Travel Tips


To make the most of the time you spend overseas, it is important to be prepared about what to expect upon arrival. AT/ACIS has gathered together the most vital information about your tour and listed it below.
 

Hotels

AT/ACIS uses three- and four-star centrally-located hotels. We place a priority on booking hotels in good locations and safe areas, with convenient access to both local attractions and public transportation.

Rooming

You will generally stay in hotel rooms with two or three beds. During peak travel periods, hotels sometimes add an extra bed to accommodate heavy bookings. AT/ACIS attempts to prevent this but cannot guarantee that it will never happen. Some hotel rooms in France have a Grand Lit (an oversize double bed for two) instead of twin beds.

Those who have paid the adult surcharge stay in double rooms in hotels but not on overnight ferries or trains.

An AT/ACIS bus group is typically made up of two, three or four groups from around the U.S. who quickly get to know each other and feel part of one overall group. Depending on the mix of males and females in the bus group, you may be rooming with participants from other groups.

Your tour manager will create a variety of rooming combinations before you leave, in order to make it easier for your tour manager to work out the rooming when you check in to your hotel.

Check-in time at most hotels is early to mid-afternoon. If you arrive overseas early in the morning, you will likely have time to change money and do some exploring before you check in.

Meals

You will enjoy a variety of meals en route, mixing both native and familiar cuisines depending on your area of travel. Keep an open mind and be willing to sample everything.

Beverages at dinner are not included. Sometimes your waiter may put soda or mineral water down on the table without being asked. Be aware that you will be charged for any beverages you consume.

Although AT/ACIS will try to accommodate special meal needs including kosher, vegetarian and low salt, we cannot guarantee all requests.

On most AT/ACIS trips, you will enjoy lunch on your own. Be adventurous and experiment. Many travelers do what the locals do: instead of having an expensive restaurant meal, they buy fresh ingredients at a local market, then put together a sandwich and have a picnic lunch in a city park.

Continental Breakfasts

Except in Australia and China, you will be served a continental breakfast which includes a variety of fresh rolls, cereal, pastry, butter and jam, coffee, tea or hot chocolate. In some hotels in Britain, eggs or other items may be included. Generally in Europe, the larger hotels sometimes serve eggs and other American-style breakfast items for an extra charge.

Who Travels With You

YOUR BUS GROUP
AT/ACIS bus groups average from 35 to 45 passengers. This is the group with whom you share your travel experience. You eat your meals together, stay in the same accommodations, and travel together on the bus. It's an opportunity to make some lifelong friendships!

YOUR TOUR MANAGER
Tour manager is an important term in educational travel. It refers to your bus group leader, who is specially trained and rigorously selected to assist your group while overseas.

AT/ACIS Tour Managers are famous for their multifaceted roles, both educational and logistical. An AT/ACIS Tour Manager is part commentator, counselor, troubleshooter, advocate and stopwatch! He or she supervises hotel check-ins, posts bulletins, directs the bus driver and handles other logistical details.

Most AT/ACIS Tour Managers are energetic multilingual Europeans or country nationals. Over the years, we've employed university professors, film directors, journalists, musicians, business professionals, and other creative achievers in their fields.

Please note that local professional tour guides are normally used for city sightseeing tours.

Your AT/ACIS Tour Manager maintains a professional relationship with the group, but is not directly responsible for enforcing discipline or the AT/ACIS behavior guidelines. That is the responsibility of your coach. It is your tour manager's responsibility, however, to report any infractions to your coach and to be sure that AT/ACIS behavior guidelines are adhered to.

YOUR COACH
The coach is your immediate authority on the trip. He or she has taken on a major responsibility for your parents and your school, and has devoted time and energy preparing you for the trip. You must realize that everything you do reflects on him or her. That is why we insist that you observe the Student Behavior Guidelines given in this booklet.

Emergencies

In a crisis situation, your coach is the one most immediately responsible for obtaining help. Your coach works with and is supported by your tour manager. Remember that you must reimburse your coach and tour manager for any expenses undertaken on your behalf—for phone calls or taxi fare to replace a lost passport, for example, or for medical attention.

Adult Travelers

While the majority of AT/ACIS participants are high school students, increasing numbers of adults prefer the cultural enrichment and stimulation of AT/ACIS programs. Adults are more than welcome to travel with our teams. The information in this pamphlet is geared primarily to student travelers, but most will also be relevant for our adult travelers as well.

AT/ACIS Offices

AT’s head office is in Shawnee, Kansas.  ACIS' head office is in Boston, with regional offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Houston and Sacramento. Our European headquarters is in London, and we also have an office in Paris. Our affiliated offices cover all of Europe, the Western hemisphere and the Pacific. Wherever you travel, you will never be far from AT/ACIS administrative support.

