Frequently Asked Questions About

Frequently Asked Questions About

District 5650 Inbound Travel

Rotary Youth Exchange is a cultural exchange in which the student is expected to attend school regularly. It is not a travel exchange. Nonetheless, most students will have the opportunity to travel with their host families or Rotarians. This kind of travel is encouraged.

A. What type of travel is allowed? The travel must be consistent with the student’s J-1 visa status as an exchange student.

·  Travel on SCRYE Approved Rotary bus tours is consistent with this status.

·  Travel with host families or Rotarians is generally consistent with this status.

·  Travel with close relatives or to visit close relatives may or may not be consistent with this status.

·  For all other travel, there should be an academic or cultural component

B. Who decides whether travel is allowed?

·  Student must have a blanket travel permission form signed by the student’s natural parents.

·  If proposed travel would cause the student to miss school, the school should be consulted.

·  Decision is a joint decision by:

o  Host family that is hosting at the time of the travel

o  Host Club

o  District

·  The club and the host family should not automatically approve the travel. Rather they should listen to the proposal and discuss it with the District. It places the District in a difficult position when the host family and host club have already given their approval.

C. When must the student get permission before traveling?

·  The student should provide the host club and District of notice whenever the student plans to travel out of town. Permission is required, but filling out the written permission form is not required.

·  If the student is traveling outside of the District[1], a written permission form must also be completed. (This provision does not apply to District events.)

E. When must a written permission form be completed?

·  For travel outside the District unless the travel is to a District event.

·  Rotary Bus Tour.

·  Permissions for school trips is handled the same as for other trips. If the travel is out of town but within the District then permission from the host club and host family is required. If travel is outside the District, then written permission from the District, host club, and host family is required.

F. When is written permission form not required?

·  Travel within the District.

·  Travel to District events.

G. If the student travels outside of the District (other than for District events), what details must be provided and to whom must the details be provided? District 5650 is required to provide the natural parents or guardians and host parents of the following:

·  Details about the program;

·  Location;

·  Travel itineraries;

·  Sleeping accommodations;

·  Contact information including cell phone numbers for the adults and phone numbers for hotels.

H. When is travel by the student prohibited?

·  During times that conflict with scheduled district events.

·  Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, Easter

·  Generally during the last two to three weeks of school and during the week after school gets out except that a student may travel on Rotary approved bus tours at the end of the exchange.

·  Travel when school is in session is generally not approved unless it is for a day or two only and does not create a problem for the school.

·  If travel to visit a relative near the end of an exchange is allowed, the student must return to the District at least one day (and preferably at least two days) before the student leaves for his or her host country.

·  Rotary and Department of State regulations require a student to depart directly for home at the end of the student’s program. The Department of State gives the student 30 days after the program completion date to return home.

I. With whom may the student travel?

·  Adults in the Host Family (Family Trips)

·  Local Rotarians

·  School Trips

·  Church Trips

J. When is unaccompanied travel allowed?

·  Unaccompanied travel has been allowed to visit:

o  A relative.

o  A relative of the host family.

o  The family of a student who had been hosted by the exchange student’s family.

·  Tours other than Rotary bus tours are considered unaccompanied travel and will not be approved.

·  When available, non-stop air travel is generally required even if there is a less expensive option available. This principle is particularly important during the winter.

·  When non-stop travel is not available, the connections must be reasonable and the airports where the connections take place also must make sense. Generally connections to the last flight of the day will not be approved.

K. Who may the student visit?

·  Relatives and friends of the host family if the student is traveling with the host family.

·  Relatives and friends of a Rotarian if the student is traveling with the Rotarian

·  A relative. (Relative means relative in the American sense and not in the expanded sense common in Asian and some other countries.)

L. Who pays for the travel?

·  The student is expected to pay for all travel.

·  Nonetheless, some host families and some Rotarians who take the student on a trip pay for the transportation.

M. What Youth Protection considerations are there?

·  Transportation arrangements must be reasonably safe.

·  Sleeping accommodations must be appropriate.

·  Visits to a relative—natural parents must confirm in writing that the person is a relative and that they support the visit.

·  Visits to non-relatives--a host family application and criminal background check is required.

N. When are visits from family members prohibited?

·  During the first six months of the exchange.

·  Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, and Easter.

·  During times that conflict with scheduled district events.

·  During the last two to three weeks of school and during the week after school gets out except that parents are allowed to visit if their child will be graduating from high school. (Honorary diplomas are not included in this exception.)

·  If the student wants to travel with his or her parents, the school schedule must be considered.

O. Are visits from friends at home allowed? No. But if a friend is in town for other reasons, then allowing the student to go out to dinner with the friend is allowed.

P. When may the student purchase tickets? Generally tickets should not be purchased until after the student has:

·  Submitted the proposed itinerary to the host family, host club, and District.

·  Received written permission from the host family, host club, and District for the specific travel plans.

Revised July 23, 2010

[1] Rotary International places additional requirements for travel outside the local community, The District defines the local community. District 5650 has defined the local community as District 5650.