Frequently Asked Questions

Sometimes picking a destination for the perfect vacation or volunteer program can be difficult. This is where our well travelled and experienced staff members come in. You can consult with a S-Trip! travel counsellor to help you figure out which experience will best suit you and your friends for a getaway you won’t soon forget!

Youth and Student Comprehensive Package includes all the benefits of medical protection plus trip cancellation and interruption, baggage and personal effects, and flight and travel accident coverage. The comprehensive package is highly recommended. Please ensure you have reviewed your policy for insurable reasons for cancellation. Even with RBC Youth and Student Insurance, there may be circumstances such as a change of mind that are not covered and not eligible for a refund.

We don’t fix the exact departure date until we receive a final confirmation on your group size, after the final payment. Once we confirm the size of your group, we can allocate you to your flight ensuring that your group will travel altogether. Regardless of when you depart, your trip will last eight days and seven nights. If you depart on a Friday, you’ll return the following Friday. If you have specific requests relating to dates, please discuss them with your group organizer.

S-Trip! is Canada’s most dynamic student travel company. We’ve been travelling with students since 1976 and have built our reputation based on strong relationships with suppliers and our passion for providing great customer service. Our goal is to create a remarkably fun, memorable, and safe travel experience for you and your friends. S-Trip! run trips throughout Canada, the Caribbean, Europe, Africa and beyond! We pick out student friendly hotels and partner them with exciting, active, and historical excursions. In order to include all your friends, we’ve arranged special deals with our suppliers to offer early-bird discounts. With our trained staff always nearby, the S-Trip! experience goes above and beyond to create the most exciting vacation you and your friends can imagine!

Students and youth 16-30 travel with S-Trip! from across Canada. We run trips throughout Canada, the Caribbean, Europe, Africa and beyond! We choose our travel partners very carefully to ensure they meet the needs of our groups without undue impact on other guests. Our goal since day one is to offer Canada's youth a way to see the world, meet new people, experience new cultures and make memories that will last a lifetime. Trips are divided into high school, university/college and open to ensure that each groups special needs are handled properly.

When travelling out of Canada , the name on your travel documents should match the name that is on your passport. It may be embarrassing at times to let your friends know your full legal name, but it is a lot more embarrassing to be denied boarding at the airport because your travel documents do not match.

Payment schedules are established by the organizer and the trip counsellors to meet each group’s specific needs. Typically, payments are spaced out every one to two months, with the balance due 120 days before the flight departure. Your group’s exact payment schedule will be listed on your invoice.

Students will receive a comprehensive list of what-to-pack suggestions in their pre-trip package several weeks before their departure. Air travellers should be aware of standard airline limitations of 20 kg per luggage for each passenger. To make travelling in and out of hotels and between different forms of transportation easier, we recommend travelling with one suitcase per passenger.

If a student misses a payment, their trip is no longer guaranteed. Students must make all required payments on time in order to have a guaranteed reservation. Reservations can be reinstated with an updated payment subject to availability.

Some countries have different visa or entry requirements for travellers of different citizenships. Be sure to check with the embassy of your destination country to figure out if you’ll require a visa to visit. We’ll do our best to help out, but each country has the final say on visa and entry requirements.

Please email us at info@s-trip.com to verify your contact information. Make sure to include the correct information in your request.

Your S-Trip! package includes everything you’ll need for an incredible vacation! Every package includes round- trip transportation, hotel accommodation, transfer to and from your hotels, and a wide variety of sports and non-motorized activities on your resort. Many of the resorts are all-inclusive food and drinks, while some hotels offer a European plan (including breakfast and dinner). Some even have 24 hour room service! View your group’s trip flyer or the pre-trip information package to know the exact inclusions for your specific trip. There’s so much included, but in case you want to personalize your trip even more, we’ve used our connections to get you in touch with the hottest activities in each destination at the lowest prices. Consider booking in advance with one of our excursion packages and give yourself options for exciting daytime and nighttime activities. Booking early lets us coordinate all your friends together on your schedule and your budget.

