Travel — page 2 of 4

Travel terms

101. DMO (Destination Marketing Organization) A company or other entity involved in the business of increasing tourism to a destination or improving its public image(such as a convention and visitor…
102. Docent A tour guide who works free of charge at a museum.
103. Documentarily Qualified The applicant has submitted all documents specified by the consular officer or the National Visa Center (NVC) as sufficient to meet the formal visa…
104. Domicile Your domicile is your permanent residence, which you demonstrate by using it as your primary home, holding a driver's license using that address, and…
105. Double double A room with two double beds.
106. Double-occupancy rate The price per person for a room to be shared with another person; the rate most frequently quoted in tour brochures.
107. Double-room rate The full price of a room for two people (twice the double-occupancy rate.)
108. Downgrade 1. Change the security class of an object to one which does not dominate the original [CESG]. 2.
109. Driver-guide A tour guide who does double duty by driving a vehicle while narrating.
110. Duration of Status In certain visa categories such as diplomats, students and exchange visitors, the alien may be admitted into the United States for as long as the person…
111. Duty-free imports Item amounts and categories specified by a government that are fee of tax or duty charges when brought into the country.
112. Economic impact study Research into the dollars generated by an industry and how these dollars impact the economy through direct spending and the indirect impact of additional…
113. Ecotour A tour designed to focus on preserving the environment, or to environmentally sensitive areas.
114. Ecotourism Tourism “responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the welfare of local people,” according to The International…
115. Ecotourism certification Programs that cover businesses, services, and products that describe themselves as involved in ecotourism.
116. Educational and Cultural Affairs The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) of the U.S. Department of State fosters mutual understanding between the people of the United States…
117. Educational programming Activities conducted in partnership with formal education institutions and which seek to meet both the institution’s specific education outcomes and the…
118. Educational tour A tour designed around an educational activity, such as studying art.
119. Educational/interpretive signage Simple sign or label that provides basic information to aid visitor in orientation to or understanding of the location.
120. Employment-based Visa Category Visa cases under these categories are processed based on an approved Form I-140 visa petition.
121. Errors and omissions insurance Insurance coverage equivalent to malpractice insurance, protecting an agent’s or operator’s staff if an act of negligence, an error, or an omission…
122. Escort A person, usually employed by a tour operator, who accompanies a tour from departure to return as guide or trouble-shooter, or a person who performs such…
123. Escorted group tour A group tour that features a tour director who travels with the group throughout the trip to provide sightseeing commentary and coordinate all group…
124. Escorted service A prearranged travel program, usually for a group, with escort service. Fully escorted tours may also use local guide services.
125. Escrow accounts Funds placed in the custody of licensed financial institutions for safekeeping.
126. ESSTO Educational Seminar for State Travel Officials.
127. ESTA Electronic System for Travel Authorization ((ESTA)) is an automated system that determines the eligibility of visitors (nationals from 37 participating…
128. Evidence of Relationship In keeping with our goal of immigration based on reuniting family and loved ones, an officer must be fully convinced that a petition is based on a…
129. Exchange Visitor A foreign citizen coming to the United States to participate in a particular program in education, training, research, or other authorized exchange…
130. Exchange Visitor Skills List The Exchange Visitor Skills List (J visas) is a list of fields of specialized knowledge and skills that are deemed necessary for the development of an…
131. extension The short single-stranded stretch of nucleotides remaining on a double-stranded DNA molecule, following treatment with a restriction endonuclease which…
132. Extension of Stay Extending the length of time a visa holder is authorized to stay in the United States, when approved by USCIS.
133. familiarization (FAM) tour (FAM) A free or reduced-rate trip offered to travel professionals to acquaint them with what a destination, attraction, or supplier has to offer.
134. Familiarization Trip A complimentary or reduced-rate travel program for travel agents, airline or rail employees or other travel buyers, designed to acquaint participants with…
135. Family First Preference A category of family immigration (F1) for unmarried sons and daughters of U.S. citizens, and their children.
