TRAVELING THE WORLD WITH CONFIDENCE



Big Ben. The Eiffel Tower. The Swiss Alps. The Great Barrier Reef. The beaches of Fiji. There are many reasons to travel and these are just a few. Traveling internationally is a life-changing experience, especially if this is the first time you are traveling. Even if you are a “seasoned” traveler, every travel experience is different, with new and exciting adventures. So, welcome to this year’s tour!

This booklet is to provide important information about how to travel successfully on a tour of this caliber. Because it is hard to schedule a large group to meet every month, we will meet only a few times before we travel. Every student and their parent should read this handbook in its entirety and be ready to ask any questions on the material at the different meetings.

In my estimation, the most important part of this booklet is the information on how to interact with other cultures without being stereotyped as a rude American. Since you are a representative of our country, we do not want to perpetuate that myth that all too often becomes reality when Americans travel abroad. Being considerate, respectful, and on time are three important things you can do to make sure that everyone has a good experience, including our tour director and bus drivers. The specifics of how to accomplish all of these things are in the pages of this handbook and will help you to understand the importance of behavior when traveling.

Remember to keep good notes as you go along so that we can answer any and all questions at the meetings. That will also give me a good idea of what other information we need to add to this booklet for future trips. For any questions that can’t wait to be answered, contact Ms. Schaefer at lschaefer@wsfcs.k12.nc.us. I can’t wait to travel with you!

Sincerely,

Laurie Schaefer

PRE-TRIP INFORMATION:

Passport

Obtaining passport

Copies of passport

Lost passports

Fundraising

Pampered Chef

Car washes

Yard Sales

College Credit

Eastern Washington Univ.

Course number

Cost

Course work

Obtaining credit

Required Forms

Checklist for all forms

Trip Rules

Participant Information

Medical Release Form

Extreme Activities Permission

Alcoholic Consumption Form

Copies of Passport

Copies of Driver’s License

Copy of Birth Certificate

Original prescriptions (if any)

Money Matters

Payment Schedule

Trip Prices

Airport Fees

Insurance

Spending Money

Exchanging Money

Tipping

Emergency Money

Optional Excursions

First Aid Kit

ATM/Debit Cards

Calling Home

EF calling card

International cards

Access numbers

In the hotel

Payphones

International phones

Packing

Limitations

List

Rooming

Picking Roommates

Final Pre-Departure Meeting

Information and money due

Departure date and hotels

ON-TOUR INFORMATION

Meeting at the Airport

Time

Flight Information

Airports and Flying

Layovers

Meeting times

In the air…

Customs

Passports

Attitudes

Baggage

The First Day…

Meeting the Tour Director

Exchanging money

Time change

Hotel

Sightseeing

Curfew

Rooming on Tour

Rooming Combinations

Personality Conflicts

Cultural Information

Avoiding offending others

Bathrooms

Eating out

Behaviors and Attitudes

For females

On the bus

On a train

On a boat

In the hotels

In the restaurants

Anytime—Group Dynamics

Communication to the States

Homesickness

On-line Tracking

Emergencies

Pickpockets

Sickness

World Events

Phone Tree

Returning Home

PASSPORT INFORMATION

Of course you know that traveling abroad requires a passport, and you must have it before you go. If you already have a passport, make sure you check the expiration date to see if it expires before or while you are traveling. If so, then you need to renew your passport, which you can also get the application for online. Regardless, this is the single most important document for your travel, for your trip won’t happen without it!

OBTAINING A PASSPORT

If you don’t have a passport currently, you will need to get an application as soon as possible. The best way to do this is to go to the following website to download your application:



At this site, you can also find directions on what you have to do and include in your application. You must have an original copy of your birth certificate to send in with your application, so if you don’t have a copy of it, you will need to order one from your home town. Here is a website where you can do that:



You will also find that you have to go to an official passport agency to send your application. You will also have to have two passport photos with you. You can get passport photos at most drug stores and mail order stores. The most convenient passport agencies in this area are:

✓ The Hanes Mall Post Office

✓ Winston-Salem State University

✓ Kernersville Post Office

✓ King Post Office

After you send in your application, it will take 6-8 weeks before you receive your new passport. They will return your birth certificate to you with the passport. To make your passport official, you have to sign it.

COPIES OF PASSPORT

After you receive your passport, you will need to sign it and make two photocopies of the first page with your photo. It is best if these are color copies, but black and white is okay, too. Your group leader will keep one copy of it for security reasons, and you will receive the other copy of it at the airport before we leave. You will keep your copy with you on the trip for identification purposes and as a preventative measure. If you lose your passport, you will need a copy of the original, so this is an important piece. Often when traveling, the group leader may collect all of the group’s passports to lock them up in the hotel safe so that they can’t be lost, stolen, or just misplaced, something that will give your group leader a heart attack!

LOST OR STOLEN PASSPORTS

Horror stories abound of travelers who have had their passport stolen or who have lost it abroad. If this happens to you, it will take valuable time out of your trip since it will require a trip to the closest American Embassy to rectify the problem. The tour director will help with this problem as well as the group leader. If this happens to you, the documents you will need are:

✓ A copy of your birth certificate

✓ A copy of your driver’s license (if you have one)

✓ A copy of your passport

This is why many group leaders collect the passports and put them in the hotel safe, not returning them to the students until the final trip home. Other group leaders require that their students buy and wear a concealed passport holder which lies under your shirt. You may also go through a “passport” check every morning on the bus where you have to physically produce your passport to get onto the bus. The method that your group leader chooses to use may depend on the group size. Practice being responsible before you go!

