EF Practical tips
Here are a few points you can cover with your group and their parents before departure.
PACKING & INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL PREPARATIONS
• Students should give a copy of the itinerary and hotel information to their families.
• Check that the passport expiration dates are valid 6 months beyond the tour departure date.
• It’s a good idea to prepare contact cards (hotel phone numbers and addresses) for your students in case of emergency. You can include my mobile number: +33.6.63.51.93.69. in France.
• In an emergency, parents can contact us on tour or write to me-
• Have names & addresses taped inside the baggage as well as on the baggage tag.
• Keep photocopies of all the passports, airline tickets (and your credit cards) in a separate bag.
• Valuables, money, important documents and medication should be in the carry-on bag.
• A toothbrush and change of clothes in your carry-on would be useful if luggage is lost.
• If participants have an alarm clock (battery operated), it’d be helpful to have on tour.
• Pack light: we will be carrying our suitcases often- from coach to hotels, etc. Plan to bring clothing you can wear in layers as you will be away from the hotel all day touring and will likely not have time to return in the evenings before dinner.
• Pack the necessary toiletries, medications, and specific items such as camera batteries, extra film or memory cards, anything that might be difficult to obtain during the trip.
• Please keep in mind that overhead storage is much smaller on a bus than on the plane and pack your carry-on accordingly.
AIRPORT CHECK IN
• Verify that the baggage has been properly checked by the airline agent. When checking in for your outbound flight, make sure that your luggage is checked all the way through to your final destination; unless you are changing airline carriers, you will not have to collect your bags until you reach the final European destination. On the return, it will be necessary to collect your bags when you reach your first North American gateway in order to pass through customs.
• Keep your bag check tags, airline tickets, boarding passes, and passport with you at all times while in transit.
UPON ARRIVAL
• Be sure to have your valid passport ready upon arrival in Europe.
• Any missing luggage must be reported to the airline or handling agent’s desk immediately. Make arrangements for its forwarding before exiting into the arrival meeting area. Claims for compensation should be made directly to the airline. If there is any missing luggage, or delays in the delivery, please try to text or call to keep me informed. (I can’t access the luggage area.)
• After the group has collected the bags and cleared customs, I (or an EF colleague) will meet you at the airport arrival area for the transfer to your hotel.
HOTEL ROOMS
• Remind your students that they will generally be roomed in triples or quadruples, depending on the rooms we get from the hotels. We might have to change the rooming at each hotel. Please try to organize with your students who would be willing to room together in quads, triples and/or twins.
• Hotel rooms in Europe are typically smaller than hotel rooms in Canada or the USA.
• Triple rooms= 3 beds, quadruple= 4, twin rooms have 2 single beds, a double room is one double bed and single room is one single bed.
• The voltage in Europe is 220 volts. Personal hair dryers, shavers, hair curlers or straighteners, and other electrical equipment require a voltage converter/ transformer as well as an adapter or they will blow fuses in the hotels. Cellphone and computer chargers will just need just an adaptor.
• Participants will have to pay phone calls, mini-bar consumption (if any) and any damage they cause in the hotel rooms before checking out. That’s why it is imperative to report any damage or missing items asap when checking-in the room.
• Air-conditioning, where available, is often shut off during the night to conserve energy. In general, air-conditioning in Europe is not as strong as in the US/Canada.
• Please be aware that you will not find ice machines in European hotels.
CALLING FROM OVERSEAS
• To call the USA or Canada from France, dial 001, area code & local number. To make calls from the USA and Canada to France, dial 011, 33, & the local number without the first zero.
• Any calls made from your hotel room may incur a connection fee (even if using a calling card), for which you will be responsible. To avoid the fee, please use your calling cards with pay phones, which can be found throughout Paris & France.
TRANSPORTATION
• Easy to use, the métro is the fastest and the most efficient way to navigate Paris. The métro runs daily from around 5:30am- 12:30am. We will have a plan to spread out on the platform in smaller groups so that we don’t try to all get in one car, as the doors open and shut automatically (and quickly.)
• Public buses are also a good way to travel around Paris during free time.
