure: Deposit is non refundable and issued as “Travel Credit” on your account that can be transferred to another trip.
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60-31 days before departure: 50% of the trip is non-refundable. Any additional amount paid will be refunded or given as travel credit.
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30 days or less before departure: No refund possible
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*Please note: For trips further out than 60 days, we allow one complementary trip transfer. Additional trip transfers will incur a change fee of $100. Transfers requested within 60 days of departure are subject to our regular cancellation fees. Exceptions being any trip that follows a 90 day cancellation policy, in which the request would need to be made further out than 90 days.
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Due to requirements from our suppliers, the South Africa Trip, Argentina Trip, Lapland Trip, Kenya Trip and Japan Trip follow a 91-Day Cancellation Policy, different from other FTLO Trips.
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91 days or more days before departure: Deposit is non-refundable and issued as “Travel Credit” on your account that can be transferred to another trip.
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90-61 days before departure: 25% of the trip cost is non-refundable. Any additional amount paid will be refunded or given as travel credit.
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60-31 days before departure: 50% of the trip cost is non-refundable. Any additional amount paid will be refunded or given as travel credit.
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30 days or less before departure: No refund possible.
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This Travel Credit will expire five years from the date of issue and is non-transferable to another traveler.
No refund can be provided if you fail to join the trip, join it after departure, or leave it prior to its completion for any reason.
Further, any non-refundable deposits made to third-party suppliers and third-party cancellation fees will be subtracted from any refunds due under this section or trip transfers. In some instances, this may result in a refund amount of $0 after these subtractions.
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For full terms and conditions, please click HERE.
8. I'm Going with a friend or partner- can we share a room? Can I get a single room?
You can definitely room with the person you sign up with. Please just make a note in the special requirements section of the booking to request.
Single rooms are available on most trips for an additional fee. When booking your trip, if single rooms are available, you will have the option to add as an optional.
9. Can I just do part of a trip?
Not really. The trips are designed in such a way that each day builds on the next so missing part of the trip would mean missing part of the experience. For that reason, we don't really allow people to join trips late. However, if you need to leave early, we totally understand and will do our best to accommodate. Please note that there are no discounts for leaving a trip early.
10. Do trips ever go on sale?
No. We offer early bird pricing for people who sign up early enough but we do not put our trips on sale.
11. Why is there an inaugural trip discount?
We aim for perfection on every trip we run. However, even after all of the research, preparation, and practice, it’s possible we’ll discover kinks in our itineraries or minor flaws in our experiences during our inaugural tours. In the spirit of fairness and complete transparency, we discount these adventures on the off chance that any hiccups do arise.
Our excursions are built by travelers for travelers, and we rely on our guests for valuable post-trip feedback to help us create memorable experiences that we’re proud to share with our friends. That means if you head out on one of our inaugural trips, we want you to give us your honest insights so we can continue improving.
12. How do referrals work?
We give discounts to travelers who refer others for FTLO trips. In order to receive these discounts, the individual you referred will need to book their trip and pay the deposit. On their booking form, they will see the question, “if you were referred by an FTLO alum, please let us know their name.”
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They will need to mention that you have referred them and whether they are traveling on the same trip as you or on a different one. We will then process the referral on the backend and deduct the voucher from your balance or give you a credit.
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Referral credit: $100 voucher
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You will receive a $100 voucher if you refer a new traveler who books a different trip (you aren't traveling together)
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13. What does joining the waitlist mean?
You join the waitlist the same way you go about booking the trip. There is no payment and no commitment required to join the waitlist. If a spot opens up on the trip, we will reach out to you directly to let you know a spot has opened up. Someone from FTLO will reach out to you via email if a spot does open up in which you will have 24 hours to respond. If you are interested in joining us, we will then send you a payment request, in which you'll have 24 hours to complete. Once you make the payment, your spot will be confirmed.
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Please note: it is highly unlikely that a spot will open up within 30 days of a trip. If your first choice trip is sold out, we highly recommend looking at our Calendar to see what other trips are available over those dates!
14. What does itinerary “subject to change” mean?
At FTLO, we occasionally revise and update our itineraries based on the valuable feedback we receive from travelers like you. Most of these changes are minor adjustments designed to fine-tune your day-to-day schedule for an even better experience.
If any significant revisions are necessary—such as changes to included activities—we will notify you via email before your departure date, explaining the reasons behind these updates. For trips within 30 days, you will also find any updates listed in your departure hub.
Rest assured, our goal with any trip changes is always to enhance and optimize your experience, ensuring you have the best trip possible.
15. What is the FTLO Traveler's Pledge?
When booking an FTLO trip, we ask everyone to agree to our Traveler's Pledge, which is a set of guidelines intended to create a safe, stress-free experience for all. You must agree to the pledge (a copy of which can be found HERE) in order to join a trip and failure to uphold it while traveling may result in removal from a trip or being banned from future trips.
16. The price of my trip is different from the price on the trip page.
Each departure is priced individually as the rates we receive from our suppliers vary based on seasonal demand and availability. What you see on the trip page is a “starting at” price, meaning that is the lowest price the trip is available at.
