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Frequently Asked Questions ~ and the Answers!
Sometimes students have questions about
our tours and need answers to them
before they can decide whether to sign
up to travel with us. The following is
some information that might address a
few of these questions.
You will be housed in hotels on each
tour. You will receive a list of the
tour hotels and contact telephone
numbers for your host family near the
time of the tours. All hotels have
a 10 PM
curfew for student groups and
students will be expected to abide by it
as well as lights out procedures that
will be detailed during the tour
orientation. This is to comply with
hotel rules on quiet times with which
all paid guests must abide. The curfews
imposed are not the rules of the tour,
they are hotel regulations. There
are severe penalties if these rules are
broken. YOU CAN EVEN BE SENT HOME EARLY
with no refund. Remember that you are an
ambassador for your home country. Future
tours for students depend on you leaving
a positive feeling at every stop that is
made along the tour route.
Many hotels charge for telephone use from
the rooms, toll free calls, local
calls and occasionally even from one room to another.
Therefore, no phone calls are permitted
from the rooms, except to call a member
of the tour staff for emergency purposes
only. Hotels have public telephones in
the lobbies that can be used to make any
calls that you might wish to do. Cell
phones are permitted on the tours and can be
used most of the time except when told
not to by tour staff. It is suggested that you bring a
supply of prepaid phone cards to use for your
long distance calling if you do not have
a cell phone.
All meals are included in the tour fee that is paid. With the vast variety of
activities on our itinerary, there will
be many different meal functions and
eating opportunities during the trip.
Breakfast is provided at most hotels
where we stay. There are many scheduled
group meal functions such as at a Hard
Rock Café on each tour. Some days, due
to the travel or activity schedule, you
will select where and what you eat and
will be given a cash allowance to cover
that expense.
Because there will be students from 20 to
30 different countries, English is the
only language that every student shares
in common. Speaking your own languages
to communicate with others is rude and
disruptive and is not permitted,
even in hotel rooms.
As the time for the tours get closer, you
will be sent a suggested packing list of
items to bring. Plan to pack your things in only
one reasonably sized suitcase,
preferably with wheels, and one
carry-on bag. (You will have an
opportunity to wash clothes if
necessary). Remember YOU must
carry your own luggage - EVERYDAY. If
you bring more than the allowed number
of bags, extra luggage will be left
unsecured in the departure city.
Airports do not have luggage storage
available due to increased security.
Luggage space is very limited on the
buses. A backpack is suggested for your
carry-on bag to transport items (camera,
snacks, sunscreen, etc,) while
sightseeing. You will also want a ‘fanny
pack’ as some places will not allow you
to bring a backpack for security
reasons.
All bus transportation, housing, meals
and entrance fees to planned activities
are included in the tour fee. You will
probably want to bring additional money
for souvenirs, gifts, post cards, etc.
that you may want to purchase. Most
students average $200 to $300 on these
items. Always try
to carry at least $5.00 cash on you, but
for security reasons,
never more than $50. Use traveler’s
checks and/or credit cards, which
can be easily replaced if lost or
stolen. Both are accepted practically
everywhere. Personal checks will not be
accepted anywhere. Do not bring large
sums of cash. Unfortunately on past
tours, some students have lost,
misplaced or had cash stolen from them,
causing a serious financial problem. If
most of your spending money is in
traveler’s checks, you can avoid this
problem. When buying gifts and
souvenirs, please remember that you are
the one who must carry all your
purchases, as well as transport them
back home. Plus they must fit in the one
suitcase that you are allowed to bring.
Because you are only bringing one
suitcase and will be traveling for up to
14 days, you may need to do some
laundry. Most hotels have a washing machine
or two but we will also be scheduling a
time for students to wash clothes. You will probably not want
to be doing laundry while others are
having fun so plan ahead and keep your
laundry up to date. Be sure you
bring a zip lock bag of powdered
laundry soap. What kind of clothing should I bring?
The average temperature during June will
range from a low of 45°F at night to a
high in excess of 100° F during the day.
Consequently, you can expect the average
midday temperature to be about 80°F,
often humid, with a chance of a shower.
Prepare to dress casually and
comfortably for the tour, wear layered
clothing that can be removed as the day
warms up. Some days you will be required
to walk extensively so bring good
walking shoes. DO NOT BRING NEW
SHOES THAT ARE NOT BROKEN IN. Blisters
on your feet could curtail some of your
activities.
All of our tours are smoke free.
