In your folder: Tour Leaders: Lisa Schmidt Sam Shipway Tour Company: Brightspark Travel DC Trip Trip itinerary Parent Letter from Brightspark Instructions on registering your child for the trip (including trip ID#) Fundraising: Scrip order form Outline of fundraising opportunities Catalog flyer Brightspark s Help Me Travel tool instructions
Day 1- Library of Congress Library of Congress Day 1 Supreme Court
Day 1 Capitol Building Day 1 Monuments Lincoln Memorial
Day 2- Arlington National Cemetery y Day 2-Marines Memorial
Day 2- Smithsonian Museums Day 2- Shear Madness at the Kennedy Center
Day 3 -Mount Vernon and the Holocaust Museum Day 3- Ford s Theater
Day 3-The White House for a photo op Day 4-Harpers Ferry and Antietam Battlefield
Day 4-Ghost Tour of Gettysburg Day 5 -Gettysburg Battlefield and Museum
Why We Chose Brightspark Brightspark: An Experienced Travel Provider Safety & Security 24/7 emergency hotline Extensive vendor audits Trip Insurance Medical & liability insurance Trip cancellation program (Refund Guarantee Protection) Brightspark s Advantage 30+ years planning student tours No hidden fees Logistics planned by travel experts Educational Benefits Licensed Tour Directors & Guides Attractions hand-picked to suit our educational needs 887 329 57k Tours per year organized by Brightspark Travel D.C. tours per year organized by Brightspark Travel Passengers per year traveling with Brightspark
What s Included in the Tour? All Meals in Destination (as per the itinerary) Hotel Stay plus Overnight Security Admissions to Scheduled Activities Round-Trip Transportation All tips and gratuities Guided Sightseeing What is not included in the cost of the trip? Breakfast on first morning while traveling Bus between NRMS and the airport (approximately $10) Travel insurance ($169-sign up at time of registration) Snacks or food purchased over the $10 for lunch each day Souvenirs Luggage fees for airline
Why enroll your child on an educational tour? Fundraising Opportunities Bring classroom lessons to life for your child Help your child improve his/her grades See your child gain independence and confidence Provide an unforgettable experience for your child Scrip Cards Orders placed twice during school year- November and February No extra cost to you: ($100 gift card costs $100) Hundreds of retailers See order form in folder Check out website Great Lakes Scrip for all retailers, denominations of cards available and current rebate amounts.
Fundraising Opportunities Two important notes about fundraising Catalog Sales All fundraising funds must go through school account and will be paid to you quarterly. If you fundraise and your child does not end up going on the trip, all funds raised by you and your child will go to the general trip fund to help pay for bus, water, etc. Up to 40% profit Money earned goes to your child s account Runs from September through March Online- merchandise shipped straight to the customer Catalogs available for promotion
The Tour Cost Help Me Travel tool Brightspark s Help Me Travel tool makes it easy for you to reach out to friends and relatives in order to ask them to donate funds for your child s student tour. (More information is available on the Brightspark website.) Total Price: $1,648 Refund Guarantee Protection: $169
With RGP, you can cancel your child s tour at any time, for any reason, and every penny spent on trip payments will be returned to you. Right up until the moment a tour departs, you are guaranteed a 100% refund on all payments including any nonrefundable deposits (minus the cost of RGP). How to Register 1. Visit portal.brightsparktravel.com 2. Create a new profile by entering a Parent/Guardian email address. Click GET STARTED to continue.
How to Register All fields with * are required. How to Register 3. Enter Parent/Guardian information. Click CREATE ACCOUNT to continue. 5. Click REGISTER MY CHILD to register for the class trip. 4. Register for your participant s class trip by using the 7 character portal code you were given by your trip organizer. Click OK to continue. 6. Enter student personal information: Name, Date of Birth, Address, Emergency Contacts, Allergies, etc. Click NEXT to continue. REGISTER MYSELF will only appear if your trip allows adults to attend the trip. All fields with * are required. Passport information only required for international trips.
How to Register 8. How to Register Select the options you would like to include in your child s trip price: room upgrades (if available), optional RGP trip protection, etc. Click NEXT to continue. 10. Enter payment information through Moneris online payment system. Click PROCESS TRANSACTION to continue. Don t forget to select RGP! If you choose not to enroll in AutoPay, you can register later if you change your mind. 9. Here you will review the trip price and select a trip deposit and payment plan. Click NEXT to continue.
How to Register 11. We ve now received your participant s registration! Here you have a summary of your student s registration details, overview of both your most recent and upcoming payments, and payment schedule. Note the Participant Code that identifies your child with this trip. How to Register 12. The next time you login, this is what you will see. At the top, you ll see info and updates from your group leader regarding your trip. Notice your student s participant details, this is where you can go in and edit any personal information that has changed. You are also able to complete additional participants registrations from this page. If you did not opt in for auto payments initially, you can always go into the payment details and set it up.
Frequently Asked Questions Contact Brightspark What are my options for paying for a tour? There are three options for paying for your tour: AutoPay Payment Plan, Payment in Full Plan, and Manual Payment Plan. Payments can be made by Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express, money order or personal checks. If I sign up for RGP and need to cancel, how and when will my refund be received? You will receive your payment within six weeks of your cancellation if you paid through our online portal. Refunds will be issued in the same manner with which payments are received. If you did not pay through the portal but rather paid your school, please reach out to your group leader for more information regarding cancellations and refunds. If there is an emergency and I need to speak with my child, how can I contact them? You will be able to contact your child on their cell phone or your group leader s cell phone. If you are unable to reach either of these contacts, call Brightspark Travel s 24-hour hotline at 800-962-0060. 1-877-545-007 0 customersupport@brightsparktravel.com Brightspark Travel 8750 W. Bryn Mawr Ave. Suite 450E Chicago, IL 60631 brightsparktravel.com /brightsparktravel @brightsparktravel @brightsparktour Check us social out on media!
Questions? Any registration problems, call Brightspark Customer Service at 877-545-0070 Email us at: LSchmidt@NewRichmond.k12.wi.us SShipway@NewRichmond.k12.wi.us