THE EDUCATOR’S TRAVEL PRIMER: Youth Tour Operators

THE EDUCATOR’S
TRAVEL PRIMER:
YOUTH TOUR OPERATORS
By: Lance Harvey, J.D. and Karyl Davis, J.D.
According to the Student & Youth Travel
Association (SYTA), 24% of all travelers are
students and youth. They travel on schoolsponsored
trips and non-school sponsored
trips. They participate in local, domestic, and
international travel. They travel to learn about
history, culture, civics, and service. As
students reach high school and college age,
they begin to travel individually, but many of
them, along with their younger counterparts,
continue to travel in groups in educational
settings.
Travel Necessary for 21 st
Century Education
Student travel addresses the new context in
which students learn today. Traveling
classrooms connect cultures, utilize
exploratory and experiential techniques and
inspire academic and personal growth.
Moreover, as recommended by Congressional
Resolution, “Student travel is a vital
component of the educational process and
should be encouraged.” 1
Classrooms are not what they used to be.
Instead of slates and slide rules, students have
iPads and graphing calculators. Students
today are global, social, engaged, and
connected. They are wired into electronic
devices that did not exist a generation ago,
and in many ways these devices make borders
and distances seem obsolete – but
experiencing the world through technology is
by itself one-dimensional. This new world
requires not just an understanding of different
cultures, but also an ability to work with other
people in team environments. It requires an
ability to envision jobs that do not exist yet,
an ability to make connections between the
past and the unimagined future, and an ability
to think critically and communicate ideas to
diverse audiences.
Student travel is a vital part of meeting the
needs of 21 st Century students in the context
of today’s classrooms. Traveling classrooms
provide a more complete education and create
well-rounded global citizens. They broaden
how students view the world and their place
in the world, help them envision unimagined
goals, and inspire them to make connections
between the past and the future -- their
futures. Only by taking students out of their
comfort box, out of the traditional classroom,
will students learn how to effectively
communicate across cultures and be bold
enough to tackle the unknown.
The effect that student travel has on students’
lives should not be underestimated. Travel
helps students get into college, promotes selfconfidence,
and increases grades.
! Educational travel brings history to life,
! Educational travel gives depth to history
lessons,
! Educational travel builds the foundation
that will allow our students to succeed in a
global society,
! Educational travel completes the learning
experience for students in the performing
arts, and
! Many times an educational travel
experience is the spark that turns on an
unmotivated student. 2
By making classrooms flexible and movable,
traveling classrooms create learning
environments that prioritize the diverse needs
of students and that actively seek to engage
1 Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 44
(Wednesday, March 19, 2004).
2 Palmer, Michael. “The Benefits of Student Travel.”
http://schooltoursofamerica.com/learning.php?s=ben
2 Palmer, Michael. “The Benefits of Student Travel.”
http://schooltoursofamerica.com/learning.php?s=ben
efitstravel. 2003.

students. Schools can tailor the travel
experience to fit with the themes of the
school, the subject matter being taught in the
traditional classroom, and the interests and
needs of the students. Schools can choose a
destination that ties in curriculum objectives
but also gives students the freedom to have
hands-on interaction, not simply lecturing.
Being at the battlefield is better than being in
the classroom because it engages a broader
range of learning types and develops a
broader range of cognitive learning skills.
Why Hire a Tour Operator?
1. Knowledge
Tour operators have experience negotiating
with multiple companies, attractions, and
restaurants. They know how to make the trip
run as smoothly as possible because they plan
so many of them, ideally to the same location.
Most importantly, qualified student tour
operators have security details planned that
reduce liability.
2. Time
Planning student travel takes time. A quality
tour operator who frequently leads tours to
the destination selected will be able to help
plan everything from food and lodging that
safely meets the needs of large groups of
students to lesson plans that relate to the
school’s curriculum. Tour operators can
provide a sample itinerary, lesson plans,
releases, and safety checklists. With a tour
operator, schools do not have to recreate the
wheel. Not only can tour operators work with
schools to provide a unique educational
experience, but they can also provide the
support schools, parents, and students require
through the process over the phone, online,
and on tour.
3. Accounting and Fundraising Issues
A qualified student tour operator should have
its own accounting department and customer
service department, which will remove the
need for the teacher to take large sums of
cash from students and to field dozens of calls
and questions everyday. The tour operator is
also likely to be familiar with successful
fundraising strategies and should be able to
offer students assistance in choosing a
fundraiser, applying for scholarships and even
assisting the group in applying for possible
grant money.
