PARTICIPANT FAQS

How do I enroll multiple family members?

We're so excited your family is joining us! Each family member will need their own account with a unique username and password. Think of it as everyone getting their own little travel hub!

I don't have my passport information yet, can I still enroll?

Absolutely, you can! Passports aren't needed at the time of enrollment. Just make sure to get one before you travel. When you enroll, just leave the 'passport information' section blank. Once you have your passport, you can log in to your Passports portal, head over to 'My Documents', and upload a photocopy. Remember, the name in your portal needs to match your passport exactly. If there's a mismatch, please let us know as soon as possible. If you have any questions, we're just a Helpdesk ticket away.

Can Passports help me get a Visa for this tour?

Yes, Passports Educational Travel can assist with the visa process for your tour. While Passports does not directly issue visas, we provide support and guidance to help you secure the necessary travel documents. This includes providing detailed information on the visa requirements for your destination, instructions on how to apply, and any necessary letters or documents from our side to support your visa application.

Please note, the responsibility for obtaining a valid visa in time for the tour rests with the traveler. It's important to start the visa application process well in advance of your departure date to ensure there are no delays in your travel plans. Our team is here to assist you every step of the way, but it's crucial to follow the application process as outlined by the embassy or consulate of your destination country.

If you have specific questions about the visa process for your upcoming tour or need assistance with any documents, please don't hesitate to contact us. We're here to make your travel preparation as smooth as possible.

I have traveled with Passports before, do I have to create a new account?

Yes, you will need to create a new account. It's like starting a new adventure each time!

How do I avoid the credit card fees?

To avoid credit card fees, you can opt to make payments using a physical check that you mail to us, or ACH where you tell us your account number and routing number. These payment methods are not subject to additional fees that are applied to credit card payments.

Here's a summary of your options to avoid credit card fees:

1. Check: Sending a check is a straightforward way to make your payments without incurring extra fees. Ensure the check is made out correctly to Passports Educational Travel and mailed with enough time to be received and processed before your payment due date.

Checks should be made out to: Passports Educational Travel, include the participant name and participant ID number, and mailed to: Passports Educational Travel, 51 Union St. Suite 106, Worcester, MA 01608

2. Electronic Bank Transfer (ACH): ACH payments are electronic payments made directly from your bank account. You'll need to provide your bank routing number and account number to set up this payment method. It's a secure and efficient way to transfer funds without the extra charges associated with credit card use. Please call us at 800 332 7277 with your checking account information and we'll be happy to schedule a payment for you.

When do I have to be paid in full?

This depends on your payment method. With E-Z Pay Billing, the final payment is due 30 days before departure. With Convenience Billing, the deadline is 110 days before departure. We'll keep you posted with reminders!

What happens if I miss a payment?

If you're using E-Z pay with a credit card, we'll send you a few reminders. If the payment is about two weeks overdue, you'll be switched to Convenience Billing. If you're using E-Z pay with ACH, we'll retry your payment on the following Friday. If the payment fails twice, you'll move to Convenience Billing, which means you'll need to pay in full 110 days before departure.

What is the difference between Convenience Billing and EZ-Pay?

• E-Z Pay Billing
  No initial deposit needed, and the final payment is due 30 days before departure. Enjoy lower monthly payments with hassle-free automatic withdrawals from your checking account or credit card. You can even pick your preferred payment day each month.
• Convenience Billing
  Pay at your convenience, as long as you're paid in full by the deadline (110 days before departure). The initial deposit is $495, with no interim late payment fees. You can use credit cards, online ACH, or physical checks. Just note, credit card payments have a non-refundable 4% service fee.

I would like to cancel.

We're sorry you're having to cancel. You can just send us your cancellation request in writing via email or through a Helpdesk ticket. We'll take it from there!

What are the cancelation fees?

• Cancel 90 days or more prior to your departure date: Receive refund less $620
• Cancel between 89 days and 30 days prior to your departure date: Receive a 75% cash refund*
• Cancel within 29 days prior to your departure date: No Refund

You don't need to buy insurance for these cancellation terms-they're available to all Passports travelers with no reason required.
*Airline tickets, if purchased, would be refunded as a voucher issued by the airline, if available. If a voucher is not available, the cost of the airline ticket is non-refundable. Service fees, like credit card fees or Peace of Mind fees, are also non-refundable.

I can't go on the trip anymore, but he/she can. Can I transfer my account to them?

Yes! You can substitute another person at least 110 days before departure. Please notify us of the substitution in writing. The original participant will get a refund of all sums paid, less service fees and any airline penalties. Keep in mind, substitutes won't get any price guarantees. The new person enrolling will pay the current price at the time of substitution. If we can't accept a substitute for any reason, the standard cancellation policy applies.

I have canceled, please delete my account.

We can't remove the full account information for seven years for anyone that has paid us. However, we can anonymize the record, removing the online account info, passport information and postal address. But we have to keep the name and email address on file. I'm sorry if this isn't what you wanted to hear. However, you should know that our server data is fully locked down and encrypted. In 30 years, we haven't had a breach of any type.

How do I choose my seat?

Unfortunately, this is a tricky request with group flights. It doesn't work the same as when you get flights as an individual. Group flights are typically allocated block seating, meaning the group may be together in one area, but it doesn't always work out this way. Sometimes, the passengers can be spread throughout the aircraft in available seats.

Once flights are ticketed, which happens with group flights around 30 days before departure, some airlines will allow you to login and pay extra for seat selection. However, that isn't guaranteed either. Sometimes, it will be available when you check in 24 hours before departure. Sometimes, they allow you to do it at the desk when you check in in person. Sometimes, they don't allow it at all.

