GDay USA Issue #1 Feb 2017

Parent & Student Newsletter

YOUR GROUP LEADER & YOU WELCOME TO THE
Communication and preparation is the key to enjoying a successful GDay USA expe-
rience. Group Leaders do a wonderful job of organizing the group for the trip ahead, 2018 GDAY USA TOUR!
and EWT strongly encourages that parents work with their Group Leader to best
prepare their child for the many aspects of travelling with a group overseas. In the We understand how exciting it
past, students who are well prepared prior to departure have a far more enjoyable can be to have a trip to the USA
experience and are more likely to cope with the varied aspects of travelling. on the horizon. It is our goal to
ensure that everybody involved
All Group Leaders are expected to hold regular meetings. Some of you may have in the program feels confident
enjoyed a meeting or two with your group already, and others may have their first and informed about what our
meetings coming up soon. Please contact your Group Leader for meeting details and tour entails.
make sure not to miss out, as meeting attendance is vital for a successful tour. These
meetings provide Group Leaders with an opportunity to deliver key information, as This is the first of four inter-
well as hand out and collect documentation. They also serve as an opportunity for esting and informative news-
all travellers to meet and get to know each other, therefore building teamwork. letters that will be emailed to
you over the next 10 months.
Please communicate regularly and openly with your Group Leader! They will be
If you have any questions, or just
putting many hours of their personal time to prepare and train for the tour. It is
want to have a chat about the
their generosity that allows groups to travel every year and provide our travellers
tour, please contact us on
with an opportunity of a life time.

1800 337 930

STUDENT BIOGRAPHY AND ALLERGY INFORMATION
or 03 9830 4545
Biographies are due into EWTs Head Office on Wednesday 22nd March 2017. This
document is what the US School Coordinator will use to match your child with a US or info@ewt.com.au
host family.
We have attached to this email some biography suggestions to read through before
travellers sit down to write their letter of introduction to their hosts. Parents, please
ensure that you read the letter to your child's future host family and that you agree
that it is a fair representation of your child's personality before signing!
If your child has an allergy or dietary requirement, please state the severity in the
Allergy/Dietary Requirement section of the biography. For example, if your child is If you havent already,
allergic to pet hair, can they be hosted in a house that keeps their pets outdoors? If check out our website at:
the allergy is severe and/or your child suffers from anaphylaxis, its important that
both EWT and your childs future host family are informed. www.ewt.com.au
This especially applies to anyone with a nut allergy. If a traveller has stated an aller-
gic reaction to nuts, the airlines request a description of the extent of the allergy.
Will the traveller react if someone sitting next to them on a plane opens a bag of Educational World Travel
nuts? Do they require an EpiPen? Please provide as much information as you can.
If you have any queries, please call EWT to discuss. @educationalworldtravel

#gdayusatour

HEAD OFFICE (MEL) MELBOURNE SYDNEY BRISBANE ADELAIDE

Toll Free: 1800 337 930 Ph: 03 9830 4545 Ph: 02 9531 6816 Ph: 07 3821 5611 Ph: 08 8338 5900
PO Box 1492 Fax: 03 9836 0015 Fax: 02 9531 6815
CAMBERWELL EAST VIC 3126
 PARENT MEETING REFRESHER
DOCUMENT CHECKLIST
Prior to signing your child up on the GDay USA tour, most of you would
It is important that EWT receives all out- have attended a meeting held by an EWT Program Development Manager
standing forms as soon as possible. By now, to introduce the program and discuss it in more depth.
you should have handed in the following
forms: The EWT staff member discussed the itinerary, explained the program and
Application to Travel answered any questions that may have been raised. Its quite a lot of infor-
mation to take in, so as a reminder we have listed some of the relevant
Medical Release points here for your reference:

Travel Insurance Application 1. Tour Cost, Inclusions and Non-Inclusions

Biography including a letter to your future
host family (due March 22nd)
Please log in to your account at
www.ewt.com.au using your username and
password to make sure that we have re-
2. Passports & USA Visa
ceived all of your forms. Any forms not yet
received by EWT can be downloaded from
our website.
The tour cost is $6495 (including Travel Insurance). This amount does
not include airline taxes or government surcharges (approx $190 at
the time of printing) , or additional host destination charges (if applica-
ble). These amounts are added to your invoice and sent to you in late
September.
Every traveller on the GDay USA program must be in possession of a
current passport and a visa to enter the USA, in the form of an ESTA.
We will send more information on how to obtain these in your second
newsletter.

3. Hotels in the United States

QBE TRAVEL INSURANCE
You may have heard that the cost of medical care in
the United States is extremely pricey! As a result, all
of our GDay USA travelers are required to have com-
prehensive Travel Insurance.
Travellers will spend four nights in a Los Angeles hotel and two
nights in a hotel in San Francisco. While in these hotels, students will
be roomed in same sex quad share arrangements (2 students per
bed). Only students from the same group will/may be required to
share a bed. Breakfast will be provided each morning during the ho-
tel stay.

4. Host Families in the United States

For many years, EWT has worked in conjunction with
Hosting is often the highlight of the trip for our travellers. We use
QBE to offer you a great rate for Travel Insurance for
the information on the Australian student biography to match them
your childs GDay USA tour. The cost of coverage for
up with families in the United States. Host family information is dis-
the 20 day tour is $130. Any claim made on this policy
tributed via your Group Leader in the first weeks of December.
has a $200 excess. This policy offers unlimited cover-
age on emergency medical and dental expenses and 5. Group Leader
covers luggage and personal effects to a value of
Your Group Leader is a font of knowledge and your first point of
$12,000. Personal computers are covered to a maxi-
contact. EWT are also here to help so please feel free to contact us
mum limit of $6,000 and cameras are covered to a
with any queries you may have.
maximum value of $4,000. EWT advises against travel-
ling with electronic equipment with a value in excess
of these limits. This policy now includes ski cover for If there is anything you would like to clarify, please contact EWT on
all travelers as well! 1800 337 930 or 03 9830 4545 or email info@ewt.com.au

All we need from you to ensure that your child is cov-

ered by QBE is the application form from the back of
the QBE brochure distributed at the EWT parent
meeting. If you would like a copy of this, please con-
tact your Group Leader, EWT, or log in to your user
page on EWTs website.
INTERIM ITINERARY TRAVEL INFORMATION
Group Leaders will be advised at a workshop in late July of
the departure and return date for the group. They will also
receive at the groups Interim Itinerary for distribution.

You are not obliged to take out Travel Insurance with
QBE, however if you decide to obtain insurance
through a different insurance company please make
sure that medical cover is unlimited. EWT will require
a copy of your insurance certificate to verify that your
child has adequate travel insurance coverage prior to
departure.
This itinerary will contain information pertaining to hosting
location, travel dates and a day to day itinerary for the group.
Please note the departure dates range from the 28th De-
cember 2017 to the 7th January 2018. The return dates
range from the 16th January to the 26th January 2018.