Travel Arrangements
The District Committee has contracted with It’s Your World Travel, (IYWT). They will handle all student airline reservations and arrange for all student VISAs. You MUST use our Travel Agency for your students’ travel. The student will be instructed when they should go to the IYWT portal to set up their profile. Once the student profile is set up, the travel agent will communicate directly with the student regarding the required information and documents needed for their tickets and Visa, depending on what country the student is going to. IYRT also attempts to book the student on a plane with other students from the US going to the same country.
The Travel Agent will assist in obtaining the student VISA that will be required for student entry into their exchange country. IYWT does not charge an additional fee for VISA processing but individual countries might. Any VISA processing fees required by the destination country will be the responsibility of the student or their family. Some countries also require a personal visit to one of their consulates outside the Portland area. This could be a day’s travel from home, most often to San Franciso, Seattle, or Los Angeles. We have been fortunate in the past that this requirement has not been placed on most of our American student VISA applicants, however, this is changing. If our students are required to present themselves at a foreign embassy or consulate prior to receiving their travel documents, the Travel Agent will notify the student.
Requirements to obtain the VISA will vary from country to country and may include chest X-Rays, police reports, document translations, etc. Please comply with all verbal and written requests from the Travel Agent as soon as they are received.
Each country imposes its own documentation fees. They can vary greatly from country to country. In some cases, the VISA may be temporary, and the student MUST present themselves at a specified government office upon arrival to obtain the permanent document. Failure to do this can result in expulsion from the country.
The Travel Agent will obtain, on your student’s behalf, round-trip tickets. Once the departure date and arrival airport are known, and the Visa is issued, the student will work with It’s Your World, Travel! to arrange the required round-trip airfare. You must have “open-return” round-trip airfare as a requirement of the exchange program. Although airline rules and regulations differ, most airlines will issue return flight tickets for a specific return date and allow one change with no- or a low-cost change fee. Inform your Sponsor District and those in your host country (Host Club YEO, Host Family, etc.) of your travel itinerary as soon as the information is known. The return date on the ticket will vary from country to country and airline to airline.
You may not use air miles or attempt to book your tickets over the internet. While perhaps less expensive, these tickets have a lower boarding priority than the ones obtained for Long-Term Rotary Youth Exchange Students. It is a requirement of most countries’ VISAs that an unemployed student has a return ticket in their possession when entering the country. Internet return tickets are unavailable more than 365 days from the booking date and therefore do not meet the travel requirements of the student. The District Committee’s primary interest is your student’s safety in getting to and from their host country. While our travel agent does an excellent job of getting airline tickets at competitive prices, price is not our highest priority.
You will be required to select a return date by mid-February during your exchange year. Be sure to verify with your host family, natural family, club, and country officer the return date to be sure it can be accommodated by all parties. Changes to tickets after the February date will incur a change fee to be paid by you. All information related to travel will be communicated via your It’s Your World, Travel! portal.
Layovers – We do not guarantee that your student will be met at any layovers en route to their exchange. We provide travel situation training during our orientations and expect that students will remain in the passenger area of airports while in transit. They should not have an occasion to leave these areas of an airport while on a layover en route to their destination.
Student Confirmation of Plans – While the travel agent makes the best travel plans possible based upon information provided by the hosting District, it is the responsibility of the student to confirm all travel plans with the airlines and the host family prior to departure. Plan to be a good exchange student from the beginning by considering host family work and holiday travel plans before departing from Portland.
AT LEAST ONE PARENT SHOULD HAVE A VALID PASSPORT IN THE CASE OF AN EMERGENCY.
Application for a U.S. Passport
To obtain a passport for the first time, you need to go in person to one of 7,000 passport acceptance facilities located throughout the United States with two photographs of yourself, proof of U.S. citizenship, and a valid form of photo identification such as a valid driver’s license issued by the US state of residence.
Acceptance facilities include many Federal, state, and probate courts, post offices, some public libraries, and a number of county and municipal offices. There are also 13 regional passport agencies, and 1 Gateway City Agency, which serves customers who are traveling within 2 weeks (14 days), or who need foreign visas for travel.
You’ll need to apply in person if you are applying for a U.S. passport for the first time: if your expired U.S. passport is not in your possession; if your previous U.S.passport has expired and was issued more than 15 years ago; if your previous U.S. passport was issued when you were under age 16; or if your currently valid U.S. passport has been lost or stolen.
For All Minors Ages 14 to 17:
• Each minor child shall appear in person.
• For security reasons, parental consent may be requested.
• If your child does not have identification of his/her own, you need to accompany your child and present your identification.
Passports for students under the age of 16 are valid for 5 years, otherwise 10. Passports must not expire for 6 months AFTER the student’s return date.