We do not allow use of any form of
tobacco products, even smokeless or oral
tobacco. If students are caught using
tobacco products, they will be removed
from the tour and sent home at their own
expense – with no refund. If you smoke,
please do not sign up for these tours.
There will be an orientation on the day
you arrive for the start of your tour.
You will also have a tour book, called
“My Best Friend” as it contains all of
the information about the tour that you
will need to know, including the daily
schedule. The buses will be loaded each
day at a specific time. You are
responsible for waking up early enough
to arrive on time. All hotels have wake
up calls if you need them. And remember
that there will usually be 3 other
students in your room getting ready to
go at the same time. One of the requirements of the tour is that all students MUST wear or carry a watch or timepiece at all times. This will ensure that you are NOT late for scheduled meetings or departure times. Nothing is more disrespectful than forcing a bus full of people to wait for you! Therefore, the bus won’t wait if you’re late!
The tour staff will instruct the group concerning daily activities, meeting times, and other important details as well as any change in printed schedule. In order to run a fun and efficient tour, it is vital that you give the staff your full attention, listen carefully, and not disrupt others during these announcements. If you have questions, please ask them after the announcements so that all can benefit from the answers.
No ‘open’ music is allowed on the bus. This is a bus company rule, not a tour rule. You will need to use headphones to listen to any music you bring along for traveling. There will be times when you are not permitted to use your walkman, such as during announcements and during planned activities. Be sure that you have some form of identifying marks on personal items.
What if I get sick on the trip? All students are required to have health and accident insurance in order to travel with us. You were probably required to have this as part of your youth exchange program anyway. We only accept American administered insurance policies. Policies from your home country are not acceptable to meet the requirements of tour travel UNLESS they have a U.S. office and/or telephone contact. The reason for this is that most hospitals, clinics and doctors will not go to the trouble to deal with 'foreign' insurance policies which will leave the student owing the total cost of any medical bill. And EVERY year we have students who require some form of medical care from very simple to being hospitalized. THE TOUR WILL NOT TAKE CARE OF THE COST OF ANY MEDICAL EXPENSES OF STUDENTS WHILE ON THE TOUR.
You must be prepared to pay this in the
event you need medical attention.
You must also be prepared to pay for the
cost of any prescriptions and/or
medications that are prescribed due to
illness or accident as most insurance policies have
NO provision to pay for prescribed
medications. The tour is not able
to cover any expenses like these.
For security and insurance reasons,
unplanned side trips are not allowed. If
you have friends or family in one of the
places we will be staying, they will
only be allowed to meet with you if you
make arrangements with the Tour
Administrator in advance as we
must have written permission from your
natural parents and your youth exchange
counselor.
You will not be allowed to leave the
tour to go with them. Friends
or family members will NOT be allowed to
join the trip. No exceptions!
You can expect to make many new and good
friends among those who participate on
this tour. These relationships become
one of the strongest memories you will
have of this travel experience. However,
“exclusive” friendships, romances, and
cliques are discouraged and students can
be sent home early at their own expense
if these boy/girl relationships persist.
The tour uses the same rules about
touching, holding hands and signs of
affections that most schools use.
We do not allow students to obtain new
tattoos and/or new body piercing while
on the tour. Because much of our
entertainment involves water activities
and there is a risk of infection if you
have a new tattoo or new body piercing,
you will be sitting on the bus or in the
hotel while others are participating in
the fun. If you want to get a tattoo or
body piercing, you’ll have to wait until
you get back to your host city to do it.
Students are expected to show proper
respect for not only each other but the
tour staff, other tour guides, bus
drivers, and anyone you come in contact
with as well. Disrespectful behavior and
attitude are reasons to be sent home
early with no refund of fees paid.
The tour is not so long that you can not
get along with everyone. If you have to drop from the tour prior to departure, you will receive a full refund of all money paid as long as you make the request (e-mail is OK) in writing by February 28. If the request is made during March, you will receive 2/3 of the money you have paid as some of the travel expenses have been prepaid; requests made from April 1 to 15 will receive 1/2 of their payments; refund requests made from April 16 to 30 can expect to receive a maximum of 1/4 of the money they have paid; requests for refunds after May 1 will receive no refund at all (as all expenses have been prepaid) unless South Central Ambassador Tours, Inc. can find a replacement for your vacancy.
Who are the chaperons on the trip? Your tour staff members are adults experienced in dealing with young people and youth exchange students who are giving you their personal time so that you might have this great travel experience. Please give them your highest respect and show your gratitude to them by cooperating with them.
If you still have some questions that haven’t been answered here, please contact the tour administrator with your specific questions or concerns.
Tour Administrator
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