Sending your teenager to a
conference in New York.

Sending your teenager to a conference in New York comes down to five things you control — documents, flights, insurance, communication and money — and four things the organiser must provide: a staffed arrival point, transfers, supervised evenings and a contact number that answers at any hour. Sort the first group as soon as a place is confirmed, and question the second before you pay anything.

Which documents does your teenager need to travel to New York?

Your teenager needs a valid passport, the correct entry authorisation for their nationality, and, if they are under eighteen and travelling without a parent, a signed parental consent letter, plus copies of all three kept separately from the originals.

Passport

The passport must be valid for the whole trip, and many countries advise validity of six months beyond the return date; the exact rule depends on the passport your teenager holds, so check it against official guidance rather than assuming.

Visa or ESTA

Entry requirements depend on nationality. Nationals of countries in the US Visa Waiver Program generally apply online in advance for an Electronic System for Travel Authorization, known as ESTA; other nationalities apply for a visitor visa, which involves an appointment and can take weeks or months depending on the consulate. Requirements change, so check the official US government guidance for your nationality and apply as early as the organiser's confirmation allows. Conference fees rarely include visa costs; The Global 60, for example, lists flights, visas and insurance as not included.

Parental consent letter

For a minor travelling alone, carry a letter signed by both parents or legal guardians that names the child, the trip, the dates, the accommodation, the organising body and an emergency contact. Some countries require it for a minor to leave; some airlines require it for an unaccompanied minor; border officers may ask for it. Some jurisdictions expect it to be notarised, so check your own country's rules as well as the destination's.

Flights and unaccompanied-minor services

Airlines treat under-18s flying alone differently from adults: most require a paid unaccompanied-minor service up to a certain age and offer it optionally to older teenagers, so read the specific airline's policy before you buy the ticket.

The service usually includes an escort through security and to the gate, supervision in flight and at any connection, and handover on arrival only to a named adult whose identification matches the form completed at check-in. Most airlines restrict unaccompanied minors to direct or supervised flights.

Tell the organiser who will collect your teenager and ask for the name of the staff member meeting the flight, because the airline will not release a minor to anyone else. Book a flight that lands inside the organiser's arrival window, favour a nonstop service, and leave a buffer on departure day. New York is served by three main airports, John F. Kennedy, Newark Liberty and LaGuardia; confirm which ones the organiser's transfers cover before you book.

Airport transfers and arrival in New York

The safest arrival is one where a named member of the organiser's staff meets your teenager at the airport, or where the organiser's transfer is booked and confirmed in writing before departure.

Ask the organiser four questions: who meets delegates, where exactly in the terminal, how that person will be identified, and what happens if the flight is delayed. If your teenager ever arrives independently, they should ignore anyone soliciting rides in the arrivals hall and use only the official taxi rank or a licensed app-based car booked from inside the terminal.

On the way home, staff should see every delegate onto a transfer. At The Global 60, transfers between the airport and the hotel on arrival and departure are included on every tier, and staff see each delegate onto their transfer on the Sunday.

Travel insurance for student trips to the United States

Buy a policy that covers medical treatment and repatriation in the United States, trip cancellation and curtailment, and personal belongings, and buy it when you pay the conference fee rather than the week before departure, so that cancellation cover runs from the day you are committed.

Medical care in the US is costly for visitors, which is why the medical section of the policy matters more than the baggage section. When comparing policies, check that the traveller is named, that any pre-existing conditions are declared, that the cancellation limit at least matches the total cost of the trip, and that the policy covers a minor travelling with an organised group rather than with a parent.

If the programme includes activities beyond a conference room, check that the policy does not exclude them; The Global 60's Excellency tier, for instance, includes a Manhattan helicopter flight subject to availability, weather and parental consent. The Global 60 also requires travel insurance covering cancellation: its fees are non-refundable, and a delegate who withdraws receives a non-transferable one-year credit voucher rather than a refund, as the terms set out.

Phones, money and staying in touch

Load a phone plan that works in the United States before departure, agree one check-in a day, and send your teenager with a payment card and a modest amount of cash rather than a large sum of either.

