Month to Month

Parents

• TFT offers our biggest promotions of the year in the Fall. All returning alumni get an additional 5% off, along with Early Bird discounts depending on what month you register. Check out our Program Discounts page for details.

• Schedule your Welcome Call. Whether brand new to TFT or a returning family, we are here to help. We know the logistics and details regarding sending your teen on a trip can be daunting. Scheduling a time to talk with a member of our Client Service Team helps to demystify the nuances of travel and gives parents peace of mind. Even if we are still working out flight paths and itinerary details, we can talk about processes and expectations along with paperwork, insurance, payment, and anything else you may be unsure of!

TFT

• The User Experience Team has been busy since mid-August reviewing all student and parent feedback from our previous summer participants to ensure that our programs remain wonderful year to year. With the feedback, they spend these months building out and fine tuning this year’s itineraries and start making reservations for hotels and activities for the coming season.

• The Logistics Team works with the User Experience team to map out the transportation to and from all programs, along with reviewing processes to make sure our Client Services remain top-notch.

• The Sales and Marketing team updates all of our literature with improvements to our programs based on the feedback from our previous summer participants, along with calling every family who traveled with us this past summer to hear about their experience.

Parents

• If your teen has yet to choose a program, now is the time. Our deadline is February 1st, so schedule your call with a Trip Consultant to find the trip of a lifetime. Please keep in mind its possible your number one program choice may already be sold out so we encourage you to decide sooner rather than later!

• Optional Trip Excursions are available to sign up for in your MyTFT portal. Optional excursions are activities on the itinerary that not everyone may want to do, such as scuba diving or a high-adrenaline activity. Each excursion is unique and is not included in the tuition. You can sign up directly through MyTFT, or call or email if you have specific questions.

• Check your teen’s passport to be sure they have 6 months of validity from the END of the trip. For example, if they are going to Costa Rica on June 29th and coming back on July 9th, the passport needs to be valid until January 9th, 2024 to be safe!

• Payment in full is due April 1st. You can review our Payment Details page to decide on a payment method that works best for you.

TFT

• The Logistics and Client Services Teams help new and previously registered families prepare for the summer. They can help with anything you need: booking flights, purchasing trip insurance, completing paperwork, and answering general questions. They also begin a detailed and ongoing paperwork audit. They will contact you with reminders to complete the paperwork packet if it is overdue. Having the paperwork complete in a timely manner allows all teams to thoroughly prepare for the summer.

• The User Experience and Finance Teams work on finalizing and paying for activities, classes, transportation, and special events for the programs.

• The HR Department is in full swing welcoming back returning Trip Directors and Senior Counselors and finding new applicants in our four-step interview process.

• Our Sales and Marketing team is busy speaking with interested families every day and helping them choose the perfect program!

Parents

• It’s time to start thinking about your teen’s trip! Check out our Trip Specific Packing List to get an idea of what needs to be packed. Need travel supplies? We have an Amazon page of curated travel must-haves sourced by our adventurous staff. Check it out!

• Review the Optional Excursions in MyTFT. Some programs have something really special above and beyond the already amazing itinerary, but there are deadlines to sign up! Make sure your teen isn’t missing out by going to MyTFT and clicking ‘Optional Excursions’ on the left.

• Throughout the trip, our counselors will be taking lots of photos with our high-quality DSLR cameras so that parents can follow along on the adventure! Register with Waldo Photos if you would like to purchase a high-resolution digital download of the photos for $50.00. Purchase of the photos can be done at any time before, during, or after the trip, and you can share the link with friends and family.

• From May onward, the final payment and all paperwork are due within one week of registration. This ensures that all teams have what they need to prepare for your teen’s travel experience.

TFT

• The Client Service Team double-checks all trips for birthdays. If your child has a birthday on their trip, we can arrange a celebration with cake or a special dessert for the group to celebrate for $75. This is an excursion and can be added to your account on MyTFT.

• All teams are in full gear preparing for the summer departures. Trip Folders with essential camper paperwork and reservations are organized, and gear bags including med kits and cameras are built for summer counselors. Accounts are audited one by one for any missing information, counselor staffing is finalized, and training materials are sent for pre-staff training homework. Staff flights are booked and airport days are mapped out.

Parents

• Our rules, safety measures, and Code of Conduct are in place to guarantee all travelers feel safe and included in our programs. Please, please take this time to review our Five Rules and Code of Conduct with your teen. Failure to follow our rules and safety measures can result in dismissal from the program. If a participant is dismissed from a program for violating the Code of Conduct, no refund will be given for any program costs or flights, whether used or unused. All costs associated with the participant’s departure will be the responsibility of the participant and their family.

• Within 24-48 hours of departure, all participants are required to submit proof of a negative COVID test through the MyTFT portal, completing their last trip task. Reminders for the test will be provided in the June Monthly Update along with the pre-departure email.

• WhatsApp is the preferred method of communication during our programs. While parents aren’t part of the trip WhatsApp group, we encourage parents to download the app for ease of communication.

TFT

• Within one and two weeks of the trip departure, Trip Directors send a pre-departure email with all final checklist items to ensure a smooth departure and a successful trip. In this email, Trip Directors will invite all participants to a WhatsApp group Chat so that participants can start communicating directly with each other.

• One week prior to departure, the Logistics Team will send a travel day email with detailed instructions for what to do when you arrive at the airport, how to meet the group, who to contact if you’re running late, and who will be there. If your teen is flying as an Unaccompanied Minor (UM), a separate email will be sent detailing the designated pickup person. Due to the nature of staffing an airport day, this information is not available until closer to departure.

• Forty-eight hours before departure, the Trip Director will send one final email with any last-minute reminders.

Parents

• Tell us about the trip! All participants and parents are sent a post-trip survey to provide valuable feedback on what they loved or didn’t love so much about the program, from hotels, activities, staff, and anything else they want to comment on. We strive to make these trips the best they can be. This feedback is read and implemented, completing the loop that starts in the Fall.

• At the end of every trip, it is normal for some families to reach out to us to share that they would like to show gratitude towards our staff members by tipping them and asking for guidance on how to best make this happen. While this is not mandatory or expected, our staff members are always very appreciative. We send information on how to tip your teen’s counselors if you so choose.

TFT

• If your teen participated in a service trip, a certificate is sent by mid-August confirming the hours worked during the trip. If a more-detailed form needs to be filled out, email it help@travelforteens.com and we can verify the hours.

• After the return of the last trip, we celebrate another successful summer!

• After Labor Day, we have our annual Think Tank, where each team reviews its processes and brainstorms how to make the next season even better, and we start all over again!