Click here for general frequently asked questions about flights for your program.

• Watch this quick video overview as an example of how to book a flight from your home city to meet up with the recommended flight. **This is an example from 2024 and does not reflect accurate dates for current programs. **

• Students should book all flights under one reservation, not separate tickets, if connecting flights are needed.

• Go to the airlines website, enter your hometown as the origin city and program city as your final destination.

• Search for available itineraries within our dates (listed below).

• Review the options and search for an itinerary with a layover in the recommended departure city.

• Purchase a ticket! This way, all of your flights are booked together and you’ll be on one of our recommended itineraries.

LeadAbroad strongly encourages students to align their travel with our recommended flight itineraries. Below are important considerations everyone should take when booking their flights.

Connection time

LeadAbroad recommends at least 1.5 hours and no more than four hours. We prefer this window of time for connections to mitigate the risk of missing connections and lost luggage but not making the travel experience overly long and exhausting.

Return flight

LeadAbroad recommends that students arrive back in the US by 4PM local time. Students should estimate at least 2 hours to get through immigration and get to a connecting flight. By arriving before 4pm back to the US you will have more options for connecting flights to your home city.

Program arrival window

The arrival window is usually a one to two hour block of time when all recommended flights arrive. By aggregating all the recommended flights during one arrival window we are able to welcome students abroad, offer group transportation and give students time to rest before their program orientation begins.

Number of connections

LeadAbroad recommends direct flights or ones with no more than up to one connection. We prefer flights with less connections for ease, convenience and less risk of travel delay.

Departure hub cities

We do our best to colocate our recommended flights in cities that are proximate to our students such as Dallas and Atlanta to create the least amount of connections.

• Students must arrive within the arrival window in order to be greeted and join the group transfer.

• Arrival windows are based upon the recommended flight itineraries and generally 1 hour before and 15 minutes after the recommended flight’s arrival time.

• If you are scheduled to arrive before the group lands, you can wait at the airport for the group transfer or pay for your own transfer to the accommodations. On DIRECT, LEAD and PRO programs LeadAbroad will assist you in arranging this transportation. On GO, we will give you guidance on taxis in your program city. Note: any transportation arranged outside of the group transfer will be an additional cost.

• LeadAbroad will provide a transfer to the airport on departure day. The transfer time corresponds with the recommended flight departure. Generally, we have students to the airport 3 hours prior to takeoff.

In order to arrive abroad rested and ready to go, consider the following tips to make your flight experience as enjoyable and safe as possible:

• GET TO THE AIRPORT EARLY. Do not start your trip stressed. For most international flights, we recommend that you arrive at the airport at least three hours prior to departure.

• Print flight itineraries for the trip and have them easily accessible.

• Weigh your bags before you leave home. Check baggage size and weight restrictions for ALL AIRLINES you might be flying during the program. Smaller budget airlines abroad usually have stricter baggage policies than the larger U.S.-based carriers.

• Pack the following items in your carry-on. If your checked baggage takes an adventure of its own, having these items with you will create less stress and allow for a more comfortable plane ride:

  • Two days worth of clothes

  • Medications/contacts

  • Laptop, cell phone, chargers, other electronics

  • Water bottle

  • Headphones/earbuds

  • Eye mask and earplugs if you are sensitive to light/sound when trying to sleep on planes

  • Journal/books/Kindle/magazines

  • Program director’s phone number

  • Accommodations address

• Stay hydrated. Drink plenty of fluid while in the air. It is easy to become dehydrated when flying.

• Know where your passport is at all times. When checking in at the airport, you will have to get your passport in and out of your bag several times; at each stop, be sure to take a moment for a passport check.

• Try to get some sleep! We have busy days upon arrival.

• Make a medication plan. If you have to take medications at a certain time during the day or at the same time everyday you might need to adapt this prior to departure.

• Make special meal requests if necessary. If you have any special requests, be sure to contact the airline at least 72 hours prior to departure.

• Pack a pen. Make sure you have a pen for any immigration forms. Flight attendants usually distribute arrival forms shortly after take-off. On these forms, note that you are a tourist, not a student.