GLOBAL SEMINARS Educational Tours

PLANNING - Table of Contents:

DESIGN

BUDGETING (See Full Details Below)

PAYMENTS

REQUIREMENTS

BUDGETING

Contents Below:

Ground Package Estimate
The relevant portions of the Ten-Step Planning Process:

STEP THREE - You Select Your Travel Agent
STEP FOUR - Define the Role of Your Travel Agent
STEP FIVE - We Agree on the Basic Outline and Pricing

Ground Package Estimate

Global Seminars will attempt to respond to a wide range of budget requirements, adjusting the level of accommodations, number and level of meals and of coach transport to fit what your group can afford.

Most schools and universities have elected for US ground packages (i.e. not including international airfare) at US$80-110 per day, including US domestic airfare. This typically covers a ground package that includes:

all accommodations in tourist class hotels, motels and, where convenient, hostels
all breakfasts, no lunches, and most dinners (except where students are free for the afternoon and evening such as at Disneyland) - with the final dinner a higher budget celebration at Hard Rock Cafe or Planet Hollywood.
chartered coach transportation (except for central city walking tours)
admissions to major amusements such as Disneyland and Universal Studios
domestic US airfare between cities
the services of Global Seminars, with one guide per coach throughout.

Below we repeat relevant portions
of the Ten-Step Planning Process:

STEP THREE - You Select Your Travel Agent

A travel agent in your home country will be helpful to you for:

determining to best possible current international airfare costs and available flight times,
making (aka blocking) your reservation,
visa processing,
travel insurance, and
possibly handling of payments to Global Seminars.

Global Seminars can suggest a travel agent in your home country based on our past experience. For instance, we have worked with some of the major international chains of student travel agencies such as STA and CIEE (Council Travel) as well as excellent country-specific Travel Agents (such as Scenic Travel in Singapore). The final selection of a Travel Agent is your decision and, for agencies willing to quote you and us international airfares at cost (without commission to the agent), Global Seminars will build a fee for them into the tour budget in return for their providing you all the services listed above.

STEP FOUR - Define the Role of Your Travel Agent

Your Travel Agent will inform you when payments are due by you. They will have their own requirements in order to satisfy international air carriers, etc. The three deadlines below

5% (prior to detailed itinerary development),
15% (two months prior to tour) and
80% (two weeks prior to tour)

are for the cost of the Ground Package (i.e. domestic costs within the country to be toured) to be provided by Global Seminars. These three payments can be made by you directly to Global Seminars or through your travel agent. You may wish to consult administrative and accounting officers in your organization to decide:

if you want your local Travel Agent in the role of intermediary (prime contractor) between your organization and Global Seminars - handling payments to Global Seminars and perhaps some of the initial or major negotiations with Global Seminars - or
if you want to purchase the Ground Package from Global Seminars directly and separately purchase international airfare and other services from your Travel Agent.

Global Seminars has worked happily both ways - but, in either case, much prefers that we can work directly with educators on the details of itinerary to speed communications and decisions.

STEP FIVE - We Agree on Basic Outline and Pricing

The Role of the Basic Outline: Through direct and frequent contact with your primary contact, Global Seminars will attempt to quickly guide you to a decision on the basic elements of your tour - enough elements to enable you to get school or organizational approvals and to successfully attract participants and gather the initial deposit.

The basic elements include:

the dates and cities to be included,
the level of housing, meals and domestic transportation to be included,
the educational strategy and a list of possible educational stops (listed in categories of very likely, somewhat likely or less likely to approve our visit), and
the major amusements or entertainment, if any, that are included in the budget.

Variable Tour Pricing: As you register participants and collect the 5% deposit from your organization or from participants you may need to announce to potential participants that the full tour cost will vary according to the number of participants (larger groups have a lower per person cost). Global Seminars will typically give you the tour cost at three levels, giving the maximum and minimum number of participants associated with each of the three levels. Alternatively, you can decide what the minimum possible group size is and use the pricing Global Seminars gives you for such a small group. Then as the group grows you will have collected more than enough funds to work with or refund, an easier task than seeking additional funds from your organization or participants later.

Inflating the Price You Announce and Collect: Several educators have found it useful to announce and collect a single and firm price slightly higher than what is required of them by Global Seminars and their Travel Agent. This then becomes a contingency fund should:

group size fall into a more expensive price category,
unexpected costs (such as injury or illness of any traveler),
exchange rates change, etc.

The unspent portion of this fund can be brought along by the group leader(s) and used to:

add to the meals or attractions during the tour or
to enable payment of gratuities (tips).

Group Size Considerations: You should keep in mind that there is usually room for 46-52 passengers in the larger coaches (plus one seat for Global Seminars staff). The closer you come to filling the coach the lower the average cost per participant (smaller or mini-buses are almost the same cost to charter as the largest coaches). On the other hand, if possible you should avoid a final group size that is only slightly larger than a full coach (or a multiple thereof), because this can increase transportation costs by necessitating an extra coach and underutilized coaches.

PLANNING: Other Planning Topics: