On Trek Student Travel - Frequently Asked Questions for Teachers

Teachers Student Travel Questions

FAQ for Parents:

Commonly asked questions by teachers

F.A.Q. Categories

Deciding on a trip
Pre-trip considerations
Questions While Traveling
Payment schedules and billing questions
Trip price changes
On Trek

Deciding on a trip

Pre-trip considerations

Questions While Traveling

Payment schedules and billing questions

Trip price changes

On Trek

Deciding on a trip

1. When do I need to start planning?

Usually in the spring of the previous year prior to travel. For long trips or international trips, planning may commence 18 months or 2 years before travel.

2. Why should I start early?

We are able to secure the best reservations for you and best price for you. We make some reservations as soon as deposits are received. Venues are not sold out.

Payment schedules are more affordable for parents when they are spread over a longer period of time, enabling more students to travel.

In the last few years, space at hotels, on airlines and at many venues has become scarcer. This is due to increased numbers of travelers outpacing increases in airlines, hotels and other attractions. By planning early, we are able to secure space for your successful trip.

3. How do you determine a payment schedule?

The deposit date is set soon after trip approval, and the remaining payments are spread equally over the remaining months with final payment due 60 days before travel. Some teachers omit a summer month or omit December.

4. Where can I travel?

We can arrange national domestic travel for you to any destination you choose. Some popular destinations include: New York, Florida, Chicago, New Orleans, Vancouver, Seattle, San Francisco, Southern California and the magical islands of Hawaii. We currently take international travelers to Europe, the Bahamas, the Caribbean, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Should you wish to travel elsewhere, we can customize a trip to meet your needs.

5. How do I select a destination?

Your On Trek Associate will work with you to choose a destination that will meet your needs, enrich your students’ experience, and meet your budget. If you have a destination in mind, review our destinations page for some ideas.

6. Will you customize any trip I want?

For every trip we design, we add content which will inspire and educate your students. Design of a trip is a balance between content, affordability and your requests.

7. How many free travelers do I get?

Normally our trips are priced at 1 free traveler per 20 paying travelers. Should you need more, the consequent price of the trip will be greater; should you need fewer, the consequent price of the trip will decrease.

8. Do you give teacher stipends or travel considerations?

Should a teacher need a stipend or other considerations, this can be added to the price of the trip.

9. Do I need a trip leader?

Trip leaders allow you to focus on the content of the trip and your educational mission with your students. Trip leaders not only enrich the trip experience for your and your students, they also manage the details of your itinerary, insuring that every vendor performs as we expect. They organize your group for daily events, handling any unexpected situations that may arise, are your advocate in the field, and are empowered to make changes needed to provide you with the best trip possible. They work with you to insure your needs are met. All trips are planned to include a leader. We feel leaders are an integral part of your successful trip. Your On Trek Associate will work with you should you require something different.

10. What is a host?

Some groups have itineraries that are less complicated than others. In the case of a multi-bus group, a host may be used instead of a trip leader to manage several bus loads of travelers, rather than the one leader per bus we normally provide. Should we determine a host will be used for your group, your price will be less.

11. Are meals included?

We normally include breakfast and dinner. Travelers usually prefer to buy their own lunches at stops mid-day during your itinerary.

12. Where do we eat?

Reservations by On Trek are made at quality eating establishments. Students may buy fast food for lunch, but not normally for breakfast or dinner. It is important that your students are well nourished. When meal time arises in a theme park, meal coupons are provided. We have found that students given cash in these situations may not eat and buy souvenirs instead.

13. Is bus transportation included?

Most trips do include bus transportation upon arrival at the destination. For groups that bus to the destination, rather than fly, the overland bus may be retained for transportation during the trip. We will make sure you have transportation. Your On Trek Associate will explain your bussing options.

14. Why do you price your trips land-only and full package?

Air is such a variable portion of travel that we price it separately. Some teachers have secured their own air. Should the air cost increase, you may receive a commensurate price increase. Should the air price decrease, you may have a price decrease or use the decrease to add items on your itinerary. Teachers have used price decreases for t-shirts, additional days of travel, additional itinerary items, or even purchase a band instrument.

15. How do you decide what’s on the itinerary?

We suggest an itinerary and each item is discussed with you. Venues are selected for their quality, educational value and fun content. Each destination has certain things that are considered “must see”. These are the venues that our past travelers have indicated were the highlights of their trip. They may be places you would not have thought of as highlights, but they uniformly are rated at the top of their experience. In New York City, for example,the Empire State building is the most liked, while recently the site of the former World Trade Center is impressing travelers. The Master Classes at Lincoln Center and the clinics at Behind the Scenes Broadway are also winning rave reviews.

