Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Below you'll find the most frequently asked questions about Unschool Adventures. Please write the office with any questions that aren't answered below.
Jump to: General FAQs / Domestic Trip FAQs / International Trip FAQs
General FAQs
What is the Unschool Adventures safety record?
The primary mission of every Unschool Adventures trip is to keep our students safe, and we have an excellent safety record. No student on a Unschool Adventures trip has ever sustained a serious injury, encountered a life-threatening situation, or gone to the hospital (both in the USA and abroad). We take pride in our safety record and plan to maintain it for the lifetime of our organization.
How is Unschool Adventures different from other organized tour/camp programs?
Unschool Adventures trips offer more freedom and responsibility to students than a typical organized trip, tour, or camp. Our students enjoy the opportunity to explore cities on their own, help plan daily itineraries, participate in preparing meals, and stay up late. Our goal is to minimize the number of arbitrary behavior restrictions in order to maximize the experience for our self-directed, independent students.
What risks and responsibilities are inherent in Unschool Adventures trips?
Although we have an excellent safety record and plan our trips in well-known destinations, travel within the USA and abroad involves unique, inherent risks from which Unschool Adventures cannot fully insulate its students, including those risks presented by transportation, new foods, weather, homestays, volunteer programs, and free time. While we provide the means and training necessary for students to get in touch with staff at all times during a trip, we do not provide 24-hour adult supervision of students. An Unschool Adventures student is largely responsible for his or her own well-being and is expected to act as a self-responsible young adult. If you're ready for this balance of risks and responsibilities then you're ready for Unschool Adventures.
How do I sign up for a trip? What are the steps?
- Begin by reading the trip's profile page, the About Unschool Adventures page, and this FAQ (all online).
- Fill out and submit the online application, found on the Enrollment page. After submitting the application, you'll be directed to our PayPal page where you may pay the $30 non-refundable application fee.
- Within a week (and typically within a day), you'll get an e-mail from the Unschool Adventures staff discussing your application. We'll set up a phone interview (or let you know when phone interviews are scheduled to begin).
- After the phone interview, we'll make you an offer of enrollment via e-mail (or write you and tell why we didn't). The offer will include all necessary paperwork, health form, and payment instructions.
- To secure your spot on the trip, return the signed paperwork to our office and submit the security deposit or entire trip balance.
- Pay the remainder of the trip fee, if applicable, typically due three months prior to trip departure.
What is the "priority application deadline?"
We offer special priority to students who apply early. Apply before this date for your best chance of enrolling!
How have previous students & families raised money for a trip?
Most students pay for their trips with a combination of fund-raising and family contribution. Previous fund-raising tactics have included: selling popsicles at conferences, babysitting, house cleaning, freelance work, employment, matched-contribution fund-raising drives, donations from extended family, and "loans" against future birthdays/holidays.
Read our Fund-Raising Page for more money-making ideas.
What is the refund policy?
For most trips, all payments are refundable until 90 days prior to the trip departure, minus the non-refundable security deposit.
What is the Unschool Adventures policy on drugs, alcohol, and tobacco?
We have a zero-tolerance policy on abuse of illegal drugs (including non-prescribed medications) and alcohol. Violating this policy is grounds for immediate dismissal. Smoking and tobacco products are not allowed (even for students of legal age).
What is the Unschool Adventures behavior policy?
Unschool Adventures attracts some of the nicest, sweetest, and most intelligent young adults on earth, so we rarely encounter "behavior issues." That being said, all UA students agree to a policy of respecting each other, respecting property, and behaving safely. Student relationships are allowed but sexual activity is not. Violating these agreements offer grounds for dismissal from a program.
Regarding language, we do not censor student swearing as long as it is used in the spirit of friendly conversation (not hate or disrespect).
Can Unschool Adventures accommodate my child's asthma, allergies, or diabetes?
Maybe! We've accommodated students with each of these conditions before. Please make sure to note your condition in the online application.
Can Unschool Adventures accommodate my child's Asperger syndrome or other diagnosed psychological condition?