4. Safety and Emergency Planning
While you might not be a believer in
“Murphys’ Law,” if you are a teacher
responsible for taking fifty 8 th -graders across
the country for a week, you better be prepared
for a number of contingencies. Whether you
have a disciplinary issue, a lost child, a
weather-related emergency such as a
snowstorm that keeps you stranded in an
airport or at your destination or a participant
or chaperone that becomes ill, a qualified
student tour operator will provide you with
the instant support you need to effectively
handle the emergency on the spot,
communicate with local authorities as well as
your parents back home and make sure the
tour continues forward safely. If for no other
reason than this, you will be more than
grateful you utilized the services of a tour
company the very first time you run into an
emergency situation on tour.
5. Insurance Protections and Liability
In addition to having detailed emergency
plans, tour operators should also carry
medical and accidental injury insurance that
will cover the students and professional
liability insurance (known as “professional
errors and omissions”) for the tour leaders
and chaperones. Even on non-school
sponsored trips, the tour operator should be
able to add the name the school and diocese
to the specific insurance policy, upon request.
To reduce potential liability, in addition to
providing insurance coverage, tour operators
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THE EDUCATOR’S TRAVEL PRIMER: Selecting a Youth Tour Operator

should provide medical and behavior release
forms and should follow best practices of tour
operators as demonstrated by membership in
professional organizations such as SYTA.
How to Choose the Right
Youth Tour Operator
Start by finding a number of companies
that specialize in youth travel
Because the majority of tour planners cater to
adults, it is important to choose a tour
operator that has experience working with
groups of students and experience traveling to
the selected destination. In fact, there is an
entire industry of travel professionals
dedicated exclusively to student travelers. The
most respected industry organization is called
the Student Youth Tour Association, also
known as SYTA.
SYTA is largely known as the “voice of
student and youth travel” and requires its
members to meet financial integrity criteria
and adhere to a strict Code of Ethics,
ensuring financial stability. Furthermore, its
member companies enjoy a vast network of
available resources with youth appropriate
vendors and most importantly, with the
necessary governmental agencies in the event
of a tour-related or national emergency.
SYTA has successfully resolved dozens of
large-scale emergencies and its members enjoy
an experienced contingency network.
To search for a SYTA member company, log
onto www.syta.org, click on “FIND A SYTA
OPERATOR” and search by company name
or destination. SYTA also publishes a
brochure titled “Educators Buyer Guide”
which is a list of its member tour company
and associate, “youth-friendly” tour vendors
and suppliers (such as transportation
companies, hotels, restaurants, museums,
theme parks, etc.). Once you have a list of
qualified student tour operators, you must
find the one that is the best fit for your tour.
Like any industry, not every industry member
is right for your school. The following factors
represent the best practices of the industry
and should be considered when hiring a tour
operator:
Compare the companies based upon these
industry “best practices” standards
• Destination Experience
The tour operator should have actual
experience taking student groups to your
desired destination and should be able to
provide you with a number of sample
itineraries of tours they have run. They
should also be able to provide you
references of clients who have traveled
with them to those destinations. The
experience a company has with a
particular destination is important because
its planners will have inside knowledge of
the complexities posed during the time
you visit and will have a network of strong
connections with the local sites and
vendors that can prove to be very
important. For example, a good operator
will book as many appointments as
possible for you to avoid hours of long
lines. Lastly, find out if the company
actually has their own staff conducting the
tours of the destination or whether they
will instead hire a “receptive tour operator”
(an RTO or Receptive) to run the tour.
One word of caution here is that tour
operators who claim to specialize in 10 or
more destinations are usually going to be
hiring a receptive tour operator to
represent them while on the tour.
• Company History and Stability
Obviously, when dealing with a company
that will be responsible for your safety and
thousands of dollars of your students’
money, you want to be sure the company
is financially sound and ethical. As stated
above, the easiest way to determine a
company’s soundness is to make sure it is
a member of SYTA. It would also be wise
THE EDUCATOR’S TRAVEL PRIMER: Selecting a Youth Tour Operator
3

4
to check consumer websites such as the
Better Business Bureau. In certain states
such as California, Florida, Washington,
Iowa, Hawaii, and Nevada, companies
must be registered with the state as a
“seller of travel” and should be able to
give you their registration number. You
also should enquire how long the
company been in business at their present
location. A company that has been in
business for many years at one location is
more likely to be a reputable business that
stands by their customers.
