Washington DC and New York City... here we come!
I am blessed with an amazing group of students, their families, and chaperones. I can't believe this day I've been preparing for over a year is finally here!
TESTS
First of all, check out these dedicated students! One of our DC/NY chaperones, Mr. Gelsi, captured this awesome picture of students who went in to his room at lunch yesterday to complete their history exam they would be missing today. I also had so many students working hard to complete their high school math placement exams before we left! School comes first... :)
SHIRTS
I got the crazy idea about two weeks ago to make matching tour shirts for all the travelers who wanted one! I created a decal, ordered the shirts, and brought all of the supplies needed to heat press the decals onto the shirts. The kids did a great job! We will be wearing them tomorrow on our first full day in DC together. :)
WE MADE IT ON THE PLANE!
After a long and busy check in process at the airport... we all got our boarding passes and got through security! I am so happy to say that my little brother, Nolan, is joining me on this tour! I'm excited for him to make friends with all of my students I love teaching.
I'm very proud of everyone for getting through the long lines at security and navigating their way to find snacks and our gate. Due to the large size of our group, 38 of us were on the earlier flight and the other 23 of us went on a later flight. Unfortunately, the weather has been postponing our flights a bit. While the first group will arrive in DC at 5:00pm, the second group won't arrive until almost 1:00am! Nevertheless, the show must go on and we will begin our day tomorrow with seeing the highlights of Washington DC. Stay tuned for daily DC & NY posts!
INDEPENDENCE
One of my absolute favorite things about the trips is the independence that students build throughout the trip. I already see students learning to use debit/credit cards, choosing what is best for them to eat given their options, following signs and directions to get where they're going, and communicating with others! I've already seen this in the airports and I'm excited to see how the students interact with our awesome Tour Directors while on tour.
What's a Tour Director?
On our tour we need two buses to accommodate our large group, so we will have two Tour Directors! With these EF trips, Tour Directors stay with us pretty much 24/7, even staying in the same hotel despite living in the city themselves. Their primary job is to make sure everything runs smoothly for everyone on the trip! They are the reason why we only have to worry about packing and getting on our flights to our destination, they plan everything and we are just along for the ride.
My favorite part about the Tour Directors is when they learn the traveler's names and really immerse their travelers in the experience of being a part of a new city. They don't just recite history facts the entire time, the best ones make the learning interesting and almost like a game sometimes... I'm really excited to see how the dynamic will be with our Tour Directors, Erin and Jeff!
NEXT UP...
Once the first group lands in DC we plan to go explore a bit to get some dinner, then get settled into our hotel rooms for some much needed rest. You'll hear from us again soon with more pictures and student perspectives of the day. We are excited for our entire group to be together! Feel free to share this blog with friends and family to follow along with our journey.
♡ Champlin