Course Catalog / BMU 190 / Syllabus

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BMU 190 Smart Travel: Plan, Save and Stay Safe: Course Syllabus

About 5 minutes to read. Last updated October 29, 2026. Keep this page as your map for the course.

Welcome. You are an adult with a full life, and this course is built for that. This page shows what you will learn, why it matters, what you will do, and how to succeed. Come back to it any time you wonder what is next.

This page helps you

Explain what success looks like in this course
Find your next step and set your own target dates
Find help when you get stuck

Why this course matters

Many trips go over budget or go wrong because of fees, rules, and papers nobody checked. Your course guide is Travel Guide Travis, host of The Travel Tribe Guide podcast, and every tip rests on official government pages. You build a realistic budget, compare fares and stays on total price, and learn your flyer rights and cruise basics. You get your documents ready, pack for security, choose insurance with care, spot scams, and plan for health and safety abroad. You finish with a complete, budgeted plan for a real trip.

This course is for you if:

You are planning a trip and want it to cost what you planned
You want the passport, ID, refund, and safety rules from official sources
You are taking a first trip abroad or a first cruise

What success looks like

By the end of the course, you will be able to:

Build a realistic trip budget: write a trip goal with a ceiling, list costs in eight categories, check room and meal guesses against the GSA per diem benchmark, add a buffer of at least 10 percent, and set a weekly savings target.
Compare fares and stays and spot hidden fees: compare offers on total price for the learner's needs, apply DOT full fare advertising (14 CFR 399.84), the FTC fee rule for lodging (16 CFR Part 464), and the 24 hour hold or cancel rule (14 CFR 259.5), and use DOT refund and denied boarding rules (14 CFR Part 260 and 250.5) when plans change.
Prepare documents and get through security: check passport timing, six month validity, blank pages, and visa needs on State Department pages, carry a REAL ID or other accepted ID, apply cruise document advice, and pack by the TSA liquids rule, the FAA lithium battery rule, and CDC's Pack Smart list.
Choose travel insurance wisely: check what current coverage pays abroad (including Medicare.gov), tell apart health, evacuation, and cancellation coverage, check any policy against the State Department checklist, and write a reasoned decision.
Recognize and avoid travel scams: name the FTC red flags, verify a rental or offer before paying, choose a payment method that can be disputed, and report fraud at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
Plan for health and safety abroad: use the CDC destination page and a provider visit 4 to 6 weeks ahead, read the full State Department advisory, enroll in STEP, save embassy and State Department emergency numbers, and write and share a one page emergency plan.

You will know you got there in two ways. First, you pass the posttest with 80% or higher. Second, your capstone rubric shows Ready to use on each row.

Your next step

Start with the pretest. It takes about 10 minutes and is not graded. Then open Lesson 1: Plan your trip and budget.

Here is the full path through the course:

Pretest: 12 questions, plus 3 quick confidence questions. Not graded. You take it once.
The lessons, in order: 8 lessons, from Lesson 1: Plan your trip and budget to Lesson 8: Your complete trip plan.
Posttest: 12 questions. Pass with 80%. Retake as often as you need.
Course survey: about 2 minutes, optional and anonymous.
Your certificate: type your name and print it.
A 30 day check in, if you opt in.

Your dates. BMU sets no deadlines. You choose them. Pick a start date and a target finish date now, and put both on your calendar. Each lesson's action step also says when to do it, such as tomorrow or this week.

Course schedule

Every lesson has the same parts, so you always know what is coming. You get a short read, a Try it action step you do in real life, and, in most lessons, a quick check. Times come from each lesson page.

BMU 190 schedule: lessons, time, and what you make
Lesson	Read	Action step	What you do (Try it)	Builds outcome
Pretest	10 min	None	See where you start	All
Lesson 1: Plan your trip and budget (free preview)	16 min	30 min	Build your trip budget	O1
Lesson 2: Compare fares and stays, spot hidden fees	14 min	30 min	Compare two offers	O2
Lesson 3: Flyer rights and cruise basics	16 min	25 min	Save your rights card	O2, O3
Lesson 4: Documents, security, and packing	14 min	30 min	Check your documents and pack	O3
Lesson 5: Choose travel insurance wisely	15 min	30 min	Make your insurance decision	O4
Lesson 6: Spot and stop travel scams	13 min	20 min	Check one offer	O5
Lesson 7: Health and safety abroad	15 min	30 min	Write your emergency plan	O6
Lesson 8: Your complete trip plan	15 min	120 min	Finish your trip plan	O1, O2, O3, O4, O5, O6
Posttest	10 min	None	Show what you can do (80% to pass)	All
Survey (optional)	2 min	None	Tell us what to improve	None

Suggested pace

Two lessons a week. That is about four weeks. Lesson 8 asks you to finish a complete trip plan, so give yourself an extra week for that step if you need it. If your trip is soon, do Lesson 4 first so your passport and ID are ready in time. Go faster or slower if your life calls for it.

