FAQ: Travel Prep

EXPLO check-in and EXPLO departure differ slightly for Residential and Day students.

Residential students:

• Session 1: June 28 – July 11 • Session 2: July 12 – 25
  
  
• Arrive the first Sunday of your session; on-site registration runs 1 – 4 p.m. EDT (EXPLO airport shuttles meet BOS flights landing 10 a.m.–3 p.m.).
  
  
• EXPLO departure is the final Saturday; pick-up is 9 a.m.–12 p.m. EDT (flights should leave 9 a.m.–3 p.m.).
  
  

Day students

• Follow the same calendar and register on Sunday, but start Monday (June 29 / July 13).
  

• Daily check-in 8:30 a.m., pick-up 5:30 p.m.; optional late pick-up with evening events until 9:00 p.m.

The Welcome + Registration area outlined in your welcome materials.

Residential students: Follow the orange EXPLO signs at Wellesley College’s main (Central St.) entrance. Staff in orange EXPLO T-shirts guide families to the Welcome + Registration area, 1:00 – 4:00 p.m. You’ll get your ID card, dorm key, and meet your Resident Advisors before walking to your hall. Students arriving on the EXPLO airport shuttle are brought to the same area.

Day Students: report to the same location Sunday afternoon 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm. This enables students to walk the campus and orient themselves before the first day.  On the first Monday, students check in at the same location 8:30 a.m. – 8:45. Staff will walk you to Morning Huddle. Pick-up: the same area is the curb-side pick-up spot at 5:30 p.m.; families who’ve arranged evening events can collect students at 8:45 p.m. after the campus-wide activity.

We recommend that Day students register on Sunday. This helps both parents and students to be more comfortable with the processes and location of daily check-in. On Sunday, there is a parent meeting and student campus tour. If absolutely necessary, Day students can wait for EXPLO check-in on Monday at 8:30 a.m.

Yes, there is a staffed EXPLO airport shuttle from Boston Logan (BOS) on the official arrival/departure days. If your airline requires your child to fly as an Unaccompanied Minor (UM), EXPLO will register a staff member as the pick-up/hand-off adult, meet your child at the gate, escort them to campus, and reverse the process on departure.

Fees: $100 each way for the standard airport shuttle + an additional $150 UM surcharge per leg for unaccompanied minors. You must:

1. Pay the airline’s UM fee in advance and list the EXPLO contact on the UM form.
   
   
2. Submit EXPLO’s Arrival & Departure forms with the flight details by the stated deadline.
   
   

Because UM procedures add time at the airport, EXPLO recommends using the service only when mandated by your airline’s age rules.

EXPLO tuition insurance is covered as part of your tuition fee. We do not offer a separate travel coverage.

Yes. You have access to a secure Family Portal once you apply. The Essentials Guide/Welcome Page will be shared in December or January. Forms and payment are due by April. As part of the Essentials Guide, you’ll find:

• a printable EXPLO packing list and travel checklist
• step-by-step arrival-day schedule, campus map, and parking directions
• final deadlines for health forms and tuition
• optional webinar dates for parents and students
• contact numbers for Student Life and the 24/7 health center.

A reminder email with any last-minute updates lands the week before you leave.

No—EXPLO can only house students during the published session dates. Registration opens 1 – 4 p.m. on the first program day, and families are asked not to arrive early because staff are still prepping dorms and classrooms. On the last day, all students must depart by 12 p.m.

The one exception is for students enrolled in both sessions: EXPLO offers supervised housing, meals, and activities between sessions for a $250 intersession fee (families must reserve a spot in advance).