Your Daily Schedule

Your daily schedule will vary depending on whether you're on a travel-intensive program or a more leisurely single-city program. But certain aspects are the same for all programs.

Daily Bulletin

A daily bulletin is posted by your tour manager in each city, usually in the hotel lobby. It is your information pipeline, especially if schedules should change. Consult it regularly!

Punctuality

As a member of a large group, your punctuality is important. Coming down five minutes late in the morning can force your coach or tour manager to go looking for you, and this can throw off the day's schedule for everybody. Bring a reliable watch and alarm clock. Don't count on morning wake-up call service.

Dividing Up the Day

IN THE CITY
If you're staying in one city for a day or two, the typical day involves a sightseeing trip or local field trip for half the day, and free time for shopping or exploring the other half. Many coaches organize a local walking tour for part of the free-time period. Late afternoons and evenings are when most competitions are held.

ON THE ROAD
If you're traveling a whole day between cities by bus, you'll usually have a rest stop every two to three hours. AT/ACIS uses fast trains for long-distance travel as often as possible, which means you spend less time traveling and more time sightseeing. On night trains, you usually board after supper, sleep in four to six-person couchette compartments, and have breakfast after arrival.

Arrival Briefing

The day you arrive (normally Day 2 of your itinerary), your tour manager will hold a get-acquainted Arrival Briefing. This is when you get to know your tour manager as well as the other U.S. groups who are traveling with you, and receive important trip information.

JET LAG IS REAL!

Arrival day abroad is an adjustment. You may have traveled through many time zones and slept just a few hours. Drink lots of water on the flight and try to stay awake as long as possible on your arrival day. Jump right into the new schedule for your lunch and dinner. You'll sleep well your first night and be ready to enjoy every moment of the trip ahead!

Keeping in Touch

MAIL
If you're on a one-week trip, you probably won't have time to get mail from home, and postcards you send from Europe will probably arrive home after you do! When mailing something, make sure 'U.S.A.' is a part of the address.

PHONE CALLS & PHONECARDS
Calling home from overseas can be expensive. The best way to call is with the AT/ACIS eKit Global Phonecard. By using the eKit card, you will save up to 70% on international and U.S. long distance calls compared to pay phones and hotel phones.* Simply charge up your eKit card with the credit card of your choice (Visa, MasterCard or American Express) as soon as you receive it, and start using it right away! As well as cheap calls home, the AT/ACIS eKit Global Phonecard offers you FREE Email, FREE Voice Messages,** a FREE Secure Online Travel Vault that allows you to securely store details of your travel documents, plus the ability to listen to email over the phone and much more!

You can use your AT/ACIS eKit Global Phonecard before, during, and after your tour, so the sooner you sign up, the sooner you can begin saving.

* Service unavailable in Costa Rica, Cuba, Egypt, Guadeloupe & Africa.
** Fees apply to voice message retrieval only.

Emergency Contact List

Your coach will designate a primary contact for your group, whose full contact information will be provided to AT/ACIS. In the event of an emergency, AT/ACIS will contact this person, who will then be responsible for contacting all of the group members' families.

Emergency Phone Number

AT/ACIS maintains a 24-hour emergency number. Please contact your coach or tour manager about any emergencies or issues you encounter. If necessary, the tour manager will contact AT/ACIS for assistance, to start the Emergency Contact List, or contact a family member.

Alternate Departures & Returns

In some cases, one or more group members may depart from a different U.S. city from the main group. Such participants pay a $150 fee plus the applicable program fee for that city, and cannot be guaranteed the same air routings as the main group. Such travelers are provided with an allowance for ground transportation to and from their arrival and departure airports overseas. Neither AT/ACIS nor the coach supervising the group is responsible for those 'subgroups' until they meet up with the supervising coach at the first hotel. If such individuals wish to fly internationally with the main group, they must arrange their own transportation to and from the main group's airport. All alternate return requests must be received by AT/ACIS in writing 90 days prior to departure.

Returning Through U.S. Customs

When you return to the U.S., you generally go through U.S. Customs at the first airport at which you land, whether or not it is your final U.S. destination. If you have a connecting flight, re-check your luggage after you have passed through customs.
You are allowed to bring back $800 worth of articles purchased outside the country. If you exceed this limit, you are liable for duty payments, often about 10 percent of the value.
Many U.S. travelers take advantage of ship-home services offered by major stores overseas.

Included in the $800 allowance is one liter of alcoholic beverages provided that the traveler is 21 or older. No one under 21 may bring back any alcoholic beverages.