Europe Trip 2016
Germany, Switzerland and Venice, Italy
March 4th -13th, 2016
Miss all my girls!!!
So I hope everyone is well and looking forward to summer, I know I am!!! I am trying out a google link for pictures. Feel free to upload any to this group and/or copy any from it. I took a lot of group pictures that the kids didn't get so....here's to great memories :)
"Dessert!!"
Meeting Notes & Past Info
Record Locator for our flight is HB7X79 if you'd like to do web check in before you leave for the airport tomorrow morning!
ALSO, Pack a swimsuit, one of our hotels has a pool, not sure if we will have time or if it will be open but might be fun if it is!!!!
On the FB page, LOOK FOR THE EAGLE!!!! The one with my picture is my personal page which I am not using for the trip.
Almost go time!!!!
A few last minute reminders....
1. Pack for cool weather. Mrs. Moore and I both made sure to bring warm jacket, water repellant shoes, hat, 2 pairs of gloves, scarf and umbrella. (maybe even a poncho in case we are somewhere that we can't have an umbrella) Also handy to bring is a few grocery sacks to put the wet stuff in when you aren't using it. They shove nicely into the bottom of your bag :)
2. Trash bag for all the dirty clothes that you can keep separate from the clean ones. You know, under clothes and socks and such. I re-wear a lot of the actual clothes I take to save on space. If it's going to be cool, we probably won't be "glistening" too much!
3. Please "friend" me on my travel Facebook page. This is where I'll be posting pictures and updates while we are away. Look for Wendi Shomer I will only accept parents and the student. Thanks for keeping it simple!
4. I heard from Adam our Tour Director and he is super excited about our trip and can't wait to meet all of you!!
5. Don't forget to exchange your money, take some cash so you have it for layover in Georgia.
6. Be at the airport on time 10 am: we are going to be checking in shortly after 10 am.
7. My phone number again is 972-523-4612, I'll have the phone document at the airport to hand out to everyone. If you still owe me color passport copies or Euro's please bring them to the airport.
Hope you all are excited if you need anything you know where to find me!!!
!!!!!!!!!! 50 days till Departure!!!!!!!!!
Getting SO close. I hope this email finds all of the students feeling a bit more relieved now that midterms are almost over. 1 day to go!
A few reminders and a meeting note.
Above is the date on which I would like us to get together. Last meeting before we see everyone at the airport. By this date I expect to have our set itinerary, hotels and flights posted from Worldstrides. We will also discuss any last minute details and if you would like to bring the 80 Euro's and color passport copies then, it will be less chaotic than at the airport!
I have heard from a few of you that are ok with being on a phone directory of sorts. I'd like to give that to everyone at the next meeting so if you want to be included on it, please let me know what you are ok with me sharing with the group and I can get it off the info sheets you filled out. I'm thinking Parent names and a cell & email and Student names. If you are ok with all of that let me know. I will be putting all of the students numbers in my phone & Mrs. Moores phone prior to us leaving, if I do not have that I will get it at the next meeting.
Things we discussed at the last meeting:
Check payments online and make sure you are all paid up!
80 Euro's to Mrs. Shomer for tips and leftovers for a fun treat or extra museum
3 color copies of passport pages that contain the picture & signature to Mrs. Shomer
Mrs. Shomer will also keep copies of ins. cards/cards that students may be traveling with in her binder if you want me to
We will find out hotels, flights and tour director 30 days before departure
It is going to be cold so bring a warm coat
You ARE allowed to bring a bigger suitcase, just remember YOU are responsible for carrying it around
~$50/day was discussed as a possible amount to bring for lunch and souvenirs
We will need Swiss Francs while in Switzerland and items are more expensive there
We will also be receiving luggage tags at some point but never hurts to identify yours in a unique way... something to ponder!
Thanks for being fantastic travel supporting people! 50 days!
-Mrs. Shomer
Meeting...Monday, November 30th at 6pm in the ACMS Library.
Hello Travelers!
Below is a link that you will need to paste into your browser to view. This is a link to a letter that I received about Worldstrides and their dedication to the safety of their teachers and travelers. With recent events you may be wondering what they do to prepare and prevent. This letter is a good read to help answer a few questions you may have.
In addition to this I'd like to have the next meeting on Monday, November 30th at 6pm in the ACMS Library. I know it's the Monday after the break but winter concerts and church events and holiday parties are filling up the school calendar and I am guessing personal one's also. Please let me know if you CAN NOT attend.
Please don't forget as you receive your passports to go in and update on the website :)
Spring break will be here before we know it!
11/2/15 - Decision Made!
Well it was made a few days ago but I wanted a confirmation email from the company of all the changes.
