Swallow School Washington D.C Trip
Frequently Asked Questions
Below are some of the more commonly asked questions that we have received:
Q: When is the deposit due?
A: Anytime before October 29th, 2021. However you are welcome to submit it after this date when you feel comfortable. If we are able to confirm the space, we will! Kindly note that the price will increase beginning on any registration physically received October 30th or later.
Q: Are payment refundable or transferrable?
A: Unfortuantely no. All payments are non-refundable under all circumstances without exception. We encourage you to consider travel insurance to protect your investment. Additionally any funds paid in are for the individual traveler listed on the confirmation. It cannot be transferred to another family member or to any other participant.
Q: I read on the brochure and registration form that a full COVID-19 vaccination is required. Is this true:
A: Yes, it is! Our company policy since May 22, 2021 is that all participants on any of our tours must be fully vaccinated against the virus in order to participate. Not only is it the responsible way to travel, but helps to minimize risks to fellow participants and vendors. In addition, our suppliers may require it at anytime to access their faciities or service which is legal.
Q: Do you have a FAQ list online somewhere that you can share with the school?
A: Unfortunately I do not have a FAQ sheet. I just answer questions as they come around. It is something to consider for the future though!
Q: What are the insurance options, costs and can we cancel for any reason? i.e. I just purchased a trip through funjet and for $100/person, I can cancel with 100% refund up to 2 hours before the flight. Wondering if you offer something similar
A: The only insurance plan I offer is thru TravelGuard. Their Preferred plan allows you to cancel due to covered reasons only. There is an option “cancel for any reason up to 50% back” rider that can be added to the policy as long as it is added at the same time of policy issuance and when the initial policy is issued within 14 days of deposit. The cost of the plan depends on age at time of travel, but I generally use 10% of total trip cost as a rough guide for the cost of the plan. However participants are welcome to use any other travel insurer of their choosing!
Q: If one of the planned tours is closed for any reason (for example, the capital), will you plan something else for that time slot or will it end of being “free” time?
A: A lot depends on how much advance notice we have of a closure. We rely upon our guides to offer suggestions of alternative activities. If there isn’t something immediately available that would accommodate the entire group, then likely we would offer personal time to continue to explore one of the many Smithsonian Museums or cultural attractions.
Q: If the entire trip is cancelled for whatever reason (i.e. School Board decision, pandemic, epidemic, covid, weather, anything out of our control) , what happens to our travel funds?
A: If the trip is cancelled…say under “Force Majeure” which is a common reason, we will move into something called a Resolution stage. A lot also depends on when this cancellation would occur. As you make payments into us, we pay the suppliers on your behalf. Depending on when we cancel with them, a penalty is applied to the overall reservation. As our T&C’s state, we will work with the suppliers to try and recover as much of the funds as possible to be returned to the participants which would be in the form of a future travel credit (absolutely no cash back) less any administrative costs to compensate our time in setting up the tour and attempting to recover funds. Candidly speaking, though, it is unlikely that we would be able to recover anything the closer we get to the departure date as the contracts that we enter to make this trip happen are very restrictive.