FAQ

Three principles shape everything we do:

Honesty.

We are an open book. Every estimate is visible before you commit, and we walk you through each number and the decisions behind it. If costs come in under estimate, the difference goes back to your students.

Partnership.

Teachers make these trips possible. You deserve full visibility into how your trip is designed and a voice in the decisions that shape it.

Stewardship.

Student travel carries real responsibility — to students, families, and schools, but also to the places we visit and the people we work with. Every decision is made with that in mind.

It starts with your vision.

You tell us where you want to take your students and what you want them to experience. From there, we design the trip together with an itinerary built around your goals and backed by over a decade of student travel operations experience.

Most operators manage vendor relationships, markups, and margins behind the scenes. You see a price, but not what’s in it. Retki works differently. Trip cost components are shared openly. When the trip is done, we reconcile actual costs against estimates and return any favorable variance to your students. Our service fee doesn’t change based on what things cost.

We work with groups as small as eight and believe smaller groups make for better trips. The right size depends on the destination and the experience you want to create. We don’t combine groups from other schools and prefer to travel by local transportation - not fill seats on a 54-passenger motorcoach.

From the first conversation through the final day of travel, you work directly with the person who designed your trip - not a call center, not a rotating sales rep. The same person, start to finish.

Retki trips are designed to be teacher-directed.

That means our primary model is built for teachers who are comfortable leading their own students, usually alongside a colleague or another adult chaperone from the school community. You know your students and the group dynamics better than anyone. Retki’s role is to support that leadership, not replace it.

A full-time Tour Director does not automatically travel with each group. Instead, we build support directly into the itinerary. Local guides, museum educators, and site specialists are added where their expertise makes the experience stronger.

That said, you’re never without backup. Throughout the trip, you have direct access to the person who designed your trip, day or night. Before departure, we also work with you so expectations, logistics, emergency procedures, and key trip details are clear.

For groups that would benefit from additional in-person support, we can talk through that during planning. Depending on the destination, itinerary, group size, and teacher comfort level, we can arrange for a Retki representative or trusted trip leader to travel with the group. If that option is included, the cost would be shown clearly in the trip estimate.

Some teachers want a fully guided model where one Tour Director leads the group from start to finish. There are strong companies that do that well. Retki is built for teachers who want a more collaborative, flexible trip model: one where the teacher leads, and any additional support is designed around what’s best for the group.

Every trip is designed around your itinerary, so inclusions vary. A typical full-service trip includes:

• Roundtrip international airfare

• In-country ground transportation and rail tickets where applicable

• Accommodations

• Meal stipends as agreed upon in advance

• Admission fees and scheduled activities

• Gratuities

• Travel insurance

Retki manages all vendor relationships, negotiations, payments, and logistics coordination from initial planning through the final day of travel.

Not included: personal expenses, meals outside the agreed stipend, and any activities added outside the planned itinerary.

Some teachers want full-service support. Others prefer to handle certain components themselves - accommodations, rail, or in-country logistics - and just need help with the rest. We’re happy to build and price the trip in whatever way makes sense for your group.

Every trip is built from clearly defined cost estimates: flights, accommodations, ground transportation, activities, meals, and insurance. You’ll see every line item before you commit.

Variable costs such as flights and accommodations are estimated using current market data. A clearly labeled contingency is included for genuine uncertainties beyond our control.

Retki adds a clearly defined service fee based on the scope, complexity, and level of support required for your trip. That fee is disclosed in full before enrollment opens. It is never embedded within vendor pricing and never adjusted after commitment.

If final costs come in under estimate, the difference goes back to your students. Our fee does not change, and we have no financial incentive to increase trip costs.

It's a fair concern, and one worth addressing directly.

Until major components are contracted, some costs are estimates. Flights aren't ticketed. Accommodations aren't locked. Exchange rates move. Fuel surcharges get added. That's the nature of planning these trips far in advance, and any operator who tells you otherwise isn't being straight with you.

This is exactly what the contingency is for. Estimates are built with enough cushion to absorb the normal variables of international travel planning and avoid having to go back to families with a revised number. The goal is to price it right the first time and honor the original intent of the trip.

Here's the difference: when estimates are built with enough cushion and costs come in as expected — or better — most operators keep the difference. That’s the model. At Retki, that difference goes back to your students.

If costs do shift meaningfully before booking, you'll hear from us promptly. We'll walk through what changed, why, and what the options are. We don't absorb increases silently and we don't present a revised number without an explanation.

If an increase is significant enough to change the program in a meaningful way, we'll work through it together. The goal is always to protect the experience your students signed up for.

A non-refundable enrollment fee of $100 per traveler is due at registration. This fee is returned in full if Retki cancels the program.

Cancellation fees are based on the number of days prior to departure:

• 121 days or more: Enrollment fee only

• 120–90 days: 25% of trip cost

• 89–31 days: 50% of trip cost

• 30 days or fewer: 100% of trip cost

Our goal is never to profit from a cancellation. Fees reflect non-recoverable vendor commitments and administrative costs at the time of cancellation.

Travel insurance is included for all Retki travelers through Travel Insured International.

The base plan covers:

• Trip interruption

• Trip and baggage delays

• Missed connections

• Emergency medical expenses

• Medical evacuation

• Lost, delayed, or damaged baggage

Coverage terms, exclusions, and claim determinations are governed by Travel Insured International. Families should review policy documents carefully to understand what is and is not covered.

Optional Cancel For Any Reason (CFAR) coverage is available through Travel Insured International. It allows travelers to cancel for reasons not otherwise covered under the standard policy and typically reimburses up to 75% of insured trip costs.

Standard policies generally reimburse up to 100% of insured trip costs when cancellation is due to a covered medical or qualifying event.

CFAR must be elected within the insurance provider’s required enrollment window — typically within 14 days of the initial enrollment payment. This deadline is set by the provider and cannot be extended once the window has closed.

To use CFAR coverage, cancellation must be submitted no later than 48 hours prior to the scheduled departure date. 

Families should review the policy details carefully when deciding whether CFAR is appropriate for their situation.

Every Retki trip is built on careful preparation, clear communication, and trusted partners on the ground.

Before departure, each traveler must submit emergency contact information and relevant medical disclosures, including dietary restrictions, allergies, and conditions requiring medication or special attention. That information is reviewed in advance and shared with group leaders and appropriate vendors when necessary.

Groups travel with a minimum of two adult chaperones. Local guides and activity providers are selected based on experience, reputation, and professional standing within their communities.

Emergency support is available 24/7 while your group is traveling. 

In the event of illness, injury, or unexpected disruption, Retki coordinates with local emergency services, the insurance provider, and school leadership to respond appropriately.

Each group is enrolled in the U.S. Department of State's Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) and trips operate in alignment with current State Department travel advisories.

If conditions at a destination change before or during travel, we communicate updates promptly and review options together.

Retki works best with educators who value clarity, collaboration, and thoughtful planning.

If you want full visibility into how your trip is designed and a voice in the decisions that shape it, you'll feel at home here.

We work with a limited number of groups each year so we can stay responsive, detail-oriented, and directly involved from planning through travel.

We're not trying to be the biggest student travel company — just a better one.

If that’s what you’re looking for, you’ll be in good hands.

Our standard is simple: do the right thing. Every time.