Going, staying and coming home!

The long awaited flights and hotels has been officially posted! I've attached the document below.  TSA is recommending arriving 3 hours early for international flights. Those flying with the main group, I'll see you at the Delta terminal, June 10th at 5pm!

Flight and Hotel Information
Tour Number	1655221-G1	Group Leader	Wendy Curtis
		Tour Name	From London to Athens Friday, June 10, 2016
			Departing from Salt Lake on Friday, June 10, 2016
			Returning from Athens, Greece on Monday, June 27, 2016
		Tour Consultant	jessica.grose
Group Size	32	Tour Director	Rodolfo Gaita 6/10/2016 - 6/27/2016 EMail: r.gaita.2914@ef.com

Itinerary A (23 Traveler(s))
	Date	Time	City(Airport)	Flight / Transportation	Additional Flight Info	Flight has stopover(s)	Primary Confirmation Number	Paper/E-Ticket

Depart
	6/10/2016 6/11/2016	8:02 PM 1:00 PM	Salt Lake London (Heathrow)	Delta Airlines Flight # 50			HW3OXN	E

Return
	6/24/2016 6/24/2016	8:40 AM 11:40 AM	Rome Athens, Greece	Alitalia Flight # 720			MHH2Q5	E

Depart
	6/27/2016 6/27/2016	12:30 PM 4:20 PM	Athens, Greece New York (JFK)	Delta Airlines Flight # 213			HW3OXN	E
	6/27/2016 6/27/2016	7:30 PM 10:59 PM	New York (JFK) Salt Lake	Delta Airlines Flight # 464			HW3OXN	E

Additional Confirmation Numbers:

DL-HXJCXM (E), AZ-M5SBCR (E), AZ-JKX34A (E), AZ-KDM2I5 (E), DL-GVQYS8 (E)

Itinerary B (1 Traveler(s))
	Date	Time	City(Airport)	Flight / Transportation	Additional Flight Info	Flight has stopover(s)	Primary Confirmation Number	Paper/E-Ticket

Return
	6/10/2016 6/11/2016	6:55 PM 7:20 AM	Wash, DC (Dulles) London (Heathrow)	Delta Airlines Flight # 4383	OPERATED BY VIRGIN ATLANTIC AIRWAYS		HT3MNC	E

Depart
	6/24/2016 6/24/2016	8:40 AM 11:40 AM	Rome Athens, Greece	Alitalia Flight # 720			MHH2Q5	E

Return
	6/27/2016 6/27/2016	12:15 PM 2:40 PM	Athens, Greece Paris (De Gaulle)	Air France Flight # 1233			HT3MNC	E
	6/27/2016 6/27/2016	5:00 PM 7:25 PM	Paris (De Gaulle) Wash, DC (Dulles)	Air France Flight # 26			HT3MNC	E

Additional Confirmation Numbers:

AZ-M5SBCR (E), AZ-JKX34A (E), AZ-KDM2I5 (E)

Itinerary C (3 Traveler(s))
	Date	Time	City(Airport)	Flight / Transportation	Additional Flight Info	Flight has stopover(s)	Primary Confirmation Number	Paper/E-Ticket

Depart
	6/24/2016 6/24/2016	8:40 AM 11:40 AM	Rome Athens, Greece	Alitalia Flight # 720			MHH2Q5	E

Additional Confirmation Numbers:

AZ-M5SBCR (E), AZ-JKX34A (E), AZ-KDM2I5 (E)

Itinerary D (1 Traveler(s))
	Date	Time	City(Airport)	Flight / Transportation	Additional Flight Info	Flight has stopover(s)	Primary Confirmation Number	Paper/E-Ticket

Return
	6/10/2016 6/11/2016	5:40 PM 12:05 PM	San Francisco London (Heathrow)	Delta Airlines Flight # 4391	OPERATED BY VIRGIN ATLANTIC AIRWAYS		HTT5LF	E

Depart
	6/24/2016 6/24/2016	8:40 AM 11:40 AM	Rome Athens, Greece	Alitalia Flight # 720			MHH2Q5	E

Return
	6/27/2016 6/27/2016	12:15 PM 2:40 PM	Athens, Greece Paris (De Gaulle)	Air France Flight # 1233			HTT5LF	E
	6/27/2016 6/27/2016	4:35 PM 7:05 PM	Paris (De Gaulle) San Francisco	Air France Flight # 80			HTT5LF	E

Additional Confirmation Numbers:

AZ-M5SBCR (E), AZ-JKX34A (E), AZ-KDM2I5 (E)

