A Message about Travel Safety
As America's oldest educational tour operator, CHA has a great deal of experience operating international tours and has established an excellent reputation for reliability in the educational travel field. Each year, thousands of teachers and students journey safely throughout Europe and around the world on our tours, over one million passengers in total since the company began in 1969.
Our Position on Safety
At CHA, we are committed to providing the safest and most rewarding educational tours possible for our young travelers. Throughout CHA's extensive 54-year history in the educational travel field, we have experienced a variety of serious international crises. Through these times, the welfare of our passengers has remained our primary concern. We share in the concerns of all Americans and want to reassure you of our commitment to the safety of our passengers.
Included Travel Security Coverage
CHA will not operate a tour if it is not safe to do so. CHA remains in close contact with the U.S. State Department and will adhere to any Official State Department Travel Advisory (Level 4) prohibiting Americans from traveling to a particular country or countries considered unsafe as a result of political instability, a major terrorist incident, or serious public health crisis. (Please note that a State Department "Worldwide Caution" differs from a Level 4 "Travel Advisory".) When it is necessary to cancel a tour, CHA provides our groups with travel security coverage including enhanced rescheduling, cancellation and travel credit options as part of our Book with Confidence Plan. For more details about CHA's Book with Confidence Plan, click here.
In addition to the State Department, CHA also consults with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) on a regular basis and will adhere to any regulations and recommendations that they institute to protect the safety of our travelers.
Our Global Network
CHA’s World Headquarters in located in Philadelphia, PA. As an international company, CHA also is in constant contact with our staff around the world (including those at work in our offices in major cities in Europe as well as our tour directors and local guides) who keep us informed on any local events and activities which may impact the normal operation of our tours. Being close to our groups while they travel allows for more timely responsiveness to handle any problems or emergencies which may arise. If necessary, CHA will redirect tour itineraries to avoid areas of conflict such as protests, strikes and other unanticipated events.
On-Tour Supervision & Assistance
Once a CHA tour begins, travelers will receive full-time supervision and assistance from a professional, multi-lingual CHA Tour Director. CHA Tour Directors meet our groups upon arrival at the overseas airport, accompany travelers throughout all stages of the tour, and escort them to the airport on the departure day, remaining until all flights have departed. Along with the teacher who is responsible for chaperoning students according to CHA's Student Code of Behavior, CHA Tour Directors will stress the importance of personal safety, caution and common sense at all times while traveling. Additionally, CHA Tour Directors have been trained to handle unexpected emergencies should they arise during the tour. In consultation with CHA's overseas offices and local authorities, tour directors and drivers may redirect tour itineraries to keep travelers safe by avoiding areas of conflict such as protests, strikes, and other unanticipated events.
Our Travel Arrangements & Suppliers
CHA only works with travel suppliers who share our safety and quality standards. CHA contracts with major international airline carriers and books its travelers on regularly scheduled flights only. CHA selects only high quality hotels in safe locations. Routine visits and tour evaluations each year become the basis for reviewing our hotels, restaurants, motorcoaches, etc. in an effort to improve quality and safety on every level. In addition, the majority of tourist attractions visited on CHA tours have instituted increased security measures in recent years which further protect our groups as they travel.
COVID-Related Travel Requirements
At CHA, we are committed to providing the safest and most rewarding tours possible for our groups. Therefore, all CHA travelers will be required to follow the most current travel requirements related to COVID-19 based on U.S. regulations and those of the countries you will visit on your itinerary. (As of June 2022, all COVID-related travel restrictions for those countries visited on CHA tours have been eliminated.)
As travel requirements are subject to change, CHA will provide more specific information on the requirements that apply to your tour before you are scheduled to travel, and your CHA Tour Director will reinforce these requirements when you arrive overseas for everyone's safety.