Caravan Tours

Independent Sources

Shown for context — not merged with USAComplaints' own numbers.

Contacts & Login

• Official website: https://www.caravan.com/
• Reservations, payments and cancellations, USA and Canada (1-800-CARAVAN): 1-800-227-2826
• Reservations and payments, worldwide: +1-312-321-9800
• Fax (website footer): 312-321-9845
• Privacy requests (CCPA and similar): [email protected]
• My Tours (existing bookings): https://booking.caravan.com/bookings
• Travel Protection plan details, RoamRight (insurance feature): 866-892-2382
• Travel insurance claims, RoamRight: https://www.roamrightclaims.com
• 24-hour travel assistance while on tour, USA and Canada (per Travel Protection): 855-291-6860

Locations

Caravan Tours deposits, cancellation fees, Travel Protection and disputes: what Caravan's own documents say (opened October 5, 2026)

The terms below come from Caravan's own documents opened on October 5, 2026: the standalone Terms of Travel PDF (version 18, marked (c) 2026) and Travel Protection summary PDF (version 23), the 2026 brochure PDF at caravan.com/caravan-brochure.pdf (which carries its own Terms of Travel marked version 12 and its own Travel Protection page), the Easy Booking page and individual tour pages. These Caravan documents do not state every figure the same way, so the differences are set out side by side below. Confirm the figures for your departure with Caravan before relying on any of them.

Booking and payment. The Terms of Travel say: "Hold Space Free until Deposit is Due Then, $300 deposit per person." Full payment timing differs between Caravan's pages. The standalone Terms of Travel (v.18) say "Full Payment Due 60 days prior to the start of most tours, (Spain and Portugal, Colombia 90 days, Peru 150 days)". The brochure's Terms of Travel (v.12) say "Full Payment Due 60 days prior to the start of tour". The Easy Booking page says "Due 60 days prior to the start of most tours, (Colombia 90 days, Peru 150 days)" and "Hold Space Free for up to 3 days. Then, $300 deposit per person." Individual tour pages state their own figures: the Peru page says full payment is due 120 days before the start of the tour for 2026 departures and 150 days for 2027 departures, and that Peru must be booked at least 120 days ahead "due to Machu Picchu regulations"; the Spain and Portugal page says 90 days; the Colombia page says 120 days for 2026 and 90 days for 2027. The tour pages add that full payment requires the traveler's name as shown on the passport, passport number and date of birth, and that failure to provide them "will result in automatic cancellation of your reservation." Check the page for your own departure. Both terms documents say "If full payment is not received by the due date, Caravan may cancel the reservation without notice." Payment is by Visa, Mastercard or Discover. The terms list these contact points: "USA and Canada: Call 1-800-CARAVAN", "Worldwide: Call +1-312-321-9800", and online at caravan.com. The website footer gives hours of Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm and Saturday 8am to 2pm, Central Time.

Cancellation fees. The Terms of Travel say "Caravan charges cancellation fees. These fees can be waived or reduced if you purchase Caravan's Travel Protection" and "Time of cancellation is when notice is received in Caravan's office. Cancellation fees apply even if you transfer to another tour or start date." The standalone Travel Protection document (v.23) lists the standard schedule per person:

• 61 days or more before the start of the tour: $300 fee without Travel Protection (Spain and Portugal and Colombia: 91 days or more; Peru: 151 days or more).
• 60 to 8 days before: 50% of the tour price without Travel Protection (Spain and Portugal and Colombia: 90 to 8 days; Peru: 150 to 8 days).
• 7 days or less before: 100% of the tour price without Travel Protection.

A footnote on the same document says: "2026 Tours: Travel Protection premium is $129 and the Standard Cancellation Fees apply to all 2026 tours, including Colombia and Peru." The 2026 footnote and the separate Spain and Portugal, Colombia and Peru schedules appear together on the same page, so ask Caravan which schedule applies to your specific departure. The brochure's Travel Protection page, a separate Caravan document, shows a single schedule with a $129 premium: $300 fee for 61 or more days before the tour, 50% of the tour price for 60 to 8 days, and 100% for 7 days or less, with no separate Spain and Portugal, Colombia or Peru tables.