Itinerary E (2 Traveler(s))
	Date	Time	City(Airport)	Flight / Transportation	Additional Flight Info	Flight has stopover(s)	Primary Confirmation Number	Paper/E-Ticket

Depart
	6/10/2016 6/11/2016	8:02 PM 1:00 PM	Salt Lake London (Heathrow)	Delta Airlines Flight # 50			HURKLM	E

Return
	6/24/2016 6/24/2016	8:40 AM 11:40 AM	Rome Athens, Greece	Alitalia Flight # 720			MHH2Q5	E

Depart
	7/4/2016 7/4/2016	9:25 AM 11:15 AM	Vienna Amsterdam	Delta Airlines Flight # 9522	OPERATED BY KLM ROYAL DUTCH AIRLINES		HURKLM	E
	7/4/2016 7/4/2016	12:30 PM 2:50 PM	Amsterdam Salt Lake	Delta Airlines Flight # 9517	OPERATED BY KLM ROYAL DUTCH AIRLINES		HURKLM	E

Additional Confirmation Numbers:

AZ-M5SBCR (E), AZ-JKX34A (E), AZ-KDM2I5 (E)

Itinerary F (1 Traveler(s))
	Date	Time	City(Airport)	Flight / Transportation	Additional Flight Info	Flight has stopover(s)	Primary Confirmation Number	Paper/E-Ticket

Return
	6/14/2016 6/15/2016	5:12 PM 11:25 AM	Salt Lake Paris (De Gaulle)	Delta Airlines Flight # 88			HU96ZK	E

Depart
	6/24/2016 6/24/2016	8:40 AM 11:40 AM	Rome Athens, Greece	Alitalia Flight # 720			MHH2Q5	E

Return
	6/27/2016 6/27/2016	12:30 PM 4:20 PM	Athens, Greece New York (JFK)	Delta Airlines Flight # 213			HU96ZK	E
	6/27/2016 6/27/2016	7:30 PM 10:59 PM	New York (JFK) Salt Lake	Delta Airlines Flight # 464			HU96ZK	E

Additional Confirmation Numbers:

AZ-M5SBCR (E), AZ-JKX34A (E), AZ-KDM2I5 (E)

Itinerary G (1 Traveler(s))
	Date	Time	City(Airport)	Flight / Transportation	Additional Flight Info	Flight has stopover(s)	Primary Confirmation Number	Paper/E-Ticket

Depart
	6/10/2016 6/11/2016	8:02 PM 1:00 PM	Salt Lake London (Heathrow)	Delta Airlines Flight # 50			HNDW22	E

Return
	6/24/2016 6/24/2016	8:40 AM 11:40 AM	Rome Athens, Greece	Alitalia Flight # 720			MHH2Q5	E

Depart
	7/17/2016 7/17/2016	6:00 AM 7:25 AM	Copenhagen Amsterdam	Delta Airlines Flight # 9362	OPERATED BY KLM ROYAL DUTCH AIRLINES		HNDW22	E
	7/17/2016 7/17/2016	9:50 AM 12:25 PM	Amsterdam Salt Lake	Delta Airlines Flight # 57			HNDW22	E

Additional Confirmation Numbers:

AZ-M5SBCR (E), AZ-JKX34A (E), AZ-KDM2I5 (E)

