Getting To & From Your Trip

Making travel arrangements for your Overland program is an important part of preparing for the summer. The information below is designed to help make your planning this spring and your child's travel this summer trouble free.

YOU CAN COUNT ON US

Overland staff will meet all student flights at baggage claim. Your child will call home on arrival to confirm that we have met him or her.  Even if your child arrives early or is delayed, we will be there. At the end of your child's program, we will assist with check in and stay in the airport until your child is in the air.  If a problem arises, Overland staff at the airport, along with our directors in Williamstown, will resolve it.  You can count on us.

DON'T PURCHASE FLIGHTS UNTIL YOU RECEIVE THE GO-AHEAD FROM US

For All Students: Please do not purchase non-refundable airline tickets until you receive an Overland email from Kate Silverman (kate@overlandprograms.com) confirming receipt and review of the School Reference.

PLANNING YOUR CHILD'S FLIGHTS

 1. Travel Early In The Day

Please have your child fly early in the day; this offers more flight options should delays or cancellations occur. Please do not travel on the last flight of the day.

2. Choose A Non-Stop Flight

We recommend purchasing a non-stop flight even if this means driving to a major airport farther away from home. 

If a flight with connections is your only option, please follow these guidelines:

• Choose a flight with a layover time of at least 90 minutes. If your child is delayed on his or her first flight a longer layover will help your child arrive in time to make the connecting flight.
• Choose connecting flights offered by the same airline. When using the same airline for both flights, if your first flight is delayed, causing you to miss your connection, many airlines will assume responsibility and book you on the next available flight.
• Consider flying with your child. Every summer many parents choose to fly with their children to and from their Overland program. For a younger student, flying with a parent helps to ease the transition from home.
• Consider flying with your child to his or her connection city. If your child's program starts in Europe, Costa Rica, Alaska or Hawaii consider flying with him or her to the connecting airport (for example, New York or Atlanta or Miami or Washington or Chicago), and then meet your child in the connecting airport on the flight home.
• Coordinate travel with another Overland student. Call the Overland office--we will look for other students in your area whose trip dates are the same and provide you with the parent contact information. For younger students, traveling with an older student companion could eliminate the need to register as an unaccomplanied minor (please check with your airline for their policies).

3. Can My Child Fly Alone?

Our experience shows that students can successfully fly alone to and from their Overland program.  With assistance from parents and help from Overland staff, flying alone simplifies everyone's airport logistics.

Flying Alone--Registered As An Unaccompanied Minor

• If your child will fly alone please be aware that some airlines require young children traveling alone to register as Unaccompanied Minors (note: the definition of "minor" varies). The airline provides either an escort and/or supervision for Unaccompanied Minors depending upon the airline's policy. It is important that you register your child if your airline requires it. Please call your airline to discuss their policy for children flying alone before purchasing your tickets especially if you are purchasing tickets online. Not only do ages vary but some airlines only allow Unaccompanied Minors to fly on non-stop flights with no connections.
• Students flying to domestic Overland programs registered as Unaccompanied Minors are met by Overland staff at their arrival gate (at the start of the program) and escorted to their departure gate (at the end of the program).  Students registered as unaccompanied minors flying internationally are met by Overland staff outside of the secure area upon arrival and brought to the entrance to the secure area at the end of the program.
• At program's end, if a minor student is required to be registered as an Unaccompanied Minor by the airline and has not been pre-registered, Overland will register the student, contact the parents for the required pick up information and bill the parents for the Unaccompanied Minor fees paid by Overland on behalf of the students.

Flying Alone on Code Share Airlines

• If your child is flying alone and making a connection to a code-share partner airline, please make sure that your child will be allowed to fly alone on each of the carriers.  For example, you may purchase a ticket through American Airlines and your child may actually fly on a code-share partner airline operated by Hawaiian Air or British Air.  Policies vary widely from airline to airline so please make sure that your child can travel alone on each of his or her code-share airlines.

 4. Optimal Flight Arrivals & Departures

Planning your child's arrival and departure within the recommended Overland times is appreciated (see 2010 Program Start & End Information). Please note:

• We will always make exceptions for students flying from the West Coast for East Coast programs and for students whose only non-stop flight option is outside of our arrival/departure times.
• For Europe-bound students, travel from the U.S. must begin the day before the program starts in order to arrive in Europe on the first day of the program.

5. Using Miles From A Frequent Flyer Program To Purchase Tickets

Using frequent flyer miles to purchase tickets is acceptable.  Please note, however, that other airlines do not always accept frequent flyer tickets should a missed connection or cancelled flight occur. Our advice is to redeem frequent flyer miles for tickets only if your child's trip is non-stop or if your child can travel early in the day.

6. Baggage Fees

Please be aware that many airlines now charge additional fees for any checked baggage. You can often pay for these ahead of time when booking your child's flight. However, if that is not the case, please provide your child with a method of payment for checked baggage during trip start and end. Fees vary by airline; please contact your specific airline for more information.

7. Flying With A Bicycle

If your child will be flying to his or her trip with a bicycle, please be sure to:

A. Review your child's Packing List for details on flying with a bicycle. Packing lists are available on trip pages.

B. Be aware of the fees charged by the airlines to check a bicycle as a piece of luggage as these fees vary from airline to airline. For example, in late 2009 these were the fees charged by a number of carriers (these are typically in addition to any regular bag fees):

C. Notify the airline to confirm that bikes are acceptable on each leg of your child's flight (bikes may not be accepted on smaller regional jets).

D. Allow for additional time at check-in.

AIRPORT LOGISTICS

On arrival at your final destination, all students (except Unaccompanied Minors) should go to baggage claim. Please instruct your child to wait at baggage claim to be met by a member of Overland’s staff (they will be wearing Overland T-shirts). We will be able to identify your child because we’ll have his or her flight details and a photo. For Unaccompanied Minors, an Overland staff member will be at your child’s gate or the airline’s meeting area. For international programs, students should collect their bags and exit the secure part of the airport through customs. A member of Overland’s staff wearing an Overland T-shirt will be waiting.

YOUR CHILD WILL CALL YOU WHEN HE OR SHE ARRIVES

When the Overland staff member meets your child at the airport, he or she will make sure that your child calls home to confirm that he or she has arrived safely. For programs in Africa, Europe, Hawaii and Alaska, this may mean that the call home arrives in the middle of the night.

PASSPORTS & IDENTIFICATION

For all trips that go outside of the United States, students must bring a signed, valid passport with an expiration date no earlier than six months after the program end date. For students on Virgin Islands Service, Overland recommends traveling with a valid passport. Please keep a photocopy of your child’s passport at home. Visit www.travel.state.gov for additional passport information.
 

For all U.S. programs your child should bring a school ID, driver’s license or other identification (e.g., a photocopy of your child’s birth certificate or passport). Please do not send an original passport with your child on his or her U.S. program.

WE’RE HERE TO HELP

If any problems occur while your child travels to or from his or her Overland program, don’t worry; we’re here to help. For 26 years we have managed the arrival and departure of thousands of students. Any questions or concerns? Call us.