Travel For Teens Monthly Update - April 2024

Update From TFT Headquarters

We’re one month closer to departure! It’s hard to believe, but we are beyond excited as we get into the season of filling up trips, making final reservations, and preparing for summer. We have another big update to share with you, read on!

The goal of our monthly updates is to share key information relevant to the time of the year and a centralized place for general information that will help you and your teen prepare for their program.

These are the key items for our spring update:

May 1 Deadline to Book Flights with TFT
Time to Book Optional Trip Add-Ons!
Order your TFT Traveler Tee
Visas
Non Voluntary Flight Changes and Voluntary Trip Changes
Passport Validity
Paperwork and Payment Audits
Getting in Touch with the Office

May 1st Flight Deadline

This is your last month to purchase a flight directly with TFT! In May, our Logistics Team will shift to preparing for summer departures. We can point you in the right direction if you need help getting started. If you haven’t purchased your flight yet, now is the time! Prices will continue to rise as summer approaches. Read on to see whether booking with us or independently is the right fit for you!

*IMPORTANT FLIGHT DISCLAIMERS*

Our pricing is “live” and quoted fares are not guaranteed until tickets are booked
Our agent uses a global distribution system of fares published by airlines. This means if you get a quote from us you may find a fare on your own that is cheaper. You are welcome to purchase that flight, as we do not advertise nor guarantee that booking with us will be the most economical option
If you purchase a flight that is outside of the group flights or windows, we request you first check with us to ensure it works for arrival and departure. Flights outside of the designated times will be subject to private transfer fees and/or staff time
Depending on volume, flight quote turnaround times may take up to 48 hours. Any quote started before May 1 will be completed if you wish to purchase airfare through TFT.

Booking with TFT

Purchasing a flight with Travel For Teens incurs a one-time $200 booking fee
Communicate your preferences by filling out the transportation survey in your MyTFT Portal and we find the flight. We will send the itinerary, fare quote, and the insurance amount to cover the quote for review, you simply pay to approve
Prices are live which means that they are subject to change from the time you are quoted to the time of booking
We do not have group seating or special rates. Our agent is purchasing seats on the plane live as one would when they look themselves
TFT will finalize your travel arrangements and mark your transportation plan trip task complete.

To book with TFT: Fill out the Transportation Survey to tell us if you need domestic connections and what kind of flight path you would like. Within one business day, a member of our Logistics Team will send you a custom quote, itinerary, and a link to pay if you are ready to purchase. We will ticket the flight, send you the e-ticket, and update your teen’s transportation form.

Booking Independently

Purchase flights live to avoid agent delays and price increases
You can apply frequent flier miles, points, or e-credits
You have full control over your teen’s ticket
You can reserve seats right then and there, purchase extra leg room etc.
Receive direct alerts from the airline
Your teen will have the same airport day support that a traveler booked through TFT has

To book on your own: Review the flight arrival and departure times if you are planning to deviate from the flight paths. If you are purchasing a flight that is outside of the group flight path, please call or email your proposed route to us for review. Forward the confirmation to help@travelforteens.com and we will finalize your transportation form.

Important "To Do" List

TFT Traveler Tee

Have you ordered your teen’s free TFT Traveler tee? Say that three times fast! If not, don’t delay! Our bright teal shirts help staff recognize travelers as they arrive, not to mention a great souvenir! Our staff will be wearing a bright orange shirt. We partner with a local print company to provide the t-shirts for summer. The shirt is optional, and if your teen would like to have one, you can order it and have it shipped for free directly to your home.

Click here to order!

Passport Validity

We’re here once more to remind you to check your teen’s passport! If your teen is traveling internationally, we cannot stress enough the importance of making sure the passport expiration date has at least six months of validity from the return date of the program. 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, 2025 to be safe! Even if a country’s requirements are less stringent, your teen could be denied boarding at the departure airport, and it would be completely out of our control. If the passport is expired or set to expire, now is the time to renew. Better safe than sorry!

You can view our Passports, Visas, and Vaccinations page for information on applying for or renewing a passport.

Visas

In the next two weeks, we will be emailing specific instructions to applicable families to apply for a visa for travel. As a reminder, TFT DOES NOT secure visas for travelers. Submitting all required paperwork and all application fees is the responsibility of the traveler and family.

Travelers visiting Europe in the summer of 2024 will not be required to obtain a visa as the coming requirement has been pushed out beyond this summer.

If your teen holds a US passport and is visiting one of the countries listed below, they will need a visa prior to entry.

Tanzania
Laos
Vietnam
Cambodia
Australia
New Zealand

Please visit our Passports, Visas, and Vaccines page for more information on the visa process including direct links to apply!

If you are not a US passport holder, we recommend contacting your local government or consulate directly for details on entering destinations.

Optional Trip Add-Ons Are Here!