For information on the baggage policy for your airline(s), please visit

www.eftours.com/student-tours/travel-preparation/packing/baggage.aspx

Traveler List

	Itinerary	Name	Account Number	Conf.Number and Ticket Number

1.	A	CARLSON, JAMES THOMAS	4890216	HW3OXN (006-7811127179), JKX34A (055-7811127919)
2.	A	CHRISTENSEN, ERIC GREGORY	4975912	HW3OXN (006-7811127180), JKX34A (055-7811127921)
3.	A	COOK, CHLOE CATE	4614051	HW3OXN (006-7811127181), MHH2Q5 (055-7811127774)
4.	A	CURTIS, WENDY BENNION	1829491	HW3OXN (006-7811127182), MHH2Q5 (055-7811127776)
5.	A	DALE, ELIZABETH ANNE	4636043	HW3OXN (006-7811127183), MHH2Q5 (055-7811127777)
6.	A	EVANS, ELLA MARIE	4630226	HW3OXN (006-7811127184), MHH2Q5 (055-7811127779)
7.	A	FISHER, OLIVIA LAUREN	4906323	HW3OXN (006-7811127185), MHH2Q5 (055-7811127780)
8.	A	FREDRICK, EMILY	4884452	HW3OXN (006-7811127186), MHH2Q5 (055-7811127781)
9.	A	FREDRICK, SOPHIE PATRICIA	4889725	HW3OXN (006-7811127187), MHH2Q5 (055-7811127782)
10.	A	GARCIA, KAMRI MCKENZIE	4896896	HW3OXN (006-7811127188), MHH2Q5 (055-7811127798)
11.	A	GARDNER, JANE SIERRA	4954983	HW3OXN (006-7811127189), KDM2I5 (055-7809715483)
12.	A	KIMBALL, ASHER NOBLE	4822761	HW3OXN (006-7811127190), MHH2Q5 (055-7811127800)
13.	A	LIMBURG, EMILY CAROLINE	4807545	HW3OXN (006-7811127191), MHH2Q5 (055-7811127803)
14.	A	LINES-GAULTNEY, DYLAN QUINN	4822868	HXJCXM (006-7811127193), MHH2Q5 (055-7811127804)
15.	A	LUNT, HAILEY ELIZABETH	4824935	HXJCXM (006-7811127194), MHH2Q5 (055-7811127805)
16.	A	MERRILL, OLIVIA KATHERINE GRACE	4661286	HXJCXM (006-7811127195), MHH2Q5 (055-7811127820)
17.	A	MINER, JASMINE MEI	4737194	HXJCXM (006-7811127196), MHH2Q5 (055-7811127821)
18.	A	ROBINSON, LEAH KATHERINE	4626948	HXJCXM (006-7811127197), MHH2Q5 (055-7811127823)
19.	A	ROMNEY, OLIVIA	4667098	HXJCXM (006-7811127198), MHH2Q5 (055-7811127824)
20.	A	SALINAS OHRAN, ISABELLA	4843261	HXJCXM (006-7811127199), MHH2Q5 (055-7811127825)
21.	A	TIDWELL, MARY ANNE	4883729	HXJCXM (006-7811127200), MHH2Q5 (055-7811127826)
22.	A	WHITE, ROXANNE LEE	4978240	GVQYS8 (006-7812319522-23)
23.	A	WILLARDSEN, MADELYN ANNE	4900573	HXJCXM (006-7811127201), M5SBCR (055-7811127950)
24.	B	HUNTSMAN, MAE ISABEL	4626218	HT3MNC (006-7811127203), MHH2Q5 (055-7811127799)
25.	D	LARSEN, CHARLES GRANT	4911697	HTT5LF (006-7811127236), MHH2Q5 (055-7811127801)
26.	E	CHISHOLM, ANNE ELIZABETH	4888754	HURKLM (006-7811127257), JKX34A (055-7811127920)
27.	E	ORLANDI, MELISSA DIANE	4614667	HURKLM (006-7811127258), MHH2Q5 (055-7811127822)
28.	F	CURTIS, GEORGE STEPHEN	4912214	HU96ZK (006-7811127260), MHH2Q5 (055-7811127775)
29.	G	CHRISTENSEN, KIMBER LEIGH	4975908	HNDW22 (006-7811127304), JKX34A (055-7811127922)
30.	C	ANDERSON, ELIZABETH JANE	4704247	JKX34A (055-7811127918)
31.	C	DUBELL, OLIVIA CAMERON	4613579	MHH2Q5 (055-7811127778)
32.	C	LEISHMAN, MADISON FAITH	4890384	MHH2Q5 (055-7811127802)

Overnight Information

From	To	Name and Address	City	Telephone	Website
6/11/2016	6/14/2016	Holiday Inn London West 4 Portal Way, Gypsy Corner/A40 London W3 6RT United Kingdom	London	+44 (0)208 753 0800
6/14/2016	6/16/2016	Ibis Issy Les Moulineaux Val d Seine 213 rue Jean Jacques Rousseau Issy Les Moulineaux 92130 France	Paris	+33 147 36 42 00	www.ibishotel.com
6/16/2016	6/18/2016	Alpenhof-Post Melchtal Melchtalerstrasse Kerns CH-6067 Switzerland	Lucerne	+41 (0) 41 669 12 37	www.hotelalpenhofpost.ch
6/18/2016	6/21/2016	Villa Morghen	Florence	+39 055 697362
6/21/2016	6/24/2016	Villa Robinia Viale Rosselli, 19 (ss Appia Nuova km 28,500) Genzano di Roma, IT 00045 Italy	Rome	+39 069396409	www.hotelvillarobinia.it
6/24/2016	6/25/2016	Hotel Arion 18 Agiou Dimitriou Psyrri Athens 105 54 Greece	Athens	+30 210 324 0415	www.arionhotel.gr
6/25/2016	6/26/2016	Hotel New Aegli Askeli Poros 18002 Greece	Athens	00302298022372
6/26/2016	6/27/2016	Oscar 25 Filadelphias and Samou Str Athens 10439 Greece	Athens	+30 (0) 210 883 42 15/42 19	www.oscar.gr

Flight and hotel information subject to change.

