Dear Parents & Students,

We will be leading a group of interested eighth grade students to our nation’s capital, Washington, DC, departing at 12am on Wednesday morning, November 6 and returning home early Saturday morning, November 9, 2024.  

This trip is highly recommended and a terrific opportunity for your child to experience our nation’s history during some of the most important times of our lives! This tour will provide valuable insight into our great nation's heritage. 

The following information should answer most of your initial questions. More trip information will be provided throughout the school year. I look forward to your child experiencing this incredible trip next November '24.

Sincerely,

Sarah Gilbert

Our whirlwind tour will be 3 days of sightseeing (2 hotel nights). Again, we will depart via chartered motor coach at 12am Wednesday morning, November 6, 2024 spending three days sightseeing in and around Washington, DC, finally returning home early Saturday morning, November 9 '24. Additional trip information will be provided leading up to the trip. The company planning our historical adventure is Student Educational Tours (SET). SET will manage and facilitate many trip functions throughout.  Email: info@SETours.org

A chaperone ratio of one adult per 12 participants will be maintained. In addition, SET staff will be on call 24 hours.

Sarah Gilbert

sarah.gilbert@avondaleschools.org

Behavior & Supervision while on tour

Responsible behavior is expected at all times to ensure a safe and enjoyable trip for all participants.  Furthermore, rules for behavior will be established by the chaperones. Any violation of behavior rules or other supervision issues may result in the student being sent home at the parent’s expense and waiving any right for a refund.  

Price Guarantee

The tour price quoted is based on four students per room and is fully guaranteed by SET for groups meeting the group size requirements detailed on the front of this letter. Groups NOT meeting the group size requirement are subject to an increase in the tour price. EXCEPTIONS to the tour price guarantee also include the unlikely event of an imposed increase in air, rail, or motor coach fare due to circumstances beyond SET direct control (fuel surcharges, departure taxes, etc.).

General Policy

Airline baggage fees ARE NOT included in the advertised tour price and are the sole responsibility of the traveler. All trip payments are managed online. Checks are not accepted after the final payment due date. If your balance is not paid in full by the final payment deadline, a $50.00 late fee will be charged. Any checks returned by your bank, for any reason, will result in a $45.00 service charge. SET reserves the right to make additions or deletions in the program when deemed advisable for the well-being of the group or changes in circumstances. The right is further reserved to refuse or accept any person as a member of the group. SET does not accept responsibility for lost or stolen items. Any likeness (video or film) taken of a tour participant or any statement or comment made by a participant of a tour with SET may be used in materials published by SET without compensation. Due to the nature of group travel, deviated flights, extended stays and frequent flyer miles are not available to participants. If payment in full is not received by the final payment deadline, as stated in the registration letter, your tour space is not guaranteed. Furthermore, if 50% of payment is not received by the midway planning point, then your tour space is not guaranteed. Students are placed four to a room. Adults select a double or single room occupancy at time of registration. Regarding adult double rooms, a single room upgrade may be necessary prior to the trip if another adult is not available. 

Standard Cancellation Policy

All cancellation/refund requests must be made in writing to Student Educational Tours, LLC., PO BOX 441, Arnold, MD 21012 or by email to info@SETours.org - and must include the registrant’s name, school name and complete home address. Non-Participants in our Refund Protection Program (RPP) – If your cancellation letter (email) is postmarked more than 161 days prior to the group’s departure, SET will retain the non-refundable deposit amount along with 50% of tour price; if your cancellation is postmarked 160 days or less prior to the group’s departure, SET will retain 100% of the tour price. 

Enrollment in the Refund Protection Program (RPP) can only be made during the initial online registration & deposit process. The RPP will provide a refund, minus the cost of this program (and any other non-refundable fees such as the initial non-refundable deposit amount and any force majeure elements), if you cancel at any time prior to departure for any reason. Tour dates are sometimes changed, due to canceled flights, airline strikes, unavailable flights, force majeure, etc. Reservations are not transferable at any time. Money is refunded to the original payer. Refunds will be processed every four-six weeks depending on tour schedules. Fees for late payments, late registration, service and handling fees, returned checks and merchandise are not refundable. Exceptions to our refund policy are not made.

Student Educational Tours, LLC (SET) Insurance

Accident, illness, and accident-related dental insurance coverage are provided for all participants. Limits per single occurrence are: $10,000.00 for accident, $1,500.00 for illness and $750.00 for accident-related dental. Any charges not covered by insurance are the responsibility of the participant. Pre-existing conditions and air travel are not covered under this policy. Participating enterprises all maintain insurance coverage. SET also maintains comprehensive general liability insurance. 

