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Harrison Coerver has a problem with his upcoming National Geographic tour. One of his days has turned into a more than six-hour journey from Hanoi to Luang Prabang. Can he change it back to a nonstop flight?

Q: I booked a 17-day National Geographic Expedition to Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia with four other people.

We recently discovered that our itinerary had been changed on day 11. Instead of a day of sightseeing, we were scheduled to spend the entire day travelling from Hanoi to Luang Prabang, Laos.

The original itinerary included a 1-hour and 10-minute nonstop flight. But National Geographic now has us on a flight with a stopover. Our revised itinerary now consists of a 1-hour 50-minute flight from Hanoi to Bangkok, a three-hour stopover, and a 1-hour 25-minute flight from Bangkok to Luang Prabang, Laos.

I’m having trouble with National Geographic. Can you help me? — Harrison Coerver, Dennis, Mass.

A: National Geographic should have done what it promised in your original itinerary.

And what was that? Day 11 says, “Begin the day with a morning cruise by sampan through the stunning landscapes of Tam Coc. Then explore the cave temples of Bich Dong pagoda and the serene 13th-century Thai Vi temple, surrounded by beautiful scenery.”

I don’t see anything about spending more than six hours in transit. But have a look at the terms of your tour. National Geographic reserves the right to change the itinerary or activity “as appropriate for safety, security, comfort, or convenience, without liability or notice.”

In other words, National Geographic was both correct — and wrong. The fine print you agreed to when you signed up for the tour allows National Geographic to turn your nonstop flight into an all-day affair. But there’s also an implied agreement that your tour operator will respect your time. Seeing three countries in 17 days is pretty ambitious, and the tour itinerary certainly leaves you with the impression that you won’t waste a minute.

You did everything possible to rescue on day 11 of your tour. You asked repeatedly for your original nonstop flights to be restored. When National Geographic refused, you appealed. It’s hard to know what was happening behind the scenes. But as someone who has spent a fair amount of time in Southeast Asia, I can tell you that flight schedules change constantly. This might have been the only available flight to Luang Prabang.

National Geographic Expeditions tours are operated by Global Adrenaline, a wholly owned subsidiary of the company. I list their executives’ names, numbers and emails on my consumer advocacy site, Elliott.org. A quick note to one of them might have helped.

I thought it was worth asking National Geographic what happened with your flights. (Full disclosure: I spent 17 years as an editor at National Geographic. I also published my book, “How To Be The World’s Smartest Traveller,” through National Geographic.)

I contacted National Geographic on your behalf. As you requested, the company switched your flights back to nonstop.