| Home | • | Organized Travel | • | Custom Travel | • | FAQ | • | Parents | About CETA | • | Contact |
| |
Information for Parents |
|
|||||||||||||||||
| Handy
Links US State Department (Passport Information) travel.state.gov Transporation Saftey Administration (TSA) www.TSA.gov Hostelling International www.hihostels.com AIG Travel Guard Insurance www.travelguard.com |
CETA Tours strives to prepare teachers, parents and students
for international travel as well as possible. The more prepared
teachers, students and parents are for travel, the more smoothly the
tour will go. It is important for parents to begin thinking about their
child's tour months before the departure date. Your child's teacher will hold several informational meetings, which you should plan on attending. These meetings are held to inform you and your child about what to expect while traveling, as well as provide important information about future meetings and deadlines. If you are unable to attend a meeting, let your child's teacher know and request information about what topics were discussed and if there are any upcoming deadlines. While each teacher has his or her own way and order of presenting the information below, please use the links below to answer some of the most commonly asked questions. If your question is not answered on this website or by the materials you have received thus far, please contact CETA Tours and we would be happy to assist you.
Payments Unless your child's teacher instructs otherwise, all payments and questions about payments should be directed to CETA Tours. This allows your child's teacher to focus on teaching and not on bookkeeping. Our office is open Monday - Friday, 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM (Central) and will gladly answer any questions you have about your child's account balance. We can be reached at 1-800-501-0397. How will I know when the next payment is due? You will receive an invoice from CETA Tours approximately 3 weeks prior to the due date. All payment due dates are listed in the “Terms & Conditions” section of the tour brochure. Our regular payment schedule is: Final payment for all 2008 summer tours is due March 28, 2008 Spring 2009 Groups (departing Feburary - April 2009) $1,000 due October 15, 2008 Balance due January 15, 2009 Summer 2009 Groups (departing May - August 2009) $1,000 due January 15, 2009 Balance due March 16, 2009 Where do I mail the payment? The initial deposit should be given to your child's teacher. All other payments should be mailed to: CETA Tours 1421 Broadway Street North Suite 108 Menomonie, WI 54751 What forms of payment are accepted? CETA accepts personal checks, cashiers checks and money orders. All checks and money orders must be made payable to “CETA Tours” and reference your child's name and tour code. We do not accept credit cards. How will I know that you received my payment? Please check with your financial institution to see if your check has cleared. CETA does not issue receipts for payments made. Due to the high volume of payments we receive, please allow 5-10 business days for your payment to be processed. How do I cancel my child from a CETA Tour? Cancellations must be made in writing, either via mail, fax or email directly to CETA Tours. Please state your child's name, tour code and reason for canceling. Refunds (if applicable), minus the applicable cancellation penalty and any fundraising money, will be sent to the billing address listed on your child's application. Please allow 15 business days for refund checks to be issued. For more information about our cancellation policy, please visit our FAQ section of the website. Tour Preparation What information will I receive about my child's tour? With the invoice for the second payment, you will receive a parent handbook, which provides extensive information about how to prepare for your child's upcoming tour with CETA. In the handbook, there is a checklist of documents you should receive prior to departure from your child's teacher. How can I contact my child while on tour? You will be provided with an accommodations list prior to departure, which will list contact information for each night's accommodations, including phone and fax numbers. We strongly discourage mailing letters or packages to hotels, as there is no guarantee that the mail will arrive during the group's stay. If you need to contact your child while on tour, a fax is usually the best way of reaching them, as each day has several activities planned. While some hotels charge a nominal fee for receiving a fax, it is still cheaper than a phone call. Your child's teacher or tour leader will check for messages at each hotel and will forward any correspondence to your child. We recommend to students (and parents) to plan on calling home no more than 2-3 times on a 2 week long tour. Experience has taught us that students who call home often while on tour become homesick much faster than students who call only once a week. Does my child need a passport to travel? Yes. All participants on CETA’s tours are required to have a passport valid for a minimum 6 months after the return date of the tour. Apply for your passport early, check for errors when you receive it and submit a photocopy of the picture page to your child's teacher by the final payment deadline. What if my child is not a United States citizen? If your child is not a US citizen, it is your responsibility to secure any required entry/travel visas for your child. Contact the embassy of each country to be visited on tour and ask about their entry requirements for citizens of your country. CETA will gladly provide any documentation needed for the visa application, but we are not able to contact foreign embassies on your child's behalf. Please allow extra time for visa processing. Those who are legal residents of the United States, but not US citizens, must carry proof that they are legal residents of the United States with them on tour (green card, etc.). Failure to do so may delay reentry into the United States. What forms are required for participation? Your child's teacher will have an informational meeting in the fall, where the teacher will distribute several forms that need to be completed and returned to the teacher by the deadline given. Medical Release Form This form provides CETA and the tour leader with information about any medical conditions that may affect your child while on tour. Additionally, your child may also request a special meal (vegetarian, kosher, etc.) for the entire tour. Participant Rules Form Your child's teacher will review the rules and expectations of students while on tour. Consequences should also be discussed so that you and your child are aware of the discipline policy while on tour. Passport Copy While not truly a form, each participant must submit a copy of his/her passport to the organizing teacher by the final payment deadline. Family Stay Questionnaire (if applicable) If your child is participating in a family stay organized by CETA, he/she must fill out the family stay questionnaire and write