• Phone: an eSIM or roaming add-on tested at home, a battery pack, and the organiser's 24-hour number, the hotel address once announced and a home contact saved under an emergency label.
• Money: a debit or prepaid travel card with the bank told about the trip, plus a small amount of US dollars in low notes. Tipping is customary in the United States for restaurant service, taxis and hotel staff.
• Budget: find out what is included before you set an allowance. At The Global 60 all meals and transfers are included on every tier, so personal spending is limited to shopping, snacks and souvenirs.
• Contact: agree a rhythm and keep to it. A message at breakfast and one at curfew is plenty; conference days are long.

What a conference organiser should provide

Before you pay, the organiser should be able to tell you in writing who meets delegates on arrival, how delegates travel between airport, hotel and venue, who supervises the evenings, what the curfew is for under-18s, and which number a parent can ring at three in the morning.

• Arrival desk: a staffed welcome point at the accommodation from a stated time on the arrival day, where each delegate is registered and given the programme.
• Transfers: airport to hotel and back, and movement between venues, with the cohort and with staff.
• Accommodation: the hotel named in writing before any payment is due, with the rooming policy for under-18s.
• Supervision: staff on site throughout, background screening for anyone working with minors, no alcohol for underage delegates, a nightly curfew and room check for under-18s, and a stated staffing ratio.
• 24-hour contact: one number, answered by a person, from first arrival to last departure.
• Consent and medical forms: medical, dietary and photography consent collected after admission, and a plan for medication and allergies.
• Policies in writing: the cancellation terms, the insurance requirement and the code of conduct.

As a worked example, The Global 60, held in New York from Thursday 22 – Sunday 25 April 2027, opens a welcome desk at the delegate hotel from midday on the Thursday; a Manhattan hotel is announced to admitted delegates before any payment is due. Youth Impacts staff and chaperones are on site throughout and are background-screened; no alcohol is served to underage delegates; under-18s have a nightly curfew and room check and do not leave the hotel unaccompanied; and parents have a 24-hour line from first arrival to last departure. Consent forms follow admission, and the staffing ratio is confirmed in the delegate handbook. The parents' page collects this in one place, and the questions parents should ask any Model UN organiser helps compare programmes.

New York school trip safety: what to teach before departure

The safety conversation before a New York trip is short and practical: stay with the group, know the meeting point, keep the phone charged, and ring the organiser's number first if anything goes wrong.

• Emergencies: the emergency number in the United States is 911. The organiser's number comes first for anything short of an emergency.
• Movement: most well-run programmes keep under-18s with staff and do not permit independent exploring; ask what the rule is, and present it as the programme's rule rather than yours.
• Weather: April in New York can be cool and changeable; pack layers and a coat that goes over formal wear.
• Health: medication in original packaging with a copy of the prescription, and dietary needs told to the organiser in writing.

Pre-departure checklist

Work through the checklist in this order, starting the day the place is confirmed, and the departure itself becomes uneventful.

On confirmation

• Check passport validity; renew if needed.
• Check entry requirements for your teenager's nationality; apply for ESTA or book a visa appointment.
• Buy travel insurance with cancellation cover in force from the date of payment.
• Request the organiser's confirmation letter and the arrival and departure windows.

Six to eight weeks out

• Book flights inside the arrival window, with the unaccompanied-minor service if required or wanted, and send the details and the collecting adult's name to the organiser.
• Draft the parental consent letter; arrange notarisation if your country requires it.
• Return medical, dietary and photography consent forms.

Two weeks out

• Set up the phone plan and test it; buy a battery pack.
• Order a travel card; obtain a small amount of US dollars.

The last few days

• Print the documents folder; photograph every page.
• Save the 24-hour number and hotel address in the phone and on a card.
• Pack medication, chargers, layers and one outfit in the hand luggage in case checked bags are delayed.

Where to go next

The parents' page for The Global 60 sets out supervision, accommodation, consent and the 24-hour contact in detail, and the New York page describes how the city programme is run with staff and chaperones. For the cost side, how much does Model UN cost covers what to budget beyond the fee, and the FAQ answers the questions parents ask most often before applying.

Frequently asked questions.

Youth Impacts is a Model United Nations organisation. Its flagship New York experience is The Global 60: sixty delegates, three small chambers, 22 – 25 April 2027, admission by application and interview. Youth Impacts Model United Nations (YIMUN) has run since 2025. Questions: info@youthimpacts.com. Published 19 September 2026.