Program Safety
Australia is undoubtedly one of the safest countries in the world for student sports team travel. Sports Travel Academy is committed to ensuring the safety and well being of all of our travellers while also providing an enjoyable sporting, educational & cultural experience. Our high standards for ongoing and open communication as well as the strength and expertise of our leaders help to ensure the safety of each and every student.
Ground Transportation: The ground transportation company we utilize, Murray’s Coaches, is the largest and best company on the market with over 2,000 coaches across Australia. All vehicles are 32, 48 or 53 seat 5-star luxury safety coaches with reclining seats each with a seat belt (which must be worn by law), air-conditioning, PA System, TV/DVD player and rest room.
Hotels: Our selected hotels are situated in very safe locations and have security personnel on hand. Where possible we ensure that our students’ rooms are on the same floor, and access to all the hotels is through the main lobby, up the elevator and entry to rooms via individual room keys.
Home Stay Families: Part of the cultural experience for the students includes 6 nights of home stays with Australian families selected from the team’s who they are competing against. These Aussie families will be selected by the opposing teams coaching staff. The USA students are grouped in pairs and we take great care in ensuring that the Australian host families are indeed responsible and morally outstanding citizens in their communities.
Staffing: The Capital Ambassadors Staff consists of experienced and well respected coaches who provide professional supervision and have an identical duty of care responsibility as they would have on a USA domestic road trip. The ratio of staff to students is 1:10 which in itself provides excellent supervision and to our knowledge is an industry leading ratio for student sports travel programs. In addition to the USA staff there will also be Australian born and bred Tour Guides who provide a wealth of local knowledge to all tour participants. This combination of USA staff and Aussie tour guides provide a nice compliment to the safety and overall experience of the development tour for all involved.
Contacting Students: Phone Cards can be purchased online prior to departure. Companies such as www.pingo.com offer great rates! Skype is also a good option nowadays. We encourage students to phone home and check-in every 3-4 days, and also please note they will have the ability to access email on a daily basis if so desired. As parents, contact is available by directly calling the hotel front desk, the tour guide’s cell phone, and/or the Sports Travel Academy office located in Cary, NC which will be available 24/7 in the event of an emergency. Students will also have the option of bringing their own cell phones, however parents are advised to be in touch with their service provider for international connection and roaming details.
Medical Insurance: Students must provide documentation of medical insurance in order to travel with us. We ask for proof of medical coverage along with payment, and parents must check with pr
oviders that children are in fact covered in Australia should they need medical attention. Waivers to this effect will need to be signed by parents prior to departure. If students are not covered, an additional travel medical insurance policy may be purchased from an outside company such as: http://www.hthstudents.com
oviders that children are in fact covered in Australia should they need medical attention. Waivers to this effect will need to be signed by parents prior to departure. If students are not covered, an additional travel medical insurance policy may be purchased from an outside company such as: http://www.hthstudents.comIndividual ID Badges: Students will be issued with an identification card and lanyard. These ID cards must be worn around the neck at all times (outside of rooms). Information on the card includes: Child’s Name, Age, Allergies, Accommodation Details for each leg of the tour, Team Staff Names, Cell Number of Tour Guides and parents’ USA contact details.