FUNDRAISING INFORMATION

One of the first questions that potential travelers ask is whether or not we will be doing any fundraisers to help pay for the trip. The answer is both no….and yes. As far as the actual price of the tour, participants are responsible for paying that on their own. We just don’t have the time or resources to raise thousands of dollars for each student, so that is a commitment each student must make. What we do try to do is to raise some money to help offset the cost of things like tips and optional excursions or other expenses that occur with the trip. There are three ways we usually do this…

PAMPERED CHEF FUNDRAISER

We usually begin with a fundraiser that tends to do fairly well, the Pampered Chef fundraiser. Pampered Chef is a company that provides cooking supplies and other neat gadgets and is very well-known. At our second group meeting, we will kick off the fund-raiser with a representative of the company who will briefly introduce the products and tell us about the fund-raiser and how it works. We usually take a month to take orders and have students turn them in at the next meeting. The company gives us 10% of the profits, which helps cut down on the tip money, which can run each student anywhere from $60-$130, depending on the trip. This is a great thing for parents to take to work, as many women and even men like to order from Pampered Chef (the grilling supplies are premium!).

The products are delivered to the group leader and students have to come pick them up and deliver them to their customers. A competition for the most orders sold is held within the group, with prizes for the most ambitious!

YARD SALE FUNDRAISER

Usually in May, we will hold a yard sale to raise funds for the trip. We hold it on the bus ramp at Mt. Tabor and put an ad in the newspaper so that people know to find us. Usually, we go from 8:00 AM-12:30 PM. So, save up all of your junk you want to get rid of so that you can bring it that day. Ask your extended family, if they live in the area, to also save items to be sold.

We need to make sure we have lots of stuff that people might want, so here are some categories of items you might want to search for:

• Toys

• Clothes

• Games

• Books

• Furniture

• Kitchen ware

• Exercise and sports equipment

• Lamps and other household accessories

Everything that we don’t sell, we usually pack up and take to Goodwill at the end of the day.

EASTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY:

Eastern Washington University is the university through which students can earn anywhere from one of five credit hours of college elective credits. Some colleges and universities even accept it as history credit. The amount of work that needs to be done to earn the credit varies according to the amount of college credit hours you want to earn.

CREDIT PRICES

Eastern Washington University charges by the credit hour for the college credit that students can earn. For each college hour, you pay $178. You can earn up to five credit hours, which will be counted as either a history or elective credit, depending on the college that you attend. You have to pay when you register for the course. Registration can take place until the week before we leave, but I highly recommend that you register at least a month or two before we leave so they can send you any information needed, including what the student will need to do on tour.

COURSE DESCRIPTION AND OBTAINING CREDIT HOURS

There are a number of different courses you can sign up to take with Eastern Washington University. They are outlined in their brochure, which you can find online at:

Your group leader will also give you this brochure so that you can decide which course you want to register for. The number of hours you sign up for is directly proportionate to the work load you are willing to do. Pay attention to the course descriptions so that you are not surprised.

The majority of the courses require you to keep a journal on the trip to record your reactions to everything you see and experience. This is a good idea to do, anyway, but this type of journal will get you the credit for the course. EF will provide a

journal booklet you can use, or you can buy your own. It is always a good idea to add pictures to it when you return home and before you send it in for the credit. The focus of your journal should address the cultural things you experience, not the group “drama” that occurs.

Other things that you have to do to obtain credit include coming to all the pre-trip meetings (so we will be taking roll at each one), obeying all rules on tour, and having your group leader fill out an evaluation form after you return.

Eastern Washington University will provide the evaluation form for you. Your group leader will want to see your journal and any other required work you are sending into the university when he or she fills out your evaluation form.

CONTACT INFORMATION FOR EASTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY

Website Address:

E-mail: ifsprogram@ewu.edu

Phone Number: 1-800-541-2125

**See the registration form, course information, and course evaluation form at the back of this booklet

REQUIRED FORMS INFORMATION:

The heaviest thing I usually have to carry with me is my notebook of information about the students. From personal information to medical forms and parent permission forms, it is all important to help the trip run smoothly and keep everyone safe in the event of unusual circumstances. In our pre-trip meetings, we will be collecting these forms and explaining their purpose. All of the forms will be posted on-line and will be available at meetings. Here is an explanation of each of the forms needed:

PARTICIPANT INFORMATION FORM

This form simply asks for important information about each participant, such as addresses, phone numbers, e-mail addresses, and any allergies that exist. The bottom box on this form is for an Emergency Contact person. You need someone who is willing to help in the event of an emergency and parents for some reason cannot be contacted. Please give all of the contact information you can think of for this person and then make sure you have contacted them and let them know that you listed them as an emergency contact. Also let them know the dates of the trip so that they are aware of when they could be called on in an emergency.

MEDICAL RELEASE FORM

One of the most important forms you will be required to submit for the trip is the medical release form. This document allows the group leader to seek medical attention for a participant in the case of a medical emergency. This form must be notarized, but we will provide a public notary at one of our meetings so that you don’t have to find someone. Please read through this entire form so that you know exactly what you are agreeing to as far as medical permission. This form will also ask you for an emergency contact. Please try to keep the same emergency contact from the participant information form to be consistent.

PARENT PERMISSION FOR ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION

When we travel to countries that have a low drinking age or none at all, parents must sign a permission form for their students as to whether or not they want their students to drink on the trip. Personally, I don’t want to have any of my students drink on the trip because it is quite the stresser for the group leader since it adds another safety element to the job. However, I have found that giving the choice is much less of a struggle with the students on tour.

This form spells out that if parents give their permission, students will be allowed to drink IN MODERATION with meals. “In moderation” means one drink with a meal. Parent permission extends also to a situation where the students will be with chaperones, supervised, at another activity (sometimes special activities crop up, but that is rare). In essence, students are only to have one drink at a time and only when chaperones are present to supervise. Parents need to know that group leaders will take this responsibility seriously.

If parents do not give their permission for their student to drink, then they will not be allowed to drink alcohol at meals at all, or at any other time.

The penalty for those who have permission and drink beyond the requirements and those who do not have permission and violate the rule is the same. The first time students are caught drinking unsupervised in any situation, they will be fined $75, payable within 24 hours to the group leader. If it happens again, the student will be sent home at the parent’s expense. I have seen this done from Australia, and I believe that is something that student and his parents will never forget.

