Prepare your students for their adventures abroad with LES. Review the following information with your students to help them understand what to expect on tour.

Group travel »
Tour and departure date flexibility »
Travel documents »
Special travel requests »
Travel insurance »
Rooming »
Hotels »
Meals »
Tour pace »
Punctuality »
Transportation »
Exchanging money »
Spending money »
Tipping »
Packing »

Group travel

Group travel is a great opportunity for students to make friends from other states and cities. Unless you choose to travel as a private group, you will be traveling with other students and teachers from the United States and Canada. Keep in mind that traveling with others requires thoughtfulness, a good attitude and flexibility with tour and departure dates.
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Tour and departure date flexibility

LES is dedicated to making travel affordable for as many people as possible. That’s why we always offer the lowest prices. We combine groups with similar tour and departure dates, so whether you’re a group of six or 60, you benefit from the same low price.

In order to combine groups, we ask for your top three tour choices and some date flexibility. We make every effort to provide you with your first choice, but we may have to offer your second or third choice, or a comparable tour. Based on your requested tour date, we’ll ask you for a date range within two days of the originally requested date for tours departing October through April, and within four days for tours departing May through September.
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Travel documents

Remind travelers that they will need to obtain their own passports and/or visas. Non-U.S. citizens must check their requirements and obtain any necessary travel documents. Stress that travelers are responsible for meeting the requirements of each country on your itinerary as well as countries they will travel through (including airports through which you will only transfer).

Group special travel and tour extension
Group special travel and tour extensions must be added at the time of enrollment. Re-confirm who will participate in any special travel arrangements you’ve made, including a stay-ahead or a stay-behind, and who will stay for the tour’s extension.

Individual special travel
Encourage those with special travel requests to submit them by 120 days prior to departure (deadline is 99 days prior to departure for 2009 tours, 110 days prior to departure for 2010/2011 tours). This includes individual stay-aheads/stay-behinds, flying from an alternate domestic gateway and making one’s own flight arrangements (land only). Travelers should log in to the travelers website and request special travel online. Remind these travelers not to finalize any plans (or purchase airline tickets) until the tour and date have been confirmed (around 70 days prior to departure). Once your tour and dates have been confirmed, travelers should re-confirm special travel. Please note that special travel requests are booked separately from the group itinerary and therefore travelers may fly on an alternate round trip itinerary.
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Travel insurance

Talk to your group about insurance. Our experienced group leaders find that this gives both themselves and their travelers’ peace of mind. Ensure that everyone who wants the All-Inclusive Insurance is signed up by 75 days prior to departure. If it’s already later than 75 days prior to departure, let them know they can still sign up for Medical and Accident Insurance and Baggage and Property Insurance up until the day before departure.
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Student rooming
Students under age 23 will share rooms with two or three other travelers of the same gender, either from their own group or from other groups with whom they are traveling. Each room will contain single beds or occasionally shared double beds, or a combination of the two. Hotel styles and room configurations vary among destinations, so students who share a room in one city may not do so in the next. Even so, we recommend that you have an idea of your students’ rooming preferences before you depart for tour.

Students under the age of 23 who wish to have twin rooms will be charged an additional fee.

Adult rooming
Adults (travelers 23 years or older at the time of the tour) will be roomed in twin rooms (with two single beds) with other adults of the same gender. Double accommodations (one large bed or two single beds pushed together) are also available. If any adults wish to have a single room, a single room supplement will be added to their account.

The deadline to submit rooming for all adults and non-standard student requests is 70 days prior to departure
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Hotels

A good night’s sleep is important, so count on superior tourist-class hotels with private baths. And rest assured, we inspect every hotel personally to ensure it’s comfortable, clean and safe..
Some common differences from North American hotels:

• Rooms and beds are usually smaller and have single and/or shared double beds.
• Rooms seldom have air conditioning or televisions.
• Not all European hotels have elevators.
• Shower pressure tends to be much weaker and, in some countries, the showerhead may be a detachable, hand-held device, directly above the toilet or sink. Few hotels have shower curtains.
• Many European hotel bathrooms do not provide face towels. Students may want to bring their own.

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Meals

Travelers should expect food and portion size to be different than what they are accustomed to at home.

Breakfast typically includes cereal, bread or rolls, jam, juice, coffee and tea. Lunch is the chance to make culinary discoveries of your own – ask your tour director for recommendations. Included dinners will either be familiar dishes or local specialties.

Advise your group that they will be expected to pay for soft drinks and other beverages at dinner.

Due to the challenges of serving a large group, you will usually receive a pre-set meal rather than ordering from a menu. Speak with your tour consultant prior to departure to verify which meals are included and to confirm any specific dietary requirements.
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Tour pace

Students should bring comfortable footwear. Many sightseeing tours are on foot, so you will do a lot of walking. In addition, the use of public transportation often involves a lot of stairs and walking to and from the train platforms. Remind your travelers--both students and adults--that our educational tours are generally fast-paced.
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Punctuality

No matter where you travel, there is a tremendous amount to see and do – and a limited time in which to cover it! For that reason, most LES itineraries are packed with activities. It is crucial that everyone makes punctuality a priority; for wake up calls, sightseeing tours, meeting times etc. It takes just one person showing up late to throw off a whole day’s schedule. Please remind your students how important it is that they follow instructions and tell them to wear watches if possible.
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Transportation

By road in buses, tour vans or 4 by 4s. 

Public transportation is more commonly used abroad than it is in many parts of North America. To travel to local activities or free-time options, LES groups sometimes find it easy to use public transportation. Your tour director will help you to learn the maps and routes.
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Exchanging money

We recommend bringing the equivalent of $50 in the currency of your destination for expenses upon arrival. Do not bring travelers’ checks since they can be difficult to cash. ATMs are the most convenient way for cash withdrawals since they accept a wide number of bank and credit cards. All travelers should check with their banks to ensure that their cards will work abroad.
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Tipping

While all non-discretionary gratuities are included in the LES Program Fee, it’s customary to tip the tour director and coach driver as a token of appreciation at the end of the tour. We recommend:

• $6 ($4) per person per day for the tour director
• $3 ($2) per person per day for the coach driver
• $10 ($6) per person per day for the cruise staff (if applicable)

Many group leaders also tip local guides for half-day sightseeing tours. On a full-day excursion, giving a small tip to both the professional local guide and the day’s driver is typical.

We recommend using local currency for tipping as it is difficult for tour directors to cash traveler’s checks or Visa gift cards. We suggest you deposit the tip money into your bank account and withdraw it in local currency at the end of the tour, then present it to your tour director. 
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Packing

Your group members should pack as lightly as possible; as much as will fit in one day pack and a back pack. Please make it clear to your participants that they will be responsible for loading their luggage on and off buses and trains and into hotels.

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