All S-Trip passengers are required to have a valid Canadian passport for travel outside of Canada. You can get the forms to apply for a passport here: www.ppt.gc.ca We also suggest bringing at least one piece of government photo ID, such as a driver’s license. Please note it is the passenger’s responsibility to obtain all necessary travel documents. Double check with the appropriate embassy before your departure to ensure that you have met all entry requirements.

S-trip! works with many different suppliers and each one is responsible for a portion of the trip that is relevant to a specific trip type. As we use different suppliers for all of our flight and bus trips it is not possible to transfer a payment from one trip type to another. Each supplier has their own individual rules and regulations regarding deposits and payments.

There are no S-Trip! staff assigned to these departures. We work with our local operators and tour partners on these trips. The passenger would be responsible for making their way to the start point to meet with their local tour guide or group. However, S-Trip! can help arrange the flights and transfers. We’ve made a point of choosing student-friendly partners that have experience dealing with the demands of young travellers so although they are not S-Trip! run trips they still meet our high standards for safety and supervision. These trips are normally for experienced travellers.

S-Trip! spring break trips are designed for Canadian university and college students to take full advantage of their mid-winter break and have a great time with their friends down south. Spring break trips are an opportunity to stay at luxurious hotels, relax by the beach, try new sports like surfing, visit ancient sights, and party at the world’s hottest clubs. Better yet, spring break trips are completely customized by YOU and YOUR FRIENDS.

S-Trip! works with more than 200 groups every year with thousands of passengers. When booking large groups like this, we have to ensure the prices are set early or it would be impossible to reserve the space and ensure everyone has the same trip, have the proper infrastructure, staff, events and security in place. Discounted pricing may be at the same hotel, but might not be the same tour operator as the main group. This could potentially result in some students having different air flights or schedules, be assigned to different wings or floors within the hotel, and be offered different features.

Files notified as being on pending status have missed one or more payments and are not up to date. As a result, we are unable to submit payments and/or release documents for a trip. At this point the passenger is not guaranteed a seat on the trip. Once you have the balance applied and are caught up with payments, we will put a request into the supplier to re-instate the file to active status.

We’re so excited you’re going to join us on the trip of a lifetime! To sign up, please go to our website www.s-trip.com and enter your trip code. Just follow the instructions and you will receive an e-mail confirming you are signed up.Print off a copy of the reservation form, have it signed by your parents/guardians if you are under age and give it to your student organizer or fax it in at 1.866.800.6950.

Your first and last name should appear as they do on your passport, your middle name is not required. Other information such as address and phone number should also be correct. Please email corrections to corrections@s-trip.com. Changes that are requested within seven days of departure may incur a change penalty.

Name changes are processed using a Name Change Form and must occur at minimum 90 day prior to departure. You can request a form by calling or e-mailing the S-Trip! office. The new passenger will submit his/her’s reservation form to S-Trip! along with all the payments to date. S-Trip! will refund the cancelling passenger, less a $150 name change fee. Name changes are on a request basis and are not always possible.

Where to go to travel or volunteer is an important decision made in conjunction with the trip organizer and our S-Trip! counsellors. We look at where other groups in the area are travelling, exam schedules, local events, and avoid conflicts whenever possible. We also look at a groups’ expectations to try to ensure the right fit. Some destinations are more suited to experienced travellers, some to first time travels, some have a more upbeat vibe and some are more relaxed. Once the decision is made, it is then presented to the group with the knowledge and confidence that it will be the best vacation or volunteer experience possible.

Travel documents are generally released three weeks prior to the departure. They will be posted on your online portal. Any outstanding balance would need to be cleared before tickets can be released. These tickets and documents must be brought with them to the airport or starting point for departure.

Yes, you can choose your preferred roommates when you submit your reservation form for online booking. If you don’t know right away the group organizer will ask you at a later stage to make your roommate selection. Please review your invoice to see who your assigned roommates are and notify us immediately if there are any errors.