PARENT PERMISSION FOR EXTREME ACTIVITIES

“Ms. Schaefer, can we please go bungee-jumping?” This was not a question that I ever anticipated being asked while on tour. But, there in New Zealand, we were offered the opportunity to bungee jump and they had no requirement for parent permission, nor did they have a minimum age requirement. While I had no desire to bungee-jump, I knew that my adrenaline junkies in the group did and didn’t know what to do. I ended up having students call home and ask for permission and then I watched, heart pounding, as they jumped, one after another. They loved every minute of it and everyone escaped unscathed, but I determined never to be caught unprepared again. As a group leader, I want to know what a parent thinks about extreme activities such as bungee-jumping. The only other thing I could think of as a specific extreme activity is white water rafting, but the idea is that any kind of dangerous activity that would require parent permission here in the United States is what is covered by this form.

TRIP RULES CONTRACT

Both parents and students must sign this contract after having read through the entire document. Everything in the Rules Contract is there because it is an important part of providing a safe environment for the tour or to make the trip run smoothly. Once a student signs, he or she is agreeing to adhere to every guideline in the form. The parent signature only means that they have read and understood what the student must do on tour. This form is usually given out at one of the meetings closer to the tour.

COPIES OF INFORMATION

There are a number of documents you need to photocopy and turn in to your group leader by the final meeting before the trip. You can combine as many as you want on one page to save space. Here they are:

1. Insurance Card (1 copy)

2. Passport (2 copies)

3. Birth Certificate (2 copies)

4. Driver’s License (1 copy)

5. Medicine Prescriptions (originals)

6. Backside of your check or credit card with phone numbers for the company (1 copy)

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BASIC INFORMATION

When traveling with EF, your first payment is $95, a lifetime membership fee. This means that if you travel with EF again, the price of the tour is $95 less for you. The price quote for any trip always includes this lifetime membership fee. This is one way of getting returning customers for their tours. If you decide to cancel your tour, this fee is non-refundable, so always be sure that you are going before signing up for a tour and just know that you will lose that money if you decide to cancel for any reason.

The next payment after you sign up is your $500.00 payment, due thirty days from the day you sign up. If you decide to cancel, this payment is normally refundable, depending on when you cancel. I highly recommend that you get the All-Inclusive insurance from EF, as it does include trip cancellation and may be helpful if you want this money back.

If you want to, you can choose to make payments , which will be drafted from your checking or credit account each month, up until thirty days before we leave. All participants must be paid completely before we can get our plane tickets for the group, so it is important for everybody concerned that you keep up with payments. Contact EF with any questions or concerns at 1-800-318-3732, as they are very helpful.

TRIP PRICES

The trip price for European tours always includes the following: plane tickets, airport fees, hotels, tour attractions listed on the itinerary, breakfast, dinner, bus tours and transfers, local tour guides, and the tour director. Not included in this price are optional excursions, lunch, souvenirs, and other day trips and excursions the tour director may arrange for us. If a cultural night is offered as an optional excursion,

we will always do that optional excursion and it will also be added into the price of the tour since it is cheaper to pay for it before you go and students then don’t have to worry about it on tour. It is a good idea for students to earn this money themselves to help out with the price of the tour!

For South Pacific tours, the price includes all of the above, except dinner each day. The breakfasts are buffets that are extensive, but lunch and dinner are more on your own. This gives us the chance to eat more authentic foods on our own, rather than the Americanized meals that dinners tend to be on European tours.

INSURANCE

The phone call came in the middle of the night in Australia. My roommate from another group traveling with us got word that her mother was very sick and she needed to come home…right then. In the space of about an hour, EF had arranged for a flight back home for her to Tennessee at no cost to her because she had purchased their all-inclusive insurance. After seeing this in action, I believe it is an extremely good idea to purchase some kind of travel insurance for your tour. EF offers a comprehensive insurance for medical, baggage, and trip cancellation, which you need to research. Read all the fine print and contact your own insurance company to find out if you can get a better deal, but I think you will indeed find that this is the best deal.

SPENDING MONEY

The most frequently asked question participants ask about money deals with the spending money and how much they should bring on tour. This totally depends on you and your spending habits, but the basic rule of thumb is to take a minimum of thirty-five dollars a day. This will buy you lunch, pay for some small extra excursions, and maybe a few souvenirs. If you are a big souvenir buyer, you may want to plan on more. So, if you are going on a thirteen-day tour, you should plan on taking around $450.00 minimum in spending money.

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EXCHANGING MONEY BEFORE YOU GO

It is a good idea to exchange about $50.00 before you go on tour. This way, if we don’t have any time to hit ATMs at the airport, you have some money to get your first meal and hold you off until you get to an ATM, where you will get the best exchange rate. Not all banks here in the U.S. exchange money, so ask at your bank if they exchange money and if not, where you can get it exchanged, as they will know. Before you go, look up the current exchange rate for

the country where you are going so you know what it should be.

TIPPING

Before we leave on tour, you will give me the tip money needed for the tour director, local guides, and bus driver. On some special tours with cruises, tips will be needed for the staff on the ship as well. There are standards by which we are required to tip these hardworking people. When I give you the amount for the tip, that is the standard tip for anyone doing that job. It is figured on a per day basis. Often, before giving the tip to the tour director or bus driver, I will ask you if you want to contribute any more money if you thought they did an exceptional job. You do not have to since you have already tipped, but you will see how much work these people will do for you to make sure you have the best experience in the world and it is

nice to show your appreciation however you can. I will handle the tipping of the local guides and

giving the tip money to the tour director and bus driver, so you don’t have to worry about doing any of that kind of tipping.

When you are out eating, however, you need to know if it is acceptable to tip waiters and waitresses, and if so, how much. We will go over this information before we leave, but you could also do your own research into the culture of the country. Some cultures, such as Japan, are not tipping societies at all and you do not ever have to tip anyone.

EMERGENCY MONEY

Before you leave, you will also be turning in emergency money in a sealed envelope with your name on it. Emergency money is only to be used in emergencies, obviously. That, of course, begs the question, “What is an emergency?” Most of the time it is easier to define by what is not an emergency, such as needing more shopping money, spending all your money before you get back, or just really wanting that pair of shoes you saw. You will give this money in a sealed envelope with your name printed neatly on the front. The minimum amount is $50.00; you can include more if you want. The money in the envelope needs to be in U.S. dollars.

