Dear Jenny:

Nope, I am not an employee of Mariden.

I took my first trip to Europe as a high school student in 1969, then I
chaperoned my own high school French students on over 20 European tours
from 1978 to 2009. My students, parents, and I have traveled with the
following student travel companies--->Foreign Study League, ALSG, EF,
Passports, ACIS, NETC, Mariden, and Explorica -- in that order.

I have taught French in the Illinois public school system for thirty-four
years, 29 of those years in a high school of only 400 students. I have
had to work hard to keep my French program going, and European tours have
given my program the oxygen it needed to thrive. The key to a "great
trip" is careful preparation of students---no matter what company you
travel with!! Add a dash of positive-thinking,energetic teacher, and you
have a winner.

No, I am not an employee of any student travel company. Simply call me a
Mariden-satisfied-customer.

On 6/29/09, Jenny wrote:
> On 5/14/09, Cari wrote:
>> 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 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.
>>
>>
>>
>> It seems you probably work for Mariden.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On 5/10/09, Cari wrote:
>>> Solomon: All I can tell you is what I know from my personal
>>> experience. And, my Mariden experience was a terrific one.
>>>
>>> You did make a valid point about "teacher incentives".Mariden
>>> doesn't offer the teachers the incentives, but they sure do
>>> offer the students the incentives. This company does NOT pour
>>> money into the pockets of the teachers. There are some companies
>>> who entice teachers with promises of outrageous amounts of money
>>> that come from the unsuspecting students who pay for those
>>> lucrative"incentives."
>>> Mariden worked with me so my students got the BEST, possible
>>> itinerary for the best and the fairest price. I wanted no cash
>>> incentives. I took ten participants, and the company agreed to
>>> give the travelers the lowest price they could....the students
>>> received the incentive...a great low fee! In addition, there is
>>> NO membership fee...that alone saved my students nearly $100.
>>> Mariden gave us an all-inclusive fee...it included all metro
>>> tickets, great meals, very nice hotels, entrance fees to museums
>>> and to the Eiffel Tower. That has not always been the case with
>>> other companies.
>>> I stand by my recommendation of Mariden.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> On 5/09/09, Solomon wrote:
>>>> Don't do it. Beware. Cari may have had a good experience but
>>>> I know many many teachers who have had nightmare tours. They
>>>> are small and offer no inventives to teachers.

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