schooltoursofamerica




STA TRIPSolutions

Travel with CONFIDENCE

THE STA PROMISE

 

STA is moving forward, but standing firm! As group leaders and communities begin to return to class, we are moving forward, together, to talk about what our next trip will look like.  We are thrilled to announce our innovative TRIPSolutions to help in every step of the tour process, with a primary focus on health and safety.

ON THIS PAGE:

1. Confidence for payments
2. Confidence for  travel
3. Confidence for planning
4. Confidence in our policies

 

 

CONFIDENCE FOR PAYMENTS

Programs that do the heavy-lifting, so you can focus on inspiring students.

TRIPSecure

Travel is rewarding when you leave the risk behind. Feel confident promoting your trip to parents with our risk-free registration period.

TRIPSave

Because the only thing from 2020 worth keeping is the price. Lock in this year’s price for next year’s tours.

TRIPSpend

The early bird gets the souvenir money! Trip promotion is made easy with special perks for those who register first.

TRIPShield

Life happens, but the Payment Protection Program has your back. The “no questions asked,” add-on program allows your students to receive a 100% refund should they cancel for ANY reason, even a global pandemic.

CONFIDENCE FOR TRAVEL

We focus on providing the safest, stress-free travel experience imaginable.

TRIPStrong

To create a strong and safe approach to your next trip, you may designate a “wellness chaperone” to accompany the tour and provide support if needed. And let’s face it, our healthcare professionals could really use some fun! That’s what we call a win-win.

TRIPSafe

Not to brag, but we have the best safety record in the industry for a reason! Our decades of experience helped us craft new safety policies, protocols, and procedures to keep travelers safe at every step of the tour experience.

TRIPSwag

The STA drawstring bag is perfect for when you’re feeling EXTRA! It’s packed with hand sanitizer, an individual lanyard with emergency card, and a protective mask, but still has plenty of room for your gear. Oh yeah, and did we mention it’s free for all travelers?

 

 

CONFIDENCE FOR PLANNING

We partner with the best.

Experienced Coordinators

Our Tour Coordinators create the perfect, flexible itinerary for you – and then our local, expert guides, drivers, and staff will adjust your schedule, if necessary, to maximize sightseeing while maintaining guidelines for capacity management, driver hours, social distancing, masks, and more.

Prepared Staff

Our staff is trained with the latest safety protocols and STA certified before they work with your group.  “Safety first” for our travelers and staff at all times. We are with you every step of the way; from the moment the tour begins until it ends.

Secured Sites

Because each destination, site or venue, will likely have their own safety protocols in place, our local teams on the ground are now more important than ever. These expert drivers and guides will be prepared for each itinerary, ensuring that the integrity of the tour is maintained and your students get the experience they deserve.

Charter Promise

In order to be an approved vendor, our private coach partners must meet our health and safety standards. This includes protocols for maintaining a clean environment throughout the day, as well as guidelines for loading luggage, seating policies, and boarding/deboarding procedures.

Clean Airlines

While each airline has slightly different processes and protocols in response to COVID-19, all are deep cleaning. Other actions may include reduced seating allocation and face covering requirements while on board. Additionally, when available, food service on the plane may be limited to pre-packaged meals, typically snack foods.  Up-to-date information is available from each airline. Here are examples of the new safety protocols of some of our major carriers: United, American.

Selective Food Service

STA selects local restaurants that offer enhanced food safety and hygiene.  This includes new policies like avoiding guest handling of food at buffets, enhanced cleaning/disinfecting, implementing physical distancing with table spacing and possible meal planning modifications like boxed meals.

Hotel Coordination


Our hotel partners have implemented processes focused on enhanced disinfection and deep cleaning practices, as well as increased level of frequency. There is also guidance for all areas of the hotel with a specific focus on high-frequency touch points and common areas. This advanced detailed protocol is a requirement for all of our hotel suppliers.  We are also offering affordable rooming upgrades for participants who request different room occupancy.


 

CONFIDENCE IN OUR POLICIES

What will 2021 travel look like?

Will there be temperature checks?

The chaperones (or complImentary health professional) will be asked to facilitate regular temperature checks for the protection of every traveler. Depending on the location and time of travel, there may also be temperature checks at the airport and at certain sites prior to entry.

What if a participant tests positive for COVID-19?

If a participant feels ill with symptoms of COVID-19 (which include fever, chills/aches, shortness of breath, coughing), our team will immediately facilitate movement of the participant to a location where they can safely be separated from others, while simultaneously engaging our On-Call Physicians or a local medical facility to consult on the next steps, testing, and treatment. Next steps would be:

  • Establish and coordinate communication with the participant and the family
  • Facilitate transportation for the participant to a local medical facility
  • Coordinate quarantine arrangements for the participant, in consultation with local health authorities
  • Provide guidance to the group to reduce the risk of additional exposure and coordinate testing
  • Arrange for transportation for a family member to join the ill traveler
  • Initiate thorough and proper cleaning of all necessary areas, such as hotel rooms, and motorcoaches

We will provide the resources necessary to facilitate the recommended treatment, including an isolated, chaperoned location for the participant to recover and arrangements for a new itinerary to return home.

Will we need to wear masks?

STA will provide disposable masks for our participants, as well as reusable masks for our staff.  All participants will need to follow any local, state, or national guidelines, and also follow any site-specific requirements for face coverings, including on the airplane and inside any cultural site or venue that requires a mask. When the group is on the bus or outside in open public areas, you may be able to make a group decision about wearing masks.