Thank you to everyone who participated in our Teacher Appreciation Giveaway! We got an incredible response and love everyone’s great taste in movies. Congratulations to our winners, Derek Phipps of Richmond VA and Cynthia Cheatwood of Orange Park FL. Your Massage Envy giftcards are on the way!

This week, we wanted to share with you a little taste of what it’s like to be a Tour Guide.

Being a tour guide is a fun, exciting, yet tough job. In addition to keeping up with current city trends, knowing the streets & layout, and coordinating all on-tour logistics, a tour guide also needs to be armed with tons of facts and trivia about the city’s history and culture.

Here are some of our city tour guide facts to share with your students or spark the conversation at your next family cookout.

Chicago is home to the world’s first brownie.  It was created at Chicago’s Palmer House, when Bertha Palmer, wife of millionaire hotelier Potter Palmer, requested a new dessert to serve at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition.

New York City is a great place to birdwatch! Off the 800 known North American bird species, 275 have made appearances in Central Park.

Philadelphia loves their pretzels! The average Philadelphian consumes 12 times more pretzels each year than the average American.

New Orleans, known for Jazz and…Opera? The first opera in America, Sylvain by Ernest Gretry, was performed in the city in 1796.

Washington D.C. is home to the “Highest Court in the Land.” It’s a basketball court on the top floor of the United States Supreme Court Building.

Atlanta has over 55 streets with “Peachtree” in their name and it’s possible that NONE are named for an actual peach tree.  Historians suggest they’re named after the Native American village of “Standing Pitch Tree” and the pronunciation corrupted over the years.

Orlando is home to the world’s largest McDonalds. Measuring in at a whopping 19,000 square feet, it’s definitely supersized!

Toronto is nicknamed “Hollywood North.” The 3rd largest film production venue in North America, 25% of Hollywood movies are filmed there.

Montreal is home to the world’s first hockey game! It took place in 1875 at the Victoria Skating Rink and, unsurprisingly, ended in a fight.

Do you have any favorite fun facts your past tour guides have shared with you? Post them in on our Journal page so everyone can enjoy!

And when you’re ready to get a jump on your 2022 trip, you can always contact us at info@juniortours.com or 1-800-631-2241.

We’d love to hear from you!

Have a fantastic week and stay tuned for Volume 12 of the JT Journal.

Your friends,

Junior Tours

Happy National Teacher Appreciation Week!

This week, the JT Journal is all about YOU! The Fantastic Teachers and Educators of the World!

In honor of your special week, we are giving away two $100 gift certificates to Massage Envy. To enter into our giveaway, we ask that you visit our new blog here and tell us your favorite movie about teachers or schools.  Repeats are welcome and sharing your favorite movie along with a quote from the movie will double your chances!  To kick off the giveaway, we have posted our favorite, Dead Poet’s Society, “No Matter what anybody tells you, words and ideas can change the world.”

Two lucky winners will be randomly selected on Friday May 7th and notified via email of their winnings.

We wish you all the best week and we can’t wait to see all your favorite movies!

Keep on Smiling!

Your Friends at Junior Tours

Happy Wednesday Junior Tours Friends and Family!

We have missed you and are excited to see you and your student’s smiling faces again.  As a reminder, you can earn ONE EXTRA FREE CHAPERONE if we pencil you in a tour for 2021-2021 school year before June 15^th, 2021.  Best of all, there’s no risk.  You can cancel the trip for any reason before you send us the first deposit at no cost.

We have amazing packages to New York City, Washington D.C., Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston, Atlanta, New Orleans, Williamsburg and more.   Click here request a quote today and we’ll email you an itinerary and proposal for an all-inclusive tour package.  If you are interested, just tell us your travel dates and we will send you promotional materials to share with your group.  No deposits are due until October 1^st.

Getting started now will also provide you and your students with:

• Current value 2021 prices for 2022 tours
• Priority on school calendar ahead of other trips and school activities
• Maximum time to save money and fundraise over the summer
• Priority bookings with your favorite hotels, tour guides, restaurants and shows

The best memories are shared ones with your peer’s and friends. By CLICKING HERE we can start building your new memories with an extra free chaperone on your upcoming trip of a lifetime.

See you soon!

Your Friends,

Junior Tours

Greetings!

As travel begins to regain momentum, many people are still recovering financially from the impacts of COVID.   We’d like to remind you of some ways you can help students afford to travel who otherwise may have difficulties.

For decades, Junior Tours has been an active member of the Student Youth Travel Association and its philanthropic sister organization, the SYTA Youth Foundation.  SYF’s mission is to enrich lives by providing grants and scholarships to students in need so they can participate in amazing travel experiences.