• Educational Focus
If the tour’s focus is educational then look
to see if the tour operator’s programs are
accredited and if so, by whom. If the
students are seeking college credit that will
be potentially transferrable then the tours
should be accredited by a national, public
university. Some companies may claim to
be their own accredited institution but
their credits may not be transferrable or
accepted by your school system. You may
also want to verify if the company will
provide teachers with classroom tools,
tour resources, and a variety of ways to
receive graduate credit and professional
development. In order to avoid the
possibility your credits may be “diploma
mill” and may not be transferable, you
may wish to evaluate the school’s
reputation using the Department of
Education website at
http://www.ope.ed.gov/accreditation/.
• Chaperone Ratios
It is vitally important that the tour provide
you with the proper number of
chaperones at no cost. Recruiting the right
number of chaperones will help ensure a
safe and successful trip. Most tour
providers offer a certain number of free
spots for chaperones based upon the
number of students traveling. A common
ratio is one chaperone for every 15
students for high school students, with
one for every 10 to 15 for middle school
THE EDUCATOR’S TRAVEL PRIMER: Selecting a Youth Tour Operator
students. If you require more, make sure
this is included in your written bid with
the tour operator.
• Hotel
This is definitely an area to focus on.
Many companies will say they use quality
hotels but will not specify a location.
Hotels outside metro areas save the
company 50% but your group may lose 1-
2 hours of “tour time” each day en route
with rush hour traffic. You want to make
sure the company tells you at a minimum
the category of hotel (3-star, 4 star) and
how far from the destination it is. If your
hotel is an hour from your destination,
over a 5-day tour you will have lost an
entire day of sight-seeing in drive time.
The safety of the neighborhood where the
hotel is located is also important. You also
want to know some essential features of
the hotel such as: do the rooms have
closed hallway entrances only, does it have
a pool and lifeguard, will there be 24-hour
security, will the students and chaperones
all be blocked together on the same
hallway, does the hotel have the ability to
turn off pay-tv and remove minibars, do
the rooms have windows that open up or
have they been secured, are there
adjoining rooms between boys and girls
rooms, and will other guests likely be on
your hallway? As you can see there will be
a lot to cover at the hotel, so most
importantly you want to confirm that a
representative of the tour operator will be
at your hotel ahead of time to ensure the
blockings and safety of the rooms before
your arrival.
• Meals
While this may not sound as important,
you and your students will be hungry at
meal time, and you want to make sure that
the restaurants are of sufficient quality and
convenient. You also need to ensure that
3 meals a day are provided or else make
other arrangements. Students left to
purchase a meal a day on their own, tend

to spend the money on other things and
may not eat. With respect to breakfasts,
you need to confirm whether breakfasts
are full meals or continental. Additionally,
while food courts and fast food may be
convenient and even necessary sometimes,
you want to make certain the tour
operator does not plan to feed you only at
fast food restaurants. Finally, confirm that
the tour operator is providing multiple
entrée choices at each location and can
accommodate any particular health
allergies or requirements.
• Tour Guides
First, you want to confirm that you will
have a professional and licensed tour
guide at all locations where you will need
one. Second, you want to know
something about the quality of the guide
because this is the person who will likely
make or break the trip. Depending on the
purpose and focus of the trip, a local tour
guide with knowledge can serve as a living
history book as they deliver the factual
background at the actual site of historical
significance. You should also find out if
the tour guide will be separate from the
driver as many guides perform both
functions. Most important is the
experience the guide has with youth.
Many tour guides are excellent with adult
groups but terrible communicating with
students. The best way to ensure a good
guide is to ask for client references. You
should also ask how many guides you will
have, especially if you have a large group.
• Tour Support
While you may be working with only one
representative to plan the tour itinerary,
you want to make sure that you will have
ample support and personnel available to
assist once you arrive at the destination.
A qualified tour operator should have a
representative greet your group at the
airport on arrival and make sure you meet
your guides to begin the tour. They should
also provide a representative to prepare
for your arrival at the hotel, assist with
check-in and should be present at the
hotel while you and your group are inhouse.
