As parents, when will we receive updates from the group and be able to reach our son or daughter?

Communication via cell phone or Internet is often not possible for several days at a time during programs. When we are out of cell phone range, our staff always has an immediate means of reaching emergency assistance should it be needed, for instance, via short wave radio or satellite device. In the event a parent needs to get a time-sensitive message to our field team, our office will attempt to patch it through in as timely a manner as is practical. Students are not able to make contact back home during the program. Our field staff will provide “regular” group updates via our blog and social media. “Regular” varies a lot depending on the program. Updates can come as frequently as every 3 days or as far apart as 7 or more. We understand that most parents want photos and a window into the experience, but keeping parents happy is not our staff’s priority, and providing updates comes at the expense of “group time” and other program priorities. If, as a parent, you want an organization that will churn out a lot of posts and photos, we advise that you look elsewhere. There certainly are several student travel businesses that have a “daily update” policy for their field teams because they know that generally correlates with great customer reviews. We’re just trying to be candid about the fact that that approach doesn’t work for our programs without shortchanging the student experience and/or compromising program objectives to which we assign a greater value.