What’d I Miss? (ACIS Policies Edition)

New travel policies and procedures are a regular occurrence these days.  Given the volume of other information that teachers are processing right now (Are we switching to 100% in-person? What were the latest test results for our school?  When am I getting the vaccine??), we thought it might be possible that some of you hadn’t read every one of the updates we’ve been sending out.  So, with a tip of the cap to Lin-Manuel Miranda and Daveed Diggs, here’s our “What’d I Miss?” travel policies recap.

Zero-Down Registration and Risk-Free Deposits

This is a big one.  Students can now sign up for a 2022 tour and pay nothing until October 1.  If families do decide to make payments upon registration or over the spring/summer, all payments made toward a 2022 trip before October 1 are entirely risk-free.  This added flexibility is aimed to get people raising their hands for travel again, even while uncertainties remain.  Learn more.

Revised Cancellation/Rescheduling Policies

2021 participants travelling overseas with us now have until 45 days before their departure date to cancel and still take advantage of our most generous refund policies. Group leaders on 2021 overseas tours also have until 45 days before departure to move their overseas trip to any travel date in 2021 or the equivalent travel season in 2022, all for the same price the group originally paid.  With conditions changing rapidly, we realize that having more time to make travel decisions is highly desirable.

Updated Safety Protocols

We’re preparing extra safety measures throughout the on-tour process to ensure our groups are protected when we begin to hit the road again in the months ahead. This new approach to travel is based on the best expert information currently available:

• We are reviewing all of our tour itineraries to see where we can incorporate a heightened focus on well-being from the beginning.
• As a member of the United States Tour Operators Association, we are following USTOA’s TourCare guidelines that cover all touchpoints on a trip.
• And, we have suspended the practice of combining participants from different groups in hotel rooms, so you can feel more assured when you tuck yourself in for the night.

Our dedicated Safety Page provides all the details.

Fixed Date Trips

We’ve also been innovating with our line-up of trips.  Knowing that some groups have become too small to travel on their own and that some participants are still eager to travel (and use their ACIS Travel Voucher) even if their original trip has been postponed or cancelled, we’ve created new Summer Adventure and Tour Manager Signature Trips on fixed dates in 2021 and 2022 that are available for individuals and small groups.  Guaranteed departure dates with top-notch tour managers.  What’s not to love?

2022 Planning Incentives

Leading an educational tour can be one of the most rewarding aspects of teaching, but organizing a tour takes some work.  We recognize that and have created some of our best-ever incentives to thank you for your efforts in recruiting a group to travel next year.  Among these are the chance to earn triple World Travelers Rewards points and the opportunity to guarantee a private tour and bus with just 20 participants.  All of our latest offers can be found on our Deals and Promotions page.

We hope this recap has been helpful.  If you have any questions about travel planning in the months ahead, please contact us.  We don’t want anyone to throw away their shot to get overseas again.