Some of the companies servicing
international destinations often have the
guide also serve as the hotel representative
as you may be traveling across the country.
The important factor is that you as the
tour leader feel you have the necessary
support at all times, 24 hours a day,
without exception. A thorough, quality
operator should provide you with the
support you need on arrival, on tour, at
the hotels and all the way through to your
departure home.
• Emergency, Medical & Behavior
This is obviously of utmost importance
and one of the reasons a SYTA tour
operator is a wise decision. A quality tour
operator should have a staffed “tour
central office” near the destination.
Additionally, they should be able to
provide every student and parent a 24-7,
toll free emergency number for
emergencies of any kind. If overseas, there
should be contingencies established for
the same. The company should be able to
contact your drivers and guides at all times
and should have contingency emergency
plans in place. The company should be
able to plan for medical emergencies by
providing quick access to a nearby
hospital and for non-emergencies, arrange
for a doctor or nurse to travel to the
group at the hotel to minimize separations.
Finally, the company should also be able
to provide you the necessary support if
you must send a student home for either
disciplinary reasons or a family emergency.
• Nighttime Security
A tour operator should arrange to have
private security or hall chaperones in place
each night so the tour leaders can get a
good night of sleep. Quality tour
operators generally provide private,
bonded, professional security guards to sit
on each hotel floor your group is staying
THE EDUCATOR’S TRAVEL PRIMER: Selecting a Youth Tour Operator
5

on from curfew to 5 a.m. You should
confirm that this is the case and that
“security” is not simply the hotel’s guard
or a roving guard that will leave your
students’ floor throughout the night.
While many veteran leaders will tell you
that “taping” the doors is effective, kids
today are far too clever, and the tape will
not stop an intruder from coming onto
the floor. Finally you want to make sure
the security guards or chaperones have
undergone criminal background checks
and been trained to work with youth
travelers as they often require a little
different temperament from a guard.
• Costs & Additional Fees
This is another important fact to discover
upfront in order to ensure the bids you
are comparing are the same. The
company’s bid will be based upon a group
rate. For instance, the bid may say “based
on 35 full paid registrants.” Generally, this
means that if you do not hit your 35 mark,
the company will bill each person an
upcharge. Some companies may offer to
combine you with another group, which
will probably mean compromising on
your itinerary. You need to establish in
writing, what the pro-rated amount per
student will be if you do not hit the mark
and your available options. You also want
to be very familiar with the company’s
cancellation penalties if a student decides
to cancel a trip or if you are forced to
cancel a trip. You also want to know
under what circumstances you may cancel
and whether the company offers travelers
any type of refund guarantee they can
purchase if they need to cancel at the last
minute. Finally, you should be prepared
for emergency situations and confirm with
the company the plan for billing in the
event of an emergency that requires your
group to stay additional days at the
destinations. In the event an airline is at
fault (such as mechanical), the airline will
cover the expenses of meals and lodging.
If the delay, however, is weather related,
the airlines will not cover the expense. A
quality tour operator should be able to
arrange whatever support and lodging is
necessary in an emergency and some,
believe it or not, will agree to cover the
costs associated out of a gesture of good
will.
• Insurance Protection
As stated before as a primary reason to
use a student tour operator, an operator
should provide medical and accident
insurance to cover all participants and
should include professional errors and
omissions insurance protecting the tour
leaders, chaperones and diocese.
Moreover, if requested, the company
should be able to individually list the
school and diocese in the actual policy,
adding yet another layer of protection for
your diocese. With regard to international
travel, insurance may be a bit tricky and
the company may not provide all of the
necessary coverage. In this case, you need
to factor in the extra expense of private
insurance and establish in writing what the
emergency medical procedures will be and
the availability of a private hospital or
doctor abroad. If the tour involves an
element of risk, you may request the
possibility of a medical professional
traveling with the group throughout the
tour. This is definitely an area where you
want to understand your options before
an emergency actually arises.
Ask questions, get bids, call references,
and confirm in writing
When it comes to comparing tour operators,
make sure to ask a lot of questions and the
right questions, get multiple bids, call
references, and confirm everything in writing.
