Why Educators Trust ACIS: A Behind‑the‑Scenes Look at Our Safety Standards

Safety as the Foundation of Every Trip

At ACIS, the welfare and safety of each and every participant on our tours are our top priority. Bringing you trips that last forever is only half the journey. Making sure that all of our travelers return home safely. This philosophy has been drilled into our business for more than 40 years. From our protection plans, to our accordance with the U.S. State Department for overseas travel, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the World Health Organization, we make sure that we’re up to date with any of the locations you may be traveling to and ensure that you can have the safest trip possible

Safety planning is not only important for having a smooth trip, but also for having a better educational experience. When we plan a safe trip, there’s one less thing that the group leader or teacher has to worry about. This gives them more time to focus on coming up with great lesson plans for their students, and it gives students the peace of mind they need to focus on their studies. Imagine yourself in a position where you had to take a test AND worry about whether or not you would make it to your testing spot safely. There’s no way you could focus!

Our dedication to safety is why you won’t find a Facebook Group about trip horror stories with our trips!

Expertly Trained Tour Managers

ACIS Tour Managers are truly Renaissance men and women. On tour they serve as guides, activity leaders, restaurant coordinators, and comedians, always looking for ways to combine learning with the excitement of traveling somewhere new. Above all, they keep everyone safe and secure. They know their specialized cities inside and out and have studied the languages in depth, so that if conflict arises, they can respond quickly.

Before they’re even hired, they go through background checks and interviews to make sure they are fit to work with students. Once they’re brought on board, every new batch of Tour Managers goes through a rigorous training process that catches them up to speed on ACIS policies. They are fully briefed on our emergency protocols and learn about the global network we have in place to assist them. Depending on experience, they will also often shadow a well-versed Tour Manager so they can see how an ACIS tour is run from the very best.

24/7 Emergency Support

ACIS and its Encore Performance Tours division are headquartered in Boston, with regional offices in the Midwest and on the West Coast. Overseas, ACIS has offices located in London, Paris, Rome, Madrid, and affiliate partner offices in other major European, Latin American, and Asian cities. This ensures that there is always someone available to answer a call to respond to an emergency or provide local support.

We always make our best effort to ensure that your trip is as safe as possible, but there’s always the chance of unexpected emergencies that may arise. We take these into account by implementing our Duty Officer system. They operate seven days a week from any of our worldwide offices to deal with any emergency efficiently. Our top-quality ACIS Tour Managers work alongside group leaders throughout the trip and make sure that all participants are aware of security measures during each group’s arrival briefing. If an emergency were to occur, tour managers are trained to seek safe shelter for the group, either by returning to the group’s hotel or to an alternative location as instructed by local authorities. If any participants are injured, our travel insurance provider will arrange the transportation of the participant back home or for a family member to join them. ACIS staff will also be dispatched to the scene to assist however they can.

Additionally, ACIS partners with Cultural Insurance Services International (CISI), a sister division of AIFS, which provides in-house crisis management support via their Global Health and Safety manager. This manager monitors all ongoing medical cases, crises and events to ensure that their students and sponsors are able to get the support they need at any time.

Health and Medical Preparedness

All participants are enrolled in the basic medical insurance plan which includes 24 hour medical assistance, consultation, monitoring, travel delay protection, and emergency evacuation when necessary. They are also able to upgrade to the Ultimate or Ultimate-Plus Protection Plans which offer the ability to cancel for any reason up to four days prior to departure and receive a full refund. Alongside these travel protection plans, groups are also covered by our Peace of Mind Program which offers groups the option to change the travel dates of a tour or the itinerary up to 45 days before departure. 

School districts and teachers are also covered by a $51 million general liability insurance policy that ACIS holds with Lexington Insurance company. Traveling group leaders, assistant group leaders, and schools are added to this policy as additional insureds. 

Why Teachers and Parents Feel Confident Choosing ACIS

Don’t just take our word for it. Hear directly from Group Leaders and parents who have been on tours with ACIS and feel extremely satisfied with the safety standards that we uphold.

“I had peace of mind the entire trip, even with an emergency one of our chaperones had.
I will travel again with my students, with ACIS!“ – ACIS Group Leader Sephora

“Robin and the crew at ACIS were brilliant and dedicated to creating a beautiful trip for our organization. The attention to detail and quick response in communication provided a feeling of safety and trust, which is key to any travel plans. The clear answers we received to our questions were speedy and thorough and I loved working with someone who understands the needs of musical and cultural groups. These folks are hard working, creative, flexible, and sensitive to the needs of their travelers. Bravo!” – ACIS Group Leader Clara

“I just got back from the Greeks and Romans trip with 22 students and two other assistant group leaders. Our flight from Rome to Chicago was delayed, then cancelled, then delayed again. There was no way we would make any connecting flights from Chicago to Green Bay. I had a contact in the Rome office and one in the US office who helped me every step of the way and did everything humanly possible to get us back. There was another group traveling with a different company who got limited support and had to organize transportation on their own. This experience solidified my choice in ACIS. I will never travel with another company!!! The hiccups aside, this company plans out everything and asks for input before, during, and after the trip. Everything is tailored to the group’s needs as much as possible. It’s so worth the money for peace of mind!” – ACIS Group Leader Lauren