Terms & Conditions

Cancellations and refunds
We cannot cancel or refund any benefit you’ve bought through a crowdfunding campaign.

This includes any crowdfunding levels like Digital Digger, Dig for a Day, or Finds for a Week,

All crowdfunding pledges go directly towards preparing for the excavation, carrying out field research, analysis, and reporting – all of which cannot happen without your support.

Once your pledge has been made, we cannot cancel or refund it even if you can no longer attend.

However, we may be able to transfer your booking (see below).

Transferring your booking

Although we cannot cancel or refund any crowdfunding pledge, we may be able transfer your booking if you contact us by email at least 4 weeks before the dig begins.

You can transfer your place on the dig:

• to someone else, such as a friend or family member, or
• to another dig in the same year (subject to availability)

Any transfers are pro-rata if the cost per day is different.

Partial transfers

If something happens which means you cannot complete your experience once it has started (for example, an illness which means you have to leave early and that can be evidenced), we may be able to transfer your unused days if you contact us by email before the end of the dig.

Any partial transfers are subject to availability and will be limited to:

• another week within the same dig
• another dig within the same year

Partial transfers can only be considered if you contact us by email before the end of the dig.

Any transfers are pro-rata if the cost per day is different.

Extensions to your transfer
In exceptional circumstances, such as health or government travel restrictions that can be evidenced, we may be able to consider an extension to an existing transfer.

No extensions will be considered unless you contacted us about your original transfer in line with the conditions above.

Extensions are subject to availablility and:

• Are only valid for a maximum of 12 months from your original experience
• Can only be applied once

Any extensions are pro-rata if the cost per day is different.

Other costs and travel insurance

Please note that your crowdfunding pledge does not cover your travel to the site, costs incurred before or after the experience, or the cost of passports, visas, and vaccinations.

The contribution goes directly to the campaign purposes as stated.

We highly recommend purchasing appropriate travel insurance.

Gift Certificates are non-refundable and are valid for one year from purchase. This applies to Gift Certificates for all experiences.

If you are unable to use your Gift Certificate within that time, we can consider an extension if you contact us before it expires. We won’t consider an extension if you contact us after it expires.

Please note:

• Costs for individual digs and experiences are variable, and may change year on year. If the full amount of the dig experience you choose exceeds the Gift Certificate amount, the balance will need to be paid.
• Gift Certificates do not cover travel, food, accommodation, or any costs incurred before or after the experience, or the cost of passports, visas, or vaccinations. In most cases, you’ll need to organise your own food, travel and accommodation. However, do read the specifications for each dig carefully as circumstances vary on a site-by-site basis.

DigVentures also runs archaeology experiences which may be indirectly associated with a crowdfunded dig.

The same terms apply to these experiences as to any crowdfunded benefits for the same project.

You can cancel a Subscription at any time by logging into digventures.com/my-account. Your Subscription will remain active until the end of the period you have paid for.

Monthly Subscriptions are billed monthly and will continue until you cancel your subscription.

Annual subscriptions are billed annually, and we always send you a reminder two weeks before your next annual subscription is due so that you have time to cancel before your next payment is due.

If you forget to cancel your Subscription before the next payment is charged, we are happy to cancel and refund your latest payment if you request it:

• within five days for a monthly payment
• within ten days for an annual payment

If you request a refund of your latest payment, your Subscription will end as soon as your refund is granted.

We are happy to exchange, refund or cancel any other merchandise you purchase through the DigVentures shop if you notify us before the order is processed.

If it’s faulty or just doesn’t fit, we’re happy to exchange or refund it if you notify us within 30 days of delivery.

Our refunds won’t cover the cost of return postage, unless the item is faulty (this is very unlikely as our team selects and packages each item individually and won’t send out any item that is faulty).

Archaeology is fun, but it is fieldwork fun and that means we need to be prepared for the weather! Sun, wind, and rain are all part of doing real archaeology and your experience is not refundable if it is affected by the weather.

In most cases, your archaeological experience will continue, either by adapting our schedule, pausing while the weather passes, or switching to more weather-appropriate archaeological activity.

If the weather or on site conditions prevent us from safely doing any archaeological activity at all during your experience, we will do our best where possible to re-schedule part or all of your experience to another date on the same dig, or to another dig within the same year – subject to availability.

If DigVentures cancels your dig experience for any reason within DigVentures’s control, we will refund 100% of what you have contributed for the experience at the time of cancellation. Alternatively, you may prefer that your contribution can be carried over to another of our dig experiences.

DigVentures can take no responsibility for any cancellation or amendment penalties that your travel company may charge you if you have to change your travel plans as a result of cancellation by DigVentures. Your travel arrangements are subject to the terms and conditions of the company through which you booked. Participants are encouraged to buy flexible, refundable tickets, and we strongly advise Trip Cancellation insurance.

*DigVentures is not liable for any goods or services purchased as benefits from external (not DV) projects on our crowdfunding platform. We are very clear with all the projects hosted on the website that they are responsible for ensuring delivery as promised, and you should receive the appropriate contact information from them along with your purchase notification. If you encounter any difficulty, please contact us and we will do our best to help.

