I don’t know how many hundreds (or thousands) of people I booked on tours when I worked for STA Travel, but it was a lot.
When the excitement of making the booking had subsided, the questions usually turned to payment.
People would either pay everything off up front, or pay the cost of the trip off in installments.
And one of the most popular companies to book a tour with was G Adventures.
So do G Adventures do payment plans?
Let’s find out…
Do G Adventures Do Payment Plans?
G Adventures offers a very flexible way of paying for any trip you book. You must put down an initial deposit at the time of booking, then you generally have until 60 days before the tour starts to pay off the balance. You can pay as much or as little, as often or as rarely as you want, as long as pay the balance by the required date.
G Adventures Payment: An Overview
G Adventures don’t do payment plans in the conventional sense of the word.
Their payment terms are actually more flexible than that and are fairly common when it comes to tour companies.
They are also fairly simple.
- STEP 1: You book your tour.
- STEP 2: At the same time you make the booking you must also put down a non-refundable deposit.
- STEP 3: Sixty days (with a couple of exceptions, see below for details) before the tour the balance has to be paid off.
And that is it.
So if you were to book a trip on 1 January 2023, and the trip was leaving on 1 June 2024, you would pay your deposit on 1 January 2023, and would then have until 1 April 2024 (60 days before the trip) to pay off the balance.
You can make payments as and when you want, but must pay off the balance by 1 April 2024.
And as we covered in our post on G Adventures cancellation policy, you can cancel and rebook your trip at no extra cost up until 45 days before its departure.
If you book the trip 60 days or nearer to the departure date, you must pay the full amount at the time of booking.
Exceptions to the Rule
As mentioned in Step 3 above, there are a couple of exceptions to the 60 days rule.
- If you book on a G Adventures Expedition Tour the full amount must be paid 120 days prior to the departure date.
- If you create your own off-the-rack or TailorMade tour the full amount must be paid 90 days prior to the departure date.
Aside from the slightly different deadlines for making the final payment for the trip, the other conditions regarding payment are the same.
You can pay off the trip as and when you want, as long as it is all paid before the relevant date.
Deposit Details
The deposit amount you must pay at the time of booking does vary slightly depending upon the type of tour you are taking.
As of 1 December 2022, the deposit amounts are:
| GBP | EUR | USD | |
| 18-to-Thirty Somethings Roamies Classic Active Family Local Living Marine National Geographic Journeys Rail Expedition | 100 100 200 200 200 200 200 200 200 500 | 250 250 350 350 350 350 350 350 350 1000 | 120 120 240 240 240 240 240 240 240 600 |
It is also worth noting that the deposit is non-refundable, and G Adventures hold it as a ‘Lifetime Deposit’.
Essentially that means, if you cancel your trip, rather than getting your deposit back, the company keeps it for an unlimited time so you can use it again.
The theory is that it encourages you to travel no matter what.
It can be used as a deposit on any future booking (not just for the destination that was on your original booking).
I know that this concept of a lifetime deposit has caused consternation with some travellers who have had to cancel a trip for reasons outside of their control and just want to get their deposit back.
Unfortunately, that generally isn’t possible (there are a few exceptions stated in its Terms and Conditions) as G Adventures’ own website states:
Final Thoughts
G Adventures does not do payment plans as such, instead you have almost total payment flexibility when booking a tour.
You will need to put down a deposit at the time of booking and then you have up to 60 days to pay the full amount of the tour.
There are a couple of exceptions to this rule detailed above.
You can pay as much or as little, as often or as rarely as you want, as long as your tour is paid off by the deadline.
Be aware that the deposit you put down is not refundable.
The company holds it as a ‘lifetime deposit’ you can use towards another trip if you have to cancel.