A suggested plan you can change
When	What to do	About how long
Week 1	Pretest, Lesson 1, Lesson 2	100 min
Week 2	Lesson 3, Lesson 4	85 min
Week 3	Lesson 5, Lesson 6	78 min
Week 4	Lesson 7, Lesson 8, Posttest, Survey (optional), Certificate	192 min

How much time it takes

Each lesson: 13 to 16 minutes to read, in one sitting.
Each action step: 20 to 120 minutes, done in your real life within the window the lesson gives.
At the suggested pace: up to about 192 minutes a week.
The whole course: about 7 hours and 35 minutes, including the tests and the survey.

What you will do and why

Each task below practices or checks one of the outcomes above. Nothing here is busywork.

Assignments and checks
Task	What you do	Counts toward the certificate?
Pretest	Answer 12 questions and 3 confidence questions before Lesson 1. It shows where you start, so you can see your growth later.	No. Not graded.
Check your understanding	Answer 3 short questions at the end of a lesson. Every answer tells you why it is right or wrong.	No. Try as many times as you like.
Try it action steps	Do one real task after each lesson. Each one builds a piece of your capstone.	No, but they are where the change happens.
Capstone	Your complete Trip Plan from Lesson 8: a budget with a benchmark and buffer, bookings compared on total price with rules saved, documents and rights checked, a packing check, an insurance decision, a scam check, and a shared emergency plan. The Course Project page checks it automatically.	Yes. The Course Project page checks each part automatically. Every part must pass for your certificate.
Posttest	Answer 12 questions and the same 3 confidence questions. Each retake mixes the order and swaps in some new questions.	Yes. Pass with 80% or higher.
Self assessment	Rate yourself on each outcome and pick one to review.	No. It is for you.
Survey and 30 day check in	Tell us what helped and what to fix. Opt in to a check in at 30 days.	No. Both are optional.

Your capstone rubric checks these parts:

Budget
Booking choices
Rights and documents
Packing
Insurance and scams
Health and safety

How the course checks each goal

Each goal is taught in a lesson, tested in the Posttest, and, when it is something you do, checked again in your Course Project.

Goal	Taught in	Posttest	Course Project part
Build a realistic trip budget: write a trip goal with a ceiling, list costs in eight categories, check room and meal guesses against the GSA per diem benchmark, add a buffer of at least 10 percent, and set a weekly savings target.	Lesson 1: Plan your trip and budget	Questions 1, 2	Part 1: Budget
Compare fares and stays and spot hidden fees: compare offers on total price for the learner's needs, apply DOT full fare advertising (14 CFR 399.84), the FTC fee rule for lodging (16 CFR Part 464), and the 24 hour hold or cancel rule (14 CFR 259.5), and use DOT refund and denied boarding rules (14 CFR Part 260 and 250.5) when plans change.	Lesson 2: Compare fares and stays, spot hidden fees; Lesson 3: Flyer rights and cruise basics	Questions 3, 4	Part 2: Booking choices; Part 3: Rights and documents
Prepare documents and get through security: check passport timing, six month validity, blank pages, and visa needs on State Department pages, carry a REAL ID or other accepted ID, apply cruise document advice, and pack by the TSA liquids rule, the FAA lithium battery rule, and CDC's Pack Smart list.	Lesson 4: Documents, security, and packing	Questions 5, 6	Part 3: Rights and documents; Part 4: Packing
Choose travel insurance wisely: check what current coverage pays abroad (including Medicare.gov), tell apart health, evacuation, and cancellation coverage, check any policy against the State Department checklist, and write a reasoned decision.	Lesson 5: Choose travel insurance wisely	Questions 7, 8	Part 5: Insurance and scams
Recognize and avoid travel scams: name the FTC red flags, verify a rental or offer before paying, choose a payment method that can be disputed, and report fraud at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.	Lesson 6: Spot and stop travel scams	Questions 9, 10	Part 5: Insurance and scams
Plan for health and safety abroad: use the CDC destination page and a provider visit 4 to 6 weeks ahead, read the full State Department advisory, enroll in STEP, save embassy and State Department emergency numbers, and write and share a one page emergency plan.	Lesson 7: Health and safety abroad	Questions 11, 12	Part 6: Health and safety

Grading and your certificate

Performance task: in the Course Project page you build the capstone for your own life with guided fields, tables, and choices. The page checks each rubric line automatically and shows how to fix any part that is not ready yet. You can revise and check again as often as you need. The certificate needs every part of the project passing and the Posttest at 80% or higher.

