I wish I could take a survey concerning how much preparation
these complaining teachers did for their tours. How many
meetings do they have with their students and their parents?
How much do these teachers actually know about international
travel? Do these teachers & students actually know a foreign
language?...or has the extent of their international
experience just been to Disneyworld?
I have been on some tours where football coaches were the
chaperones. On other tours, some of the teachers recruited
random students throughout the school for a "senior class
trip". Those teachers and students had no business going on
educational tours like these. These students were not
prepared one bit for what they were about to see in Europe.
They were better off going on a cruise ship vacation
somewhere in the ocean. Europe is NOT Disneyworld. Europe is
old and crowded, and American students need some proper
orientation in order to appreciate international cultures.

My trips are called educational tours NOT SUMMER
VACATIONS. The key to a successful trip is preparation. I
spend literally years getting my students ready for these
trips. Language acquisition, videos, meetings, and research
play an important part in preparation. My students must prove
to me that they can speak the language and appreciate the
European culture for what it is, not for what they want it to
be. After all, isn't that why we travel in the first
place....to see another culture for what it truly is?!

I alert my students, in advance, that there will be
frustrations, delays, rain, uncooperative "foreign people",
and hotels that are different from ours. And, Europeans don't
necessarily speak English. That is why it is
called "international travel"...so get over it.

On 5/12/09, Ann wrote:
> Be aware of the difference between Mariden USA and Mariden
> Canada. Expect problems if booking through Canada. They
> are totally disorganised and will leave you regretting you
> ever booked with them.

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