Students can choose to purchase the Youth and Student Comprehensive insurance package to cover for unexpected incidents. The insurance includes medical coverage as well as coverage for trip cancellation and interruption, baggage and personal effects, and flight and travel accidents. This insurance is offered by RBC Travel Insurance. It is important to review the policy for specific information about the package before your purchase. To purchase the comprehensive package, you must make a payment on top of the trip deposit. The comprehensive package is highly recommended.

Although there are no mandatory inoculations for any of our grad, spring break or Europe trip destinations, it’s best to ask your family doctor. The Canadian Government often makes recommendation for vaccinations or immunizations. You can review their travel advisories at www.voyage.gc.ca. In all cases, we encourage you to to visit your physician several months before of departure.

A valid passport is needed for all destinations that S-Trip! travels to outside of Canada. A passport is the best and most easily recognized form of identification for travel to another country. Your passport should be up to date and have an expiry date that is a minimum of six months after the RETURN date of your trip. For example if you are scheduled to return to Canada on March 19, 2011 your passport should be valid until at least Sept 19, 2011.

We appreciate the work that organizers do to help us make these trips as memorable as possible. S-Trip! does provide “extras” for organizers on the trip. These can include, but are not limited to, front of line access, organizer giveaways, thank you dinners and more. Not every trip has every option, so please keep an eye on your e-mail for more details.

All cancellation requests for S-Trip! accounts must be given in writing to info@s-trip.com, or must be in writing via Canadian or US mail to be effective. The initial deposit is non-refundable. Within 90 days of the departure date all monies received are non-refundable. In the event of a trip cancellation more than 90 days prior to departure, passengers will receive Trip Dollars for the amount paid above the initial deposit. 1 Trip Dollar is equivalent to $1 that may be used towards a trip with S-Trip!. Trip Dollars are valid for 5 years from the date of cancellation.

Once the deadline passes, S-Trip!’s planning team jumps into gear with finalized numbers. As a result, space may limited. However, it may be possible for someone to sign up to the trip at a later date. Please speak to your trip counsellor to make an inquiry. After the deadline, reservations are always accepted on an availability basis. Even after students submit payment, they still have to wait a few weeks for confirmation. As costs tend to increase closer to departure, prices are also subject to change. The best way to reserve your spot and keep your costs low is to book early!

Cell phones work at most destinations, depending on your mobile providers. Generally, roaming charges can be quite expensive, but we’ve found that text messaging – although slightly more expensive than in Canada – can be used effectively to communicate with your friends and family back home. For detailed information on cell phones in your destination, contact your provider.

Meal arrangements differ from resort to resort. You’ll receive specific information on your resort from the S-Trip! destination staff during your destination briefing. In general, most resorts have two options: a la carte (sit-down meals) and buffet. Eating at your resort’s a la carte restaurant often requires making a reservation. We recommend making a la carte reservations on your day of arrival. No reservation is required at buffet restaurants. Buffet meal times will be displayed in your hotel lobby. For more detail at any point during the trip, ask the S-Trip! staff or the hotel reception. We’ll also help coordinate special dinners where you and your entire group can eat together! You’ll get more information on the special events planned for your group when you arrive. Most hotels serve a wide variety of food between the restaurants and the buffet. For more detailed information regarding the menu, contact the hotel directly.

Most of our hotels are comfortable catering to food allergies or special needs. However, as food preparation standards can differ outside of Canada, we are unable to guarantee an allergy free environment. We recommend researching in advance and coordinating directly with the airline and food and beverage manager of the hotel. S-Trip! can initiate contact with the appropriate persons.

In the unlikely event of a medical emergency, the first priority is ensuring that the injured student receives immediate medical attention. All trips are staffed by experienced and trained S-Trip! staff comfortable in the local culture and trained in first responder tactics. S-Trip! will be with the student as soon as possible after an incident occurs and will be present until the situation has stabilized. Immediately after ensuring that medical needs are met, staff will contact the insurance company and the student’s parents to advise all parties of the situation. S-Trip! generally escalates the situation immediately, involving our most senior staff members as necessary. As the situation stabilizes, we’ll continue to monitor the student as appropriate, following the instructions of medical professionals.