The two biggest programs that SYF sponsors are:

• Road Scholarship: Educators can submit an application for any student who is need. Around 100 grants of up to $1,000 each are awarded annually based on the following criteria: need, student achievement, initiative, service/community citizenship and connection to area of interest.  Click Here to learn more.
• World is A Classroom Essay Contest: Students can write a personal essay describing how travel has impacted their life. Awards up to $1,500 are given to the top 5 essays as judged by a panel of volunteers.

In addition to the grants and scholarships offered by SYF, did you know that Junior Tours can give your students FREE scratch cards to help fundraise?   After sending in your first deposit, we can send you scratch cards upon request so your students can offset their final balance through easy to collect donations.  Each card is worth approximately $200 if each box is scratched and collected.  Click Here to learn more.

While we are talking about free things, we want to remind you that we are currently running a promotion offering one additional free chaperone on your next tour.  To be eligible, you simply have to book a tour by June 15^th and make the first deposit by October 1^st.    It’s that easy.  Request a quote today to get started.

Have a great week!

Your Friends at Junior Tours

We appreciate all of you that have been following along with our weekly Newsletter- The JT Journal. This week, we want to focus on our rewards program: Junior Tours Reward & Incentive Program- JTRIP!  

There are many easy ways to earn points that can be redeemed for fantastic prizes, including gift cards, apparel, electronics and free airline tickets. Program registration is automatic once you request your first quote from Junior Tours. After that, it’s easy to start accumulating points quickly by completing one of the actions below!

200 points

• Submit Room List 6 weeks Prior to departure
• Submit Final Payment on time
• Complete a Post Trip Survey

250 points

• Refer a new person to Junior Tours

500 points

• Request a quote – welcome to Junior Tours!
• Book a tour for travel
• If your referral books a tour with Junior Tours
• Send us photos of your students while on tour

2000 points

• Bring 5+ travelers above contract minimum

5000 points

• Upon completion of travel
• Upon completion of your referral’s travel

Throughout the year we also run special events where you can earn additional JTRIP Points. To kick off the spring of 2021, we’re running one now: Email Us a story of any fun or creative things you have done in your virtual classrooms to engage with your students and we will immediately issue you 500 points.

If you’re ready to start planning you’re a trip with your students in 2022- please email us or call 1-800-631-2241 to get started.  We will include one extra free chaperone if you book your tour by June 15th and make your first deposit by Oct.1st. We would love to hear from you!

Stay tuned for Volume 8 of the JT Journal where we will share more information about grants and scholarships available to students in need through the SYTA Youth Foundation.

Your Friends,

Junior Tours

Hello!
Spring has arrived and now is the best time to plan ahead for next year’s trip with Junior Tours.  Why plan now you might ask?   Because we will include 1 extra free chaperone with your package if you book a tour before June 15th.

In addition to locking in an extra FREE CHAPERONE, starting early will also give you the following benefits:

• LOWEST PRICES: Take advantage of 2021 prices for travel in 2022
• SAVE THE DATE: Get priority on school calendar ahead of other trips and school activities
• MORE TIME TO SAVE: Give students maximum time to save money and fundraise
• MAKE YOUR REQUESTS: Let us know your favorite hotel, guide or Broadway show

Step 1: Request a Tour Quote

Click Here and fill out the form. We’ll send you a customized tour quote and itinerary based on the trip you want to take.

Step 2: Review Proposal and Give Us Your Travel Dates

We can make any adjustments to the tour package you suggest.  Once we have an good outline, we just need your travel dates to get started to book your group and lock in an extra free chaperone.

Step 3:  We’ll send you materials to promote your trip.

It’s that simple!  You can collect deposits in the fall.   If there’s not enough interest next year, you can cancel the trip and you owe us nothing.

The best memories are shared ones. Bring an extra free chaperone with you on this trip of a lifetime!

Next up in Vol. 7 of our Wednesday JT Journal we will share the latest updates regarding travel.

Have a great week!

Your Friends at Junior Tours

Hello Friends,
Like many of you, we have missed travel too!  Last week was a special moment for us.  After nearly a year without group travel, Junior Tours hosted its first school back to Washington D.C….and it was a huge success!

53 students and parents from Nampa, Idaho had an absolutely fantastic time exploring our nation’s capital. They even took day trips to Gettysburg to see the battlefields and to Baltimore to stop by the National Aquarium.  Their days were fulfilled with excitement and memorable experiences.

We are thrilled to share with your some these unforgettable moments captured by the group.  CLICK HERE to access their google photos.

