Belo Tours 2017 Information

Belo Tours 2017 Information

We are excited to share the Belo USA programs being offered to AFS participants in the 2017-2018 program year.

Many of you will remember the time when AFSers spent several days together on their AFS Bus Trips prior to returning home. These trips were fun, educational, and perhaps most importantly, they helped foster a sense of living within a world community. Certainly, for those that took part, they made for lifetime memories and were an integral part of the overall experience that changed students’ lives. The Belo experience is a way for AFS to offer our participants a chance at the same fun sense of world community and incredible memories.

Belo USA Travel is an American travel operator specializing in cultural, educational, and tourist trips for international exchange students. They have worked successfully with AFS Partners and other exchange organizations for more than 20 years. Overall, the feedback and evaluations we have received from AFS students, participants, chaperones, and staff have been extremely positive. You may visit their website at www.belousa.com.

Please note:

  • AFS-USA does not share the email addresses of our volunteers or host families.
  • Belo USA has updated the username and password for their website. This year’s username and password are:

username: AFS

password: CULTURAL

  • A communication will be sent out to our AFS Partners later this month which will include specific information regarding independent travel and the Belo USA trips.

Because AFS-USA believes in the value of these trips as an enhancement to our programs, the AFS-USA National Council has voted to amend the AFS Independent Travel Policy in regard to Belo Tours:

  • Travel waivers will be required for all trips.
  • Host siblings will be invited to join the trips.
  • AFS-USA will recruit chaperones for these opportunities. All AFS Volunteers will have the chance to apply for one of these trips. Additional information on how to apply will follow.
  • Belo will continue to provide coordinators and monitors for each trip.
  • Student travel must be approved by the host family and host school (if any school will be missed), as well as the natural parents and AFS-USA via the travel waiver. Students should not purchase tickets until they have the approval from all concerned parties.
  • With the approval of the host family, natural family, host school, and AFS-USA, students will be allowed to miss up to five days of school to attend a Belo Tour.

With the additional emphasis on the value Belo Tours bring to AFS programs, it is not advised to issue a blanket statement refusing permission for students to attend. Travel with Belo may be denied on an individual basis if it is not in the best interest of the student to participate at that time. Examples for denial may be: conflict with host family plans, AFS obligations, school requirements, or a student having adjustment or behavioral problems.

We are pleased to offer this special opportunity to our students. If you have any questions about the Belo programs, please contact Belo USA at 1-877-BELO-USA or via email at afs@belousa.com. For AFS travel and program policies, please contact a member of the Support or Travel Teams at 1-800-AFS-INFO.

Barbara Telser-Gadow,

Director of Participant Support AFS-USA