There are only a select few times that I have ever given a student their emergency money. One student couldn’t access his money because all of his money was in his savings account. He did not have a debit card, only an ATM card. We learned very fast that you cannot access your savings account money in Europe through the ATMs, so he needed money and I gave him his emergency money. If you are pick-pocketed and lose your money, this is another situation where you might receive your emergency money. There could be other situations that qualify as an emergency, but I don’t know what they are. Your parents will be notified if such an emergency occurs. If the money is not used before we return, the parents of the student will receive the

sealed envelope at the airport when we return from our trip. The goal of the trip is to go without having to open any of the emergency money envelopes!

OPTIONAL EXCURSIONS

Singing, dancing, eating, and laughter often accompany some of the optional excursions on tour. When you look at the trip itinerary, you will often see what EF calls “Optional Excursions.” This means that during some scheduled free time, there are opportunities for you to do that cost extra

money. We will discuss as a group which ones we will be doing, but if you see that there is an offering of a cultural evening, you can guarantee that we will be doing that one. It completely depends on the tour and the optional excursion offerings which ones we will do. For the cultural evening offerings, we can pay before we go, so you will see that added to the bill you receive from EF. If you pay before you go, it tends to be at least ten dollars cheaper than on tour, so this is saving you money.

Cultural evenings are always amazing as they offer you a complete, full-course cultural meal and entertainment. In Hawaii, we went to a luau, in Scotland, we had haggis and learned Scottish dances, and in Switzerland, we rode ski lifts deep into the Alps for yodeling and good food with a spectacular view. It is usually one of the highlights of the tour and well worth any money paid.

Other optional excursions usually involve entire day activities such as a trip to the Great Barrier Reef, a ride up to Mt. Pilatus, a cruise across a lake, or a trip to Versailles. The offerings of excursions differ by tour, but are usually spectacular opportunities offered at an amazing price.

Also offered are excursions not listed on the itinerary at all. The tour director assigned to our group will often plan activities for us to do that only they know about. You need to be prepared to budget some money for these experiences, as they are often wonderful activities for a fraction of the normal cost to you. For example, our tour director in Germany

organized a river cruise to an old fortress that had an underground tunnel to explore. For about $20

total, we enjoyed an afternoon that we could never have planned on our own.

FIRST AID KIT

“Ms. Schaefer, I think I cut my foot.” Ophelia said this while limping towards me with blood trailing her on the floor. She had taken off her shoes in the Italian disco and walked on some broken glass on the floor. Of course, I had my mini first aid kit with me and took her to the bathroom where we sat on the floor and cleaned and bandaged her foot. With an admonition from me to always wear her shoes, she went back to the group for some more dancing before we had to leave. My sister, Julie, cleaned it out further when we returned to the hotel, and she was fine for the rest of the trip. This event only re-iterated the importance of carrying medical supplies for the group when we are on tour.

I will carry the first aid kit for the tour so you won’t have to worry about packing simple things like band aids, anti-biotic ointment, and over the counter medicines like pain, allergy, and cold medicines. We will also stock vitamins for those who want to make sure that they remain healthy on tour. I will carry a full first-aid kit with all the amenities. I also travel with my sister, who is a registered nurse, so she can also help with medical situations. If you wanted to stock your own first aid kit, it would make much more than five dollars to adequately stock it, so this is a good deal. If there are major medical emergencies, they will be dealt with by the local hospital and the parents will receive notification as soon as possible.

ATM/DEBIT CARDS

The most important thing you will take with you, besides your passport, is your ATM/ DEBIT/CREDIT card. I highly recommend that you get at least a debit card, since just an ATM card means you will have to carry more cash since you can’t use it as a credit card. Remember do not leave your money in another account, such as a savings account since you cannot access it in other places in

the world. You need to check with your bank to make sure they know you are going overseas and that you will be using your card. Sometimes, they see charges in different countries and put a security stop on it because it looks fishy to them. When you talk to your bank, you also need to ask what kind of fees they charge for using your card in an ATM and as a credit card overseas. Some banks charge a flat fee and others charge a percentage of your purchase. Since this is deducted from your account, too, you might be spending more money than you are aware of. Parents can load more money on debit cards, as well, if they want to. For any optional excursions beyond the cultural night that we want to do on tour, you can only pay with a credit card, not a debit card. The reason for this is because the money doesn’t come out right away and EF had a problem with using debit cards and no money being in the account when they went to draw it out. There is less of a risk for them using credit cards, so be prepared for that. This is also why we pay for the cultural evening before we go, because then we don’t have to worry about using a credit card as you can pay how you want.

There are a few cultures, such as Japan, where accessing money through an ATM is virtually impossible. In that case, participants would need to carry cash, or traveler’s checks, with them to exchange money. The good thing about exchanging money in Japan is that the exchange rate is the same in the entire country, no matter if you exchange at the hotel or the bank. If you are going to a country where this would be a problem, you will receive more instruction from your group leader on what to do.

FINAL THOUGHTS

The most important thing to remember with money and tours of this magnitude is that it is essential to budget yourself on tour. Keep track of your receipts and make sure you know how much money you have left in your account. Never carry all of your cash in the same place on your body, and be sure to read the sections in this booklet about pick pocketing. Good luck!

PACKING INFORMATION:

Wesley, our tour director, continued to shake his head as his eyes grew larger and larger. Suitcase after monstrous suitcase lined up for their turn to be packed into the bins underneath the bus. When our bus driver saw the line of luggage, I was pretty sure that he would expire on the spot. I didn’t want to tell them that some of the members of the group had actually paid the overage fee to the airline. After all the luggage was loaded and all the available space was used, even the driver’s luggage area, Paul, the bus driver, lumbered on the bus, exhausted and sweat-soaked. All during the trip, I think that Wesley must have mentioned our large luggage about twenty times, and I knew that my future tours would involve more strict packing guidelines, for the sake of the tour director, bus driver, and the students!