DigVentures expects all participants in our fieldwork expeditions to understand that you are taking part in a real archaeological fieldwork, under instruction from professional archaeologists.

All participants must attend our Archaeological Orientation and agree to the measures laid out in our Health and Safety and Dignity on Site policies before continuing. By continuing, you are agreeing to these policies.

DigVentures reserves the right to remove anyone who:

• does not follow specific instructions given on site regarding archaeological process, health and safety, or treatment of staff, community members, or fellow participants
• does not follow specific instructions given on site regarding embargoes around publication or sharing of sensitive archaeological information or participants
• breaches any of our Health and Safety, Social media and publication, or Dignity on site policies as explained during orientation
• breaches our intellectual property rights, makes false claims, or misuses our archaeological data

Ages 6-11

Families with children aged 6-11 can join us for specially designed DigCamp days.

Ages 12-16

Families with childred aged 12-16 can join us for specially designed DigClub experiences.

Age 17

Young people aged 17 can join our main excavations, providing they are either:

• accompanied by an adult guardian who is also booked on the same experience, or
• they have a parent or guardian who can accompany them during orientation and can sign the on site waivers on their behalf

Age 18+

Adults aged 18+ are welcome to join our main excavations and fieldwork, providing you agree to follow all of our health and safety and dignitiy on site policies.

Additional information on children aged under 18

In an effort to prevent international child abduction, many governments have procedures at entry and exit points to protect minors. Thus, if a minor will be traveling with only one guardian or alone, he or she may need a notarised letter from all legal guardians stating that the minor may travel unaccompanied or in the presence of a single guardian. Check with your nearest embassy or consulate of the destination country for its requirements. Be sure to check with your airline, as most carriers have policies and documentation requirements for unaccompanied minors.

Requirements of specific countries and airlines vary and change frequently. You must keep informed of the requirements on your own to avoid problems at immigration. If the minor is refused entry into a country or onto a flight because of lack of documentation, there may be nothing DigVentures can do to help.

Coming soon

Please be sure that you are clear about the physical demands of the dig experience before you decide to join us. It is your responsibility to review the project conditions and physical demands, and determine if you are able to safely participate in the dig experience. Discuss your participation in this dig experience with your doctor and DigVentures staff if you have a question or concern about your health or ability to participate.

We strive to do our best to ensure everyone has a chance to experience archaeology, and have worked with many differently-abled participants on our sites. There are practical considerations for special accommodations in dig environments, and we are very happy to discuss these on a case-by-case basis and do whatever we can to ensure a safe and exciting experience for everyone. Please notify us before booking of any physical or medical conditions or disabilities so that we can discuss options for participation.

All copyright, design rights, trademarks and other intellectual property rights (registered and unregistered) featured in this website belong to DigVentures and/or third parties. Unless otherwise stated DigVentures reserves all of its rights and nothing in these terms grants you a right or licence to use the intellectual property owned or controlled by DigVentures or any other third party.

DigVentures Reports and archaeological data are available online for everyone to view and access.

We retain the copyright to their contents, with all rights reserved.

This means that if you’d like to use them for reproduction or publication, especially in a formal or academic context, you should request written permission.

If we received a written request, we will usually be happy to grant permission that is appropriate to the context, along with guidance or advice on how to make best use of the data and information.

All images are copyright DigVentures. Written permission should be requested before use, and all images used should be credited to DigVentures, with a link back to digventures.com.

It is the responsibility and obligation of all participants to ensure that they have adequate travel insurance covering their tickets, personal belongings and health. It is essential to confirm with your insurance provider that you are permitted to work in a voluntary capacity under their terms and conditions.

If you do have to apply for a visa for your dig experience, always ask for a tourist visa (unless stated otherwise in the dig Info Pack). Remember that the purpose of your visit is for vacation, holiday or travel. Immigration officials do not always understand, and words such as ‘working,’ ‘volunteering,’ ‘research’ or ‘archaeological dig experience’ can raise questions concerning the country’s foreign labour laws and/or questions about official  research permits and credentials, etc. Be sure to allow plenty of time for the visa approval process, which can weeks or even months!

Note: If you are a citizen of one of the countries in the U.S. Visa Waiver Program and are traveling to the United States or through the United States en route to another country, you must complete an Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) form online at least 72 hours before you depart for the U.S.

Medical decisions are the responsibility of each volunteer and decisions about which vaccinations to receive should be made between you and your doctor.. Health conditions around the world are constantly changing, so keep informed and consult your physician, a local travel health clinic, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or The World Health Organization for the latest health information for travellers.

The dig experience joining information is sent to all participants by email in advance of the excavation, and contains vital information such as packing list, reading list and safety information. Please read it thoroughly before joining us on site.

DigVentures projects are research excavations, and, while we make every effort to provide a healthy dose of fun and social activity on each of our sites, cannot be strictly considered as relaxing tours or holidays. Fieldwork can be challenging, and weather conditions, daily work schedules and varied terrain are all part of the rich tapestry of archaeological fieldwork. Participants must accept this as part of what archaeologists regularly deal with during research digs, and of what makes DigVentures experiences so unforgettable!