About the Tours
While some might try to compare us to a summer camp, Achva offers so much more. Achva travels around to great destinations all over the globe. After flying to the tour starting point, Achva travels by air-conditioned coach bus, available every day of your trip, to the best sites and attractions around. Every day on Achva is another adventure; there are no days for just sitting around. After davening and breakfast, we board buses and travel somewhere new and exciting. Please review the itineraries for each of our programs to get an idea of what we mean. Of course, on Shabbat, we spend one day a week to rest and refresh our physical and spiritual batteries. Shabbat includes free time to relax, lively Shabbat meals, topical Torah sessions and an uplifting davening.

Room and Board
Strictly kosher food is provided three times a day either by Achva's caterer, or local kosher restaurants and/or hotels. Regarding accommodations, Achva often stays in 3 star hotels and/or an occasional motel but each Achva tour is different, so its difficult to generalize. See information about each program for more on this.

About the Participants
Achva gets participants from all over the United States and Canada. While many come from the Northeast of the United States, Achva participants also come from Florida, California, Illinois, Tennessee, Canada and many other communities all over North America. In recent summers, we have even had participants from as far away as Holland and Israel. Achva participants are best described as Modern Orthodox teens looking to travel, make new friends and have the best summer of their life, while in a religious environment.

Religious Standards
All Achva tours have mandatory davening three times a day, everyday, for boys and girls. Participants are also required to attend educational sessions given by the counselors which are interesting and interactive. All participants are expected to observe shabbat, kashrut and basic mitzvot as well as the Achva dress code.

Behavioral Standards
Acceptance to Achva is based on an interview and suitable references. We reserve the right to accept or reject any candidate as we see fit. Achva has specific rules and policies, partially outlined in the Achva Handbook, which all participants must agree to adhere to before being accepted into the program. Achva reserves the right to remove any participant from the program. Drinking, smoking, or illegal drugs have no place on any Achva program. Neither does improper conduct between boys and girls. We have very strict policies in this regard and will not hesitate to send anyone home who is involved in any such activity. While we rarely need to do this, we absolutely will when necessary.

Supervision
A Group Leader, also sometimes referred to the Head Counselor, and counselor staff accompany every group. The Group Leader is an experienced professional who is responsible for the overall operation of the tour. He or she will guide the tour and ensure that everyone is safe and sound. He or she will also interface with parents regarding those issues where it is appropriate for parental involvement. The counselors, who are generally college students (or recently graduated from college), are there to help and assist the participants to get the most of their summer. There are approximately 4 counselors assigned to each bus (approximately 40 to 45 participants) in addition to the group leader. On our tours with multiple buses, a technical coordinator (TC) also accompanies the tour. The TC is there to assist the group with various needs and drive participants to the doctor when necessary. Group Leaders, counselors and TCs will be announced as they are appointed and are normally available to meet parents at the Achva Orientation. We do not have a doctor or nurse accompanying each group, though most groups have a medic along to handle emergencies. If you have special medical needs, please contact our office to discuss those needs well in advance.

Orientation
Achva runs an Orientation in May for registered participants and their parents. Following a detailed presentation, parents can ask questions and meet with staff members to find out everything they want to know about the trip. For those outside the New York area, Achva will either come to meet you or arrange for you to get the information over the phone or by mail.

Scholarships
Unfortunately, scholarships are generally not available from Achva for our programs. However, Achva will work with local Federations, Shuls and other sources who provide scholarships for our Israel programs. We encourage you to find out what's available in your community. We cannot guarantee that any scholarship sources will be available or that you will qualify if they are. As far as we are aware, there are generally no publicly available scholarships for our domestic programs.

More to Say?
There is a lot more to say about Achva but this will have to do for now. If you need additional information, please contact us.