136. Family Fourth Preference A category of family immigration (F4) for brothers and sisters of U.S. citizens and their spouses and children.
137. Family Preference Categories Visa cases under these categories are processed based on an approved Form I-130 visa petition.
138. Family Second Preference A category of family immigration (F2) for spouses, children and unmarried sons and daughters of lawful permanent residents.
139. Family Third Preference A category of family immigration (F3) for married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens and their spouses and children.
140. Federal Poverty Guidelines See Poverty Guidelines. The Department of Health and Human Services publishes a list every year giving the lowest income acceptable for a family of a…
141. Fiancé(e) A person who plans or is contracted to marry another person. The foreign fiancé(e) of a U.S.
142. Filing Date or Priority Date The date the petition was received by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS, formerly INS, BCIS).
143. First Preference A category of family immigration (F1) for unmarried sons and daughters of U.S. citizens and their children.
144. fiscal year The fiscal year is the accounting period for the federal government which begins on October 1 and ends on September 30.
145. FIT Acronym with multiple meanings. RTM has seen it used to mean the following: -Foreign individual traveler -Frequent individual traveler -Fully independent…
146. Fixed Costs Costs that do not vary with the volume of business, such as property taxes, insurance, depreciation, security, and minimum water and utility fees.
147. Fly/drive tour A F.I.T. package that always includes air travel and a rental car and sometimes other travel components.
148. Folio An itemized record of a guest’s charges and credits which is maintained in the front office until departure.
149. Following to Join A type of derivative visa status when the family member gets a visa after the principal applicant.
150. Foreign Affairs Manual (9 FAM) (9 FAM) 9 FAM Chapter 41 relates to nonimmigrant visas. 9 FAM Chapter 42 covers immigrant visas. 9 FAM Chapter 40 relates to visa ineligibilities and waivers.
151. Foreign Independent Travel or Foreign Individual Travel - FIT An international pre-paid unescorted tour that includes several travel elements such as accommodations, rental cars and sightseeing.
152. Fourth Preference A category of family immigration (F4) for brothers and sisters of U.S. citizens and their spouses and children. The U.S.
153. Frequent Independent Travel (F.I.T.) A custom-designed, prepaid travel package with many individualized arrangements. F.I.T. are unescorted and usually have no formal itinerary.
154. Fulfillment piece Promotional literature, video, or other material that is sent in response to an inquiry. Usually contains full trip planning information.
155. Full and Final Adoption A legal adoption in which the child receives all the rights of a natural born, legitimate child.
156. Full house a hand of three cards of the same value and two cards of another same value, irrespective of suit, e.g. 2, 2, 2, 5, 5; i.e. a three of a kind and a pair
157. Function room A special room that is used primarily for private parties, banquets, and meetings. Also called banquet rooms.
158. gateway An element that contained a node on the SDS backbone network as well as on some other network(s) and would have performed protocol and format conversions…
159. Gateway city City with an international airport.
160. Geotourism (1998) Tourism that sustains or enhances the geographic character of the place being visited--its environment, culture, aesthetics, heritage, and the well-being…
161. Global Positioning System (GPS) (GPS) A navigation system which uses a constellation of artificial earth satellites to make precise determinations of the latitude and longitude of locations on…
162. Green card Permanent Resident Card, Form I-551 (formerly called Alien Registration Card, also known as green card), is a wallet-sized card showing that the person is…
163. Ground operator A company that provides local travel services, including transportation or guide services.
164. Group leader An individual who has been given the responsibility of coordinating tour and travel arrangements for a group.
165. Group rate A special discounted rate charged by suppliers to groups. Also called tour rate.
166. Group tour A travel package for an assembly of travelers that has a common itinerary, travel date, and transportation.