16. What kind of hotels do you use?

Hotels are selected from nationally known chains such as Hilton, Embassy Suites, Radisson, and Hawthorn Suites. We look for properties with interior hallways, secure balconies, restaurants on property and in good, safe locations.

17. How many chaperones do I need?

Every school district has different parameters. Most groups require 1 chaperone per 10 students. Middle schools usually have about 1 per 7. Many parents enjoy adding to the group as a chaperone. Their duties are centered around their assigned groups of students.

Pre-trip considerations

1. Can I purchase travel insurance for my group and what does it include?

Travel insurance is available for the entire group. It includes health insurance, cancel insurance, baggage insurance, and trip delay insurance. This is added to the price of the trip. Call us to set this in place.

2. Can individuals purchase travel insurance?

Individuals may secure individual insurance at www.CSATravelProtection.com. They may select different levels and coverages to suit their needs.

3. Can I add something to the trip later?

Yes. If you find there is something additional you would like, we can add this and bill a price increase to cover it. Or you may pay the entire cost of the additional item in bulk. If you are substituting one item for another, there may be no price impact.

4. What are the rooming arrangements?

Students normally room 4 to a room and chaperones 2 to a room. Teachers usually have a single room. Single rooms are available for other travelers at an additional fee. Requests for special arrangements should be made when travelers enroll.

5. Can someone request a single room?

Chaperones may purchase a single room. Normally, single rooms are not available for students. Single rooms should be requested at the time the traveler enrolls, if at all possible.

6. What if students enroll on the trip, and don’t maintain their payment schedule?

We work with them to find an alternate payment schedule that they can maintain. If there is a waitlist, they may be put on the waitlist. They may eventually be cancelled from the trip if they fall too far behind. This will be discussed with you prior to cancelling.

7. What if I reach a tier with more passengers?

If your trip has tiered pricing quoted, then you will have a price decrease. This can be used in any way you like, including a price reduction for all travelers.

8. What if I don’t reach the next level for a full free traveler?

If you have a partially-free traveler and you thought you would have a full free traveler, then that traveler will be billed a pro-rated cost for their trip. If you have a partially-free traveler and no one is using that credit, then you may use it as you wish. You may apply it to a traveler, purchase something on the trip, (t-shirts, lunch, etc.) or it will be refunded to you.

9. What is a pro-rated traveler?

This is a traveler who receives the pro-rated free credit for a partially free trip.

10. How do I obtain my group’s airline tickets?

Most airlines use electronic ticketing in lieu of paper tickets, known as e-tickets. They are mailed to you prior to the trip in your trip packet or through e-mail. Printed tickets will be mailed to you well before travel. Your On Trek Associate will review your tickets with you.

11. If there is a price decrease, what happens if there are overpayments?

Overpayments are refunded to the parents, or refunded to the teacher to refund to the parents.

12. Can students add on to the trip after the deposit date?

Travelers may add late if there is availability. Close to the deposit date, there is usually availability. Closer to travel dates, reservations have been made and availability on airlines and hotels is diminished. Should there be availability, there may be additional fees for processing, and increased prices from vendors and airlines. Your On Trek Associate will advise you if this is possible and how much it will cost.

Travelers will have a late processing fee if reservations are available and they add after 120 days prior to travel Your On Trek Assoicate will advise you of this fee.

Substitutions may be made with no additional fee except any fees charged by vendors or airlines.

13. What are we expected to pay for while we are traveling?

Normally you will need to pay for your lunch and souvenirs. We can build lunch into the price of the trip should you desire. You will also need to pay for any additional things you decide to do while on your trip, should there be a cost, and optional activities on your itinerary which are not included in the trip price.

14. What if I need to change dates?

The earlier this decision is made, the better. If vendors have availability and the prices are the same, there would be no price change. However, if non-refundable deposits have been made on your behalf, they will be included as part of a price increase. In these days of travel, availability is becoming more and more a determining factor. Check your school calendar when planning.

15. Will my students need passports to go to Canada, Mexico or the Bahamas?

In 2008, the current law will require passports by any mode of transportation to cross in to or out of the United States. Current passport requirements can be found at http://travel.state.gov/travel/cbpmc/cbpmc_2223.html

This is the Department of State travel site: http://travel.state.gov/

16. What if unexpected circumstances cause my group to cancel the trip?

If the entire trip is cancelled, all paid money will be returned to you, less the amounts paid by us on your behalf that are not refunded by vendors. In the event of an act of God, war (whether declared or not), terrorism, civil unrest, or in the event of bankruptcy, insolvency, or cessation of business, we will refund to you any monies refunded to us. However, the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act of 2002 establishes a program within the Department of the Treasury, under which the federal government shares the risk of loss from future terrorist attacks. On Trek has secured insurance to supplement coverage by the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act of 2002.

