Important Travel Information

When it comes to travel, expect the unexpected!  As you begin to prepare your teen for their upcoming immersion program, make sure you spend some time planning and discussing what to do if something unexpected affects your teen’s travels to or from their language immersion program.

To get started, here are a few suggestions:

• Arrange for your child to travel with a fully operational cell phone.  You teen needs this to inform the host school if there is any delay in travel that will affect their arrival time or if their baggage is delayed/lost in transit. They will also want to connect with you and having a cell phone at the ready will make this easier and reduce any stress they may be feeling. More info on international cell phones can be found on our Cell Phones page.
• Make sure your teen travels with the school emergency number(s). A document listing the host school emergency number(s) will be included in a pre-departure package that will be sent out approximately 6 weeks prior to the program start date.
• Keep a copy of the host school emergency number(s).  If your teen has a travel issue that delays their arrival to the program they may feel more comfortable having you call the school to alert them of any change to your teen’s arrival time.
• Make sure you are available and easily reachable on all travel days. Please make sure your teen has back up numbers to call in the event that they have a travel issue or emergency and you are not reachable.   

It is really important to keep in mind that The Learning Traveller and the host school for your teen’s program are not responsible for or able to assist with any travel issues that come up while your teen is in transit.

When you inform the school of any travel delays, they will re-schedule your teen’s airport transfers but they cannot assist with flight bookings, flight re-scheduling or any hotel arrangements while your teen is in transit. These are issues you and your teen will have to work together to resolve.

Please note: If there is an airport closure that results in your teen not being able to leave the program at the end of their stay, the school will make arrangements to accommodate your teen until they are able to travel. You are responsible for any flight re-schedulings or any other travel issues that may arise related to any departure delays.

Even the most seasoned traveller can get overwhelmed when they run into unexpected travel issues!  One of the best ways to deal with this is to work through a variety of ‘what if’ travel-related scenarios (for example, delayed flight, missed connection, lost baggage, etc,) and then talk through the steps you would take to deal with this. If your teen knows that things can go wrong, and that together you will deal with it, they will feel less overwhelmed if things do go wrong!

Questions about getting there? Call us toll-free 1 888 386 1411