Student Travel
Frequently Asked Questions

Educational Travel Adventures creates a personal trip website for each traveling school where students will register for the trip and make payments.

ETA can provide promotional materials including a flyer and PowerPoint presentation. Your ETA Group Travel Specialist can also attend a virtual parent meeting.

While we do not have a deadline, we recommend letting your students, parents and/or chaperones know that all seats are on a first come, first serve basis. In order to guarantee a spot on the trip, students need to register and pay the initial deposit. If your group is flying, we will need to have an idea of where your numbers are as soon as possible for ticketing purposes.

Yes. They’ll either need to create a new payment schedule with your ETA Group Travel Specialist or catch up on payments that group has previously made. If the group has hit their maximum number of passengers there may be a waitlist.

We have four options if you don’t meet the minimum number for your trip by the registration deadline:

1. 1. We can extend the deadline to give you more time to recruit people.
   2. We can cancel the trip and give everyone a full refund.
   3. We can attempt to modify the itinerary to keep the price the same as initially quoted or minimize any increase.
   4. We can give you a new cost to run the trip with fewer travelers.

The teacher leading the trip will decide if the trip will include parents and/or guests. Please contact the teacher leading your program for specific details and/or questions. It is not possible for individuals that have not paid for the trip to tag along and join the group.

Anyone not registered with ETA for a tour will not be permitted to join the group for any part of the tour. Our programs are not sold à la carte. In order to be part of the group and participate in tours, ride on the coaches and join the group for meals, you must be registered and paid.

Your dedicated ETA Group Travel Specialist will work with you to decide on a monthly payment schedule that works for you and your group. All trip payments can be made online and trips are typically paid in full two months prior to departure.

We accept e-checks (ACH), credit cards, debit cards and checks mailed to us.

There are no fees for credit card payments.

The deposit amount for your trip will be indicated during the registration process. If you do not pay the deposit then your reservation may be canceled.

Individuals should make their monthly payments but we will credit their account once fundraising is applied. If there is an overpayment, a refund will be issued.

Teachers with fundraising money can send their dedicated ETA Group Travel Specialist a spreadsheet with each person’s name and the amount of money to apply. This will be done immediately and then a check can be sent for the total amount applied. An invoice can be supplied if needed.

Yes. Each traveler has the option to purchase trip cancellation insurance at the time of registration. The cost of the insurance will be added onto the cost of your trip. For more information about the trip cancellation insurance: https://www.etadventures.com/insurance-policy-details/

We strongly recommend trip cancellation insurance which gives you options if you should need to cancel. For more details review our cancellation policy.

If you purchased trip insurance, refunds are available if you cancel at least 48 hours before departure, in which case you can receive 70% of your trip cost (unless you’re canceling for a fully covered medical reason, which may allow for a full refund). Please see our full cancellation policies here.

Yes! ETA maintains a professional liability policy (often also referred to as errors and omissions coverage) for $4 Million. ETA can name your school or organization as an additional insured on our policy with no cost to you.

If you are traveling outside of the United States, passports need to be valid for six months after your return date to the U.S. If you are traveling to Canada by bus, students under the age of 19 do not need passports. They may travel with a birth certificate. Any adults will need a passport.

You can find more general passport information at https://travel.state.gov/content/travel.html

Travel visas may be required based on your destination and any destinations you are transiting through. Your Travel Specialist will provide information on any visas required for US Citizens traveling abroad during the trip planning process.

If you don’t have a passport you should get one as soon as possible. We recommend at least 6-8 weeks for standard processing times and 2-3 weeks for expedited processing times.

We have a comprehensive selection process when choosing providers and safety is our number one priority. Partners are required to provide relevant safety information, references and proof of insurance coverage.

Students should list all food allergies during their online registration on the trip website. We will make a note on the account and confirm all restaurants include food options for all students with allergies on the trip. If your flight includes a meal, there are typically options for vegetarians, non-dairy meals and gluten free meals. At this time airlines do not guarantee a nut-free environment.

All of ETA’s international trips include emergency medical insurance coverage that provides 24/7 assistance as well as up to $100,000 for medical expenses incurred. For more information, visit our student travel insurance information page.

Yes. The plan includes both emergency medical coverage (up to $100,000 for accident and sickness expenses) and medical evacuation (up to $250,000 for transport to the nearest suitable hospital or back home if needed).

Vaccines may be required based on the destination you are traveling to. Your Travel Specialist will provide information on any vaccination requirements for your destination.

Within our trip website students and parents will be asked to complete medical forms and share emergency medical information so this is always on file.

Before you even leave for your trip, we have identified the closest medical facilities to your itinerary stops. Our Tour Managers are trained to handle these types of situations, and your Chaperones will help in ensuring students get the medical care they might need.

ETA welcomes all participants and makes every effort to accommodate specific student needs. Please contact your Travel Specialist regarding any special needs so we may take care of the necessary arrangements. For domestic trips, buses with wheelchair lifts can be used for anyone in a motorized wheelchair. Please note, there may be some activities in which a traveler is unable to participate.

Our Operations Team is available 24/7 for support just prior to and during your tour. While on tour you will have a tour manager on the ground with you but if you need to reach our team in the office they are always available to assist.

We do not combine trips with other schools or groups unless specifically requested by you. You will have a private tour that is customized for you.

If your tour does NOT include lunch then we typically recommend $15 per person per day for lunch. Most tours already include meals at the quoted price, so students only need money for personal expenses such as souvenirs.

