 |
Look for Value in Your Travel Company
Home > About
Us > Look for Value
Some important
questions to ask
before selecting a travel company |
| 1. |
Insurance: Ask
if the tour company carries Liability/Errors and Omissions
insurance.
E.T.C.
does. You have home owners and auto insurance to protect
you from risks and perils. Why then, would you start
on a trip without that same protection and risk your
career and future. E.T.C. is more than happy to provide
you with a copy of our insurance upon request. |
| 2. |
School Group Experience: Ask what experience the tour company has had with school
groups
to your destination.
Let's face it, school group trips are unlike all others.
The day must be full, the itinerary must be educational
and kept moving, and evening activities away from the
hotel are a must. For 20 years E.T.C. has been comprised
of former school teachers and experienced professionals
who specialize in school trips. |
| 3. |
Get Itinerary: Ask to see
a day-by-day itinerary with information about hotels,
bus
companies,
restaurants,
and attractions. Although most companies will not be
able to give specific information about your trip before
you book, they should be able to mention specific hotels,
restaurants, and bus companies that they have used and
are planning to use for your trip should you book it
with them. Upon request, E.T.C. is more than happy to
share the locations and names of our suppliers with you!
We have used many of our suppliers for many years and
have established excellent relationships with them. You
can be assured that they will treat you well! |
| 4. |
Can Performances
Be Arranged?: Ask about the tour company's help in arranging a quality
public
performance
at your
destination (if you are a performance group). Most tour
companies have no experience in this area. As a matter
of practice, E.T.C. arranges public performances for
many of the musical groups that travel with us, at no
extra charge as a part of our service. A good tour company
should be able to give you ideas about performance locations
if you ask them. |
| 5. |
Do You Have a Say?: Ask how
closely the tour company works with you. Some tour companies
force
you
to adapt your desires to their schedule. It seems that
you don't have a say in what you do. E.T.C.'s attitude
is that since you are paying for the trip, so we're going
to do everything we can to accommodate your desires in
every way we can. We have not lost sight of the fact
that the customer is the most important part of our business. |
| 6. |
Quality, Flexible
Hotels?: Ask if the hotel is right for your group. Ideally, you
want
long,
indoor
hallways
with no secondary openings to the outside (i.e. balconies).
You want long-distance phones and adult movies turned
off. You want a staff that has worked with school groups
in the past and is comfortable with the higher levels
of noise and activity that students bring with them.
In most cases, E.T.C.'s hotels have indoor hallways and
are THREE DIAMOND rated by AAA. Also, ask where the hotel
is located. At first glance, center city hotels may seem
attractive, however, there are security problems involved
which may make them seem less appealing after you've
stayed there a night or two. For this reason, E.T.C.
uses hotels that are located in the suburbs. Not only
are they safer, but we can increase quality for less
money. In addition, E.T.C. hires private night security
for your group. You and your chaperones can get a good
night's rest without patrolling the halls worrying about
your students’ well being. That's real "peace
of mind". |
| 7. |
Combining Groups?: Ask if
you'll be combined with other groups. Some tour companies
will
combine your
group with another group. This arrangement is of a slight
benefit in price, but not in convenience. E.T.C. does
not combine groups unless specifically called for and
both parties are in agreement. Combining groups robs
you of your individuality and flexibility. |
| 8. |
Ask for references: A
tour company should be glad to supply the names, addresses,
and telephone numbers of schools that have traveled with
them. You are about to entrust thousands of dollars and
your reputation with a company - do your homework by
calling that company's past clients and ask some tough
questions. |
| 9. |
What Is and Isn't
Included?: Ask about the trip's cost and inclusions. Know what is
NOT
included
in the
trip
package. Know how a change in participant numbers will
affect your price. Know how many complementary chaperones
are included in the price. Know what the deposit and
final payment amounts and schedules are. Know what the
withdrawal penalties are. Price is important, but it
may pay in the long run to spend $10.00 or $20.00 more
per person up front for a much higher quality trip than
to try to save money and be burdened with hidden costs
later on. |
| 10. |
Ask who will accompany
your trip: A tour company may not be able
to give you the name of your escort six months before
departure, but
they should be able to discuss escort qualifications,
training, and experience to your destination. It is also
good to ask what portion of your trip will be escorted.
E.T.C. employs professional escorts who are familiar
with your destination and, unlike many companies, E.T.C.
escorts are not part-time college students. E.T.C.'s
practice is to assign an escort specifically to your
group from the moment you arrive at your destination.
Your escort stays at your hotel, rides the bus, eats
with you, and attends the attractions with you. |
| 11. |
Easy to Contact Staff?: Is
there someone in the office I can talk to? Our staff
is cross-trained
and
anyone,
not just your sales rep., can assist you. Also, our phones
are answered 24 hours a day by people, not machines.
At E.T.C., we are always here for you. |
|
 |
|
 |
Insurance