17. Can I take other students or their family members?

This is your trip and your decision. You may take students from other classes or student’s family members should you wish. Consider the age of the additional travelers and if it would be appropriate for them to travel with your students.

18. What should I pack?

Pack as lightly as possible. Toiletries should be small sized, in a zip-lock bag in your suitcase. Be aware of weather predictions for your destination and pack for that weather. This is the link to the TSA with some packing tips: http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/index.shtm

19. What are prohibited items on airplanes?

This is the current information from the TSA: http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/assistant/editorial_1012.shtm

20. How many bags can we each take?

Many airlines are currently reducing the number of checked bags you may take without extra baggage fees to ONE. Your On Trek Associate will inform you of the current restriction for your airline. This link may help: http://www.freetraveltips.com/Airlines/air03.htm#14

A Helpful Link:

FreeTravelTips.com Packing

http://www.freetraveltips.com/Packing/

Questions While Traveling

1. What if I want to do something that is not on our itinerary?

If time permits, your On Trek leader will accommodate you. Most reservations are made for the group many months in advance and are first priority. Your leader will work with you and the office to make in-travel changes, if possible.

2. When would our itinerary change?

Your itinerary will be changed if there are unsafe situations or other conditions beyond our control. On days when you have free time, you may choose to add an option in the field and pay for that option. Your leader will work with you to make your trip the best experience possible.

3. What is the 3 strikes system?

The three strikes system is a method for student discipline. This is included in your student behaviour guidelines and reiterated here:

“There are actions you may choose to take that may result in theseconsequences. Your teacher is the final authority on any consequences to be applied to you. There are 3 levels of consequences:

You will be issued a warning.
You will be required to call home, in the presence of a teacher, chaperone, or leader, and explain to your parents what you did and what the next consequence will be.
You will be sent home. Your parents will be required to pay for the extra cost to send you home. This may include an airline ticket for you, an airline ticket for a chaperone to escort you to your parents and return to the trip, transportation to the airport and any other related costs.

Your teacher may require any level of consequence without going through the lower levels. Level 3 can be the immediate consequence for use of alcohol, illegal drugs, fighting, vandalism, theft or causing harm to anyone. Any damage to property or theft found to be your responsibility will be paid for by your parents.”

4. What is your emergency number?

866-4-OnTrek

866-466-8735

During normal business hours please contact our office at 877-613-7170.

5. What if a student wants to meet someone during the trip?

All students varying from the itinerary must either be accompanied by a parent, or the parent must have given written permission in writing prior to the trip. The date, time, and name of the person(s) meeting the student must be designated. You may disallow this at your discretion.

6. Can you make alternate flight arrangements for people wishing to return at a different time from the group’s flight?

We can accommodate them for an additional fee which will cover On Trek’s administrative costs, any additional fee charged by the airline and costs of transportation they may need.

Parents often accompany their student and fly elsewhere, or arrive later. These situations will be accommodated if possible. There may be an additional fee for this.

Payment schedules and billing questions:

1. How does the billing work?

You have a choice: we can bill the individual parents of travelers directly, or send the school invoices for bulk payments.

A payment schedule is established with you and invoices are sent to individuals at the time of enrollment. This includes coupons for all payments.

Travelers who fall behind in their payments may either be put on a waitlist or removed from the trip, if they are unable to work out alternative payments with the office.

2. Why do you need final payment 60 days before the trip?

Most itinerary items will be paid in full before you ever travel. This allows us to pay for your group and insure reservations for all of your activites.

Should there be an issue with individual late payers, we also have a little time to work with them so they may still travel.

3. What do you charge for returned checks?

We charge you what our bank charges us. Currently $5.00. Our goal is to help you succeed in traveling, not add to your financial burden when you have problems.

4. Do you charge late payment fees?

No. If you are late a few days, we understand that there are external forces that may delay your payment.

If you fall behind 2 or more payments, then you may be put on a waitlist or be cancelled if we are unable to work out an acceptable alternative.

5. What is a waitlist and how does it work?

Waitlists are created when group size exceeds the reservation size for trip components. These can be busses, airline seats or other components of the trip. When the group fills these reservations, then a waitlist is created. If we are able to add to the limiting factor, then the waitlist is opened and the waitlisted travelers are added. Waitlisted travelers are expected to maintain current payment schedule. Should someone on a waitlist be current with their payments, and another person in an active status be 2 or more payments behind, the person from the waitlist may be switched with the person on the active list. Waitlisted travelers are not charged fees should they cancel or we are unable to accommodate them. Most waitlisted travelers are eventually accommodated.

Trip price changes

1. What is tiered pricing?

Tiered pricing gives you a smaller price per student as your group exceeds 2 busses. You may also receive tiered pricing if you have a very small group and your group grows to fill more of your bus. At about 90 days before travel, we review your group for tiered pricing. Counting those who are on schedule with payments, we will decrease your price if you’ve reached a lower tiered price. Trips are usually billed on a higher tiered price. We hope for price decreases, rather than increases. At this time, you and your group may decide to add something to the trip rather than have a price decrease. If there are overpayments, they are refunded before the trip travels.

2. Why could there be a price increase?

Price increases usually occur when the airlines charge more than originally quoted. This can occur if flights change, fuel prices increase, taxes change or other air intricacies fluctuate. Price increases also occur if groups fail to maintain their minimum numbers. Price increases may occur if you select additional components to your trip after starting the trip process. Other variable components may change at your behest causing a price increase. These could be selecting a high-cost Broadway Show or requesting specific items that are more than would normally be anticipated. We try our best not to give a price increase. Be assured if we do, it will be the smallest possible.

On Trek

1. Why don’t you have individual voice mail boxes?

Our company is built around service nodules. We believe any human who answers the phone should be able to offer you help. If they unable to help and you must leave a message, then we have a duplicate of your message and you are not lost in the vacuum of a phone message system somewhere. We also feel it is faster and easier for you to have a human answer the phone, rather than some android simulating a human that can never help you. I could go on about these answering systems, but the real result is that it takes a human just as long to help you if your call is answered by an automated answering system or answered by one of us. And it takes more of your valuable time to interact with the android before speaking with someone who can help you. All those things are good for is to annoy you; they certainly annoy me!

2. What if I refer a teacher to you who travels?

Contact Michale and she will help you with our referral program. We pay current and past travelers a fee for referring other educators to our services.

3. Do you have references?

Yes. We are proud of the relationships we have established with our clients.

Contact information for the following individuals is available upon request.

Contact On Trek Student Travel

Bernard Crouse Spanaway LakeHigh School Seattle, WA	Bob Anthony Kennedy High School La Palma, CA
Rich Smith Wauwatosa West High School Wauwatosa, WI	Vicki Wyant Redwood Middle School Saratoga, CA
Lester Chun Crocker Middle School Hillsborough, CA	Jeanne Christensen Mira Mesa High School San Diego, CA
Linda Anderson Wellington JHS Fort Collins, CO	Robyn Wilkes Ridgeland High School Rossville, GA
John Coughlin Tillamook High School Tillamook, OR	Jeff Hansen North Surrey Secondary School Vancouver, BC
Tim Friesen Molalla High School Molalla, OR	Bob LaBonte Sullivan Heights Secondary Surrey, BC, Canada
Fred Dole Clarkston High School Clarkston, WA	Ed Cunnington East Valley High School Yakima, WA
Keith Russell Kamiakin High School Kennewick, WA

Roy Anthony:

After retiring from 40 years of teaching in San Diego, Roy graciously agreed to be On Trek’s travel liaison in San Diego County. Roy’s philosophy of music education is in alignment with On Trek’s. He is currently a mentor teacher for Grossmont Unified School District in San Diego. He is still on the California State Board of Education selection committee for Teacher of the Year, and rewrote the California State Framework for the Visual and Performing Arts in 2005.

Additional accomplishments include:

Educator for 42 years, most recently with the Grossmont Union High School District as Band/Orchestra Director
1987 NEA Distinguished Teacher Award (awarded by President Ronald Reagan)
1995 San Diego County Teacher of the Year
1995 California Teacher of the Year
1996 Milken National Educator of the Year

4. How long have you been producing student tours?

Michale Ellerman has been designing, leading, and operating trips since 1986, and is quite familiar with all destinations.

Marion Bach has been a top level manager at a student travel company since 1987

Other On Trek associates have each been working in the student travel industry for at least 10 years.

5. Where is your office located?

We are located in Incline Village, Nevada, ¼ mile from the north shore of beautiful Lake Tahoe. See the Contact Us page for all details and contact information.

6. Can I visit you?

We love to have teachers visit our office at beautiful Lake Tahoe. If you’re traveling through the area let us know. We’ll tell you the special things going on when you’re here. We’ll treat you to lunch and you may visit our office.

"I prepared excitedly for my departure, as if this journey had a mysterious significance. I had decided to change my mode of life. Til now, I told myself, "you have only seen the shadow and been well content with it; now, I am going to lead you into the substance."
~ Nikos Kazantzakis, Zorba the Greek

View our site map / Contact us for more information

Our Travel Support Staff are available by phone from
8:00 am to 5:00 pm, Pacific Time, Monday through Friday.

Toll Free: 877-613-7170

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Speak with one of our specialized travel staff. We can answer any questions and help you learn more about the benefits of On Trek Student Travel.

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