Consumer Disclosure Notice

Our trips are arranged by Student Educational Tours, LLC (“Operator”) in conjunction with your group leader. The Operator has made the travel arrangements as agent for the transportation carriers and other suppliers of services connected with the tour (“suppliers”), all of which are independent contractors. The Operator in no way owns or operates the vehicles or facilities to be used during the trip, and does not guarantee or assume responsibility for the acts and/or omissions of suppliers, their employees, agents, etc. Transportation companies are not to be held responsible for any act, omission, or event during the time passengers are not on board planes, transportation, or conveyances. Enrollment in and payment for a tour shall constitute agreement and acceptance by the passenger of the terms and conditions set forth in this brochure which cannot be varied except in writing by an officer of the Company. All bookings are accepted subject to the conditions imposed by suppliers and Operator, including rail, coach, hotel, restaurants, insurance and other companies, firms or persons concerned with the trip, and the Operator will make no refund in the event of their delay, cancellation, overbooking, strike, force majeure or for elements of the package not used by customer. If there is a difference between the Operator’s conditions and those published by a supplier, the conditions of supplier shall apply. The Operator reserves the right to cancel a trip or change the itinerary whenever in its sole judgment conditions warrant, or if the Operator deems it necessary for your comfort, convenience, or safety. You are responsible for, and release the Operator from, state-issued ID and safety conditions in travel destinations. The Operator reserves the right to decline to accept any person as a member of the tour, or to require any participant to withdraw from the trip at any time who presents a significant risk to the health or safety of himself or others which cannot be eliminated or reduced to an acceptable level by the Operator’s reasonable accommodation. Prices in this brochure are accurate at the time of printing and are subject to change without notice due to changes in market factors including but not limited to supplier cost fluctuations. A contract is made when your reservation and payment are accepted at your booking facility, and any dispute shall be governed by Maryland law. In calculating the cost of your trip, Operator has relied on your consent to these terms and in the absence of this release, the trip cost would have been higher. Operator reserves the right to substitute hotels of similar quality at any time or to make changes in itinerary of similar quality. Operator will not be responsible to any person for expense, loss of time, money, or other circumstance resulting from a change in itinerary or change of tour arrangements. Operator reserves the right to vary the sequence of sightseeing and/or to re-route if that will enable you to visit all listed excursions. In either case, the itinerary content will be maintained to the extent possible and there are no refunds for any unused, unavailable excursions or other planned sights not seen for any reason.

As the worldwide COVID-19 corona-virus pandemic remains ongoing at this time, the participant acknowledges for this reason, and other reasons not reasonably foreseeable at this time, these travel plans may be interrupted or canceled by the Operator (or suppliers) that is providing them, a government entity or other third party over which the Operator has no control. The particpiant acknowledges that the supplier's own cancellation, re-booking and refund policies, subject to any applicable law that is now or may later be in effect, will govern the participant's rights and remedies, including a right to receive a refund, in such an event. The participant understands that electing to purchase the Refund Protection Program (see below), the terms of the policy will dictate whether, and to what extent, coverage for any financial loss may exist under the circumstances. The participant hereby agrees to hold the Operator harmless and release the agency from any and all liability for any damages, including but not limited to monetary losses, that may incur as a result of such interruption or cancellation of these travel plans. The participant acknowledges the contagious nature of COVID-19 and voluntarily assume the risk that I may be exposed to or infected by COVID-19 while traveling. Such exposure or infection may result in personal injury, illness, permanent disability, and possible death. The participant voluntarily agrees to assume all of the foregoing risks and accept sole responsibility for any injury (including, but not limited to, personal injury, disability, and death), illness, damage, loss, claim, liability, or expense, of any kind, that the participant may experience or incur in connection with the Operator. As travel opens around the world, all destinations, airports, air carriers, hotels, restaurants, transfer companies, car rental companies, shops and excursions have established COVID-19 safety measures and precautions which may change from day to day. These safety measures may include, but are not limited to: curfews, attraction closings and reduced hours, size of group gatherings, social distancing requirements, health screenings, self-quarantine requirements and COVID test results. The participant accepts ultimate responsibility along with traveling party to have all the necessary provisions & documents for travel (such as COVID test results, pre-travel questionnaires, etc.). 

STOP.  IMPORTANT.  PLEASE READ to CLEARLY UNDERSTAND. 

The Refund Protection Program (RPP) is offered to guarantee a refund, minus the cost of the RPP and any other non-refundable fees (such as initial deposit) if you find it necessary to cancel the participant at any time leading up to the trip for ANY reason (either by you, the trip leader, school/administration, etc.). Importantly, the RPP can only be included during this registration process (and not added at a later date).    

The cost of the RPP is optional and selected on pricing package page. If you do NOT select the the RPP, then the “Standard Cancellation Policy” as outlined above will be upheld and you will lose up to 100% of payments if canceled for any reason.

REAL EXAMPLES of how the RPP has helped participants/students receive a refund. Importantly to consider, the following students (parents) would have lost 100% of their trip investment without the RPP (as well as example #3 which lost 100%): 

1. A student became very ill with the flu on the day before their class trip to Washington, DC, and their doctor advised not to travel. Since they had purchased the RPP, a full refund minus the cost of the RPP (& deposit) was issued…no questions asked! 

2. The day before a class trip, a student was accidentally struck in the head by another student while playing in the school hallways resulting in a concussion. The injured student was ordered not to travel by a doctor. Since the RPP was included in their trip package, they received a refund accordingly. 

3. A school administrator dropped students from their upcoming trip due to poor grades & vape smoking issues. Several students did not purchase the RPP, therefore lost 100% of payment.

4. A nationwide pandemic forced all travel to stop resulting in all trips cancelled. Those with RPP received refunds (as described above)...no questions asked.