Travel Specialists
Customer Care Team
Booking Incentives & Bonuses
Designated Hotels for Parents, Friends & Families
Professional On-Site Staff
Extensive On-Site Orientation
24-hour Emergency Line & Student Center
Exclusive Event Schedules
Travel Insurance provided by Travel Guard America
Medical Expense Insurance
Emergency Medical Transportation Insurance
Professional Staff
- GradCity provides the highest staff-to-student ratio in the industry to assist in your student’s safety and ensure they have the time of their life!
- Onsite GradCity wristbands indicate each student as a GradCity traveler and have the 24-hour emergency phone number printed on them. This helps our staff identify and assist our travelers in knowing they are part of our group.
- GradCity staff is at all scheduled events from beginning to end, whether a day event, night event, or any excursion that GradCity offers.
There are 10 BreakSmart Guidelines in place to support student safety:
Use The Buddy System
- Hang out in groups and ALWAYS use the buddy system.
- Never allow a friend to leave an event alone.
- Do not let a friend leave with someone you or they don’t know.
- Always travel with a buddy in a taxi, bus, or any type of public transportation.
- If you lose your buddy please find a GradCity Staff member to escort you home.
- If you see someone who needs assistance, immediately notify a GradCity staff member. If it’s an emergency, call the emergency phone number located on your GradCity wristband.
Always wear your GradCity wristband
- Do NOT remove your GradCity or hotel wristband. These entitle you to exclusive entrances and easily identify you as part of the GradCity group.
- Please use the emergency phone number printed on your wristband in case of an emergency.
Attend all scheduled GradCity events
- GradCity Staff is at every event to help provide a fun and safe experience.
- GradCity is available to you to make sure you get the service you deserve.
- See your destination guide for GradCity Staff hospitality hours, the location of the GradCity 24-hour Student Center, and all important phone numbers and locations.
Take care when using local transportation
- Check with the GradCity Staff for guidance on the easiest and most reliable form of transportation to your specific destination.
- Use only licensed taxis.
- Negotiate the fare before entering the taxi and always travel with a buddy.
Be responsible
- Legal drinking age in Mexico, Punta Cana, and the Bahamas is 18 years of age.
- Legal drinking age in the United States is 21 years of age.
- Vacation responsibly.
- Know your limits.
- Be aware of your surroundings and the people you meet or travel with on your vacation.
- Do not carry open containers in public.
- Do not litter.
- Be respectful of the local people and their homes.
- Look both ways before crossing the street.
- Remember not everyone in your resort or destination is on their Senior Trip. Please keep noise to a minimum and treat other guests with respect.
Follow these travel tips
- Be respectful to all citizens of the country or destination you are visiting.
- Drink water and stay hydrated.
- Wear sunblock at all times.
- Tip 15% on all bills.
- Before leaving the United States, call your phone carried with your parents to determine what international options are available for both coverage and data. If you do not have an international phone plan in place, be aware there are typically always extra charges for phone use (text, voice, data) in international destinations.
- Do not leave the tourist zone unless through a GradCity-affiliated excursion.
- Contact home and let your loved ones know you have arrived safely.
- Leave a photocopy of your travel documents, birth certificate, passport, and driver’s license at home just in case you may need it.
Abide by the rules at beaches and pools
- Do NOT go to the beaches or swim at night.
- No diving in the pools.
- Follow all rules posted at the pool or on the beach.
- Swim at your own risk when a lifeguard is not on duty.
- Follow any flags or posting markers on the beach; these are used to warn you about dangerous tides, harsh water conditions, or any other condition the beach patrol determines to be risky.
Follow these hotel guidelines
- Check your hotel room and report any damage immediately.
- Do NOT hang out on the balconies of the hotel.
- Secure any valuables in a hotel safety deposit box.
- Do not damage any hotel property, including your room.
- Make sure your hotel door and balcony door are locked AT ALL TIMES, whether you are in the room or not.
- Check the GradCity hotel board for departure information, staff contact Information, and event schedule changes and additions.
Do not rent motorized vehicles
- We strongly advise against engaging in or renting motorized water sports unless directly verified and offered through the resort or GradCity.
- Do not rent mopeds, bikes, or any other motorized land vehicle.
- This precaution ensures adherence to safety standards and guidelines set by reputable vendors.
Don’t buy, use or sell drugs
- Drugs are illegal in every GradCity Destination and such laws are strictly enforced.
Professional GradCity Staff
To provide the Ultimate Travel Experience, GradCity staff makes it their mission to promote safety and ensure everyone has the time of their life. From the moment our students get off their plane, GradCity staff is there to greet them and coordinate their staff-assisted transfer to the hotel. Our hotel staff then provides an orientation, which covers the “ins and outs” and the “do’s and donts” for the week. During their orientation, each traveler is given a GradCity wristband that identifies them as a GradCity traveler and provides a printed 24-hour emergency phone number. If a traveler experiences an emergency and is not directly near a staff member, they will have the emergency phone number printed on their wristband for easy access. As GradCity has been operating trips in all of our destinations for many years, we maintain great relationships with our hotels and vendors, allowing us to work together to provide the best experience for our travelers. All of our night events are fully staffed by GradCity staff members and the establishment’s staff members. In addition, any event coordinated by GradCity will have staff members present at all times, from start to finish, whether it is a beach party during the day, a themed event at night, or an excursion.
Professional Accreditation
We pride ourselves on upholding an excellent reputation amongst our travelers and their parents. See all that parents have had to say about past GradCity trips they have been on.
International Airlines Travel Agent Network (IATAN)
GradCity joined the International Airlines Travel Agent Network (IATAN) over 5 years ago, becoming part of a group of over 220,000 travel professionals in the US. IATAN members must promote professionalism, follow business standards and provide services and products that benefit the travel industry as a whole.
For more information on the International Airlines Travel Agent Network, please visit their website at www.iatan.org.
US Department of Transportation (DOT)
GradCity has been approved to operate public charters by the US Department of Transportation. DOT was established in 1967 and its mission is to ensure a safe, efficient and convenient transportation system to the citizens of the United States.
For more information on the US Department of Transportation (DOT) please visit their website at www.dot.gov.
Student Youth Travel Association (SYTA)
GradCity gained membership with the Student Youth Travel Association (SYTA) in November 2007. SYTA is a non-profit organization whose mission is to promote student and youth travel in a safe and quality service. Members of SYTA must dedicate themselves to providing travel services that enhance social, cultural and educational growth to students and youth across the country. Being a member of SYTA means that GradCity has met all criteria set and continue to adhere to SYTA’s purpose, goals and code of ethics.
For more valuable information on Student Youth Travel Association (SYTA) please visit their website at www.syta.org.
Better Business Bureau Care Program (BBB)
GradCity has been an official member of the Better Business Bureau Care Program (BBB) since September 2000. Gaining membership of the BBB means that GradCity.com met all standards set by the organization. The BBB ensures that all its members live up to their “Principles of Trust” which is a set of policies, procedures and practices focused on how businesses should treat the public.
To review information on GradCity’s membership with the Better Business Bureau Care Program, please visit our BBB page.