All S-Trip passengers are required to have a valid Canadian passport for travel outside of Canada. You can get the forms to apply for a passport here: www.ppt.gc.ca We also suggest bringing at least one piece of government photo ID, such as a driver’s license. Please note it is the passenger’s responsibility to obtain all necessary travel documents. Double check with the appropriate embassy before your departure to ensure that you have met all entry requirements.

All S-Trip! staff are required to be in uniform during the duration of the trip. They will also have lanyard and staff tags that are clearly visible. An introduction meeting to is held to introduce the staff at the beginning of each trip.

All hotel rooms come equipped with safes for the use of the students. There may be a nominal charge at check-in to use the safe. This cost can be divided among all the students in the room. Although we highly recommend the use of the safes, it is up to the students in the room to remember to use it diligently.

It is an unfortunate fact of life that sometimes luggage does go missing. In the event your luggage gets lost, we ask that you start fill out a lost item form, which can be found on our website. Please fax or e-mail the form to us and we will forward the form to the relevant suppliers on your behalf. Unfortunately we are unable to submit any lost item forms more than seven days after the end of a trip. S-Trip! cannot be held responsible for lost or stolen items.

S-Trip! has selected hotels with high health standards. Bottled water is available across all properties, and filtered water is available free of charge. All raw foods are washed with filtered water to reduce the risk of contracting a stomach ailment. Because even a small change in diet can affect your digestive system, we recommend that those with sensitive dietary needs bring the appropriate medications.

Parents will receive contact details for their son or daughter’s hotel or resort in the S-Trip! pre-trip package several weeks before departure. Contacting students in their hotel room can be difficult when they are participating in an action packed tour! We recommend establishing an arrangement in advance to ensure that your student is around when you wish to contact them. It is always less costly for the parent or guardian to call the hotel from home, rather than the student calling from their destination. Text messaging is a quick and relatively inexpensive way to communicate. Check with your mobile telephone provider about service at your destination. In case of emergency, the S-Trip! staff will contact parents as soon as possible. If there is an emergency athome, parents can call the emergency number to reach an S-Trip representative 24 hours a day to facilitate contact with our staff at destination.

The information below is for reference only. Please visit http://www.voyage.gc.ca/ for the most updated information. For Mexico As of March 1, 2010 a valid passport is required for entry to Mexico. For Cuba A valid passport is required for Canadians intending to visit Cuba. Canadians must also carry a tourist card. Tourist cards are given out with final documents or on the plane. Replacement costs for tourist cards are $15(USD) When exiting CUBA there is a $25 (CUC) exit tax that must be paid locally. This is not included in your package by S-Trip! For Dominican Republic A valid passport is required. Canadians must also carry a tourist card. Tourist cards are given out with final documents or on the plane. Replacement costs for tourist cards are $10 (USD)

Although some of the beaches may have lifeguards, lifesaving standards may not be the same as in Canada. When entering the water, pay attention to the posted signs and flags. Make sure you’re a competent swimmer and always swim with a buddy. Safety in your specific destination will be covered in the destination briefing.

We appreciate the work that organizers do to help us make these trips as memorable as possible. S-Trip! does provide “extras” for organizers on the trip. These can include, but are not limited to, front of line access, organizer giveaways, thank you dinners and more. Not every trip has every option, so please keep an eye on your e-mail for more details.

S-Trip! does not collect or redeem Air Miles for any of our trips. It is possible after the final group is assigned to a flight that points may be collected. However as these are bulk group reservations, they cannot be applied before departure and it is the responsibility of the passenger to show their frequent flyer number at check-in.

Amounts paid for the purchase of insurance are non refundable. Once insurance payment is received we forward your information to the insurance company and your coverage starts. Insurance protects you against any issue that may cause you to need to file a claim. Insurance is an “all or nothing” purchase and does not allow the option to decide you do not want it after a period of time.