FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is the Week Without Walls program?

WWW is a High School program fully linked to the ASFG students’ curriculum. It is a week long program, held once a year, in which students have an opportunity to explore and learn outside of the typical classroom.  Students are offered the opportunity to travel to diverse international or national destinations or they may choose to stay in Guadalajara and participate in cutting-edge workshops.  It is fundamental to state that WWW not only offers a unique opportunity to create strong bonds between the classroom and the world, but also allows students to acquire personal and professional growth. 

What is the WWW bidding process?

Bidding Process

Who has participated in the WWW bidding process?

2015-2016: CE Tours, Genesis World, Naturalife, Edutrips, Marplay, Mundo Joven, Panorama, Viajes Capistrano and Vivelo Travel-Edutrips and Marplay were the winners.

2013-2014: CE Tours, Prometour, Edutrips, Viajes Capistrano, Sevilla Sol and Viajes Vanguardia - Edutrips was the winner.

2011-2012: Sevilla Sol and CE Tours - CE Tours was the winner.

2009-2010: Sevilla Sol and CE Tours - CE Tours was the winner.

Can a student not participate in WWW?

All students must participate in the WWW program.

What about students who cannot travel?

Students who choose not to travel will participate in WWW workshops.

How does ASFG choose the focus of trips and workshops?

• Safety is a priority
• Scholastic focus on curriculum links
• Development of school spirit and identity
• Cost effective options for parents

What is the cost of WWW?

The cost is not included in the tuition and varies depending on the final destination.  Each year we offer free or low-cost workshops.

All quotes found on this website include all required costs of trips or workshops except for personal items such as souvenirs, gifts, etc.

Airlines have an inventory consisting of several limited “classes" of fares on each flight. These fares vary in price and change each day based on availability for the specific flight and for the market as a whole.  Seats are sold online, starting with the class of fare with the lowest available price. Keep in mind, these lowest available fares are limited, which is why you can only purchase up to 9 (up to 4 on some sites) seats at once online. This way airlines can easily monitor and control their inventory; if the demand goes up, they will raise the fares and vice versa.  For groups of 10 or more, seats have to be purchased directly from the airlines group department, thus, the lowest available fare online will not be available to them.   This is done because there are only a limited number of seats in each class, and a group of 30 seats may span 3 different fare classes/prices. Therefore, instead of offering 3 different rates for a group of 30 passengers, airlines will give 1 price for all 30.  The rate for this group will, in the vast majority of cases, be lower than the lowest available fare found online for a single passenger (or a small group of 5).

How is the hotel location decided?

When booking hotels, the tour provider will initially consider best available (quality) hotel, for the best available rate, in the most optimal (considering safety and proximity) area.  For this reason, the tour provider does not book hotels in the city center for some destinations unless specifically requested by the teacher leaders. 

How are the flight routes chosen?

When booking flights, the tour provider will consider all reasonable routes and options in order to keep trip costs low.  Before booking, the tour provider will discuss each option with the teacher leaders in order to find which are acceptable for the group.  For example, for a trip to New York the tour provider may consider having a group fly into Philadelphia and bus them to New York if it means saving $250 off of the price of each participant’s trip.  However, the final decision relies upon the teacher leaders’ request.

When does WWW occur each year?

Dates may vary depending on the school year calendar.

Do students choose with whom they stay at hotels?

Students provide a list of friends to the teacher or Student Affairs Coordinator and the trip organizer and we assure each traveler will stay with at least one friend.

What items are students not allowed to bring on a WWW trip or to a workshop?

• Video games
• Pirated CD’s and DVD’s
• Pocket knives and other sharp objects
• Medication unless prescribed by the doctor and ASFG teacher is aware
• Flashy clothing or jewels
• Tobacco / alcohol / drugs

Notes:

• If you have any special case that needs to be discussed please contact the WWW office.
• A packing list with what to bring and not to bring is provided for each trip

What items are students not allowed to bring back as gifts?

• Tobacco
• Alcohol or absinthe
• Medication

Are tips for guides included in the total cost?

Yes.

How much spending money should students bring?

Students should bring only money for gifts, souvenirs, personal items, etc.  The trip cost breakdown will clearly state if students should bring in-pocket cash for meals.

Who supervises the WWW trips and workshops?

All WWW trips and workshops are chaperoned by ASFG staff. Trips are chaperoned at a 10:1 ratio of students to ASFG staff.

What happens if students break WWW rules?

Students are expected to behave and cooperate with the whole group to make the experience as enjoyable as possible.  Safety is our priority and all rules should be followed at all times.  However, continuous misbehavior may result in sending the student home, trip suspensions, or restricted participation in planned activities.  Moreover, each case is analyzed separately and depending on the fault’s gravity corrective actions will be taken.

The following three actions result in immediate return of a student to Guadalajara and an automatic WWW program failure: Drug, alcohol or tobacco use or cohabitation.  In this case, the parents or tutors will cover all additional travel costs.

Can parents call students?

Students may receive calls from family members.  However, parents are kindly reminded not to use emergency numbers unless necessary.

How are students evaluated?

Students receive a grade for WWW which represents 10% of their grade in one grading quarter in all classes. Teachers provide a grading rubric that involves: academic work, presentations, participation, behavior, etc.