Travel Protection. The standalone Travel Protection document (v.23) describes two parts. "Cancel For Any Reason (Provided by Caravan Tours)" is described as providing "a full refund of tour price, minus the premium, for cancellations made for any reason prior to the tour's full payment due date"; Caravan states it is "a non insurance feature" and that it must be bought "with your initial tour deposit/payment or no later than your final payment." For cancellations after that date, the table shows an extra $100 deductible (60 to 8 days) or an extra $50 admin fee (7 days or less) with Travel Protection, in place of the 50% and 100% fees. The brochure's Travel Protection page words the refund differently: "a full refund of tour price, minus the $129 premium, for cancellations made for any reason 61 days or more before the start of the tour," with an extra $100 per person deductible for cancellations 60 to 8 days before and the extra $100 plus an extra $50 per person administrative fee at 7 days or less. The standalone document headlines a "$139*" premium with the footnote that the premium is $129 for 2026 tours, while the Peru and Colombia tour pages show $129 for 2026 departures and $139 for 2027 departures. The second part is travel insurance "Underwritten by Arch Insurance Company" (NAIC #11150), with summary limits such as $50,000 emergency medical expense and $150,000 emergency evacuation or repatriation; the document says the policy itself "specifically and fully describes your coverage" and gives RoamRight at 866-892-2382 for the policy and exclusions. Per the document, the premium "is refundable within 14 days of purchase" if you have not departed or filed a claim, and after 14 days it is "non-refundable and non-transferable." Insurance claims go through www.roamrightclaims.com. Caravan's Canadian Rockies travel tips page says most travel medical policies, including Caravan Travel Protection, "offer secondary medical coverage", that in most cases you pay the hospital or doctor directly and submit a claim for reimbursement on return, and that coverage "generally requires a doctor visit while on tour".

If Caravan changes or cancels a tour. The Terms of Travel say: "Caravan reserves the right to cancel any tour at any time and if it does so, its only liability is to refund the purchase price of the tour." For substituted or omitted services, "Caravan's only liability shall be to refund its cost differential". Airfare is "extra and not sold by Caravan", so flight costs are outside these refund terms.

If you have a dispute. The Terms of Travel contain a binding arbitration clause: disputes "shall be resolved exclusively by binding arbitration" pursuant to the Federal Arbitration Act, 9 U.S.C. §§1-16, under the JAMS Comprehensive Arbitration Rules, governed by Illinois substantive law, held in Chicago, with a waiver of jury trial. The clause also says the arbitrator "and not any federal, state, or local court or agency shall have exclusive authority to resolve any dispute relating to the interpretation, applicability, enforceability, conscionability, or formation of this contract". Before that stage you can call the numbers above, ask your card issuer about its dispute process, or file a BBB complaint (see the complaint record section). The attorney general's consumer protection office in your state also accepts complaints about businesses.

Existing bookings. The website links a "My Tours" page at booking.caravan.com for existing bookings; it was not opened or logged into for this page.

This site has no archive posts about Caravan Tours, Inc. (see the complaint record).

Who runs Caravan Tours and what it sells

Who operates it. The Terms of Travel and the website footer name "Caravan Tours, Inc." at 303 East Main Street, Barrington, IL 60010. The Terms of Travel say Caravan Tours, Inc. "does not own or operate any entity which provides goods or services for your trip, whether or not they utilize the Caravan name", so hotels, coaches, local guides and other providers are described as third parties. A second address appears in other records: the Florida Division of Corporations lists Caravan Tours, Inc. as an Illinois foreign profit corporation (document F12000001093, filed 03/12/2012, status ACTIVE) with principal address 1515 South Grove Avenue, Unit 4027, Barrington, IL 60011 (changed 05/18/2026), and BBB's page data for the profile also contains an address record of 1515 S Grove Ave Unit 4027, Barrington, IL 60011-5336 beside the 303 E Main St address shown in the page header. The customer-facing address on caravan.com remains 303 East Main Street.

What it sells. The home page describes "fully guided" escorted tours with a tour director, hotels, most meals in Latin America, and all activities in the itinerary included. The tour menu lists Latin America (for example Costa Rica, Panama, Guatemala with Tikal and Belize, Colombia, Peru with Machu Picchu, El Salvador), Mexico and the Caribbean, U.S.A. tours (Grand Canyon, Bryce and Zion; Mount Rushmore and Yellowstone; New England fall colors), Canada tours and Spain and Portugal. Airfare is not sold by Caravan.

History as the company states it. The home page says: "Caravan has enjoyed the same family management and ownership since 1952", and describes a 1959 flight with Pan Am and a 1964 fleet of air-conditioned motorcoaches in Europe; these are the company's statements. It also states that "For your safety, Caravan cancelled most 2020 and all 2021 tour departures and refunded 100% of all payments received." The company's 1952 start differs from the BBB business-start date of November 1, 1953 (see the complaint record); this page does not choose between them.

Registrations and memberships as the company lists them. The footer of the standalone Terms of Travel (v.18) lists seller of travel registrations "CA: CST 2173580-40; FL: ST 38035; HI: TAR-7474; WA: WST 605025934", while the footer of the brochure's Terms of Travel (v.12) lists "CA: CST 2045060-40; FL: ST 38035; HI: TAR-7474; WA: WST 605025934"; the California numbers differ between the two live documents. Both add that "Registration as a seller of travel does not constitute approval by the State of California." The same document says Caravan is a member of the National Tour Association, American Bus Association, Cruise Lines International Association and American Commerce Marketing Association. These registration numbers and memberships were read from Caravan's documents; the state registries and association member lists were not searched for this page.