Maybe! It's very important that you notify us of any diagnosed conditions in the online application. We make enrollment decisions on a case by case basis.
Does Unschool Adventures have a religious affiliation?
Nope! We are 100% unaffiliated and welcoming of all beliefs and non-beliefs. We encourage reasoned and courteous discussion about religious topics.
FAQs for Trips Within the United States (Domestic Trips)
What is the arrival and departure procedure?
Students may arrive/depart via personal vehicle or flight. We ask that all students fly into the airport designated on the trip webpage. An Unschool Adventures staff member or representative greets students at the airport and facilitates their transportation to the program site. If you would like to arrange an alternative form of transport (train, bus, etc.), please contact the office before enrolling.
Can I send my child with an Unaccompanied Minor service?
We can sometimes accommodate Unaccompanied Minor arrivals, but we can rarely accommodate Unaccompanied Minor departures (because they require that a staff member accompany the student to the gate and wait until their flight leaves; we typically do not have the staffing power.) Please contact the office before enrolling a student that will require an U.M. service.
How much unsupervised time is there?
While at least one trip leader is always available at the program site, Unschool Adventures students have the freedom to explore the local area without staff supervision. For this reason we always choose very safe domestic trip destinations. We ask students to always carry their cell phone (with trip leaders' numbers programmed into it) or the Unschool Adventures toll-free calling card information (with trip leaders' numbers written down) in case of emergency. Additionally we ask every student to sign-out on a sign-out sheet when they leave, noting the time and their destination.
What are the accommodations like?
Accommodations vary by trip and are described on each trip's specific webpage. Most often we rent a youth hostel which offers each student a bunk bed and small storage space. Bathrooms are typically shared by both boys and girls, with private areas available for changing clothes.
How can I keep in touch with my child during the trip?
Via cell phone and e-mail. Every domestic trip happens in a location with cell phone service and internet access (unless otherwise noted on the trip webpage).
What kind of food is served? Can you accommodate my child's special dietary needs?
Students on Unschool Adventures trips agree: We serve excellent food. Our staff offer a wide variety of delicious and nutritious foods for each meal, aiming to strike a balance between student requests, nutrition content, and our food budget. Typical Unschool Adventures dinners include burritos, pizza, chili, and pasta. Sometimes we adventure into the land of sushi, Indian curry, and other ethnic dishes. Depending on the specific trip, some meals are prepared by staff or work-traders while other meals are do-it-yourself. Consult the specific trip webpage for details.
Vegetarians and omnivores fare best on our trips. Dairy-free and vegan students have many options, but we cannot guarantee that alternative products (like dairy-free cheeses) will be available due to their cost. Gluten-free students can also be accommodated, but we again cannot guarantee a wide variety of speciality products; be prepared to choose from a more limited selection of foods (but always enough to fill your belly!). Also, please note we are not equipped to provide 100% gluten-free dishes.
Do students help with cooking, dishes, and cleaning?
Yes, yes, and yes! We ask students to perform an average of 30 minutes of chores each day. We do our best to let students sign up for the chores they prefer.
What happens if my child gets sick?
Unschool Adventures requires all students to carry health insurance. This can either be provided through family insurance or purchasing a supplementary travel insurance policy.
In the case of serious illness, we arrange transport to the nearest hospital and call parents immediately to notify and ask for their desired course of action. A trip leader will accompany the students to the hospital. In the case of routine illness (e.g. cold, flu, stomach illness), trip leaders support students with basic health advice and over-the-counter medications approved on their health form.
FAQs for International Trips
How does Unschool Adventures keep students safe abroad?
We keep students (and staff) safe through a vigilant combination of trained leaders, smart itineraries, and common sense rules.
1. Each UA trip has two leaders: a leader and co-leader. Co-leaders are trained in Wilderness First Aid (at minimum), and leaders are Wilderness First Responders or Emergency Medical Technicians. These levels of certification are excessive for the urban destinations that we visit, but we believe that excessive safety training is the best way to ensure that minor situations present no problems. By having two leaders, we ensure group supervision in the case that one leader becomes ill.