Many of our programs offer an additional element to a program that not every participant would necessarily want to do, such as SCUBA, high-adrenaline, or day trips! These activities are an additional cost, not part of the advertised tuition, and are, of course, completely optional. Not every program will have added excursions, so if you do not see any on your teen’s trip, don’t worry, it just means that your teen doesn’t have to decide if they want to do anything extra! Please note an alternate activity will always be available for the group that does not participate.

You will find the optional add-ons by clicking your teen’s trip in your MyTFT Portal and scrolling to the sections under your Traveler Tasks. You can simply click the carrot next to ‘Register’ to add it and you will be invoiced automatically. Currently, our new system does not describe the excursion or show the signup deadline but these are enhancements that will be added in time. We will be emailing by trip a description of the excursion along with the deadline for signing up. If you sign up for an excursion but decide not to participate you can opt out up to the signup deadline. Once the signup deadline has passed there will be no opportunity for refunds.

A Few More Reminders

Paperwork Audits

In the coming weeks, our Client Service team will begin to send out reminders to complete any paperwork and trip tasks that are not complete. If items are still outstanding after multiple notices, late fees may be imposed. In extreme circumstances, a traveler may be removed from a program paperwork is not received. As a reminder, you can check your trip task due dates in your MyTFT account. We want to note that we recognize the discrepancy between a trip task being completed and the ‘days til due’ still calculating. This feature is currently being updated to no longer display the ‘days til due’ once the task is complete. If you see other discrepancies or need to change your due dates to give you more time, do not hesitate to contact us.

If your ‘Sign the Travel For Teens Paperwork Packet via DocuSign’ task is still marked ‘no’, this means you have not completed the packet sent 24 hours after you registered. We ask that you first search the primary guardian’s inbox for ‘Contract and Paperwork for [Traveler Name]’ which is the subject line of the email we sent. If you are still unable to find it or are unsure, please reach out using one of the methods listed at the end of the update.

Payments Due

We are beginning to make final reservations and purchase inter-trip travel, and the need for accounts paid is essential. At this time, anyone who has not registered in the last two weeks and has a balance is overdue unless they have communicated with us and made alternate arrangements. Our finance team is reaching out to families 1:1 to request final payment and will begin to apply late fees or charge the card on file.

We ask that you give us the benefit of the doubt in our communication; our teams strive to complete their tasks for trip preparation. We will work with you if you communicate with us. Thank you in advance for your timely attention to our deadlines.

Non-Voluntary Flight Changes

This is the time of year that airlines make schedule changes. While we make every effort to set the most efficient flight paths early in the season to ensure cost efficiency for fares, our flight paths are at the behest of the airlines and are always subject to time changes or outright cancellation. This is entirely out of our control.

In the event that an airline changes or cancels one of our group flight paths between now and departure, Travel For Teens will identify a new flight path and will work with all impacted families on rebooking the flight.

Voluntary Trip Switches

While you are still able to switch your teen’s program, there will now be a $200 additional fee for all voluntary trip switches. To initiate a trip switch, please email help@travelforteens.com with the trip name and dates that you would like us to switch your teen to. Once the switch has been processed, you will receive a confirmation email with a new paperwork packet to complete. Our Client Service Team will send you an email with the new flight path and any other important details you need to know.

Still Have Questions?

Our phones will be very busy these coming months! Review the options below on the ways to get ahold of us that are most convenient for you!

Schedule a Call

We highly recommend this option, as it allows us to call at a time that is convenient for you! Depending on your question, you can schedule a specific type of call that one of our skilled Client Service or Logistics team members can help you with!

Welcome Call – Recommended for first-time families and alums as well, this allows you to holistically go over the account with us and discuss deadlines, to-dos, and what to expect. Even if you signed up a few months ago, it’s never too late to schedule a welcome call!
Flight Logistics Call – Schedule this call to discuss purchasing a flight with TFT or independently. We can go over connections, independent arrivals or departures, or any other travel-related question you may have
General Call – If you have a quick question, this is the one for you! You can even type up what you want to talk about so we can be prepared to answer with exactly what you need

Click this link to schedule any of the above calls. We are here to help!

Call Us

Our Client Service & Logistics Teams answer the phone between 8 am and 5 pm EDT. Our phones can get very busy during this time, and if you call, you may reach our voicemail, which we will return within one business day at the latest.

We have a lot of talented teammates answering the phones, however, not every single person that you speak to may be able to answer your specific question, but don’t worry, they will get you that answer! This may mean setting up a future call. We do this not to inconvenience you, but to ensure that you are getting the correct answers you need.

We are coming into the busiest time of the year at the TFT Office. Our volume will be heavy but we will get back to each of you.

To call, dial 888-457-4534, Option 1

Email Us

Any questions can be answered by email as well! We answer all emails within two business days unless otherwise noted or we are closed for a holiday. Emails are answered in the order in which they are received, so it is very important to understand that if you reply to your own email in an attempt to point out you haven’t been answered yet, the email becomes recent from that moment and actually moves you out of your place in the queue! We don’t want that!

You can reach us at help@travelforteens.com