LUGGAGE REQUIREMENTS AND RESTRICTIONS

Whether you are using luggage you already have or buying new luggage for the trip, you need to adhere to certain guidelines. You will need one piece of large luggage to store the majority of your clothing and souvenirs in. You can only check one piece of luggage with the airline on the way there and it cannot be over fifty pounds. So, it is a good idea to pack only thirty-five pounds worth of stuff at first. That will leave you with fifteen more pounds that you can use for souvenirs on your return trip. The large piece of luggage cannot exceed 62 inches total (length + width + height). This is the size that I took with me to Japan for three weeks and was able to pack most of my souvenirs in it with my clothes when I returned. This large piece of luggage MUST have wheels.

The only other piece of luggage you can bring with you is a carry on that is no bigger than a large backpack. I suggest that you use a backpack since it can squeeze into tight spots in plane bins overhead and you can easily carry it along with your large piece of luggage. You can get backpacks that have

wheels if you want to go that route, but the idea here is that you can keep your backpack with you on the bus or on a plane. This way each participant will have only one piece of luggage that will have to be loaded under a bus. The only exception to this may be the group leader who has to carry a full first aid kit and all of the forms for students.

You may want to pack a day bag that can just fold flat in your luggage until we reach our destination. You can also pack a folding duffel bag to use at the end of the trip. Usually, you can check two bags on the return trip, but the total of the two bags cannot go over the fifty pounds. Since the only other piece of luggage that you will have will be a backpack, which counts as a purse-type luggage, you can take a small duffel on a plane as well. You can only break out the duffel for the trip to the airport at the end, not during the trip, so plan accordingly.

There are a few things you can do to reduce the weight of your luggage on the return trip. Pack your heaviest souvenirs in your carry-on duffel for the plane, and leave your shampoo, soap, and hair spray in the last hotel. Most of the personal items that you will take are not the most expensive things and are easily replaced.

You can also purchase a hand-held scale to weigh your luggage before you go as you are packing to see where you fall in the weight limitations. If your luggage is overweight, you will have to pay a $50 fine, so make sure you are under the limit.

Remember that most airlines are now charging a $25 check-in fee for checked luggage, so you will need to be ready to pay that when you go and when you return. It would probably be best to have this in cash so that you don’t have to worry about it coming out of your card balance. This is also another good reason for checking only one piece of luggage.

HOW TO PACK

Packing is an art form. There are many tools out there to help you pack, and some of them are actually helpful! The most helpful tool would be the packing bags that are the vacuum-seal bags. Once you put your clothes in the bag, you seal the zipper at the top and then roll out the air. Not only will this give you more room in your luggage, but it will protect your clothes, even if your luggage is soaked. It is a great tool for dirty clothes as well since they are sealed and don’t stink up your luggage. There are many different brands of these bags, but the American Tourister bags sold at Walmart are the best for a reasonable price. I usually get four of the large bags and at least another four of the smaller bags. Any that you do not initially use, just pack for dirty clothes or any clothes that you buy on tour.

Some kind of organizer for your toiletries is also a good idea since it will combine those necessary items into one manageable space and help when you are having to pack and re-pack constantly.

One of the techniques that you can use to pack your clothes is to roll all of them into a log-type form. This helps prevent them from wrinkling and saves some space in the long run. When you pack your suitcase, put the items you will have to access everyday like socks, underwear, and toiletries on top so that you don’t have to go through your entire suitcase every day.

WHAT TO PACK

Knowing what to pack and actually doing it are two completely different things. Almost all students over pack on tours and regret it later when they are dragging their luggage up flights of stairs, through airports, and down streets. There is a complete list of every item you should pack that you can download from the website, but here are some things to consider in the types of things you pack:

AMOUNT OF CLOTHES

First of all, when you are choosing your clothes, you need to consider not only how many clothes you are taking, but what kind of clothes you are taking. Let’s consider the amount first.

You do not need a completely separate outfit for every day of your tour!!!!! You may think that you will lose your status as the most fashionable person in the world if you don’t pack two to three outfits a day, but you will surely regret it if you do. This is not a fashion contest; you just want to be comfortable…and covered. So, choose outfits that are easily washed and/or can be worn multiple times.

For the plane, you will need comfortable clothing that can allow you to stay warm and to sleep. Jeans, sweatpants, or wind pants are the best for the plane. A t-shirt with a light jacket is ideal for the top of your body. You can turn your personal air valve on the plane to help adjust your body temperature. Wear the same bottom piece of clothing on the way back home on the plane, but just plan on adding a fresh top, perhaps a souvenir t-shirt.

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On tour, most locations traveled to in the summer are very hot, unless you are traveling to the South Pacific where it is winter during the traditional summer months here. Therefore, pack clothing that is cool (temperature-wise) and can be worn over and over again. Take only a few pair of shorts and pants and tops that can work with most of them. Keep switching the combinations and the rest of the group will never know! This is NOT a joke; you will be very glad you took this advice. Consider that you will also more than likely be buying souvenir clothing while you are on tour and you will need room for those items. For a ten-day tour, you should bring:

✓ three to four pair of shorts

✓ two pair of jeans

✓ six tops

✓ one “night-on-the-town” outfit + shoes

✓ underwear and socks for every day of the trip

✓ pajamas (one pair)

✓ swimsuit (one)

✓ light jacket/sweatshirt

✓ COMFORTABLE walking shoes

For tours over ten days, only add a few more items total, such as one more top and maybe one more pair of shorts.

The shoes that you take with you are very important. Some females that have participated in trips before have stuffed their suitcase with a different kind of shoe for each outfit! The blisters that came with most of those shoes rendered them useless and those students wished they had heeded warnings about shoes. You need tennis shoes or comfortable walking sandals, both of which you can wear on the plane (beware of shoes with gel inserts in the heels, though, since airlines recently cracked down on any kind of liquids).

The only other kind of shoe you might want to bring is something to wear with your “night-on-the-town” outfit, but they need to be small and

comfortable, too.