To reach EF Educational Tours in the event of an emergency, and you are calling from the US, dial 1-800-637-8222 and follow the prompt for an emergency. If you are calling while abroad, dial 001-617-619-2913.

To call internationally from the US/Canada, dial 011 before desired phone number.

Food Glorious Food

Thanks to everyone that contributed to the meal tonight. I appreciate all the help. It was fun to talk with everyone and I loved seeing the travelers already getting along so well.

While I'm on the topic of eating lets talk about meals on the trip. Large group travel is different than what you've experienced before. Restaurants don't have the time to prep individual meals for everyone in our group. Breakfast is usually rolls and juice. If we're lucky there will be some yogurt and cereal. Beware! Milk is usually warm, check before you pour on your cereal.

Dinner is designed to give you a taste of the local flavor but the only way a restaurant can deal with groups our size is by one meal serves all. You will be served whatever the restaurant decides to cook for us. There is no ordering. If you have a dietary need please let me know ASAP. They will need to notify restaurants about vegetarian or gluten free meals right away.

Drinks are not included with meals and usually cost 2-3 Euro or more. Refills are never free. You even need to be careful asking for water. If you don't specify that you want tap water they will bring you bottled and charge you for it. This will be true of any restaurant you visit. Oh, in Europe they love their mineral water. It's fizzy and salty and is usually an acquired taste. If you want regular water ask/look for natural, no gas or flat.

Lunch is where you can really explore. You get to find your own spots to eat. I know its tempting to find the fast and familiar but try to avoid places like McDonalds. You can get that at home.  Find little family owned places away from tourist sites that are full of locals. That usually means good food at good prices. I like to hit up the market and buy fresh produce and cheese. It makes a great meal and doesn't cost much, and the market is a great place to see what life in that community is really like. My son Stephen says eat the craziest stuff you can find, he regrets not trying a few things. I don't know if I'd go that far but at least try some of the local specialties. I've found favorite things in every place I visit. Bon Appitit!

Cards

There just wasn't enough time in yesterday. One of the reasons was spending an hour on hold so I could talk to a human at my credit card company. Since I only use this card with the EU student tour I've forgotten the PIN and needed them to send it to me. It takes about 10 days so I've left barely enough time for a repeat request if something goes wrong. While I had them on the phone I also notified them of the dates and countries I'll be in on the trip. That way the card won't be flagged as stolen and locked. Nothing worse than not being able to get cash when you need or want it. 

So, here are credit/debit the tips:

Before you go:

• Inform your bank of your travel dates in Europe.
• European ATMs will take funds only from checking accounts — not savings — so make sure your checking account balance is high enough before you go.
• If possible bring one debit card and one credit card, ideally with a Visa or MasterCard logo.
• Make sure you have a four-digit PIN number (no letters) for all of your cards, even your credit card. Request a PIN if you don’t know it (allow time for your bank to mail it).

When making a withdrawal:

• Try to use ATMs at banks during banking hours. If there’s a problem, someone in the bank can probably help.
• Avoid non-bank ATMs. "Independent" ATMs charge outrageous fees.
• Grab your cash and card quickly; some ATMs suck back the cash after 30 seconds.
• Take out large amounts at one time to avoid frequent ATM trips and repeated withdrawal fees.
• Don’t use your credit card to withdraw cash unless it’s an emergency; you’ll be charged a high cash-advance interest rate.

If your card doesn’t work:

• Try a different ATM. (Do not re-enter your PIN if the ATM eats your card.)
• Try a lower amount; the ATM may have a withdrawal limit.
• Try later. Your card’s 24-hour withdrawal maximum is based on US time, or your bank’s network may be temporarily down.

Laundry

I get ready by packing a little bit everyday and today was the laundry kit. We talked about doing laundry at the last meeting and many were absent so here goes... With the limits on suitcase size and weight we will have to do laundry while we travel. Sending your wash to the hotel laundry is expensive and requires us to be at the hotel for at least 2 days, not the best choice. Instead I hope there will be a few opportunities for launderettes (laundry mats) while we travel. For those days a few detergent pods and softener sheets are perfect. You might also want some kind of bag with a handle that you can use to cart your clothes back and forth to the launderette. (I just use a few grocery bags.) If you've never done your own wash ask your mom to help you do yours a few times before we leave so you get the hang of it. The only difference over there will be that you have to put coins in the machines before they will work.