Policy pages. The Privacy Policy on caravan.com shows "Last Updated December 2020" and lists [email protected] and 1-800-227-2826 for privacy requests. The Site Usage Agreement is at caravan.com/terms-of-service.

Complaint record: this site and the BBB (as displayed October 5, 2026)

Archive posts. A search of this site's approved complaint archive on October 5, 2026 found no posts naming Caravan Tours, Inc. or caravan.com. Posts under other business names that merely contain the word "caravan" are not linked to this page. As a result this page shows no complaint counts or themes of its own.

BBB, as displayed on October 5, 2026. The BBB profile for Caravan Tours, Inc., Barrington, IL, shows BBB Accredited Business with an A+ rating, BBB category Travel Agency, local BBB of Chicago and Northern Illinois, and type of entity Corporation. Read from the profile's underlying data, BBB lists the file opened and accreditation as of November 1, 1954, business started November 1, 1953, and incorporated May 10, 1957. BBB shows "1 complaint in the last 3 years. 1 complaint closed in the last 12 months", and the customer reviews tab shows 5 out of 5 stars, "Average of 1 Customer Review".

The one BBB complaint. The complaint, opened in October 2025 and marked Resolved, was filed by a customer about a national-parks tour. In the BBB text (names redacted by BBB) the customer said they cancelled on October 3, 2025, that the per-person cancellation amount had risen between October 1 and October 3, and that a refund of $4,390 had not arrived 19 days later. Caravan's response, dated in November 2025, says: "In the Fall of 2025, a change to a new 3rd party credit card processor triggered erroneous anti-fraud measures by our former processor. Unfortunately, despite constant follow-up by Caravan, it still took weeks for the processor to acknowledge the problem and release the refunds." It adds that all refunds, including the complainant's, were then fully processed. In the customer's reply, also in November 2025, the customer wrote that they "did receive a full refund but only after more than 30 days, filing a BBB Complaint and also a chargeback complaint with my Credit Card Company." One complaint is a single case and does not show how other customers fared.

Other profiles. A Trustpilot page exists at trustpilot.com/review/caravan.com; opened in Chrome on October 5, 2026 it was an unclaimed profile with 0 reviews and listed a Burnley Road, Luddenden Foot, United Kingdom address, which does not match Caravan Tours, Inc.'s Barrington, Illinois address, so it is not used here. ComplaintsBoard was not checked for this page. Counts on third-party sites change daily; the BBB figures above are kept in this section only.

Is Caravan Tours Legitimate?

Caravan Tours, Inc. is a corporation with a published Barrington, Illinois address and phone numbers on its own website, and the BBB lists it as an accredited business with an A+ rating as displayed on October 5, 2026, one complaint in three years, and one customer review (see the complaint record). Its Terms of Travel list seller of travel registrations in California, Florida, Hawaii and Washington; those numbers were taken from Caravan's documents and were not checked in the state registries. The Florida Division of Corporations separately lists it as an active Illinois foreign profit corporation.

Scope of checks. A CourtListener RECAP search for "Caravan Tours, Inc." on October 5, 2026 returned one docket, a 1996 bankruptcy filing in a Texas federal court; nothing checked ties it to the Barrington company, and it is not listed as a case here. Court-opinion indexes also list an appeal captioned Caravan Tours, Inc. v. Caravan Tours, Inc., 620 F.2d 287 (3d Cir.), with a later table disposition at 688 F.2d 819 reading "D.N.J. AFFIRMED"; both sides carry the same name, the opinions were not read, and nothing checked ties either party to the Barrington company, so it is not listed as a case here. No consumer class action, court judgment, or state or federal regulator action naming Caravan Tours, Inc. was identified in the sources checked on October 5, 2026. State attorney general databases, state seller-of-travel registries and the FTC case list were not searched for this page, so absence of a finding is not a clean record.

Recent USPTO proceeding. On October 5, 2026 the USPTO TTABVUE record for Opposition No. 91310133 showed a filing date of 09/03/2026, status Pending, with Caravan Tours, Inc. as plaintiff and CARAVAN, LLC (North Ogden, UT) as defendant, concerning application serial no. 99648455 for the mark CARAVAN; the answer was due 11/02/2026, and Caravan Tours, Inc. pleaded registrations including Reg. Nos. 624203, 4811825, 739551 and 5021839. This is an administrative trademark proceeding, not a consumer lawsuit or an enforcement action, and it is undecided.

Points in the Terms of Travel that bear on cancellations and refunds: the cancellation fees apply from the day notice is received in Caravan's office; Cancel For Any Reason is only available if Travel Protection is bought at deposit or by final payment and for cancellations before the full payment due date in the standalone Travel Protection PDF and 61 days or more before the tour in the brochure's version; the premium is refundable only within 14 days; and disputes go to binding arbitration in Chicago.

Frequently Asked Questions