TYPES OF CLOTHES:

When teenagers pack, they rarely are thinking beyond the desire to take their most “fashionable” clothing. This, however can be present a problem, for a number of reasons.

When traveling to other countries, especially Europe, you want to dress conservatively. This does not mean unfashionably, but it does mean that you need to cut down on the walking advertisements for Hollister, Abercrombie and Fitch, Nike, American Eagle, etc. This only makes you a target for the pickpockets.

I will give you a full, suggested packing list when we meet at our final meeting.

CONTACTING HOME INFORMATION:

“Call me!” is the departing cry of the parents as they watch their student walk towards security of the airport at the beginning of their journey abroad. Many of these parents have already equipped their student with some type of calling card or an international cell phone, thinking it will be easy for their student to stay in contact with them. More often than not, however, the phone cards don’t work and homesick students can’t tap into that lifeline to home. Here are some ways to avoid the pitfalls of the calling card dilemmas…

INTERNATIONAL CELL PHONES

The option of carrying an international cell phone is only now becoming a true possibility for students and adults. There are a number of different options for travelers, including checking with your current cell phone provider to see what they can do to provide international cell phone coverage for you. You will need to check specifically about the countries to which you will be traveling, since the rates tend to be different in different places.

You can also download the VIBER app on your smart phone and you can call and text with anyone back home who has the same app on their phone for free. I have seen it work in other countries, so I recommend this!

There are also separate companies that do nothing but provide international cell phones to travelers, so you can check them out through the Internet. This will probably become a more popular option as global technology increases, soon outdistancing calling cards. The group leader will be carrying an international cell phone so that parents will be able to contact us on tour.

Here are some websites of companies that provide international cell phones and travelers have used in the past:

EF Tours:

Call in Europe:

Mobal:

Vodafone:

E-MAIL CONTACT

Overall, parents need to be aware that if they don’t hear from their student, it is probably because they are having a great time and just aren’t finding the time to call! We always try to encourage the students to contact their parents at least once on the

trip so they know how they are doing. I will be e-mailing every day with updates and pictures or posting to Facebook. Either way, you will hear all about it when your student returns!

GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT HOTELS

On an EF tour, you will find that each hotel is a different experience. Some of them will be better than others, and some will be more rustic. As a general rule, you will have your own bed and private bathroom in your room. The hotels are always clean and nice. However, you might note some differences, such as the rooms will be smaller (count on it), and there won’t be any air conditioning. If we do get air conditioning, that will be quite a treat! The majority of hotels in Europe do not have air conditioning; only the really expensive ones have it. Since we are not staying at the really expensive ones, some of the amenities you expect here in the United States will not be present.

You may also find that the bathroom looks a little different. Some of them might not have a shower head attached to the wall, instead having a detachable shower head on a hose. Sometimes, you don’t even have a shower curtain, so you will have to be careful not to flood the bathroom! In Europe and the South Pacific, you might also see a bidet in the bathroom and see what you think of using it. If you don’t know how, research it before you go on tour!

There was even one hotel outside of Venice that just had a very small room with the showerhead attached to the wall, two feet away from the toilet and the sink and no defined area for the shower. Just go with the flow and learn how other cultures do things differently than we do! That’s part of the fun of the trip!

STUDENTS AND ROOMMATES

On tour, students pay less than adults because more students are put into a room than the adults. It completely depends on each hotel as to how many students are put into a room. Males and females are always separate, though! For the most part, the rooms are usually set up in triples and quads, though occasionally we will have some twin rooms.

Before we go on the tour, you will tell your group leader who you would like to room with and if there is anyone in the group with whom you absolutely cannot room at all. A really important part of this trip is opening your mind up to new experiences, and rooming with different people is often part of that. However, your group leader will strive to make sure that you get to room with the people you would like to room with on the tour.

Sometimes, because we are paired up with other tour groups from around the country, you may have a student from another group in your room, or you may be asked to room with another group. If this makes you so uncomfortable that you can’t do it, then let your group leader know, but you need to be prepared that this could happen. It is only a place where you need to sleep, so make new friends! You will get your own bed, regardless of where you sleep.

ADULTS AND ROOMMATES

Adults have to share their space less than the students because they pay an adult supplement. Typically, they room two adults to a room, unless they pay for their own room or have made a special request. Husbands and wives are always roomed together.

If an adult is on tour without a partner (either a spouse or a friend), they might be roomed with another adult from a group on the tour with us. This only happens if there are an odd number of adults in our group, so it is rare.

If a parent of a student is on the tour, he or she can pay the adult supplement to have their child room with him or her. This, however, must be done months before the tour leaves and cannot be arranged on tour, as the hotel has been booked with the specific rooming assignments in mind.

We will get a list of hotels and their contact information from EF before we leave.

FINAL MEETING AGENDA

On the Saturday before we are scheduled to leave, we will hold a final meeting at the group leader’s house. At that meeting, we will discuss any final business, collect money for tips, first aid, and emergency funds. Any paperwork that has not been turned in yet must be submitted on this date as well.

I will give out backpacks and luggage tags, and talk about airport procedures and the telephone phone tree, as well as any further information that I have for the trip.

We will also use this opportunity to bring in food recipes from the countries that we are visiting so that we can try some new things for our taste buds.

Everyone must have a representative at the meeting if they cannot make it themselves, for it is important for us to be together as a group and make sure that everyone knows what is happening.

You will receive notification of when this meeting is when our departure date has been set. Typically, we find out the final departure date sometime in the month of April.

You are finally on tour and ready for quite the adventure. There are still a few things, however, that you need to know, so read the following information on the plane over and ask your group leader any questions you have.

Airports and Flying

“I feel like I am in a movie!” shouted Kelly as we ran, carry-on bags and all, to our plane that would take us to Paris. Because of storms in Washington DC, our plane from Greensboro was delayed by six hours and so we had to sprint to the waiting plane since we were the only ones that they were holding the plane for. When in airports waiting for planes, learn to be patient and expect the unexpected. If we actually take off on time, it is unusual for anything can become a delay, from a storm to a security issue. Sometimes, this just creates more excitement for us as we might get to run to our next plane!

