How do you determine if a night is a refundable night?
Due to the nature of the human eye, we do have to standardize how we evaluate a refundable night. Our guides are trained to spot even the faintest Auroras and use their cameras to help ensure proof of viewing is available to guests and staff. Any amount of aurora that is visible while out on the tour will determine if the trip will qualify for a refund. If the guide is unable to view the lights, by his eyes or camera, everyone will qualify for the Aurora Guarantee. The Aurora Guarantee is a 50% refund on the total trip.
If your night looks like it has a low viewing chance we will reach out the morning of your tour to give you three options. This ensures that you are given the most up to date information about your tour. Please remember forecasts are scientific predictions and not a schedule of events. Your three options on nights like this are a full refund, to reschedule or to risk it and try without our guarantee.
It is very rare to have an unsuccessful trip on a guaranteed night, but please understand that even with the best forecasting tools available the Auroras are a natural phenomenon. This means we do not have a switch to turn them on or off. We do our absolute best to ensure every night is successful. This does sometimes mean waiting in one or two clear sky locations, or chasing the auroras. Each night means a different approach based off of weather patterns. For more insight into how we find good locations please view our blog on “How to determine if tonight is a good Aurora viewing night in Fairbanks Alaska.”