a personal letter of introduction to a potential host family. How do I know if my child's health insurance will provide international coverage? You should contact your child's health insurance company 2-3 months prior to departure to determine coverage while abroad. Not all insurance plans offer international coverage. It is the student and his/her parents' responsibility to determine if the student will have adequate health insurance coverage whiel traveling with CETA Tours. Ask for detailed informaiton about submitting a claim for treatment abroad and if your standard co-payments apply. Each participant is required to have health insurance coverage for the duration of the tour. How do I purchase temporary medical insurance for the duration of the trip? CETA Tours offers low-cost temporary health insurance coverage through AIG Travel Guard. Call Carrie at 1-800-501-0397 for more details or to purchase. Family Stay How will I know where my child is staying during the family stay? If CETA is arranging the family stay for your child, you can expect to receive your child's host family information 4-6 weeks prior to departure. If your child's teacher is arranging the family stay, please ask him/her when that information will be available. What if there is a problem with the host family? Students participating on CETA-arranged family stays receive a list of host family assignments for their entire group, as well as contact information for their teacher during the family stay. Your child's teacher is only a phone call away if your child needs him/her. During the family stay, most teachers will see their students either at school or during a planned activity. What gifts should my child bring to the host family? The most well received items are gifts that help your child explain his/her town, state or country. A host brother may like a T-shirt from your school. A “coffee table” book of pictures may be suitable for the host parents. Gifts don't have to be large or expensive, just thoughtful and meaningful. Students who enjoy cooking may want to bring pouches of chocolate chip cookie mix. Baking cookies is a good way to bond with the host mother and/or host siblings, as well as introduce them to an American favorite. Luggage & Packing How large can the checked suitcase be? Since your child will be handling his/her suitcase virtually every day, we recommend that suitcases or duffel bags be no taller/longer than 26 inches and weigh no more than 50 lbs. Each airline has specific luggage requirements for both checked and carry-on luggage. You will receive a copy of these requirements with the flight schedule approximately 2-3 months prior to departure. What is the best carry-on bag? The best carry-on bag is a small backpack or messenger bag. Due to space constraints on the bus, the rolling suitcases often used as carry-on bags are not permitted on tours operated by CETA. The TSA website has a comprehensive and up to date list of what items are permitted in carry-on luggage. What should I make sure my child packs? In the fall, you will receive a “Travel Tips” brochure, as well as a “Parent Handbook,” both of which have a list of items that should be packed. The following items will help make for a more enjoyable tour:
What should I discourage my child from packing? Bear in mind that the tour your child is about to take is busy and the group will be moving to a new city about every other day. Any items that your child would be devastated to lose should be left at home. This includes jewelry, expensive watches or clothes, irreplaceable items, etc. Clothes that are suggestive, overly patriotic or tattered should be skipped for clothing that is trendy, but does not draw overt attention. Proper attire (covered shoulders) is required at some churches visited while on tour. Therefore, CETA strongly discourages spaghetti strap or strapless tops. Unless it is needed for a documented medical reason or is a host family gift, all food (candy bars, chips, soda, etc.) should be left at home. In addition to adding weight to your luggage, food also attracts ants and other insects. Once these hitchhikers get into one suitcase, it is very easy for them to make their way through other suitcases in the luggage compartment of the bus. Money How much spending money should we budget? Most students should budget $20 - $25 per day of touring to cover basic expenses of lunches, snacks and beverages. For days when lunch is included in the tour price, students typically spend $5 - $15 a day on snacks and beverages. Souvenirs add up to another $50 - $200, depending on personal preferences and spending habits. What advice do you have for keeping spending in check? Budgeting is an important life skill that can be difficult to master using American money. When confronted with foreign currency and exciting new choices, even the most budget conscious student may stray from an established budget. In the weeks leading up to departure, familiarize yourself with the denominations of the foreign currency and track the exchange rate. Be sure to explain to your child how much has been budgeted for spending money. It is advisable to make a few simple calculations to show how much $20 will equal in foreign currency. Your child will have to think in terms of the foreign currency, so knowing that the daily budget is €15 in France or ¢100 Costa Rica will make budgeting on tour much easier. Traveling as part of a Group While each day will be unique, there are some general conditions that will exist throughout the entire tour. It will take most people a day or two to adjust to traveling as part of a large group. It is important that tour participants try to be as flexible as possible. Herd Mentality – Group travel is not the same as your typical family vacation. Everything will take longer than what your child may be used to. Checking into a hotel, eating meals, stopping along the highway and visiting museums will all take longer and therefore require patience. Meals, including breakfast, will be eaten together and everyone will be served the same meal. Students should be prepared to split off into smaller groups during free time, but they will never be alone. Head Counts – Participants should expect frequent head counts and may be assigned to a chaperone for the purpose of head counts. Passport checks will also happen on a regular basis. These are done for the safety of the entire group. While it may seem tedious to be counted 3-4 times daily, it's much better than being separated from the rest of the tour group! Free Time – Virtually every day has at least some scheduled free time, typically over the lunch hour. During the free time, your child will be expected to conduct any personal business such as going to the bank or ATM, going to the post office, etc. in addition to eating lunch and/or shopping. During free time, all participant rules apply, most especially the rule about staying in groups of at least 3 in larger cities. Your child's teacher may ask students to stay in larger groups. |
 Plaza España, Madrid, Spain |
|||||||||||||||||