• Walking around European cities often provides the best way to see as much as possible and to soak up the local culture. Arrive prepared- bring comfortable, sturdy walking shoes!
FOOD
• Breakfast during the tour will consist of a continental breakfast. A croissant, jam, and coffee are a very common French breakfast.
• Lunch is on your own and also a good way to taste specific local/regional cuisine that may not be presented at all included dinners.
SHOPPING
• In general, stores in France are open from 10am to 7pm, Monday to Saturday. Most stores are closed on Sunday; however, some stores may remain open in tourist areas. Banks usually open from 9am to 4:30pm, Monday through Friday.
• Sales tax is generally included in store prices in France. As a non-European citizen, it is possible to obtain a tax refund, of around 13%, under certain circumstances. In France you must spend over 185 € at a store in a single visit to be eligible for a tax refund. You must ask the clerk to provide you with the necessary documentation, which you must show, along with the purchased goods, to the customs inspector upon leaving Europe. There is usually a line at the airport to get these papers stamped, and this must be done before check-in.
CURRENCY
• The currency you will use in France will be the Euro.
• When traveling, the safest forms of currency are credit cards and using ATM’s to withdraw cash. It is never advisable to travel with large amounts of cash.
• Visa and MasterCard are the most widely accepted credit cards in France.
• ATM withdrawals from major credit or debit cards are a convenient way of exchanging money, as you will receive the best exchange rate of the day. However, your bank may charge a fee for withdrawal at an international ATM. Let them know you will be travelling to open the card for international use.
• Be sure to know your credit card PIN number in advance. Some ATM machines in Europe have no letters, only numbers, and only allow you to have a four-digit ATM code.
• Exchange booths at airports and in the city do charge a commission fee. You may find it useful to change some money in advance. La Poste in France can change money but their opening hours are limited. Some banks also have foreign exchange counters but not so many. Change booths in city centers are open longer hours.
• I DO NOT recommend bringing Travelers Cheques, they aren’t accepted in most places.
DRESS
• For sightseeing in churches, please dress appropriately and keep legs and arms covered.
• Dress in comfortable attire for daily sightseeing.
• Wear comfortable, well broken-in shoes.
• Don't forget an umbrella or rain coat.
SAFETY ON TOUR
• Always look both ways before crossing the street and obey all traffic signals.
• Don’t answer the door in a hotel room without verifying who it is.
• Close and lock the door securely when everyone is inside the room.
• Don’t display hotel room keys in public; usually we leave actual keys at the reception when out.
• Do not travel with or display large amounts of cash or expensive jewelry.
• Do not leave money, passports, or valuables unguarded in your hotel rooms. Use the safety deposit box in your hotel room or in the main hotel safe box at reception.
• Be very cautious of pickpockets who may target foreign travelers, especially in crowded shopping areas, museums, famous monuments, cafes, subways, and airports.
GENERAL TRAVEL TIPS
• Keep bottled water with you during daily sightseeing.
• Smoking is very common in Europe, especially on the café terraces (outside tables). There is, however, no smoking inside restaurants, cafes, bars and public buildings.
• A 15% service charge is included in all restaurant prices in France, but an additional gratuity of 10% is always appreciated for good service. In bars and cafes, it is appropriate to leave small tip on the table.
• If you ever take a taxi, drivers in France will expect a tip of around 15% of the fare. Tips are a gratuity for good service and it is always at your discretion if you wish to tip.
• Concerning tips for our local guides & drivers, we strongly recommend that you collect them in advance or once you arrive in Paris. That would avoid any stress and last minute logistics.
GROUP TRAVEL ADVICE
• Remind your group members that, especially since we’ll be a large group when altogether, that they will have to be flexible, reactive and punctual, especially after free time activities, and for dinners. This will be very important for the success of the tour, and will make it really enjoyable for everyone.
• Remind everyone to get a very good nights sleep before leaving, as the first day crossing the Atlantic can mean jet lag. We wont get into our hotel rooms until the late afternoon or evening, so the first day they may feel tired if they didn't rest well before leaving.
Thank you in advance for coming! My best wishes for an excellent tout!
See you soon in Paris, Wendy
+33.6.63.51.93.69