Tuesday, January 26, 2016

Letter Regarding the Spain Tour

In consultation with GrandTours, the District would like to share the following travel information:

What is the official level of concern for overseas travel? You may have heard about general, worldwide ''travel alerts" that have been issued by the State Department; these are very different from "travel warnings", which have NOT been issued. A ''travel alert" is designed to heighten awareness of the traveling public, and a "travel warning" is a concrete warning to avoid traveling to specific destinations. At this point, the State Department has only issued a ''travel alert", simply communicating a need to "be aware" or “vigilant” as a traveler. Cancellation of travel plans under a ''travel alert" would not be covered by most travel insurance policies. If there were an official U.S. State Department "travel warning" to Spain, the trip would be cancelled. The company would work to pursue any possible refunds with all contracted air and land suppliers. In most cases, the air carriers would not fly to any destination under such a "travel warning." It is notable that there has not been a single ''travel warning" to Europe within the last 25 years.

What is the position of our tour company and other businesses in the travel industry? At this point, GrandTours has initiated no changes to the tour program and will continue to monitor events in Spain and Europe on a daily basis. Having operated tours to Europe for twenty-five years, the company evaluates each situation as it presents itself. As of today, there are no changes to the tour itinerary. They are “confident the tour program is completely safe for student travel as structured.”

What is the role of travel insurance in this type of situation? GrandTours encourages you to speak directly with a travel insurance agent to understand what is and is not covered by most common travel insurance policies. There are individual insurance policies still available for purchase. They recommend contacting the following reputable insurance provider: www.travelguard.com GrandTours also includes the Travel Guard (AIG) Group Protection Plan for all of its travelers. It does not contain pre-trip cancellation coverage, but is designed to protect travelers while out of the country and features excellent coverage for medical incidents, trip delays, trip interruptions, baggage loss/damage and possible individual evacuation.

If you are concerned about a pre-trip cancellation, it is not too late to purchase travel insurance. The only insurance that cannot be purchased is “cancel for any reason” insurance or coverage for “pre-existing medical conditions.” Those typically need to be purchased within 14 days of registering for the tour. For more information, feel free to visit: www.travelguard.com

We fully expect to have a safe and wonderful trip to Spain. We will continue to keep you informed of any new or changing information in collaboration with GrandTours as we approach the departure date.

Sincerely,
Shaker Heights Administrators & Band Directors

GrandTours Owner