While waiting in airport terminals, never leave your bags without supervision. Keep them with the whole group and be willing to take turns to supervise them. You will have times to be back at our gate and you need to make sure that you are never late for these deadlines since it could mean missing a plane and will really stress out your group leader, which cannot turn out well for you. Don’t get caught up in shops and such in the airports and forget that you are waiting for a plane. Also, NEVER leave the group if we are walking from gate to gate, even if you see your favorite restaurant and are starved! Wait until we get to our next gate and then you can go explore, if we have time. The biggest adjustment when traveling with a group is realizing that you have to stay together at certain times and not give in to your individual preferences, which will be hard if you are really independent. We will even be working on walking as a group, which will begin right after we get through security. This is more of a safety issue than anything else, so please keep these guidelines in mind.

Also, it is important to be considerate of other travelers around you, whether they be in the terminal or on the plane itself. When in the terminal, sit only in the area designated by your group leader and avoid making lots of noise and goofing around. Terminals when waiting for international flights are often very crowded and the people around you are the ones that you will be with on the plane, so create some goodwill and let people be impressed with your good behavior.

When you board the plane, you may have a seat that is not with the whole group. You can trade with someone in the group before you get on, if they are not checking ids before you get one. Usually, though, they check ids with the ticket stub, so you may have to wait until you get on the plane to switch. It is very rare that there are any empty seats on an international flight, but if there are, you can switch to them after takeoff. Remember that we are all crammed together on the same flight with lots of other people, so practice your best ambassador skills here. If you are sitting in the middle, ask those around you when you want to get up and go to the bathroom, don’t demand. Keep yourself in your seat as much as possible, avoiding taking someone else’s space. Be polite at all times and you may even make some new friends on the plane.

On long flights, it is a good idea to get up every few hours and move around, but do this only at the back or front of your section where the bathrooms are so you are out of the way. Do not just stand in the aisles. NEVER run on the plane. Ultimately, relax and enjoy (as much as possible), the flight to our destination.

Customs

When we near our destination, the pilot will remind you that you have fill out the customs card, which the flight attendants will give you. You need to fill out the information on the card, which will usually ask for your passport number, flight number, home address, etc. It will usually also ask you the address of where you are staying and what you do for a living. If you are a student, you simply put “student” as your occupation. Use your business card to get the address of the first hotel in which we are staying to put that on your entry card. If you have any further questions, ask your group leader. When you are finished with the card, put it inside your passport and put it in the seat pocket in front of you. Before you get off the plane, ALWAYS clean out the seat pocket in front of you of your belongings, and especially your passport. When we get off the plane, we will meet as a group right outside the plane in terminal, and there you will show your group leader that you have your passport and your entry card together.

When we arrive at our international destination, we will get our checked baggage first and then we will stand in line to go through customs. This is where you typically get your passport stamped. Then, we go through the line for those who have nothing to declare. This means that we are not bringing in anything that we need to tell the government of the country about. During this entire process of getting baggage and going through customs, attitudes are very important. You should never joke, either in the terminal or on the plane, about bombs or terrorist acts. Be unfailingly polite, no matter what, even if you are chosen for random searches of your person or baggage. Your attitude will go a long way towards making a smooth and enjoyable trip.

When we are retrieving our baggage, we will work as a team to get everyone’s bag by stationing ourselves on two sides of the baggage claim and grabbing anyone’s bag from the group, which will be clearly marked. Remember that you must carry your own luggage anywhere we go, so don’t even ask someone else to carry it for you!

The First Day

Right after we go through customs, we will meet our tour director. This person is responsible for making sure everything goes smoothly on the trip and arranges all aspects of our travel. They are usually very knowledgeable and amazing, so let him or her get a good impression of you as a group from the beginning. Listen to instructions and never whine and complain, even coming off of a long international flight, and you will give a great first impression.

After we meet the tour director, we sometimes have to wait for another group to join us, but if we are the last group, we will take our luggage and head to the bus. When we get to the bus, listen to the instructions of the bus driver about where to put your luggage and offer to help putting the luggage on the bus, too. Most of the time, they will turn you down, but offering is polite. Get on the bus and get ready for what is usually a lengthy bus ride to the hotel. You will get to see the first sights of the city as we travel, and the tour director will begin introducing him/herself to you, so pay attention enough to actually respond to them.

When we get to the hotel, we will probably end up storing our luggage in a single room until we can check in, unless we arrive late at night. You won’t have time to change, so you may want to change on the plane before we get off. This is why it is a good idea to have a change of clothes in your carry-on bag. We will have to work together to get all of the bags into the room, so everyone should be prepared to be part of that team. After that, we usually set off on a walking tour of the city we are in. There is usually some sight that the tour director plans to take us to before dinner, so have your walking shoes ready and be prepared to put your exhaustion behind. It is important to get used to the time change and not give into the urge to take a nap. So, make sure your day bag is easily accessible from your luggage and your camera is ready for our first adventure.

Wherever we go on tour, especially with the first thing we do, make sure you know what time it is and are always back at designated places on time. If you get back early and check in, don’t go away again to a shop nearby. When you are back, you are back! You will have a chaperone to report to when you get back, so go stand with your chaperone so they can go ahead and count you. We will have a competition among the groups to see who gets back the earliest the most. Prizes will be handed out at the end of the tour! Remember that there are fines if you are late, so make sure you always get back early. When we walk together, don’t lag behind and stretch the group out a couple of blocks. We will not be walking slowly, so learn to keep up and don’t complain! It is also important to be back at designated times since the bus driver is often in a hurry to get out of a parking place that is restricted, so you are showing your respect for him or her if you get back on time so that he or she does not get fined.