It was pretty much a unanimous vote to run with the same trip with the additional charge. Those that had chosen Zurich the money that you paid additionally will be applied to the $169. This trip is now a "Private Tour" We will have our own bus, tour director and will include Interlaken!!!! I really do think this is the best and the girls will enjoy not waiting on others from another group and we can make calls while there to do our own things instead of having to merge into what a larger group would want to do. Free time together will be more...free :)
Thank you all for your support and patience while I worked out the details with Worldstrides. They were very accommodating and patient with me while I weighed the pros and cons and what I thought would be best. Another reason I put so much trust in this company! They want us to have a great experience and I am sure we will!
10/26/15 - UPDATE ON TRIP STATUS!!!!!
I received a call from Worldstrides this last Friday and I need some feedback. Due to us having 10 students and no other groups registered for our itinerary on our spring break dates, we have come upon a snag.
We will be able to run our current trip with Interlaken in place of Zurich, even though we just have 10. However, we are now considered a private tour due to us only having 10 students and no other groups attached to us. As a private tour we will be able to have our same trip, our own bus and a tour director all to ourselves but at an additional $169.
The other option is that we change the trip location to a place that others have also signed up for that also matches our dates.
There are many variables here and I know probably many questions that could arise but this is your students trip as much as mine so we need to make a decision together.
1. A solo trip without another group attached to us, bus and tour director to ourselves, keep the same itinerary (includes Interlaken, those that opted for the Zurich add on, $59, that will be subtracted from the $169) = $169 dollars more each (or $110 if you already added Zurich)
2. Change to another trip, no additional cost = many more variables
I have been told if we went to another trip it would be different countries, paired with a much larger group and it would be high schoolers.
My vote is to keep our same trip. Please email me and let me know that you are ok with the additional charge to be able to have a private tour for the additional fee.
I do not have the tip amounts yet (I do realize this would be helpful)
The private tour cost was $300 initially and I went a little crazy on them and got us to $169.
Discussed:
Confirm Passport info: 3 color copies Yourself, Me, Student. Also handy to make copies of any credit cards, health cards, needed medical info.
No traveler’s checks! Travel Card or Credit Card. Pre-Exchange your money!
Money needed:
Lunches
Tips/Busses
Tour Director
Spending Money
Interlaken Mandatory
Pass out informational paperwork
Answers:
Money Info will be given at the next meeting, probably closer to Thanksgiving
Please update your passport info in the website when you receive it. At this point it is not critical but the closer we get to November it will begin to be.
Tour Details
DAY 1-2 FLY TO EUROPE.
Board an overnight flight to Frankfurt. Transfer to Heidelberg area and begin exploring.DAY 3 HEIDELBERG.
Explore Heidelberg, a medieval city that is said to embody the country’s spirit. Wander through this university city on your way to touring the old town and the well-preserved ruins of Heidelberg Castle. This afternoon, cruise along the fortress-studded Rhine, with its banks crowned by magnificent castles and breathtaking vine-terraced hills.DAY 4 ROTHENBURG
Explore the town of Rothenburg with your Tour Director and visit sites that include the compact altstadt and the city walls. Take the “Romantic Road” through the Bavarian countryside to Munich.DAY 5 MUNICH.
A local guide shows you the Frauenkirche, the Glockenspiel, Europe’s fourth-largest carillon, and the Olympic stadium. Marvel at Nymphenburg, its 500 acres lined with trimmed hedges, boasting three pavilions and a miniature palace. Later, visit the former concentration camp at Dachau. Learn to dance in local style and Bask in Bavarian Arts.DAY 6 NEUSCHWANSTEIN CASTLE.
Enjoy an excursion to fairytale Neuschwanstein Castle, built for mad Bavarian King Ludwig II. A lesson in extravagance, with almost every inch covered in gilt, stucco, woodcarvings, and marble mosaics, the castle served as a model for Walt Disney’s theme park. Consider Germany’s finest in Debate the Great. Continue to Lucerne.DAY 7 LUCERNE.
Join your Tour Director for a walking tour of the picturesque Swiss town of Lucerne. See the lion monument, the Jesuit church, Kornmarkt and Weinmarkt Squares, quaint covered bridges, and city fortifications. It’s all part of Swiss Life and Legends. Visit Interlaken and see what the ideal Switzerland is all about. More details to come when we get closer to our departure.DAY 8 VERONA.
En route to Venice, visit Verona, the setting of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Visit Juliet’s house and see the famous balcony of the forbidden lovers. Explore the Roman Arena.DAY 9 VENICE.
Discover the beauty of Venice with a local guide: the opulent gold mosaics of St. Mark’s Cathedral, the Doge’s Palace with its Gothic facades of white Italian stone and pink Verona marble, the palaces along the Grand Canal, and the Bridge of Sighs. Create a festive disguise in Behind the Carnival Mask.DAY 10 RETURN JOURNEY TO THE UNITED STATES.
Tour Leader Bio
Email: shomerw@gmail.com
Phone: 9725234612