1. Academic Travel Services, Inc., its employees, shareholders, subsidiaries, affiliates, officers, directors, successors, agents, and assigns (collectively, "A.T.S.") your school or other sponsor, city or town, Board of Education, chaperones, if applicable, and its and their employees, (collectively, "Sponsor" ) does not own, operate or control any person or entity which is to or does provide goods or services for your trip including, for example, lodging facilities, airline, vessel or other transportation companies, guides or guide services, local ground operators, entertainment or sightseeing operators, providers or organizers of optional excursions, food service providers, etc. All such persons and entities are independent contractors. As a result, neither A.T.S. nor your Sponsor is liable for any negligent or willful act or failure to act of any such person or entity, or of any third party.

2. Without limitation, neither A.T.S. nor your Sponsor is responsible for any injury, loss, or damage to person or property, death, delay or inconvenience in connection with the provision of any goods or services whether occasioned by or resulting from, but not limited to, acts of force majeure, war, civil unrest, insurrection, strikes or other labor activities, criminal or terrorist activities of any kind, lost or stolen belongings, overbooking or downgrading of accommodations, mechanical or other failure of airplanes or other means of transportation or for any failure of any transportation mechanism to arrive or depart timely, dangers associated with animals, sanitation problems, food poisoning, lack of or quality of medical care, illness or disease, difficulty in evacuation in case of a medical or other emergency, or for any other cause beyond the direct control of A.T.S. or your Sponsor.

3. Changes in hotels or itinerary (for example, changes in or omitting cities, visitation points, revising the order of the itinerary, etc.) may be made at the discretion of A.T.S. or your local ground operator as it or they deem necessary or desirable. A.T.S. reserves the right to take photographic or film records of any of its trips and participant agrees that A.T.S. may use any such photographic or film records for promotional and/or commercial purposes, as well as approve of such use by third parties whom A.T.S. may engage without any remuneration to participant. Participant assigns to A.T.S. all right, title, and interest in or to any and all media in which his or her name or likeness might be used.

4. A.T.S. reserves the right to decline to accept or retain any person as a member of any trip. In the event a member is expelled from a trip, no refund of any kind will be made. A.T.S. reserves the right to cancel any trip with its sole obligation to refund all monies received by it for the trip. Trip participants are solely responsible for securing their own passports, visas, medical inoculations, etc. These terms and conditions can be changed only by a writing signed by an officer of A.T.S.

5. It is recommended that each traveler purchase Trip Cancellation/ Interruption insurance.

6. A.T.S. is not responsible for participant's well-being when absent from group supervised activities or on a visit to friends or relatives. Participant accepts liability for any financial obligations incurred or any damage or injury caused by his or her negligence or willful conduct while participating in an A.T.S. program. A.T.S. must receive signed agreements before departure; it is the student's and/or parent or guardian's responsibility to turn in such agreement. If student travels without such agreement (no matter what the reason) A.T.S. will be held harmless in all matters pertaining to the trip.

7. All tour members shall observe the rules of safety and conduct as well as the applicable laws of the destination as directed by the tour escort or chaperone who has absolute authority to expel any tour participant whose actions or behavior are considered detrimental to the group's welfare or inconsistent with A.T.S. rules and regulations. Further, A.T.S. has a zero tolerance for the consumption of alcohol, the use of non-prescription drugs, theft and vandalism. Any such breach will result in immediate expulsion. A.T.S. is released from any liability to any expelled member for such expulsion and no refunds shall be made.

8. If I become ill or incapacitated, A.T.S. may take whatever action it deems necessary to preserve my health and safety including, without limitation, obtaining medical treatment for me at my expense, and/or transporting me at my own or my parent's expense back to my home for medical reasons. I agree to pay any extra expenses incurred on my behalf for medical or other reasons. If my teacher and/or chaperone has paid such expenses, I will reimburse him or her.

9. A.T.S. reserves the right to increase the price of any program by the amount of any increase in its cost including, without limitation, increases in aviation fuel prices, air carrier tariffs, motorcoach company tariffs, rates of currency exchange (for foreign destinations), applicable government taxes and any other cost increase. The limit of such a price increase is 10% of the originally contracted trip cost. However, a program price change due solely to contracted group size change is specifically incorporated in the group's contract. I agree to pay such increases in price and shall not be entitled to cancel my reservation and receive a refund on these grounds.

10. I have indicated any medical problems which might affect my program participation on a separate sheet.

11. Arbitration Any controversy or claim arising out of or relating in any way to these Terms and Conditions or any other information relating in any way to the trip, or to the trip itself, shall be settled solely and exclusively by binding arbitration in Hendersonville, North Carolina in accordance with the commercial rules of the American Arbitration Association then existent. In any such arbitration, the substantive law of North Carolina shall apply.

12. If I am a non-U.S. citizen, I am responsible for obtaining the necessary and appropriate passport and visas.