| Q: |
How do I sign up? |
| A: |
Decide which tours you want to go on.
Follow the process listed under Steps to Booking a Discover America Tour and mail the completed Registration form to EDT, after getting written permission to travel from your parents, school, and exchange coordinator.
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| Q: |
Can I travel with a friend? |
| A: |
Yes. You may bring a friend or a host brother or sister who is 15-19 years old and has permission to travel from parents and school administrator.
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| Q: |
Can I request a specific roommate? |
| A: |
Yes. You may request to room with a friend of the same gender.
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| Q: |
Will I receive more information after registering? |
| A: |
Yes, we will mail a participant packet of information with itinerary and other information 2 to 3 weeks before the departure date of the tour.
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| Q: |
Can I buy travel insurance? |
| A: |
Yes. We provide insurance information on this web site.
If you choose to purchase your airline ticket before receiving a tour confirmation from EDT, we strongly recommend you buy insurance that reimburses your air costs (please read carefully the policy you select and be sure this is covered).
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Payment
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| Q: |
What is your cancellation policy? |
| A: |
Because of expenses associated with arranging a program and the various governmental and vendor policies, EDT can only offer the following refunds, regardless of the cause for cancellation:
60 days or more prior to departure:
deposit is non-refundable
46 days or more prior to departure:
50% of the total tour cost is non-refundable
45 days or less prior to departure:
total cost of tour is non refundable
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| Q: |
Does EDT ever cancel tours? |
| A: |
Yes. While we make every effort not to cancel any tour, occasionally this is unavoidable. If a tour is cancelled by EDT, you will receive a full refund of the amount paid to date. However, EDT does not reimburse for airfare. Again, it is recommended that, if you purchase airfare before a tour has been confirmed, you purchase a fully refundable ticket and/or purchase the appropriate travel insurance.
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| Q: |
Do you allow payments in installments? |
| A: |
Yes, the balance of your account may be paid in installments by check, credit card, or money order (DO NOT SEND CASH) until 45 days before the departure date, when the total remaining amount is due.
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Airline Tickets
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| Q: |
Do you include airfare in your tour prices? |
| A: |
No. Our prices are land-only. You must purchase your own airline tickets to the arrival city listed on the itinerary of each tour and return flight from the departure city for the tour.
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| Q: |
Will EDT arrange airline tickets? |
| A: |
No. However, we can refer you to a travel agency with which we work. Please remember that travel agencies no longer receive commissions from airlines, so there is usually a service fee for arranging your airline tickets.
The best prices can usually be obtained from online services such as Expedia.com, Travelocity.com, Orbitz.com, CheapTickets.com, or by checking directly with an airline website (such as American, United, Delta, Southwest). Remember that some "no frills" or "low cost" airlines such as JetBlue or Southwest do not appear on the online booking sites. You must check their sites separately. Please check the restrictions on your airline tickets before purchasing. Many discount fares are non-refundable; some will allow you to use the ticket for up to a year after the travel date (although, there is often a fee for this).
Be sure to verify the tour arrival and departure locations (some begin and end in different cities) and airport(s) before booking. You can use the "multi-destination" or "multi-city" search options for this.
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Tour Inclusions & Expectations
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| Q: |
What is included in the tour prices? |
| A: |
EDT includes ground transportation, hotels (four students per room in double-bedded rooms), breakfast, dinner, 24-hour trip leader, fees and sightseeing admissions for activities listed on the itinerary.
NOT included are personal expenses, lunch (allow $8-10/day), money for shopping, transportation between your home and local airport.
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| Q: |
What rules are in effect during the tour? |
| A: |
EDT expects students to follow the rules of their host family and U.S. school as well as U.S. laws. We will provide information about specific expectations and require that you acknowledge your acceptance of these rules before traveling on an EDT tour.
EDT follows the "three strikes and you're out" policy:
Strike one (first offense) - you will be issued a warning.
Strike two (second offense) - you will not be allowed to participate in an event.
Strike three (third offense) - you will be sent home at your own expense with no refund for portions of the trip which are missed.
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| Q: |
Can I be reached in an emergency? |
| A: |
Yes. EDT has a 24-hour emergency phone number. You or your student may be reached through this number in event of an emergency.
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| Q: |
Will students have any free time on tour? |
| A: |
Yes. There are times set aside for students to explore or shop on their own. However, students must travel in "buddy groups," and not alone.
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| Q: |
Are the tours supervised? |
| A: |
Yes. Our 24-hour trip leaders have experience traveling with students-some more than 15 years. We also assign additional staff and/or chaperones based on a ratio of approximately 10 to 1.
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| Q: |
May I meet up with family or friends who are not on the tour, but in the area? |
| A: |
No. Unless you have signed a release form prior to departure, you may not leave the group for any reason, or invite non-participants to join any portion of the tour.
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Legal Issues & Student Conduct
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Illegal Drugs or Alcohol: |
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Use or possession of these will be considered a "Strike Three" offense, and the student will be immediately sent home at his or her own expense. This may also apply to those sharing a room with someone who has violated this rule, or someone in the company of that person.
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Smoking: |
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For participants under 18 years of age, the purchase or possession of tobacco is illegal.
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Hotel Behavior: |
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Hotel rules must be followed by students at all times. This includes adhering to the rooming assignments and any curfew set by the trip leader or chaperones. Students are expected to be considerate of other guests in the hotel by not talking loudly, slamming doors, playing music or TV at a high volume, and by being respectful when talking to hotel staff. As English is the official language of the tour, EDT asks that students speak only English when rooming or traveling with students who speak other languages.
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Tour Behavior: |
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Since we hope all students will have fun and learn interesting facts on our tours, we ask that all students pay attention to trip leaders and guides and not prevent others from getting the full value and experience of the trip. Trip leaders are responsible for the safety of our travelers and for keeping the tour running on time. We expect all students to follow their rules and behave respectfully toward them at all times.
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Additional Information: |
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More information will be included in packets sent to travelers before the tour begins. If you have questions, you may call EDT for clarification at any time: (530) 582-6030 or (800) 544-4723.
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