We had another good meeting today - mostly just to answer any questions and to learn a little bit about Barcelona.
By April 4, our departure date will be confirmed - there's very little reason to think it will be anything other than July 11, but it could move by a day or two.
60 days from departure we'll get our flight info. We'll learn what airlines we'll be on, departure and arrival times, and connection information. We are slated to leave from Grand Rapids (Gerald R. Ford International). Jessie T. asked why we're leaving from there rather than from Detroit, since the EF tour price for Detroit trips is about $50 lower. My wife and I gave this a lot of thought before we settled on Grand Rapids. Here are the main reasons we think it's better:
1) Cost: Students must get themselves to and from the airport. For parents, that means 2 round trips to the airports. Since Detroit is at least 30 minutes further one-way, that's at least 2 hours of extra drive time. Even in my 41 mpg Toyota, that's about $15.
2) Congestion: Detroit Metro, while getting better, is still highly congested and parking is at a premium (and therefore very expensive). That's not the case at GRR, where there's free (or very cheap) short term parking and extremely easy curbside drop-off. 1-hour of parking at GRR will cost you $2.
3) Crowds: DTW is insanely busy, and I'm not too thrilled about leading a group of inexperienced travelers through hoards of people in Michigan's largest building. At GRR, there's plenty of space, we meet at the Starbucks, we say our goodbyes, and we don't have any stress at all.
4) Security: The security inspection lines at DTW can be hours long - especially for international travelers. Since the volume of travelers at GRR is so much lower, security checks are a breeze.
30 days from departure, we'll get our Hotel info - I'll supply links to the hotels' home pages as soon as I have them. Around then I also will get the tickets delivered in the mail. I keep them and pass them out at the airports as we need them - that way no one loses their ride home.
There will be a parent meeting in April, and one in June to finalize all plans and answer all questions.
One key question came up regarding payments. This is to remind you that all payments are due to EF by the 99 days prior to departure date. That date is April 4. If you think that meeting the payment deadline will be a problem, it is very important that you contact EF tours prior to April 1.
EF customer service: 1-800-665-5364
e-mail: customer.service@ef.com
Friday, February 29, 2008
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
More tips on travel spending options
CNN Travel is a pretty good location for reliable travel tips. The information here offers the pros and cons of traveling with various types of currency forms. On our trip, you will need access to some cash, so while pre-paid credit cards or bank check cards are safest, you will have to plan ahead and have some cash.
Most students on my previous trip found the best option was to have a combination of credit/debit/check cards for larger souvenir and food purchases, and cash for smaller purchases like in-hotel purchases, vending, water, extra fees at sites, etc...
You can bring U.S. currency to Europe and change it there (for a fee), or you can buy Euros from your bank (for a fee) before we leave. Since you'll be losing money either way, I recommend hanging on to U.S. dollars as long as possible, so that in the airports and on the plane you'll be using fee-free money still. When you do change your cash, try to plan ahead so that you only have to do it once to avoid extra fees.
Using ATMs in Italy and Spain will work, but there may be a pretty high fee - talk to your bank for details. Again, try to limit to one or two uses once we're overseas to reduce the fees you pay.
Next meeting: Feb. 29 during PRIDE
Most students on my previous trip found the best option was to have a combination of credit/debit/check cards for larger souvenir and food purchases, and cash for smaller purchases like in-hotel purchases, vending, water, extra fees at sites, etc...
You can bring U.S. currency to Europe and change it there (for a fee), or you can buy Euros from your bank (for a fee) before we leave. Since you'll be losing money either way, I recommend hanging on to U.S. dollars as long as possible, so that in the airports and on the plane you'll be using fee-free money still. When you do change your cash, try to plan ahead so that you only have to do it once to avoid extra fees.
Using ATMs in Italy and Spain will work, but there may be a pretty high fee - talk to your bank for details. Again, try to limit to one or two uses once we're overseas to reduce the fees you pay.
Next meeting: Feb. 29 during PRIDE
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Meeting info
The next in-school meeting for the Italy and Spain trip will be during PRIDE on Friday, Feb. 29.
We'll have a parent meeting - very important - after Grand Ledge's Spring Break (mid-April). That's a critical meeting for students and parents. Time, date and location to be announced.
We'll have a parent meeting - very important - after Grand Ledge's Spring Break (mid-April). That's a critical meeting for students and parents. Time, date and location to be announced.
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