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A junior boarding and day school for boys in grades 6-9 Canaan, New Hampshire

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Student Travel

It is very important that we know how our students are traveling to and from campus.

Travel Forms

A travel form is required for every student, including those who live relatively close to campus and will be traveling by car. Travel forms will be posted on our Parents page and on this page five weeks prior to a long weekend or vacation. We ask that ALL families, including local families, complete these forms. This is the only way we can know for sure every boy in our care has safe and reliable travel plans.

Travel forms should be submitted well before the travel date, particularly if you need help organizing your son’s ground transportation (see below.) 

Travel Coordinator

If you have any questions about your student’s travel or prefer to share travel information personally, please contact Student Travel Coordinator Erzi Willems at ewillems@cardigan.org or travel@cardigan.org. 

Cardigan-Organized Ground Transportation for 2025-26

Many students travel to and from campus without an immediate family member. In these situations, Cardigan can help you make arrangements for ground transportations using the options below.

2025-26 Travel Dates

The list below contains the dates for departure from and return to campus for the 2025-26 school year. The dates when the CMS Logan airport bus and NYC van are available for transportation from and to campus are also included. The full calendar is available on our Calendar page.

Fall and Winter Long Weekend Homestay Option for International Students 

If your son is an international student and you are not able to attend fall or winter family weekend, and thus not able to pick him up from campus for the corresponding long weekend, and your family does not have family or friends in the area, our international relations department will help you arrange a homestay with a local Cardigan family. If you will need help arranging a homestay, please inform the school as soon as possible by completing the appropriate travel form and emailing your request to ewillems@cardigan.org.

*To volunteer as a host for an international student, please indicate your interest during the online registration process in August, 2025.

International Student Trip Option for Thanksgiving Recess

If your son is an international student and is unable to travel home during the Thanksgiving recess, a Cardigan-organized trip may be a good alternative. To sign up, please complete the Thanksgiving Travel Form or email ewillems@cardigan.org.

*Reservations are due by October 18. This trip fills up quickly, so don’t delay!
**Homestays are NOT available during Thanksgiving Recess.

Domestic Travel

While the TSA does not require children under the age of 18 to travel with I.D., the airlines do have the right to ask for proof of identity and age. Therefore, if your child has a form of I.D. that shows his age, Cardigan recommends that he travels with it to campus.  If he has a passport, the travel coordinator will store it in a fireproof and locked cabinet until the next travel day.  (All students with an F1 visa are required to do so.)

The TSA does not require a minor to travel with a consent form from his parents that states he is allowed to, but the airlines could ask for one. This is more of an issue for international travel, but you may want to consider this form for his domestic travel, as well. Here is an example.

International Travel

All children traveling back and forth between the USA and another country should carry a consent form as mentioned just above. Please be sure to check with your country’s requirements. Some countries need additional and notarized documentation. 
Please reach out to our travel coordinator Ms. Erzi Willems at ewillems@cardigan.org if you have any questions or concerns about any part of your son’s travel to and from campus.
Ms. Willems is also the PDSO for our campus, so please direct questions related to SEVIS, i20s, visas and passports to her.

Unaccompanied Minor Service (UMS)

What is it? Who needs it? It depends on your child’s airline and the airline’s age requirement. Some airlines require UMS for all travelers under 12. Other airlines require UMS for all travelers under 15 years old.  

IMPORTANT: Call the airline to confirm their unaccompanied minor policy prior to making a reservation.

The policies are often not clear or entirely up-to-date online and there may be exceptions or differences in the policy depending on the arrival and departure location. Additionally, some airlines require you to make reservations for unaccompanied minors over the phone.
You will need to pay for, complete, and sign a UMS booking form, naming the responsible adult who will deliver the child to the airline staff on departure and also naming the adult who will collect the child at their arrival destination. It is essential that this information is accurate and the adults have official ID to show the airline staff. The airline staff may refuse to allow the child on the flight or release the child into the care of the adult on arrival at their destination if they do not have an acceptable ID. Typically Cardigan chaperone information is available two days before flying. Most airlines will accept waiting for the chaperone information when you explain your son is traveling with boarding school chaperones. 

Please inform the travel coordinator of your son’s UMS status (yes or no choice on the travel form). If he is an unaccompanied minor, it is extremely important that information about the person receiving your student/dropping off your student is exchanged.

Travel Money

If your son will be flying solo during our breaks, you may want to consider sending him with a prepaid VISA card. This will provide him with the ability to pay for any unpaid airline luggage charges, Unaccompanied Minor charges, and will provide him with the ability to pay for food or drinks in the airport. Please instruct your son to hand in this card with his travel documents and/or phone, so you can be sure it is safe and the balance on the card remains until it is time for him to travel.

Travel Dress

All students using ground transportation to and from school arranged by Cardigan must be in travel dress, which is Buffet Dress appropriate for the season and weather.