As guidelines regarding COVID-19 protocols continue to evolve, we strongly recommend following CDC guidelines. All policies and suggestions below are subject to change and may not be applicable at time of travel. 

Traveler Safety Measures and Suggestions:

  • Travelers must fill out our waiver regarding COVID-19
  • Upon registration all participants have the option to purchase Travel Refund Program Plus trip protection, which allows you to cancel up to 1 day before travel for ANY reason including COVID-19 (see Terms and Conditions for more details)
  • Do not travel if you are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms or if you have been in contact with someone infected with COVID-19 in the 2 weeks prior to travel
  • Wear a mask whenever indoors
  • Wear a mask outside when social distancing is not possible
  • Allow time in your schedule for frequent hand washing and sanitizing
  • Bring your own supply of hand sanitizer and your own mask(s)
  • All participants on tour are encouraged to follow best practices to minimize the risks of falling ill including: frequent hand washing, wearing a mask, avoiding contact with anyone who is ill, and carrying hand sanitizer
  • Allow for flexibility in your tour schedule - government/vendor regulations and restrictions are fluid and we will continue to abide by them for your safety; your account manager will update you on any necessary changes to your itinerary prior to travel
  • We have contracted with a telemedicine service to ensure that an ill student or adult participant is evaluated quickly and will receive appropriate medical care if necessary

  Vendor Safety Measures:

 Airlines & Airports (if applicable) 

  • Airport personnel and flight attendants are required to wear masks
  • Travelers are required to wear masks in the terminal and on the plane
  • All airlines have enhanced cleaning procedures and filtration systems for each aircraft

Buses

  • Drivers will be wearing masks
  • Please leave the first row behind the driver open when possible
  • Passengers should wear masks while on the bus
  • Buses will be cleaned daily with disinfecting wipes
  • As available, hand sanitizer will be provided

Hotels

  • Breakfasts may be packaged to go 
  • Groups are encouraged to take the stairs and avoid elevators
  • Pools may be closed
  • Enhanced cleaning procedures will be followed to sanitize between guests

Meals

  • Many will be taken to-go and eaten outside, on the bus, or at the hotel
  • We will limit the use of buffets

Tour Guide Safety Measures:

  • Tour guides must certify they have not had any COVID-19 symptoms or been in contact with anyone infected with COVID-19 in the two weeks prior to travel
  • Guides will be wearing masks
  • Guide microphones will be sanitized daily and will only be available for the guide to use

 

 

 

 

We are proud to announce that Grand Classroom is safely and successfully running trips again. Turning the page, we are seeing incredible demand for travel for the 2021 - 2022 school year as vaccinations are available down to age 12 and the CDC has updated youth travel guidance. Many groups are choosing to travel domestically whether by air or motor coach. International travel is also resuming as countries reopen to US travelers. Your safety remains our top priority and we are staying abreast of all CDC guidelines, safety protocols, and re-opening information at each of our destinations. We can't wait to welcome you back to the adventure of a lifetime!
 
How are you deciding where it is safe to travel next school year? Grand Classroom is monitoring local and global developments including information regarding closures and reopenings of key sites on tour. 
 
How will you keep students safe while traveling? And what if they get sick on tour?
We are updating our staff and tour guides on the CDC’s best practices to identify, treat, and prevent the spread of COVID-19. In addition we are working with our vendors - including airlines, hotels, motorcoaches, restaurants, and tour sites - to address increased hygiene measures.
 
If a participant gets sick on tour, we have contracted with a telemedicine service to ensure that students or adult participants are evaluated quickly and receive appropriate medical care if necessary. All participants on tour are encouraged to follow best practices to minimize the risks of falling ill including: frequent hand washing, wearing a mask, avoiding contact with anyone who is ill, and carrying hand sanitizer.
 
Photo credit Tim Krepp
WE'RE OPEN! 
 
We are staying open to continue to work with schools to offer assistance in whatever ways are possible. 
 
We are staying open so we can work on rescheduling trips for a future date. 
 
We are staying open to make sure that the students of our country will continue to have opportunities to travel in the future.
 
We want to express appreciation for the incredible teachers and administrators who work with us. And we want to express our thanks for our tireless staff who are working day and night in this extraordinary time.
 
We are all part of one human family and the staff of Grand Classroom wishes everyone good health and better days ahead. 