Pretest: not graded. You take it once. It is fine to miss questions. They show where to start.
Posttest: you need 80% or higher. You can retake it as many times as you need. Your first try is the one BMU uses to see how much the course helped, so there is no need to rush it.
Capstone (Course Project): the Course Project page checks each rubric line automatically. A line that is not ready yet shows you what to fix.
Certificate of Completion: it unlocks when you have done two things: every part of your Course Project passed its automatic check, and you passed the posttest with 80% or higher. The survey is optional and never blocks it. Type your name on the certificate page and print it.

Your Certificate of Completion lists the skills under What success looks like, the course time (about 7.5 hours), and the standard you met: your Course Project passed the automatic check on every rubric line, and you passed the posttest at 80% or higher.

BMU is a learning community, not an accredited college. This certificate does not carry college credit. It is not a degree, diploma, license, or professional certification.

What you need

Prerequisites: none. You do not need any earlier BMU course. Read Getting started before Lesson 1.

Cost: Lesson 1 is free. The rest of the course is part of BMU All Access. Sign up free as a Founding Member to keep going.
Device: a phone, tablet, or computer with internet and a current version of Chrome, Edge, Safari or Firefox.
Skills: you can open links, type in a box, and scroll. Printing is optional. You can also save pages as a PDF.
A trip you are planning or would like to take
A way to write and save notes, such as a notebook or a free online document tool, for your Trip Plan
Your passport or driver's license, to check dates and the REAL ID star
Job aids and tools: Smart Travel Checklist (printable).

How this course works

This course is self paced and online. There are no live classes, no group posts, and no one checks when you log in. Taking part means three things:

Read each lesson in order, in one sitting if you can.
Do the Try it step in your real life. That is where the learning happens.
Be honest with yourself on the practice checks and the self assessment. Your reflections are private, and you never have to share them.

Policies and flexibility

If you fall behind or get stuck: there are no deadlines. Start with the Quick review at the top of the next lesson. If a step still does not make sense after two tries, contact BMU Learner Support with the lesson name and the step.

Pace: go at your own speed. There are no late penalties. If you miss a week, pick up where you left off.
Retakes: lesson checks and the posttest have no limit on tries.
Your progress: lessons, notes, and test scores are saved in this browser on this device. They are not tied to your name. If you clear your browser data, use private browsing, or switch devices, your progress will not follow you.
Honest work: take the pretest and posttest on your own, without notes, other people, or AI. Please do not share test answers. Your certificate says you passed, so let the score show what you can do.
Using AI: You may use AI to brainstorm, explain an idea in simpler words, or practice. If AI helps you draft your capstone, check every fact and make it sound like you. Never paste passwords, account numbers, or medical details into an AI tool.
Keep it accurate: This course teaches general skills. It is not financial, legal, insurance, or medical advice. It uses official government sources only, names no airlines, booking sites, insurers, or travel products, and has no affiliate links. Podcast episodes linked at the end of each lesson are optional extras, not evidence. Travel rules, fees, and advisories change, so every fact is dated and you recheck it before you book and before you go.
Changes: if BMU changes this course, the date at the top of this page will change, and we will say what changed here.

Course resources

Your job aid: the Smart Travel Checklist.
Want more? The Travel Tribe Guidebook by MM3.

Getting help

Words you do not know? See the glossary.

This course is self paced, so there is no live instructor. You are not on your own, though. Here is where to go:

Quick answers: the BMU Help Center covers progress, certificates, billing, and technical problems.
Ask a person: use the Contact BMU support form and pick a topic. We read every message and reply as soon as we can. Please do not send card numbers or passwords.
Something not working: refresh the page and try a current browser. If it still fails, contact support, choose Technical problem, and tell us the page, your device, and your browser.

BMU support cannot respond to emergencies. If you are in crisis, call or text 988, or call 911.

Accessibility

We want every page to work with a keyboard, a screen reader, and zoom. Tables scroll on small screens, and answers open with a tap. If anything gets in your way, or you need a lesson in another format, tell us on the contact form. Choose Technical problem, say it is an accessibility issue, and describe the page. We will work to fix it or get you the content another way.

Check your understanding of this syllabus

Can you answer these three questions? If so, you are ready to start.

1. What does success look like in this course?

You can do the 6 things listed under What success looks like. You pass the posttest with 80% or higher, and your capstone rubric shows Ready to use.

2. What is your next step?

Take the pretest, then start Lesson 1: Plan your trip and budget. Put your own start and finish dates on your calendar.

3. Where do you get help?

Try the Help Center first. Then use the contact form. We read every message and reply as soon as we can.

Recap

Start with the pretest. It is not graded.
Do one lesson at a time, and do each Try it step in real life.
Pass the posttest with 80% to earn your certificate. Retakes are unlimited.
Need help? Use the Help Center or the contact form.

Sources

This syllabus is built from the course design record. The research behind each lesson is listed at the end of that lesson.

Taught by Travel Guide Travis, host of The Travel Tribe Guide podcast. An original BMU course. BMU is a learning community, not an accredited college.