Unpacked, a blog by Director's Choice

Is your Travel Provider Travel Safe Certified?

Written by Stephanie Fox | Dec 5, 2018 5:55:32 PM

Keeping students safe is our number one priority. That’s why Director’s Choice has taken the initiative and formally adopted safe industry standards as well as developing our own rigorous TRAVEL SAFE certifications.

Our TRAVEL SAFE Certification program includes:

  • Clearly scripted policies and procedures should unexpected issues arise while traveling with us.
  • Thoroughly vetted supplier safety expectations and practices for all contracted vendors.
  • Transparent and ethical business practices that keep funds safe and clearly accounted for

Whether you travel with Director’s Choice or not, we believe all student travel operators and suppliers should be held to similar safety standards to protect districts, schools, and students when traveling.

Look for the Director's Choice Travel Safe Certification Seal on itineraries and travel packages that have passed our rigorous internal standards and include only vetted suppliers and transportation partners meeting these same ethics and safety criteria.

 

EMERGENCY RESPONSE CERTIFICATIONS

While we hope to never encounter an emergency with our traveling groups, unexpected situations can arise from the mild to the extreme. We want to be prepared to ensure cool heads and steady hands in order to manage appropriately and minimize risk.

  • 24/7 ON-CALL PROTOCOL
  • EMERGENCY RESPONSE PLAN
  • FIRST AID, CPR AND AED TRAINING
  • ACTIVE SHOOTER TRAINING
  • LOST TRAVELER PROCEDURE
  • INCIDENT REPORTING

 

BUSINESS PROTECTION CERTIFICATIONS

Setting the stand in the student travel industry for transparency, ethics and fiscal responsibility is foundational for Director's Choice. We honor the trust that districts, group leaders, and parents have placed in us to deliver a valuable product and service as promised and expected.

  • PROOF OF BUSINESS EFFICACY
  • BUSINESS LICENSE & MAILING ADDRESS
  • BUSINESS LICENSE & MAILING ADDRESS
  • ORGANIZATION INSURANCE
  • CONSUMER PROTECTION GUARANTEE
  • LAWS, REGULATIONS & LICENSING
  • INDUSTRY CODE OF ETHICS

 

SAFE BEHAVIOR CERTIFICATIONS

Working with students means we must take extra precautions with everyone they may come into contact with while on a Director's Choice trip. That not only includes our staff but all contract employees and suppliers.

  • BACKGROUND CHECKS
  • STAFF BACKGROUND CHECKS
  • SEXUAL HARASSMENT

 

SUPPLIER CERTIFICATIONS

Our travel suppliers are an extension of our company. That’s why we hold them accountable to the same rigorous standards we demand of ourselves. We will not book a hotel or motorcoach for a group simply because they offer the lowest rates. We must additionally evaluate their safe impact on the students they will care for.

  • VERIFIED MOTORCOACH TRANSPORTATION
  • SUPPLIER VERIFICATION CERTIFICATION

 

PROFESSIONAL CREDIBILITY CERTIFICATIONS

For more than 20 years, Director’s Choice has moved tens of thousands of students around the world. Our knowledge and expertise not only keep students safe but provides a tour and travel product worth their hard earned dollars. We do not tolerate shoddy itineraries, poorly planned excursions or insufficient group logistics.

 

PRE TRAVEL CERTIFICATIONS

Being prepared to travel with a student group not only requires pre-planning from a tour company, it also requires preparation and resources for the group leader, chaperones, and school administrations.

  • PACKAGE REVIEWS AND TRIP AUDITS
  • SELF GUIDED TOUR RESOURCES
  • PRE DEPARTURE SAFETY BRIEFING

 

POST TRAVEL CERTIFICATIONS

We believe in never settling. Client feedback is critical to our never-ending improvement of safer practices and improved responsiveness in all situations.

  • CLIENT SATISFACTION SURVEY

 

 

Director’s Choice exceeds the safety and liability standards set by the Student Youth Travel Association’s Center for Student Travel Safety. For more than 20 years, Director's Choice has traveled across the globe with thousands of student groups. Our arduous dedication to safety and security has allowed us to maintain a pristine safety record across two decades of turbulent and rapidly changing times. We have adapted and evolved over the years to meet and exceed the need and demand for rigorous safety measures that keep students and their money safe.