Tour Pricing

Our prices are not published in advance, because they always depend on highly variable air fares and bus charter costs, and of course, VISIT CANADA just can’t pre-arrange (or even estimate) charter prices or air fares, for multiple itineraries, from every school parking lot and regional airport across North America.

Except for the occasional partnering of schools who collaborate prior to departure,we price and operate every trip individually, so your trip is your own.

The principal determinants of price are (more or less in the following order) the number of participants, the length of the trip, air fares, hotel rates, bus charter costs (which are driven by fuel prices and distances to the destinations) and currency exchange rates for those groups traveling between the United States and Canada.

Of the four or five cost factors, the only controllable variables are the length of stay and the choice of hotels. The number of participants is semi-variable, and will be influenced by the number of students invited to participate, and to a degree, by the duration of the trip and the hotel choice. However, VISIT CANADA and its clients, are the mercy of the airlines, banks and the oil industry for the rest.

The success of every trip, but especially the first one (before a tradition has been established) will depend on price … the price will depend largely on the number of participants, which in turn depends on the price. This is circular logic, of course, because tour prices always go up and down as the number of participants goes down and up but for that reason, it is critically important that group leaders select a trip that seems affordable while it’s still on the launching pad.

Many price estimates for the various trips can be found on the destination pages, including Montréal, Québec City, Chicago and New York,

Our prices generally include:

• One place for a chaperone for each 10th paid participant; *
• Transportation by air, train or chartered motorcoach;
• Hotel accommodations;
• Breakfast and dinners daily;
• All admissions;
• The services of licensed**, professional, bilingual*** guides;
• The services of overnight security guards (typically for groups of 20 or more)
• Trip Cancellation insurance (including cancel-for-any-reason insurance);
• Accident or illness insurance;
• A group photo for every paid participant (when specified in the itinerary).

* this ratio can be adjusted upon request
** where licensing exists
*** on all foreign language trips