1. What will we do on our trip?
Your specific itinerary will depend on which destinations you choose, what learning objectives you’re trying to reach, and how long you’ll be spending in different destination cities. Your Account Manager is a destination expert who will help you choose activities that meet your group’s needs. Take a look at some of our samples itineraries to get a feel for the various options.

2. What airlines/hotels/restaurants will we use?
Our top five air carriers are Delta, United, Northwest, American, and US Airways. We exclusively contract with major airlines who offer regularly scheduled flights.
All our hotels are nationally recognized chains such as Marriott, Holiday Inn, Hilton, Ramada, or comparable. Our hotels are “student friendly” and most are located in suburban areas.
Full American breakfasts are served at the hotel or at a local restaurant. Lunches include food courts, fast food, or cafeteria locations, and dinners are sit down, buffet style, food court or cafeteria. Specialty meals for participants with dietary restrictions can usually be easily accommodated.
WorldStrides contracts with only the most reputable suppliers. While your specific trip details will be developed with your Account Manager, click here for more information about our suppliers.

3. What’s included?
All reservations and logistical planning; round-trip transportation; Certified Course Leader; quality overnight accommodations; On-site Coordinators at hotel; professional night chaperones; all meals; comprehensive liability insurance and accident and illness coverage for all participants; all admissions, fees, and gratuities; Student Discovery Journals; parent presentation materials; registration letters and brochures; promotional materials (videos, brochure, etc.); fund raising manual; Teacher’s Guide with pre- and post-program lesson plans; all accounting and invoicing services, customer service staff to handle all parent inquiries; on-line resources for educators, parents, and students; 1 free adult chaperone for every 15 full-paying participants (unless requested otherwise).

4. When do most groups travel?
Most of our groups travel during their Spring Break, right after school lets out for summer vacation, or during an extended holiday weekend (i.e. Presidents' Day, etc.). Some groups prefer to travel in the early fall months. We can schedule your trip for whatever time works best for you and your students.

5. How can I be sure it’s safe? Click here for details about WorldStrides’ rigorous safety standards.

6. How can this trip enhance my curriculum?
With WorldStrides’ outstanding educational materials, every student in your class benefits from the program, even those who are unable to travel with your group. You can share the benefits of the Online Learning Center with all your students, and our teacher guides give you classroom activities and facts to share with the whole class.
In the classroom students learn the fundamentals of how a Bill becomes a Law. When students come to Washington, D.C. they take learning to a higher level when they walk through the Capitol and sit in the Congressional or Senate galleries where our laws are made. In the classroom students start to understand the tragedy of an assassination of an American President, yet the power of this event becomes “real” when standing in Ford’s Theater or at Kennedy’s grave in Arlington National Cemetery. Focused educational travel with a WorldStrides’ Course Leader enables learning to come to life. Click here for details about WorldStrides Integrated approach to learning

7. What do the students get out of it?
In addition to the unparalleled educational value of interactive, hands-on learning, your students will also develop some important life skills. Students learn to rely on themselves to budget spending money and manage free time. For many students, this marks their first trip on an airplane or the first time they’ve been away from their parents, and the personal growth they experience is remarkable. Most importantly (from the student perspective), they have FUN and make memories that last a lifetime!

8. What do I get out of it?
A WorldStrides educational travel program is rewarding, easy, educational, and fun. You will connect with your students on a deeper level, and they will always remember you as the teacher that took them further than they ever thought possible. Their parents will recognize your commitment to education. You travel free with your group, and since you choose the other adult chaperones, you could bring a friend, a spouse, another teacher, or anyone else you want. You become a more effective educator when you share all the knowledge and details your acquired through your on-site discoveries.

9. What age/grade level is appropriate for this program?
WorldStrides’ Discover D.C. program is recommended for the abilities and curriculum of middle school students while Make New York Yours is geared more to high school students. However, our Certified Course Leaders can adapt the learning experience to students of other ages and skill levels. Call 1-800-688-8584 to speak with an Educational Travel Specialist who can help you choose the right program for your students.

10. Why is it important for me to work with an accredited company?
Once you have chosen to take your students on an educational tour, you will present your decision to your school's administration, and the program to your students and their parents. Accreditation is a guarantee of superior educational content. Without accreditation, you may never receive administrative support, and parents may question the true value of this experience. To make this experience a success and have as many students as possible taking advantage of it, an accredited company is your best and only choice.

