Leader FAQ

Xperitas Immersion Programs are designed for teachers and their students with specific educational goals in mind. All participants on our published language programs are expected to speak the target language while traveling in order to fully realize the goal of linguistic and cultural immersion. For this reason, family members and children who do not speak the target language are not eligible for travel on our published programs.

Family members and children are allowed to travel on custom programs. However, it is vital that you discuss this with your Xperitas program manager and school administration.

While Xperitas cannot guarantee a host family for every teacher, we certainly make every effort to accommodate requests by teachers to stay with a host family instead of in a hotel during the family stay.

• Published Programs: The published program price covers the cost of one teacher/leader for every six participants. If a leader on a published program has fewer than six students, Xperitas calculates a pro-rated price based on the number of students. Example: Three students would entail a pro-rata of 3/6 or 1/2 of the total program price.
• Custom Programs: Often the leader costs are completely covered by the students. The organizing teacher decides how many leaders will travel.

If you travel with a minimum of six students (per leader), the following program costs are covered: airfare, transportation, hotel accommodations, breakfast and other meals as noted on the itinerary.

You will also receive:

• An entry fee and public transit allowance to cover leader and student entrance fees and public transit costs (please note that depending on destination and included transportation and activities, not all programs include these payouts)
• A leader stipend to offset costs such as meals and incidentals

Please note that if the group does not travel for whatever reason, all allowances and stipends must be returned to Xperitas.

If you have fewer than six students (per leader), a leader price will be pro-rated based on the total student cost for your program. For example, a teacher traveling with four students would have a pro-rated price of 2/6 or 1/3 of the final student price. Leaders who have a pro-rated price may make payments online with a credit card; full payment is due at the same time as the students’ final payment.

If you choose to travel on your own when not on-call during the family stay, your personal travel costs would be your responsibility. In addition, if you choose to depart earlier or return later than the group, you are responsible for any additional costs. Please discuss this with your program manager.

Leaders are accommodated in twin/double rooms while traveling and during the family stay. Single-room accommodation costs vary by destination and itinerary and can only be accommodated based on availability. Please contact your Xperitas program manager for more details.

Yes! Depending on the length of your private family stay arrangements, we can either include it in a published program or tailor a custom program around your family stay.

Students and/or parents must notify Xperitas directly in writing for voluntary cancellations (cancel@xperitas.org). Xperitas will not accept verbal cancellation notifications or notifications from teachers or leaders unless the cancellation is due to disciplinary issues.

Xperitas allows “involuntary cancellations” by the teacher/leader if the student fails to abide by the standards set by the teacher and/or school, or if the student/parent does not disclose a significant medical condition that may affect the student’s travel experience. Standard cancellation fees will be assessed. Please call your Xperitas program manager to discuss this in more detail.

The organizing teacher/group leader creates an itinerary with the Xperitas program manager and can determine what leader costs to include. Custom programs often include:

• A leader stipend to offset costs such as meals and incidentals
• An entry fee and public transit allowance to cover leader and student entrance fees and public transit costs
• A meal allowance if the group leaders wish to help students budget money for meals not included in the itinerary

Please note that if the group does not travel for whatever reason, all allowances and stipends must be returned to Xperitas.

If you choose to travel on your own when not on-call during the family stay, your personal travel costs would be your responsibility. Likewise, if you choose to depart earlier or return later than the group, you are responsible for the additional costs.

A participant or teacher may request an early departure or late return on their program. Eligibility for this depends on the airline’s group contract stipulations, and you will be responsible for any additional costs incurred. An adult is required to accompany the students both to and from the destination, and we suggest you let your school and families know your plan. Please discuss this with your Xperitas program manager.