167. Group tour and group leader Group Tour: A travel agent type company which plans motorcoach trips. Group Leader: A small, informal group, such as a church group, scout troop, or…
168. Homeless Persons from countries that do not have a U.S. Embassy or Consulate where they can apply for immigrant visas are “homeless”. For example, the U.S.
169. Hospitality A general term used in travel & tourism describing the “hospitality industry”; refers to the general greeting, welcoming, food service, etc.
170. Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI) (HSMAI) www.hsmai.org , www.abt-travel.com
171. Hotel Package A package offered by a hotel, sometimes consisting of no more than a room and breakfast; sometimes, especially at resort hotels, consisting of (ground)…
172. Household Income The income used to determine whether a sponsor meets the minimum income requirements under Section 213A of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) for…
173. Household Size The number of people in a sponsor's household is used in calculating the minimum sufficient income based on the poverty guidelines, to ensure that a…
174. I-134 This is a variation on the I-864 affidavit of support. It has the same purpose, namely, to establish to the consular officer's satisfaction that the…
175. I-551 (Green Card) Permanent residence card or alien registration receipt card or "green card." See Lawful Permanent Resident.
176. Immediate Relative Spouse, widow(er) and unmarried children under the age of 21 of a U.S. citizen. A parent is an immediate relative if the U.S.
177. Immediate Relative (IR2) (IR2) A minor child of a petitioner who is an American citizen.
178. Immigrant Visa A visa for a person who plans to live indefinitely and permanently in the United States. Visit our Immigrant Visa section of this website.
179. Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) (INA) INA means the Immigration and Nationality Act, as amended, 8 U.S.C. 1101 et seq.
180. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) (INS) A federal agency which regulates immigration and naturalization of aliens.
181. In Status It’s important to understand the concept of immigration status and the consequences of violating that status.
182. Incentive tour A trip offered as a prize, usually by a company to stimulate employee sales or productivity.
183. Ineligible/Ineligibility Immigration law says that certain conditions and actions prevent a person from entering the United States.
184. Inquiry A request for a copy of your credit report. An inquiry occurs every time you fill out a credit application and/or request more credit.
185. International Association of Convention & Visitors Bureaus (IACVB) Worldwide association of convention and visitors bureaus, based in Washington, DC. www.iacvb.org
186. Interpretation Print materials, signage, narration, guided tours, and anything that “interprets” the site for the visitor.
187. Interpretative Programming Activities conducted in a recreational environment which seek to connect the participants to the meanings and values of the resource being experienced.
188. Itinerary Travel schedule provided by a travel agent for his/her customer. A proposed or preliminary itinerary may be rather vague or specific.
189. IV Interceptor Vehicle.
190. Joint Sponsor A person who accepts legal responsibility for supporting an immigrant with an I-864 Affidavit of Support along with the sponsor.
191. Jurisdiction (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same…
192. Kentucky Consular Center (KCC) A U.S. Department of State facility located in Williamsburg, Kentucky. It gives domestic (U.S.
193. Labor Certification The initial stage of the process by which certain foreign workers get permission to work in the United States.
194. Labor Condition Application (LCA) (LCA) Labor condition application (LCA), Form ETA 9035/9035E is a document that a prospective H-1B employer files with OFLC when it seeks to employ nonimmigrant…
195. Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR) (LPR) A person who has immigrated legally, admitted to the United States by DHS as a permanent resident of the United States and has a Permanent Resident Card…
196. Lawful Permanent Resident Alien (LPRA) (LPRA) Lawful permanent resident.
197. Laws (immigration and visa related laws) The Code of Federal Regulations contains useful information on the laws regulating U.S. visa policy.
198. Lay Worker A person who works in a religious organization, but is not a member of the formal clergy.
199. Legal Immigration Family Equity (LIFE) Act (LIFE) This act of Congress allows foreign spouses of U.S. citizens, the children of those foreign spouses, and spouses and children of certain lawful permanent…
200. Legitimation The legal process which a natural father can use to acknowledge legally his children who were born out of wedlock (outside of marriage).