This is a great frustration for us and for many of our travelers, but in the last 10 years, airlines have changed the way that they handle seating and they are looking to extract maximum revenue from seat selection.

We recommend getting the flight information from your group leader as soon as you get ticketed (approximately 30 days before departure) because then you can log in to the airline portal and try to assign your seats. Many airline group desks tell us that individuals can't do their seating, yet we hear from individuals that they called and were able to make it happen. So, we recommend starting early on the website and calling the airline if that doesn't work for you. However, they are likely to tell you that you have to talk to the group travel company that you are working with (that's us), but there's nothing that we will be able to do either.

We want to meet our daughter overseas after the trip. Can we change her return flight?

There are two options to achieve this.

1) You could opt for a Land Only package. You would be responsible for securing all flights on both ends of the tour. We would deduct the cost of the flights on this tour ($1400) from your balance.

2) You can submit a Travel Extension form. We would book flights for your daughter with an alternate return city/date. This comes with a $425 fee from the airline that we would pass along to you.

However, each of these solutions comes with certain pros and cons. With the Land Only option, there is the real potential that your daughter would not be able to travel on the same flights as the group, meaning she would have to make her way to the hotel from the airport. The issue arises because even if we are holding space on a certain flight, with group flights, this can change, sometimes right up until departure.

With the Travel Extension form, you could not choose her return flight freely because we would be limited to the options provided by the airline the group uses. So you would not be able to choose the return airline and flight.

Can I use my frequent flier miles?

Unfortunately, this is not possible with group air tickets. It comes up all the time and we certainly can understand wanting to get those miles. But, airlines don't allow it on group reservations. We are very sorry for the inconvenience!

Can I upgrade my seat?

Unfortunately, this is also tricky, and up to the airlines themselves. Sometimes airlines will let you change your seat, but upgrades to a different class of service are not available with group tickets.

I didn't submit the name that matches my passport, what do I do?

Don't worry, it happens! Just email, or submit a Helpdesk ticket to us immediately. If your airfare has already been purchased, there may be a service fee to correct the name, but we'll help you sort it out.

Can you tell me the flight information?

Your Group Leader will receive tentative flights approximately 60 days before departure. It is important to note that Passports will not release flight information directly to participants prior to it being released to the group leader and after they are notified, we open it directly into the client portal. Hang tight, it'll be worth the wait!

I saw when I enrolled that I could upgrade to a double room. What does that mean?

We offer three types of rooming configurations on our tours:

• Single Occupancy: You'll have a room all to yourself.
• Twin Occupancy: You'll have one roommate.
• Triple Occupancy: You'll have two roommates.

Anyone under 24 at the time of the trip is considered a ‘student' and will automatically be placed in a triple room with other students. If you'd like to upgrade your room (for a fee), you can. Anyone 24 or older is considered an ‘adult' and will be placed in a double room by default with another adult. You can also choose to downgrade or upgrade your room (for a fee). There's no additional adult supplement fee on our tours. If you have any questions, feel free to submit a Helpdesk ticket.

How do I specifiy my preferred roommate?

The Group Leader assigns the rooms for the group. Please contact your Group Leader to let them know your rooming preference. Please note, if there are two people in your room, you will both be charged the double room fee.

I would like to include an optional activity.

Amazing! So, the way that optional excursions work is that the group leader will decide for everyone. Either the group leader will include it for everyone or no one. We don't allow partial enrollment. If you want them to include it, you should let them know that it's something that you would like them to include!

How do I contact Passports?

You can submit a Helpdesk ticket, email us at customerservice@passports.com, or give us a call at 1-800-332-7277. Our office hours are 8am to 4pm ET, Monday through Friday. We're here to help!

When will I know the flights?

Your Group Leader will receive tentative flights approximately 60 days before departure. Hang tight, it'll be worth the wait!

I would like a special meal request on the airplane.

Unfortunately, we aren't able to help with specific meal requests with group flights. We tell everyone to start calling the airline 7 days prior to departure.

Group tickets are frustrating to deal with because the airlines don't treat them like normal tickets. So, it's harder to make changes to things like special seat and meal requests ahead of time. Another option is to talk to the agent at the time of check-in. You would talk to the group leader who would be doing the check in and ask them to notify the agent.

Lastly, when boarding the plane, it is important to notify the flight attendant immediately about the meal request. Confirming and reconfirming is always the best course (pun intended).

Additionally, the vegetarian meal is a pretty standard request and they would typically have enough on the airplane.

I am allergic...

Thank you for that information! We will update your account accordingly.

Depending on the severity of your allergy, you should make sure to bring suitable medications that you require, whether that be an epi-pen or antihistamines as prescribed by a doctor. You should be certain to have these on your person at all times due to the potential for ingesting an allergen in a new or unusual food overseas.

At Passports-provided dinners, we will make sure to triple-notify the restaurant. We provide all restaurants with an allergy list ahead of time, we confirm the day before, we re-confirm when the group arrives at dinner, and the tour director will place a card next to your plate indicating an allergy. However, even with that said, cross-contamination at restaurants remains a possibility and you should have your prescribed medications on hand just in case.

We have a document about this as well: https://secure.passports.com/doc/DIET

When will we know our hotels?

Your Group Leader will receive the hotel information approximately 60 days before departure. We're working to ensure you have a comfortable stay!

Can I purchase travel insurance through Passports?

Passports provides a complimentary Travel Protection Plan for all of our travelers. You can read about it here. Scroll down to the note that reads Post-Departure Travel Protection.