Make sure to compare apples to apples in
order to get the best possible value for parents
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THE EDUCATOR’S TRAVEL PRIMER: Selecting a Youth Tour Operator

and students. Keep in mind of course that
when it comes to choosing a tour operator,
cheapest is rarely the best, nor is necessarily
choosing the biggest business. With each
company, if you do your homework upfront,
you and your students will be able to enjoy a
safe, stress-free experience that they will
remember for the rest of their lives.
The following are some key checklists to
assist the teacher in the selection process.
Questions to ask about dependability:
o What professional organizations do you
belong to?
o Are you a member of the Student Youth
Travel Association- SYTA?
o How long have you been in business at
the present location?
o How long has your current owner(s)
owned the business?
o What type of consumer protections do
you provide?
o What is your cancellation policy?
o Who will pay for unforeseen expenses?
o Will you provide a sample contract?
o Can you provide contact information
for other educators in my area?
o Do you have any administrator
references?
o When taking bids, do you have
references from any teachers who have
traveled with the other companies?
o Will you have a hotel rep stay with the
group?
o Will you provide a private, bonded
security guard on our floor at night?
o Do you use an on-call doctor service?
o Do all of your tour personnel undergo
background checks?
o Do your tour vendors undergo
background checks and drug screenings?
o What precautions do you take to keep
students from getting lost?
o How will parents/administrators
communicate with those on tour?
o Do you have a local tour central office
with toll free number?
o Will you sign off on a safety checklist?
Questions to ask about quality:
o What is your company’s area of
expertise or specialization?
o Have you run this tour before?
o How long have your tour guides been
with the company?
o What curriculum support do you
provide teachers?
o How close will the hotel be to
destination?
o Do you run your own tour operations
or outsource to a receptive?
o What is the average number of times a
teacher travels with the company?
Questions to ask about safety:
o What type and level of insurance do you
carry?
o What kind of safety precautions do you
take at the hotel?
THE EDUCATOR’S TRAVEL PRIMER: Selecting a Youth Tour Operator
7

About the Authors
Mr. Lance Harvey is an attorney and was
raised in the educational tour field, with nearly
three decades of industry experience. He
graduated from Emory University (BA, 1992)
and was the Leon Jaworski Scholar and
highest-ranking member of Baylor Law
School (JD 1995). Lance served on the Board
of Directors of the largest student travel
organization in the country and practiced law
at the national firm of Andrews & Kurth, LLP.
Lance assembled a team of the industry’s top
experts and founded School Tours of
America in 2002. Over the last 10 years,
Lance has worked with administrators,
superintendents and teachers to create
innovative learning experiences for Catholic
youth while protecting the school, chaperones
and diocese.
Ms. Karyl Davis is an attorney and former
educator. Prior to going to law school, Karyl
was the Peer Education Coordinator for the
University of Alabama Women’s Resource
Center. Karyl has served on the board of the
Georgia Association for Women Lawyers
Foundation for the past 6 years and is the
Immediate Past President. She graduated
from the University of Alabama School of
Law where she was an editor of the Law
Review, a Public Interest Board Member, a
Dean’s Scholar, and upon graduation received
the Dean's Community Service Award and the
James E. Morrisette Constitutional Law
Award. In addition to her law degree, Karyl
graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor
of Arts degree from Carson-Newman College
in English and Communication Studies and
summa cum laude with a Master of Arts
degree from the University of Alabama in
Communication Studies
About School Tours of America
School Tours of America is a full-service
educational tour company. Our programs
create traveling classrooms for American
youth to the actual locations of historical
significance, giving students the ultimate
opportunity to experience first-hand our
nation’s centers of history, government,
culture and commerce. Our most popular
destinations include Washington DC, New
York City, Colonial Virginia, Boston,
Philadelphia and Orlando.
STA is truly a unique company. After building
two of the nation’s largest and most
successful student tour companies, ten of the
industries most respected and innovative
veterans joined forces in 2002 to offer a fresh,
new concept in student travel based on
customization.
Personal tour coordinators create learning
experiences based on curriculum goals, tour
preferences, master guides, restaurants, hotels
and flight schedules. Partnered with Adams
State University, teachers leading the trips can
earn graduate credit while students can earn
undergraduate credit or leadership credentials
for their college portfolio. To learn more
about STA, please visit:
www.schooltoursofamerica.com
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THE EDUCATOR’S TRAVEL PRIMER: Selecting a Youth Tour Operator