Frequently Asked Questions

Last updated: June 26, 2021

We appreciate the trust that you have placed in us by choosing Jumpstreet Tours for your upcoming trip. We want to assure you that we are parents first and foremost, and we will not allow the students and chaperones on our trips to travel if we don’t think it is safe to do so. The safety and security of our travelers is, and always will be, our highest priority!

Here are some answers to questions we are frequently hearing from customers:

Future Programs

Will my future tour, event or program be canceled?

We have worked with Tour Consultant to postpone programs as appropriate. Your Tour Consultant will communicate any changes necessary. Above all else, Jumpstreet committed to student safety, and as new information on the spread of coronavirus becomes available, we will not hesitate to make any changes needed.

We will continue to focus on programs with most imminent departure dates first. If your tour, event, or program is scheduled for fall or later, we recommend you wait to see how the situation develops before making any decisions.

What refund will I get if I need to cancel?

If you aren’t able to join a rescheduled trip or program, we are providing generous cash refunds to those travelers whose trips were impacted by COVID-19. The amount of the refund varies based on factors including travel protection that you purchased and the amount you have paid toward your program. Due to the number of refunds being processed at this time, we ask for your understanding regarding the timing of your refund, which will be processed in order, based on your program’s original departure date. To get more specific information on timing, please reference materials provided by your Tour Consultant or call our team.

We’ve continued to advocate for our families by working with our vendors and other partners, and we are proud to be offering refunds in a difficult time for families.

Note that if you canceled at a time when Jumpstreet was not yet communicating the option for a cash refund, you do not need to contact customer support to alter your account. We will automatically process the cash refund applicable to your situation if we have already received your request to cancel in writing. The refund will be returned on the same method of payment by which you paid.

What are your non-recoverable costs?

The small percentage that we have not returned as part of our refunds helps to cover some of our non-recoverable costs. Many of you have asked what these costs are. Your experience with Jumpstreet begins well before you depart for the travel program we planned for you. Many of you have likely interacted with our experienced and dedicated full-time staff. Our teams work with teachers to select the itinerary that matches your groups’ needs, help our customers navigate flexible payment options, and of course, find and book travel components like hotels and airline tickets that make the experience possible.

Why can’t my refund be processed and sent immediately?

The refunds we are providing take careful planning from across the organization. We continue to work to recover money from vendors for payments we made on your behalf. Aligning our finances and our processes to our new virtual work environment and this substantial and unusual task has taken time, and we appreciate your patience so far.

Unfortunately, our systems were not designed for this situation, and we’ve worked hard to adjust. Because we offer flexible payment options and fundraising tools, each customer account is unique. Our customers pay with an average of ten installments, and our merchant services agreements with financial institutions require that we issue refunds for each method of payment that was used. This work requires specialists who assess and refund each account by hand to ensure we provide the refund you are anticipating. We know how important it is to you that we get your refund right, and that’s why we’ve developed a detailed schedule to allow our experts to work through the considerable task. To be fair, and also efficient, we organized this process by trip date, and are working quickly through each departure month.

Safety and measures for future Tours

How are you making decisions about where to support travel or events in the near future?

Our Health and Safety team has been actively monitoring the impact that COVID-19 is having on the communities in which we operate programs as well as the CDC’s guidance for travel, events, and schools. This includes continuous communication with our many partners around the world about closures that impact our ability to deliver culturally rich programs. Location-specific guidance from health officials, paired with more general guidance for schools, events, and travel, is helping us define guidelines that we can follow to help make our future programs as safe as possible. In nearly all of our program locations, we have local staff who provide additional information for consideration by our Health & Safety Team. For more information regarding the many updates from the Tourism Industry, which could help inform your decision-making surrounding your return in education travel, don’t hesitate to consult our Tourism Industry Guidance page.

What will you be doing to keep students safe on tour?

For programs in process and when our tours and events resume, we are working to refine some of our procedures to prevent the spread of germs, and also to be ready for any emergencies.

• We have implemented additional training for our staff to encourage best hygiene practices to prevent the virus. We’ve worked with our Medical Director and Doctors on Call partners from George Washington University Department of Emergency Medicine to develop clear guidelines for our staff on what to do if a student feels ill and the steps that should be taken if a student is exhibiting symptoms associated with coronavirus. 
• We’ve been in touch with motorcoach and hotel partners, who are educating their staff about additional cleaning to prevent the spread of germs. In addition, we have asked them to have extra supplies of hand sanitizer available for our travelers to use during their trip. We are also closely following news from cities and other local officials about efforts to improve cleanliness in many of the destinations where we travel.
• In consultation with our Medical Director, Dr. Neal Sikka, who leads our Doctors on Call program from the George Washington University Department of Emergency Medicine, we’ve revised our health and safety protocols, outlining how to immediately engage our resources if coronavirus is suspected. This includes developing specific plans for how we work with Doctors on Call in this scenario, and outlining how to engage local health departments to determine if other steps are necessary.

What if a student gets sick while traveling?

Students (and adults too) do sometimes fall ill while traveling, which is why we have invested in our Doctors on Call partnership with the George Washington University Department of Emergency Medicine. In the event that a student becomes sick, we will follow our best practices to allow the student to rest, and avoid spreading germs, and, where appropriate, seek additional guidance or care from our Doctors on Call.

In response to the coronavirus (COVID-19), we have developed additional guidance and protocols in consultation with Dr. Neal Sikka, who leads our Doctors on Call program at the George Washington University Department of Emergency Medicine. He and his team will work with our team to evaluate each sickness and determine if the individual has been exposed to COVID-19. Where appropriate, we will immediately engage local health authorities.

In the unlikely event that a traveling group is quarantined, WorldStrides is committed to supporting all travelers until their safe return home, securing lodging, transportation and meals and helping to facilitate flight changes, as well as covering any financial costs associated with these items.  

Dr. Sikka advises that if a person is feeling ill, it is essential not to wait until an individual is very sick to seek advice and help. COVID-19 is an influenza-like illness. Like the flu, most people who get COVID-19 will only need rest and over-the-counter medications to recover fully. However, immediate care helps to avoid the unlikely situation that a person might become very sick and need to go to a clinic or hospital to get better.  

What can I do to stay healthy?

To keep yourself and others safe and healthy: ​

• Comply with special instructions issued by local officials.
• Adhere to known, effective best practices to minimize your chance of catching respiratory infections:
• Do not touch any part of your face without first washing your hands.
• Avoid contact with persons who are already ill.
• Avoid unnecessary touching of other persons (e.g. shaking hands in greeting) and limit touching publicly shared surfaces, where possible. 
• Wash your hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
• Carry hand sanitizer (60-95% alcohol) and use it for situations where hand-washing might not be possible.
• When you cough or sneeze, cover your mouth with a tissue or in your elbow.

What are Jumpstreet's Terms and Conditions?

You can view our full list of Terms and Conditions right here. 

 We will continue updating this document as the situation evolves. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

The Jumpstreet Crew