2. The itinerary for a UA trip is designed to get our North American teens "out of the box" but never into an area of known political instability, desperate poverty, or other significant threat to Western travelers. Our sources for safety ratings include the US Department of State website, guidebooks, travelers' blogs, and local contacts.
3. At the beginning of each trip we do a "student orientation" in which we present our common sense safety rules. These include the "rule of 3", whereby students must stay in groups of 3 or larger when exploring cities without staff, and the "check in" rule, whereby they must call a trip leader (using our group toll-free calling card) if they will be late or changing their day's itinerary. As a general rule, students must inform a trip leader of their planned destinations during unsupervised time. Each trip leader carries a cell phone during an international trip, accessible by both parents and students (barring the normal out-of-service moments).
How much supervised and unsupervised time is there on international trips?
While a majority of trip time is spent in the presence of the trip leaders, students often enjoy chunks of time (up to 8 hours) without staff supervision, such as an unstructured afternoon or free day in a city. Students always stay at the same nighttime residence as staff or in a UA-approved residence, such as a homestay.
What are the accommodations like?
Accommodations vary widely depending on the trip. As a general rule we don't camp outside (lugging the gear is too much hassle) and everyone gets their own bed. There are occasional exceptions to this rule; previous UA students have slept on carpet, shared a queen bed, or snoozed in a hammock. Our most common form of accommodation is an international youth hostel.
Are international youth hostels safe for North American teenagers?
We have never had a serious problem with hostel safety, accommodations, or guests. The worst we'll encounter is a few drunk people. The diversity and friendliness of hostel travelers far outweigh whatever minimal concerns they present. And because we have such a large group, we typically get our own room(s).
How can I keep in touch during the trip?
The internet has pervaded the world, so keeping in touch via e-mail or Skype chat is almost never an issue. Parents may reasonably expect to hear from students once or twice a week (though sometimes the students are having too much fun to call home...sorry mom). Students may also opt to bring an international cell phone, purchase an inexpensive SIM card in the destination country, and have their own international phone number. Trip leaders carry cell phones with international phone numbers that parents may call in an emergency.
What kind of food can I expect?
When our group cooks for ourselves, you can expect big, diverse, mostly vegetarian dinners, with concessions to die-hard carnivores as needed. (We stick to vegetarian for food safety reasons.) When students stay at homestays or eat out, the answer depends on the destination country. Some cultures are carb-heavy, or meat-heavy, or spicy, etc. Keep an open mind (and extra $ for personal snacks) and you'll do fine.
Can you accommodate special dietary restrictions?
Omnivores and vegetarians will fare well on an Unschool Adventures trip. Vegans, gluten-free, and others with special dietary restrictions will face serious challenges in most countries and should be prepared to eat simple, repetitive meals.
Do students help with cooking, dishes, and occasional cleaning?
Yes, yes, and yes! We're all in this together.
What happens if my child gets sick overseas?
Unschool Adventures requires all students to carry health insurance that covers them internationally. This can either be provided through family insurance or purchasing a supplementary travel insurance policy.
In the case of serious illness, we arrange transport to the nearest hospital and call parents immediately to notify and ask for their desired course of action. A trip leader will accompany the students to the hospital. In the case of routine illness (e.g. cold, flu, stomach illness), trip leaders support students with basic health advice and over-the-counter medications approved on their health form.
How much do Unschool Adventures international trips cost?
Each trip is uniquely priced by factors including: duration, cost of living, planned activities, accommodations, and group size. Previous trip fees have ranged from $3,000 to $4,750.
Please note that international airfare is NOT included in trip pricing! Due to the volatile nature of airfare, visas, and associated taxes & fees, we do not include airfare in our program fees and ask families to purchase it separately. Our travel agency, Global Vision Travel, works with flight consolidators to find us excellent international group fares.
Additional costs to factor in the equation include: domestic airfare to the trip meeting point, spending money, international visa or entry fees, and traveler's insurance.
Top photo credit: Laura from the Australia 2010 adventure