Why travel with AT/ACIS
Excellence 360°
AT/ACIS is the gold standard for quality in every area of sports and educational travel, from learning, to service and support, to transportation and accommodations, to financial stability. Our all-around excellence is unmatched by any company in our industry.
Since 1978, we’ve believed that providing the best sports and education experience means offering the best service in every category: Accommodations & Transportation, Education, Service, Sporting Events, Flexibility and Organizational Strength.
1. Our Unbeatable Reputation
Don't just take our word for it; ask the coaches who've traveled with us:
100% rate their overall satisfaction good to excellent
99% rate our educational content good to excellent
97% would recommend us to a colleague
98% rate our Tour Managers good to excellent
Coaches are the best judges of our quality reputation. At the end of each tour, we ask them to complete evaluations of Tour Managers, sports and educational content, accommodations and transportation. If the results are positive, we dedicate ourselves to maintaining our service levels. And if areas for improvement are noted, we act on them aggressively.
2. Our Focus is Education
Your AT/ACIS Tour Manager is the best teaching assistant you'll ever know. As world travelers, each brings a unique perspective to his or her tour; all share a love of teaching and an irresistible enthusiasm about the regions they'll show you.
Highly trained, multi-lingual guides and educators, Tour Managers are our travelers’ entry point into foreign life and customs. They serve as an accessible, authoritative source of information, helping trip participants form a basis for exploration. Nothing brings culture to life more than a Tour Manager recounting history as one stands among the great architectural marvels and historic scenes previously known only through a textbook. All AT/ACIS Tour Managers are equipped with cellular phones to ensure direct communication for immediate results.
3. Quality Control & Rapid Response Network
SPOT-CHECKSDon't be surprised when a U.S.-based AT/ACIS staff member checks in on your tour. We constantly evaluate how your tour is going, from the quality of hotels to the expertise of our Tour Managers.
RAPID RESPONSE NETWORK
Missed flight? Sick student? Lost luggage? Our emergency hotline plugs
our tour groups into a support network throughout the world, 24 hours
a day, seven days a week. Our round-the-clock coverage frees you to
think about what shoes you’ll need to climb the Acropolis instead
of how to reschedule a transfer because of your late flight.
In addition, if you ever find yourself in a situation that does not measure up, we can take immediate action. Coaches can fill out an AT/ACIS Red Card and hand it to their Tour Manager on the spot. We'll do everything we can to fix the problem immediately.
4. Superior Hotels & Transportation
TIME IS MONEY
Your time is a precious commodity. We help you make the most of it by
booking hotels in city centers, near public transportation and major
attractions.
With AT/ACIS, you know you’ll be staying in comfortable hotels near points of interest. Budget tours may have inexpensive, lower quality hotels, often well on the outskirts of the city with limited access to public transportation.
FASTER IS BETTER
We schedule travel for you the way we'd schedule it for ourselves. That
means, whenever possible, the shortest and most comfortable distance
between two points—more intercontinental flights, fewer multiple-transfer
flights and local trains. We use the Eurostar exclusively for all travel
between London and Paris, saving hours of travel time.
5. Friendliest & Most Experienced Worldwide Staff
ON DUTY
From the day you register, AT/ACIS support is always with you. From
providing materials for team meetings to tracking accounts and invisibly
handling dozens of other details, our job is to make your trip planning
easy. We'll help with last minute questions or planning up until the
moment your plane takes off.
ON THE SCENE
AT/ACIS support doesn't vanish when you leave the United States. We've
had strong European offices on the ground for more than 22 years that
undergo the same rigorous training as our U.S.-based team—positioned
to help you solve problems where and when you need them. With AT/ACIS,
traveling abroad comes with peace of mind for those traveling AND those
at home.
ON YOUR WAVELENGTH
Discovery, change and serendipity make foreign travel a
delight. As your group meshes during your tour, you may find byways
to explore and places you'd like to linger. Your AT/ACIS team can turn
on a dime to accommodate your ideas and interests. After all, it's your
tour!
6. Solid Financial Security & Integrity
THE USTOA $1 MILLION
CONSUMER PROTECTION PLAN
AT/ACIS, as an Active Member of the United States Tour Operators Association ("USTOA"), is required
to post $1 Million with USTOA to be used to reimburse, in accordance
with the terms and conditions of the USTOA Travelers Assistance Program,
the advance payments of AT/ACIS customers in the unlikely event of AT/ACIS
bankruptcy, insolvency or cessation of business. You are welcome to
contact the USTOA for complete details on AT/ACIS’
Consumer Protection Plan.
CORPORATE AFFILIATION
AT/ACIS
is a division of AIFS, Inc., the American Institute for Foreign Study. AIFS has been the quality leader
in the field of international education for over 35 years. More than
one million people have participated in AIFS high school and college-level
programs since its founding in 1964.
GENERAL LIABILITY INSURANCE
AT/ACIS carries a General Liability Insurance Policy of $50 million
as part of the AIFS group. This policy with an AAA-rated security company
is an umbrella policy and is held by AT/ACIS. Teachers, coaches, school
districts and their employees are covered as named additional insureds
under this plan. Individualized certificates of insurance are available
upon request, naming the teacher, school, school board and school administrators
as co-insured.
INDUSTRY MEMBERSHIPS
AT/ACIS' proven reliability and professional integrity is shown through
its active memberships with several esteemed organizations. You are
welcome to contact any of them to discuss AT/ACIS' standing in the industry.
American Society of Travel Agents
European Tour Operators Association
International Airlines Travel Agent Network
United States Tour Operators Association
7. Our Service Guarantee
No other educational travel company takes care of you like AT/ACIS—it’s that simple. Our Service Guarantee holds us accountable to each and every coach to keep our promises, including guaranteed single rooms for coaches, a single, dedicated tour consultant and more. We let you know in advance exactly what you can expect from AT/ACIS, and if you aren’t satisfied, we take action.