11. What do I have to do? What are my responsibilities?
Planning an educational travel program with WorldStrides is easy . Call today to speak to an Educational Travel Specialist at 1-800-688-8584. He or she will help you choose the right program for your curriculum and set desired travel dates. Then, let our Account Managers plan your itinerary and arrange your travel. We’ll take care of all the billing, collection, and payments, and our Customer Support staff is available to answer parent questions.
All you have to do is promote the trip using our proven promotional materials.

12. How can I explain the trip to parents and administrators?
With more than 35 years of experience, we know what kinds of questions parents and principals have, and we can prepare you with the answers and the confidence to help them understand the trip. In addition, our Educational Travel Specialists speak with administrators often and are available to speak with yours to help explain program specifics, liability coverage, our accredited status, or anything else.

13. What kind of insurance protects my students and me?
WorldStrides maintains the most comprehensive liability insurance in the student travel industry, protecting you and your students. In addition, accident, illness, and acccident-related dental insurance coverage is provided for all participants.

14. Who collects the money?
WorldStrides takes care of all the billing and collection. You’ll never have to track down a student to ask for money. You will have your own Financial Services Representative, who can answer questions you have about any of the financial details of your program

15. How can WorldStrides help with fundraising?
After you commit to traveling with a group, WorldStrides can provide you with a fundraising booklet full of different ideas that allows you to choose the right revenue-generating activity for you and your students based on how much time you want to invest. In addition, if you decide to do fundraising, our Financial Services Representatives can set up accounts to distribute earnings among participating students. To learn more about fundraising, click here.

16. How is this different from the field trips my school already does?
If you’ve done traditional field trip, then you know it’s great way to take your curriculum outside the classroom. Imagine how exciting and effective it would be to take your students to the actual sites where history was made! Unlike a traditional field trip, a WorldStrides educational travel program takes the pressure off you. We take care of all the planning and provide a certified Course Leader to help students through the educational content at each site. Your students will also experience tremendous personal growth from an overnight program, where they manage their own time, spending money, and decisions within their group of peers.

17. Can I bring chaperones?
You travel free with your group of 15 full paying-participants, and for each additional 15 full-paying participants, you can bring another adult chaperone (when specified otherwise). You can bring another teacher, your spouse, anyone you want! With WorldStrides on-site support team, a 1 to 15 teacher to student ratio provides ample adult supervision; however, if you would feel more comfortable with additional chaperones, we can work with you to develop a plan that meets your needs.

18. How can I make sure students will behave?
One step WorldStrides has taken to help you avoid problems is a student behavior contract each student and a parent/legal guardian must sign before the student can participate in the program. The contract outlines general rules for behavior and explains that if a student fails to follow the guidelines in the contract or the instructions of chaperones, the student will be sent home immediately at his/her parents’ expense.
With more than 35 years of experience, WorldStrides knows that the best way to keep students out of trouble is to keep them interested in what they’re doing. We plan full days, complete with interaction with a trained Course Leader and fun, hands-on activities.

19. How can I show my students places I’ve never seen?
Your certified WorldStrides Course Leader is an educator who has been trained to engage students through WorldStrides’ “discovery” method of learning. The Course Leader is a destination and subject matter expert who will not only lead you and your students from site to site but will also ask questions that help students achieve higher order thinking about the issues and concepts each site provokes. Click here for more specific details on what a Course Leader would do with your students.

20. What if something happens?
We have a detailed contingency plan in place for all types of emergency situations including evacuation of a specific site or an entire city. All of our on-tour staff are trained to implement this plan. The plan was developed in conjunction with major organizations specializing in safety and security procedures including the Washington, D.C. Police and local government authorities. An important component of the plan includes educating you at the beginning of the travel program on what to do in the event of an emergency. Another crucial component is getting in touch with parents as soon as possible to inform them of the alternative plans that are underway and reassure them about their child's safety. While these plans have been modified and improved since September 11th, the basic elements have been in place for many years and our staff is well trained to react quickly and responsibly in the event of an emergency.

21. How much does the trip cost?
The cost of a WorldStrides educational program depends on many factors: where you want to go, where you’re coming from, how you want to travel, where you want to stay, what you want to do on your program, and many other details. To get an estimate on the cost of the program you’re interested in, please call our Educational Travel Specialists at 1-800-688-8584.