If you're thinking about planning a CHA tour for your students, you probably have quite a few questions. Below, we've answered our group leaders' most frequently-asked questions. Remember, a CHA Tour Counselor is available to assist you with any additional information you need. Just give us a call at at 1-800-323-4466.

Q: What is included on a CHA tour?
A: CHA’s all-inclusive tour packages include the following services:
• Round-trip air transportation on regularly-scheduled flights on major U.S. and international airlines
• Accommodations in well-located superior tourist-class and first-class hotels
• Breakfast and dinner daily
• Full-time services of a professional, multi-lingual Tour Director
• All land transportation including motorcoach, ferries, trains & intra-tour flights
• Services of expert guides who conduct in-depth city sightseeing tours
• All sightseeing excursions, visits and entrances as described in the itinerary
• CHA’s Pre-Departure materials (newsletter, travel bag, luggage tag and travel guide)
• CHA’s standard Travel Protection Plan coverage (Additional optional insurance available upon enrollment.)

Q: Does CHA provide liability insurance?
A: Yes. Teachers and tour participants are covered by the best liability insurance available in the educational travel field—up to ten million dollars per individual and per occurrence. This coverage, along with our Ten-Million Dollar Umbrella Insurance Coverage, offers travelers total peace of mind.

Q: Does CHA have a minimum group size?
A: No. Even if you plan on recruiting a small group, CHA will combine your group with travelers from other schools in order to reach the required minimum number of passengers needed to operate a tour. (CHA’s published prices are based on achieving a minimum of 35 fully-paying passengers per tour.) Therefore, date and tour flexibility is needed from smaller groups. Teachers should explain this to interested students and parents from the start. You may also choose to guarantee your own motorcoach specifically for your group.

Q: Who will accompany us on our tour?
A: A CHA Tour Director will meet your group when you arrive at the airport and will stay with you throughout your trip. He or she will stay in each hotel with you, accompany you on all scheduled tour activities, and assist your travelers whenever they need help or advice. Your Tour Director will be a knowledgeable professional, possessing many years of experience in leading travel groups, and will speak English as well as a variety of other foreign languages.

Q: What will a typical touring day be like?
Each morning following breakfast, you'll meet your Tour Director in the lobby of the hotel for all sightseeing activities scheduled for that day. Normally, when staying in the same city for several days, sightseeing tours will take place in the morning with afternoons free. When traveling from city to city, you'll spend most of your day touring a variety of places stopping to visit cities and other attractions. Dinner will be scheduled in the late afternoon or early evening.

Q: How much free time will we have?
Depending on the pace of the tour, CHA itineraries provide a good mixture of sightseeing and free time. Normally, there is free time in the afternoons and evenings after dinner. Groups of three or more students can explore on their own during the day but must first report to you or another adult chaperone to inform you of where they are going and when they are planning to return. At night, students will not be permitted to go out on their own, but the adult chaperones should arrange activities in which the entire group or smaller groups can participate during the evening hours.

Q: What can we do during our free time?
Optional excursions are sightseeing activities which serve as a supplement to the sightseeing already included on our tour. Scheduled during free time, these excursions can function as a valuable addition to your overall touring experience. Some examples of CHA’s optional excursions are: the Tower of London, the Seine River Cruise in Paris, and the Ancient Catacombs in Rome. Tour members may select from among the optional excursions available on their tour. Optional excrsions are not included in the cost of the tour and must be purchased separately.

Q: What I am responsible for as a group leader?
A: As your group's leader, you are the main liaison between CHA and your travelers. You are responsible for enrolling passengers and distributing any important information sent to you to your travelers including flight bags, travel guides, and airline tickets. During your tour, you are responsible for the chaperoning and supervision of your students according to CHA’s Student Code of Behavior.

Q: What about passports and visas?
It is the responsibility of each traveler to obtain the necessary visa(s)/passport and/or other required documentation prior to departure. (Please note that travelers to Mexico require special documentation.) Visit the U.S. State Department's website for complete details on obtaining own passports.

It is essential that all non-U.S. citizens contact the embassy or consulate of their destination countries as soon as possible for specific entry requirements as these change frequently. Be sure to consult your itinerary carefully to determine all the countries you will visit or pass through during your tour. Transit visas may be required since not all air itineraries use direct flights between the U.S. and your destination countries.

Q: What if one of my travelers cancels?
A: Because the operation of international tours requires extensive long-term planning, costs are incurred long before the actual departures. Many of CHA’s suppliers require deposits in advance of travel in order to secure CHA’s low rates. With this in mind, CHA has created our Tour Cancellation and Refund Policy which is described in the CHA’s Important Information Terms & Conditions. Please make sure each of your travelers reads this carefully before enrolling as it details the penalties for cancellation prior to departure.