With attractive pricing and momentum building for group travel, now is a great time to gather information about planning next year’s trip. CLICK HERE to request a quote and sample itinerary to get started.

Next up in Vol. 6 of our Wednesday JT Journal we will introduce our ‘Book Early & Save Promotion’ for one extra free chaperone included with your next tour package.

Have a great week!

Your Friends at Junior Tours

P.S.  Check out the 5 star review on our Google page from the group leader:

Happy Wednesday!   Have you been keeping up with the latest from Junior Tours?  If not, click here to be brought up to date with the most recent news in travel.

After a long year of social distancing, we’re all looking forward to the days ahead when reconnect with each other.   Conditions are steadily improving.   Now is the right time to plan ahead for travel with your students.   Junior Tours is a company you can trust.  For those not familiar, here’s some background about who we are:

• 45 years of experience operating as a family business.
• No pushy commissioned salespeople, just a team of travel professionals helping you look good in front of your parents and administration.
• Our phones are answered by a live person during business hours. No automated switchboards.
• Our company has a strong balance sheet with no debt. Unlike other companies in our industry, we are not owned by banks and have never declared bankruptcy. 9/5.0 rating on Google Reviews.  We are in this business for the long haul.
• Every group who cancelled during the pandemic received their refund with 30 days of cancellation.
• More than a half million students, from all 50 states and Canada, have enjoyed the services of Junior Tours.
• We can give your students free scratch card fundraisers that can help make travel more affordable.
• Active members of the Student Youth & Travel Association, National Tour Association and American Bus Association. Sponsors of FBLA, Texas Educational Theatre Association and DECA.

Bottom line, we have an impeccable reputation for operating with honesty, integrity and transparency.   If you’d like us to work up pricing for a tour package, email us or click here to fill out a form.

Keep an eye out for Vol. 5 of the JT Journal next Wednesday when we recap the exciting details of a group’s recent trip to Washington D.C.

Have a great week!

Your Friends at Junior Tours

Happy St Patrick’s Day!

Including Travel Insurance with your tour package is the best way to give your parents and administration confidence about planning your future trip with Junior Tours.  Through Travel Insured International, we offer an amazing insurance plan which includes payment protection with a Cancel For Any Reason (CFAR) provision.  Additional highlights included in the plan are:PAYMENT PROTECTION:

* Full Refund (less cost of insurance) if  you cancel your trip any time prior to departure for medical or other emergency reason.
* 75% Refund (less cost of insurance) if you cancel your trip at least 48 hours prior to departure for any non-emergency reason.

TRAVEL PROTECTION:
* $25,000 Medical Coverage while On Tour
* Trip Delay and Trip Interruption Coverage
* Lost, Damaged or Delayed Baggage Coverage

Click Here for a description of coverage, benefits, limitations and exclusions.

The cost for this insurance comes at incredibly affordable price.

Costs above are on a per person basis and subject to change.

If you’d like us to work up pricing for a tour package, email us or click here to fill out a form.

Keep an eye out for Vol. 4 of the JT Journal next Wednesday when we share the main reasons teachers like yourself can trust Junior Tours.

Have a great week!

Your Friends at Junior Tours

Greetings!  We understand that there may be more hesitancy about setting up a student tour right now.  Parents and administrators will have questions about the money they are putting down for a trip in the future.  That is why we are outlining our ‘Junior Tours Promise’.   We guarantee your group will always have options to cancel or reschedule if you choose to for any reason.

OPTIONS TO RESCHEDULE

• If your group would like, you can reschedule the trip. All payments received, less any non-recoverable deposits, will be fully applied to the rescheduled trip.

OPTIONS TO CANCEL FOR REFUNDS

• If your group would like, you can cancel the trip. All payments received., less any non-recoverable deposits and $200 per person booking fee, will immediately be refunded.

Non-recoverable deposits can include things such as payments to airlines, hotel and Broadway.  Typically, non-recoverable deposits take place approximately 75 days or less before departure.

PROTECT YOUR GROUP WITH CANCEL FOR ANY REASON INSURANC­­E

• We suggest including CFAR (cancel for any reason) Insurance with your tour package. This insurance will offer parents additional refunds of 75% to 100% of all payments made if they decide to cancel individually or your group decides to cancel collectively.  Click Here for more details.

We understand that there may be more scrutiny when it comes to planning next year’s trip.  You may want to download the Junior Tours Promise here so you can present to your admin or parents later.

If you’d like us to work up pricing for a tour package, email us or click here to fill out a form.

Keep an eye out for Vol. 3 of the JT Journal next Wednesday with more details about Travel Insurance.

Have a great week!

Your Friends at Junior Tours