About 2-3 months prior to the end of your program, you will receive a Return Travel Notification email. This email will contain your international flight details, the Return Travel Bulletin, and instructions on arranging your domestic travel home and how to communicate these plans with AFS. Your flight details will also be accessible on your Dashboard. Please note that your return e-ticket will be shared at a later date by AFS in your host country.
Changing Your Return International Travel
Some programs allow participants to request to remain in their host country after their program ends (known as a Program Release) or return home prior to the program end date (known as an Early Return for Personal Reasons). Please note that these Program Releases are not permitted in all host countries due to visa/resident permit restrictions. Your Return Travel Notification will contain a document explaining our Program Release procedures as well as a Jotform you should complete in order to request a change to your international travel. You will be responsible for any change fees/fare differences charged by the airline. As per your Participation Agreement, you will also be responsible for a $300 administrative fee which covers the communications between AFS-USA and your host country, to alter the return travel logistics. The fee is required regardless of whether a family decides to change the student’s existing ticket or purchase a new one.
Planning Your Domestic Travel
You will be flown back to your international gateway airport. From there you may choose to be picked up or to arrange a flight to an airport closer to home. If you plan to fly, you should book a flight with a connection time of at least 3-4 hours between the international arrival and domestic departure. This will allow for flight delays, long lines at Immigration and/or Customs, and time to transit to a different terminal/check-in counter. Additional guidelines for booking domestic flights will be shared within the Takeoff Bulletin in your Return Travel Notification.
You will be asked to share your domestic travel plans with AFS by completing a to-do item on your Dashboard. We require this so we can plan for in-person or on-call transit support on your day of travel.