We will eat dinner at a restaurant or in the hotel in which we are staying. You will have to learn to be patient at meals since they don’t’ move at the same pace as meals in the United States. Since we will be a large group, it will take even more time. You will only get water for a beverage unless you order and pay for another drink separately, including soda. Remember that you are restricted in the amount of alcohol that you can drink at a meal, so don’t think that you can keep ordering and ordering…

After dinner on the first day, we will head back to the hotel to crash. Curfew will be early on this day because of what we have been through with flights and such. When a curfew is given, make sure that you plan any phone calls home that you need to make BEFORE curfew. Finishing a phone call is not an excuse to miss curfew. You will have a chaperone in your room at curfew to tell you about the next day’s events, including what time the wake-up call is. You will have a chaperone in your room again the next morning knocking on the door, taking the tape off, and waking you up. At least one person in the room has to answer the door before the chaperone will go away!

Behaviors and Attitudes

No matter where we go or what we do, it is important to have the right attitude and show by our behavior (chaperones, too) that we are considerate, sane people. There are certain situations where certain behaviors and attitudes are called for:

Females:

Females are often at a disadvantage in other countries, for American females tend to be stereotyped by local populations as being easy to approach. This makes them targets for pickpockets and other, more sinister actions. Try to dress as conservatively as possible while still keeping cool and do not talk to strangers who approach you. This sounds like something you learned as a little kid, but many of you never had anyone approach you where you had to actually practice not talking to strangers. Do not flirt with locals and be wary of anyone approaching you at any time. Never go anywhere alone. Though the females often outnumber the males on tour, it is important that the males in the group help protect the females, for that is a message that other cultures will understand better. Watch out for each other at all times!

Buses:

When you are riding on buses in the cities or between them, there are some rules you need to observe. First of all, most of the seats at the front of the bus are reserved for the adults and anyone who gets motion sick when riding. Most of the students tend to ride towards the back of the bus. When we are riding the same bus for a while, students tend to stake out “their” seats. Avoid this and learn to sit next to anybody or at least be flexible. We do not need senseless feuding over seats on the bus! You also need to make sure that you are respectful to the bus driver by greeting him anytime you get on the bus, telling him goodbye anytime you get off, thanking him for helping load your luggage, and keeping the bus clean. You are not allowed to take ice cream or cooked foods onto the bus, but often can bring snacks. Always throw away the trash when you leave the bus and be careful about spilling any snacks such as potato chips on the floor. We will take turns sweeping the bus every day for trash, but it will help if everyone does their own area. Bus drivers often sell drinks on the buses, too, so support the bus driver by buying their drinks. Also, do not play music loudly or create lots of noise on the bus. You cannot lay down in the aisles and try to sleep; you must stay in your seats. Avoid annoying singing on the bus, unless it is specifically sanctioned by the group leader or tour director.

On the bus, your tour director and the local guides will often be on the microphone telling you about the history of what you are seeing or they will prepare you for the next sight you will see. It is VERY rude for anyone to fall asleep or plug in their music and tune them out. You should not be talking at all while they are talking. Even if you are bored by what they are saying, just keep quiet and we will make our next stop soon for you to get out and explore.

Hotels:

When in the hotels, it is important that you do not make lots of noise as the walls are often thin and there will of course be other people at the hotels. Do not run up and down the halls or hold a dance session in the lobby. Use your common sense about what you should and should not do in a hotel. If your group leader is called by the hotel management, you will not be happy campers.

Rooming:

Before you go, you will let your group leader know who you are willing to room with, but you also need to be aware that often things come up on tour when hotels have different arrangements. Occasionally, one or two people have to room with students on another tour. We always ask for volunteers for this, so consider expanding your world and being around other people you don’t know. Your group leader will always try to have you room with the people you want to and avoid personality conflicts as they arise. Just be willing to be flexible to relieve the stress of the group leader and tour director!

Restaurants:

When eating dinner on tour, there are a few things you need to remember. First of all, the food will be different and you may not like everything you are served. DO NOT COMPLAIN. Try everything, anyway, unless you are allergic to it. Even if you do not like it, do not let anyone hear about it unless you are alone with your friends later. Insulting the cuisine of the country in which you are staying is not a good step towards creating goodwill! If you don’t get enough to eat, you might want to make sure that you have some kind of snack back in your room. Sometimes, we will have the opportunity to stop and get something before curfew, but complaining that you are still hungry in the restaurant is not polite. If you are a picky eater, then you need to get over it for this tour. The people in the restaurants and hotels in which we will be eating put a great deal of effort into showing you the best of their food and do not need to think that you hate it, even if you do. This is a hard lesson for some people, but one that you need to be prepared for. If you are rude, you are not only embarrassing yourself, but also your group leader, who has to apologize for your actions.

Group Dynamics

Most tours start out a bit rocky as multiple personalities try to mesh with each other. You don’t really get to know people until about the third or fourth day of the tour, especially since you have to consider the other groups from around the country that will be joining us. There will be people you like more than others and those you would prefer not to be around. However, we don’t need you creating tons of drama by stating your opinions loudly in front of everybody. If you have problems with someone that you just can’t be quiet about, please let a group leader know so that the situation can be rectified. Sometimes, things can get out of hand and they could have been stopped if the adults in the situation knew about it. Try to just avoid those who annoy you and stick with those who make you happy. After thirteen days with others, even if you like them, you will be ready for a break, so it is natural that there will be people who get on your nerves. It is how you choose to act, anyway, that will make the difference between a miserable or happy time for all of the rest of us.

Ultimately, a large amount of trust will be given to you to uphold the rules and guidelines of this tour. Stay safe, follow the guidelines, and have fun!

Whenever we have some time to explore in small groups and have to meet back as a large group, either in airports or on tour, you need to get back BEFORE the deadline and go to your group leader to report in. The first group to get back wins a point. At the end of the tour, we will have a winning group where each person will get a prize! Remember that if you are late, you will be fined!

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INTRODUCTION

TABLE OF CONTENTS

End of the Packet:

Required Forms

Specific Destination Information

PASSPORTS

FUNDRAISING

COLLEGE CREDIT

REQUIRED FORMS

REQUIRED FORMS

MONEY MATTERS

MONEY MATTERS

MONEY MATTERS

MONEY MATTERS

PACKING

PACKING

PACKING

CALLING HOME

CALLING HOME

ROOMING

FINAL PRE-DEPARTURE MEETING

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