During trips on site, the tour manager provides instructions to the group in person and may send reminders via text message as well.

Our 24/7 operations team will work in conjunction with your onsite tour manager to assist in tracking down lost luggage.

Almost all hotels and coach companies have free WiFi access.

Many activities can take place rain or shine but when weather forces us to change plans we are able to pivot quickly and plan alternate indoor activities.

Yes! Itineraries are customized during the planning process and since all of our tours are private, your tour manager can also make some changes during the trip if requested.

ETAs chaperone to student ratio is typically 1:10, but can be changed based upon your request.

Since ETA trips are private, most group leaders choose to bring along chaperones to help manage the students in the group. Typically a chaperone will have a group of 8-12 students and they will check in with them at breakfast, before bedtime and at any times when the group gathers and meets during the day. Chaperones help to keep the group together by managing their smaller subgroups.

When you travel with ETA your group is always private. This allows the teachers and chaperones in your group to have full control over any student participants that may not be adhering to the code of conduct or may not be behaving as expected. We will let you focus on discipline and we’ll stay focused on the logistics.

Please review our student trip code of conduct for appropriate student behavior.

Participants who break the rules may be removed from the program and sent home at their own expense. In cases involving violations of local, state, or federal laws, they will be turned over to the appropriate legal authorities.

We use all major carriers: American, Delta, United, JetBlue, and Southwest are our top carriers. For international destinations we check pricing with any carriers that service the destination.

All of your airline tickets are electronic. If you are traveling within the United States, anyone UNDER the age of 18 is not required to have ID if they are traveling with an adult. For student groups with chaperones, students under 18 do not need to have ID. If you are traveling outside of the US, everyone must have a valid passport.

The Check-In Process:

• • Online check-in up to 24 hours in advance may be possible but is often inhibited for groups. If you or anyone in your group tries to check and is not able to, do not be alarmed.
  • Check-in at the airport is not a problem and most of the time groups will only be able to check in at the airport.
  • Airline staff MAY pre-print the boarding passes for the group prior to your arrival. Typically the first person to arrive and check in will be given the passes for the group.
  • If boarding passes are not pre-printed, each person may check in at the kiosks.
  • Checking luggage typically involves a fee and always requires anyone checking bags to go to a kiosk or agent to generate bag tags. Duplicate boarding passes can be printed during this process.

Seats:
In most cases we have advance seat assignments for your group. When that is not possible, your seats will be assigned at check-in or at the gate.

Airlines distinguish between a confirmed reservation and a confirmed seat assignment. If you have a confirmed reservation, which all of our travelers do, then there is no need to worry if your seat assignment has not been completed. Airlines typically sell more seats than there are on the plane, however they do not assign them all in advance. They hold back a certain percentage for assignment at the airport on the day of the flight.

This does not happen often but when it does someone can be “bumped” from the flight. In almost all cases passengers volunteer to be put on an alternate flight in exchange for compensation. The compensation amount typically keeps going up until someone volunteers. Groups are rarely if ever split up.

During the process of creating your traveler profile, you have the option to add any airline frequent flyer numbers and a global entry or TSA trusted traveler numbers. If these are entered at least 45 days prior to departure they will be given to the airline and should be in your reservation.

If your flight is canceled, we will work with the airline to get you back on track. If flight cancellation is out of the airline’s control (e.g. weather), we have insurance that will pay for accommodations, meals, etc. and we will make all the arrangements and cover the costs. If you miss any part of your trip, we will do our best to accommodate and rearrange itineraries for you so that you still get to see everything.

Motorcoaches vary in size, but we typically use buses that accommodate 55 travelers and 1 ETA Tour Manager.

Buses made after 2016 are required to have seatbelts. Buses prior to that are not required to have them. We cannot guarantee that all buses will have them.

Most buses have wifi and electrical outlets, but we cannot guarantee them.

Yes. Quad rooms will have two double beds with two people in each bed.

The teacher organizing the trip will be in charge of putting together a rooming list that outlines the student rooming. Teachers can access this information through the trip website to complete the list.

If you are interested in night security in hotels, we will include that in the price of the trip. If you choose to have night security, we will arrange for a uniformed guard to monitor the hallways where your group is staying.

When choosing hotels we always make sure that they have interior corridors and do not have balconies. Many groups choose to have a night security guard monitor the hallways to ensure that students don’t leave their rooms.

Our best pricing is for a nearly full bus. If your group is large enough to need a second bus, the pricing remains the same as long as each additional bus is near capacity. If the second bus is less than full, prices will increase due to the cost spread between fewer passengers.

Flexibility with travel dates or inclusions such as activities or meals could help reduce the cost of the trip. Also, making sure you book your trip early can help ensure we access less expensive flights. The longer you wait, the more expensive the flights.

Absolutely! That’s what we are here for. We will make the necessary adjustments to an itinerary until you are 100% satisfied.

Take a look at our Student Travel Packing List for recommendations on what students should bring on their trip.

Luggage restrictions are only imposed by the airlines. Any rules and restrictions will be available on your final itinerary two weeks prior to departure.

If there is a dress code, it will be indicated on your final itinerary.

Please review our privacy policy: https://www.etadventures.com/privacy-policy/

Yes, these are handled in the trip website and onboarding process.

We are happy to provide references, please ask your Group Travel Specialist for these.

Yes we do! Take a look at Educational Travel Adventures’ school travel company reviews from our happy travelers.