Travel Procedures

When you wish to travel to another IPA country you MUST follow the below procedures:

1. You must contact the respective Associate Secretary or your Region Secretary, (DO NOT CONTACT THE IPA COUNTRY ON YOUR OWN) He/she will send you a IPA Travel Request Form which you need to complete and return to him with a photo copy of your IPA passport. You must have a current years dues stamp on the back. Travel request must be made 6 weeks in advance of your travel date. Travel Forms are available on the Administrative Page.

2. Upon receipt of your completed travel form, he/she will forward it to the appropriate Associate Secretary. He/she will in turn notify you that they received your form.

3. In a few weeks you will hear from the Accommodations Officer or a representative of that nation's IPA. They will advise you who has requested to assist you and respond to your remarks on the travel form.

Please keep in mind the time element. All IPA members world-wide do their part as volunteers. Plan ahead, don't expect members both here and abroad to drop whatever they are doing to accommodate your last minute requests. Mail between the U.S. and Europe takes up to 10 days. Give us 90 days notice if at all possible, especially if requesting lodging at an IPA house or apartment. They are on a first come first, served basis, and you and your family will save thousands of dollars over a few weeks.

Travel within the U.S. is certainly easier to arrange, but once again try to give us 2 weeks notice. We realize that sometimes advance notice is not possible and we will attempt our best to accommodate your request.

Lastly, don't forget to take along some law enforcement related gifts for those abroad who assist you and new friends you most certainly will meet. A couple T-shirts, police baseball caps and patches from America will take you a long way. The region Secretary or the Associate Secretary can give you some pointers on where to get these items if you don't already have them and I promise you will return with more than you left with.