Cancellation and Refund Policy

We hope you would only be considering canceling if an emergency comes up! And we know those happen. If you are reading this because you are in a situation, we sincerely hope everything works out.

Workshop content may change from that advertised based on weather, access to shoot locations and other unforeseen situations. We have to adapt to variables that are not under our control. Whenever possible, registered students will be notified ahead of time of any changes. National Parks at Night (NPAN) reserves the right to cancel any program that does not meet minimum participant requirements, in which case participants will be informed as soon as possible and all money will be refunded. NPAN is not responsible for any losses incurred as a result of a program cancellation.

We highly recommend that participants purchase both refundable airline tickets and trip cancellation insurance.

Updated October 7, 2023

All cancellation requests must be received by email. Send cancellation notifications to: adventure@nationalparksatnight.com.

(Click here to jump to the policy for Online Workshops.)

For On-Location Workshops

Deposits are due when you register. Any remaining balance is due 90 to 120 days prior to the workshop start date.

There are no exceptions. Logistics for workshops are complicated, and this policy exists to ensure we have time to provide the best experience for our attendees.

National Parks at Night will send a balance due reminder before the due date. If the remaining balance payment is not received within 7 days after the due date, NPAN reserves the right to retain the deposit and release the ticket to the waitlist.

For Workshops and Tours Based in the U.s.

For cancellations received in writing 91 or more days prior to the workshop start date: NPAN retains 50 percent of the deposit amount. Refunds will be processed within 30 days after our office receives email notice of cancellation. Note: once processed, refunds may take 5 to 10 days to appear on your credit card statement.
There are no refunds of deposits or balances within 90 days of the workshop start date. (To determine the remaining number of days before a workshop, use this handy link and enter a negative number (e.g.-91): convertunits.com/dates/daysfromdate.)
If you cancel within 90 days of the workshop, you may find someone to take your place, but are still liable for the full tuition. It is your responsibility to collect any reimbursement from your surrogate.

For Workshops and Tours Based outside the Continental U.s.

For cancellations received in writing 121 or more days prior to the workshop start date: NPAN retains 50 percent of the deposit amount. Refunds will be processed within 30 days after our office receives email notice of cancellation. Note: once processed, refunds may take 5 to 10 days to appear on your credit card statement.

There are no refunds of deposits or balances within 120 days of the workshop start date. (To determine the remaining number of days before a workshop, use this handy link and enter a negative number (e.g.-121): convertunits.com/dates/daysfromdate.)
If you cancel within 120 days of the workshop, you may find someone to take your place, but are still liable for the full tuition. It is your responsibility to collect any reimbursement from your surrogate.

We highly recommend purchasing travel insurance (that covers Covid-19) in the unlikely event something unfortunate happens.

Need to cancel? Email us ASAP at adventure@nationalparksatnight.com.

ILLNESS DURING A TOUR OR WORKSHOP

For the health benefit of the entire group on any workshop or tour, domestic or international:

Any attendee who contracts a communicable illness that could cause reasonable concern for others to contract will be asked to minimize their exposure to the rest of the group. Such an illness would be one that could cause potentially risky symptoms or effects for other attendees, such as inducing a fever or more serious symptoms. While a common cold would not generally be a concern, a flu or Covid-19 would.

In such circumstances:

If the group is not traveling in shared transportation (e.g., a tour van), then the affected attendee will have the option to continue group activities if they feel well enough to do so, providing they:

socially distance during group meetings and avoid group meetings when social distancing is not possible
drive themselves to shoot locations and social-distance from other attendees during the shoot

If the group is traveling in shared transportation (e.g., a tour van), the attendee will need to avoid exposing the rest of the group until such time that they would be considered non-contagious by a medical authority. This distancing may be achieved in various ways, depending on the circumstances of the trip. Examples include:

renting a car and following the group to shoot locations, where the attendee may join the shoot while social distancing
renting a car or other transportation and touring the area of the trip on their own, with reasonable logistical advice and/or support from the trip leaders
renting a hotel room and waiting for the instructors to pick them up later in the trip
arranging (either on their own or with the help of the trip leaders) for transportation to return to home

Note that not all of these options will be available in every circumstance, and other options may be available on a particular trip, depending on the logistics and schedule, which can vary widely depending on the location, the timing and the event. Trip leaders may also choose to limit the options to ensure the health and safety of the attendee in question.

Additionally, if local and/or CDC policies and recommendations call for actions more stringent than the above, then National Parks at Night will follow those guidelines.

In any such case, the attendee will be responsible for any expenses they incur for changing their lodging and/or travel plans to accommodate their communicable illness. As always, we highly recommend securing travel insurance that will cover any such disruptions to your plans.

National Parks at Night appreciates your understanding that these expectations are intended to keep each group healthy and comfortable while traveling together.

Cancellations due to Illness

If you need to cancel due to an illness, including Covid, it will be treated like any other cancellation. While we are highly sympathetic to anyone who might fall ill, we cannot sustain a practice of issuing last-minute refunds for tickets we have no reasonable chance of re-selling.

Travel insurance policies do exist that will cover Covid and other illnesses. If you are concerned about a possible last-minute cancellation affecting your workshop plans, then we highly recommend taking advantage of such a travel insurance policy.

You might also consider a Cancel For Any Reason (CFAR) policy, which would additionally cover you in the event of border closings and travel restrictions caused by health regulations.

For Online Workshops

Online workshops are non-refundable, but should a schedule conflict arise, you may transfer your registration to a future online workshop of the same value.