The rest of the time we'll be hand washing in the hotel sink. This requires a small bottle with some Woolite, a sink stopper, and a cord for hanging the wash to dry. Don't count on the suction cups holding the wet laundry so grab a few clips so you can make loops. Stop up the sink drain and put your dirty clothes in. Fill with water and add a couple squirts of Woolite. Swish the clothes around a few times to get them completely wet in the wash solution. Let soak for 5-15 minutes. Use your hand to squish (knead) the clothes several times. You may want to pay some special attention to extra dirty areas like armpits. Let the water out of the sink and refill with new, cold water. Squish again to get the soapy water out of the clothes. Repeat. Carefully wring each item out to remove excess water. Lay your towel out flat and lay one item on it. Roll up and wring tightly to remove as much water as possible. Hang on the laundry line to dry. Repeat with each remaining item. (Hint, I have some that take a 2 gallon ziplock bag to use as the washing machine. Put in water, soap and clothes, shake & knead. Drain, add fresh water to rinse and repeat.)

If you've packed lightweight or travel fabric clothes (think athletic quick-dry type fabric) then you're clothes will be ready to go in the morning. Just in case pack a large (2 gallon) ziplock to pack your damp clothes in. Just remember to take them all out at the next stop so they don't mold.

Last thing to consider is some kind of spot treatment so you can zap that little spill as soon as it happens. Makes life so much easier. I take shout wipes (Walmart) but lots of people like the Tide pen.

Technology

I spent the morning checking the applications on my phone and tablet. I want to be sure everything I use frequently is updated while internet access is easy. Good thing, both my tablet and laptop were missing Skype. Not a good thing for a mom that wants to keep connected with the family while I travel. If you need to contact me for an emergency while we're traveling I'm sewinshadows from SLC, UT on Skype.

Next I researched the 'top' and 'best' apps to see what's new. Honestly, I was looking for a few fun games to keep me entertained during the long plane and bus rides. (I also need recommendations for some good ebooks!) I found a great app called HERE. It's a navigation app that works like Google Maps but you don't need to be connected for it to work. A treasure if you're worried about data and/or roaming charges. You have to register but it's free. While you have easy internet access you download the maps you want. I loaded England, Paris Isle de France, Switzerland, Tuscano (Florence), Lazio (Rome), and Greece. You could just download the whole world if you aren't worried about memory space. Now on the road I just open the map, type in where I want to be and off I go.

There are also some great tourist apps. If you have a place you are super excited to be then see if that place has an app. I would recommend the Louvre's tour. That place is huge and any walking tour will help you 1) navigate the place and 2) understand why different items in the museum are significant. Rick Steve's site also has a bunch of different tours you can download. You can find tours of cities, museums or other tourist sites a hundred different places. Do your research to make sure the ones you get are worth it.

Remember, if you are taking your phone check with your company to find out how it works with international calls, texts, social media posts, data, roaming, etc.

Oh, the other thing I did this morning was go on a long walk. My shoes are going to be perfect!

Time to get back to posting. We've had a great set of training meetings and now it's time for the final party. Thursday, May 19th, 5:15 in the Highland Courtyard. The picnic is for travelers and their entire family. Bring your travel binder.

There will be a district insurance fair in the commons so enter through the center doors as if you were going to the library. At the bottom of the ramp there is a door out to the courtyard. Come that way and you'll avoid the chaos. You should have received a packet with the invitation and some papers you need to fill out and bring back. If you didn't get it give me a call.

See you there!

Crazy Life

It's been a crazy summer. Wendy is building a house which should have taken all her time but then ended up with some health problems that slowed her down a bunch. The big and happy news is that Katie and Kalani are expecting! Baby girl should arrive around Valentines Day! Our first meeting will be Monday, Oct. 19, 7pm in the Highland Library. There is a lot to discuss and we might possibly have a new itinerary.

Happy New Year! 2015

So, we're 1.5 years out from the next tour. It seems like a long time but it really isn't. The itinerary is out to the travel agencies for bids and has already gone through several revisions. We're excited about the plan but it has a different feel from our previous tours. Currently we begin in Prague then move south to Munich, Venice, Florence, Rome and Athens. We'll see what the bids are and adjust from there. The first meeting is scheduled for Jan 12th, 6:30 in the HHS library. We'll have a cost and full itinerary for everyone there!

Prague

Munich

Venice

Florence

Rome

Athens

Poros