Lighthouse Tours / Expeditions
General Lighthouse Tour / Expedition Information
Domestic | International | Photo Albums | Past Tour Itineraries
For more information on any of the listed tours / expeditions, call the Society office at (415) 362-7255.
Membership
Membership in the U.S. Lighthouse Society is required for all tours / expeditions. Learn more about becoming a member in the Membership section of this site.
Deposits
Tour / Expedition deposits are $100.00 per person for domestic tours / expeditions and $250.00 per person for international tours / expeditions. Your space on an expedition is not guaranteed until a deposit is received.
Payment In Full
90 days prior to departure for both domestic and international tours / expeditions.
Extra Days with Domestic Tours / Expeditions
Usually tours / expeditions feature an option for members to stay extra nights (before or after) at the rate the Society is charged. We need to know this well in advance to ensure rooms are available. Payment for the extra nights is made to the Society.
Tour / Expedition Cancellation Policy
The following schedule of cancellation fees applies to each person registered for a tour / expedition:
| # Days Prior | Cancellation Fee |
|---|---|
| 60 or more | $50.00 per person |
| Less than 60 | NO REFUND unless the spaces are filled, in which case the above applies. |
| # Days Prior | Cancellation Fee |
|---|---|
| 90 or more | $100.00 per person |
| Less than 90 | NO REFUND unless the spaces are filled, in which case the above applies. |
Trip Cancellation Insurance
Travel insurance is available. Please contact the Society office for more information.
Partial Tour / Expedition Attendees
We occasionally receive requests from members living in the area of a tour who wish to stay in their homes and drive their vehicle behind the bus to the various lighthouses we visit. We have decided against this for several reasons. (1) Cycling a full bus of 45 people through a lantern room is time consuming and adding more than that number would slow down our usually tight schedules, (2) a caravan of a bus and several cars could become separated in traffic, and (3) the expedition bus may have to wait past our departure time for the members driving to reach us due to traffic congestion or other reasons. We do encourage members living in the area of a tour / expedition to join us for dinner. Occasionally we can take non-tour/expedition members on the cruise portion of a tour / expedition.
Tour / Expedition Itinerary Changes And Religious Services Policy
Occasionally it is necessary to alter a tour's / expedition's itinerary. Sometimes it is merely revising a particular day, eliminating a venue or some other minor change due to unforeseen circumstances. On a rare occasion it may mean altering dates or reversing an itinerary. The recent Italian tour required a complete reversal due to an unexpected Vatican event. Instead of starting in Milan and ending the tour in Rome, it was necessary to start in Rome and end in Milan. For those members who opted for the Society-arranged airfare, this was not a problem. However, several members chose their own air, which was "locked in", and this required various additions to their travel. Also, a certain planned stop during a tour / expedition may be cancelled due to an unexpected closure; perhaps a museum has required emergency repairs or a new schedule was instituted after the tour / expedition itinerary was set. Finally, our itineraries rarely allow for members to attend Saturday and Sunday religious services.