Dear friends, colleagues and clients,

The world has changed in the last few weeks. We have gone from the start of what would have been an exciting tour season, to laying off employees that are like family to us, working from home, cutting benefits and pay, and completely changing our professional focus. It's crushing for all of us, personally, professionally, financially and mentally. Many of us have worked through SARS, 9/11, and Zika, but nothing like this. The sheer magnitude of this event is overwhelming.

Let us say a little about Grand Classroom. It is an American small business in the hardest hit industry worldwide. We are not a large corporation, with investors and banks backing us up. We started in the garage of our founder 18 years ago and still have our six original employees with us. We only had 150 travelers that first year, and now we’re up to 12,000 because of our excellent product and personal service. The office has grown to 32 employees. Sadly, we have already cut 25% of our workforce last week. That’s the truth.

We are disappointed, along with our teachers and students, that many of our trips cannot be run this season, not by our choice and not by the school's choice, but due to forces beyond all of our control. We ask you to have some patience and allow us to address this reasonably. We know you are disappointed and concerned about where this leaves you, and we are in communication right now with our point of contact in every school. We are working around the clock to address everyone’s needs. And, like most of you, we find ourselves having to work on top of caring for families and the added stress of watching history unfold. It is an uncertain future for all of us. 

As you know, we start to plan most tours 9-12 months in advance. We have prepaid non-refundable costs depending on your departure date, and over that 9-12 months, we incur internal operating expenses that we cannot disregard. Please keep this reality in mind when making the assumption that you should get an immediate full refund. Unwinding this situation will be a marathon, not a sprint. 

In closing, we want to keep our doors open so that we can provide partial refunds where possible and maintain strong relationships, which will enable us to run a successful 2020/2021 tour season when life returns to normal. We all need to have some measure of hope that life will go on and we will be able to enjoy these experiences again. 

Stay well,

The Grand Classroom Team





Safety is the first priority in travel at Grand Classroom, and the staff is monitoring the emerging, rapidly evolving situation with COVID-19 (Coronavirus). The CDC provides recommendations on postponing or canceling travel through a system called travel notices. Grand Classroom is following the CDC notices listed here: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/index.html.

Warning Level 3: CDC recommends travelers avoid all nonessential travel to destinations with level 3 travel notices because of the risk of getting COVID-19.

Alert Level 2: Because COVID-19 can be more serious in older adults and those with chronic medical conditions, older adults and those with chronic medical conditions should talk to a healthcare provider and consider postponing travel to destinations with level 2 travel notices.

Watch Level 1: CDC does not recommend canceling or postponing travel to destinations with level 1 travel notices because the risk of COVID-19 is thought to be low. If you travel, take the following routine precautions:

  • Avoid contact with sick people
  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands.
  • Clean your hands often by washing them with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains 60%–95% alcohol. Soap and water should be used if hands are visibly dirty.
  • It is especially important to clean hands after going to the bathroom; before eating; and after coughing, sneezing or blowing your nose.


As an organization, we have withstood other outbreaks and have the resources to navigate this as well. Our hearts go out to those affected worldwide by the outbreak, and we look forward to safely continuing the important mission of educational travel for our youth.

For the safety of everyone involved, Grand Classroom is following the travel advisories set out by the CDC and the U.S. Department of State.

We ask that any group leader or parent familiarize themselves with these two sites:

https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories.html/

If you are traveling to a place that the CDC deems warning level three or "Avoid Nonessential Travel", the trip will be rescheduled or rerouted. The same applies to the U.S. Department of State advisory level four "Do Not Travel".

Level Three - Avoid Nonessential Travel

  • China
  • South Korea
  • Italy
  • Iran
  • Europe
  • UK and Ireland
  • Cruise Ship Travel - NEW March 17
  • Malaysia - NEW March 18

Level Two - Practice Enhanced Precautions

  • Japan
  • Global - Special Precautions for High Risk Travelers

Level One - Practice Usual Precautions

  • Hong Kong

As to any other destination, the trips will proceed as planned. We are watching these sites on an hourly basis to monitor for changes.

Updates will be posted on www.grandclassroom.com under Advisory. The terms and conditions of travel are listed in the Parents drop-down menu on the site.

Grand Classroom will be vigilant in following these government guidelines and we encourage you to follow along as well.