Open Chat from the trip menu on the website or the Chat tab in the app. Chat is for people on the trip: organizers, chaperones and travelers who joined. Parents who are not on the trip do not see trip chat; use Announcements to reach them.
The conversations
- Everyone: everyone on the trip, staff and travelers.
- Staff only: organizers and chaperones only. Travelers never see it.
- Ask the staff: every traveler has their own thread that goes to all chaperones and organizers at once. Whoever is free can answer. A traveler can always start this one, whatever the other settings say.
- Direct messages: private conversations between a few people. Start one with Message someone on the phone or the new-conversation button on the website.
Organizers can read every direct message on their trip, and the app says so in each one. They cannot post in other people's direct messages.
Who can post (organizers)
In Trip settings › Communication on the website you choose two things. They are enforced by the server, not just hidden in the app.
For the Everyone chat:
- Announcements only (the default): staff post, travelers read.
- Everyone can post: anyone on the trip can post.
- Staff only: hidden from travelers entirely.
For direct messages:
- No direct messages
- Staff can start: staff may message a traveler privately; a traveler cannot start one with staff.
- Either side, staff involved: a staff member must be in every private conversation, so students cannot message each other.
- Anyone on the trip
Messages
- Photos: attach an image with the image button (website) or Add a photo (phone).
- On the phone: press and hold a message to react, reply, edit, delete, report or block. Swipe a message to reply.
- On the website: hover a message to add a reaction, edit or delete it.
- Editing: you can edit your own message for 15 minutes after sending.
- Reporting: on the phone, Report sends the message to our team for review, and Block hides that person's messages from you.
Who has seen it
Staff see "Seen 8 of 47" under each message. Tap it to see who has and has not opened the chat since it was posted. Travelers see a simpler "Seen by" on their own messages. Red counts on the Chat tab show how many messages you have not read.
For notifications about new messages, see Notifications.