The Crookston High School held a meeting on Wednesday night about a 2024 trip to Europe in the High School Auditorium with Social Studies Teacher Shelly Thomforde.
She opened the meeting by explaining that the school is partnering with EF Educational Tours, a world-leading group in international education that has been working for over 55 years and has staff on the ground in over 50 countries around the world, including in the nations the school plans to travel to. “We have used EF in the past, this is at least my fourth trip with them, but I know that other teachers have used them before,” said Crookston High School Social Studies teacher Shelly Thomforde. “They’re an accredited school and have people on the ground in 50 different countries that can give support and have a 24-hour Tour Guide that is with us at all times. And they will never put us in a situation where they know danger is going to be, like with what is going on with Russia and Ukraine. They do not send any students on tours in that particular area. If we were in Italy and say something happened in a part of Italy, they would completely divert our tour to another location or even another country if need be.”
Currently, the trip requires full COVID vaccination, but that may change. EF offers $100,000 in scholarships designed to help students discover the world, and any enrolled student can apply.
The trip would be a 10-day trip to Switzerland and Italy, with the first night being the flight to Zurich, Switzerland. On the second day, they will meet the Tour Director at the airport and travel to the Lucerne region, where they will go to the Swiss Alps, take a cruise across Lake Lucerne, and enjoy a night eating fondue. On the third day, they will take a tour of Lucerne, where they will see the Lion Monument or Löwendenkmal, cross the Chapel Bridge, ride to the top of a Swiss mountain, and other bridges and buildings that date back to the medieval times. On the fourth day, they will travel to Venice via the Italian Lakes District, where on the fifth day, they will glide down the Grand Canal and make a stop in St. Mark’s Square, which includes seeing the Campanile and golden weathervane on top of it, along with the Doge’s Palace, the Bridge of Sighs, and see a demonstration of glassblowing. They will then spend two days in Florence where they will see works of art like statues from the famous artist Michelangelo, the domed cap of the Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral, the Ghiberti’s Gates of Paradise, cross the Ponte Vecchio bridge, shop at hold artisans keep shop, and take a side trip to Pisa and see the Leaning Tower. On the eighth day, they will travel to Assisi to visit the Basilica of St. Francis, then travel to Rome. They will spend the ninth day in From where they will take a tour of Vatican City, visit the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica, then take a tour of Rome to see the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, and the Trevi Fountain. They will then use the last day to depart for home.
There is a chance for two additional days in the Sorrento region along with visiting Pompeii, but the trip would cost extra money for everyone. Thomford wants to keep the trip as affordable as possible, so she is not including it for now.
The chaperone system will be two chaperones for six students, and they will be in charge of monitoring and checking students’ hotel rooms each night. She also specified that it is a trip, not a vacation, as each day is scheduled from beginning to end and not at the student’s leisure. She also noted that EF could pair them with another school from somewhere around the country.
Thomforde explained that while the trip is planned out, she has yet to learn when exactly they will go. She explained the trip could take place as early as June 9th, 2024, with them returning on the 19th or as late as June 16th, where they would return as late as June 26th, 2024, with the exact dates being selected two to three months before the event. As EF hasn’t quite solidified a date, she explained that she can move the date with Spring Sports and State Competitions depending on the situation.
Thomforde then went into the itinerary for the trip, saying the students would go on a Round trip airfare on a major airline carrier, and the hotels they will stay at are of quality and clean accommodations. They will be served Regional-style meals for breakfast and dinner with a Tour Director who will be with them during the whole trip, with lunch being up to the students. Transportation will be on tour, including a comfortable motorcoach. Each City they visit will have an Expert local guide to show the children around. She then explained that the students will be responsible for bringing their passports (and visas, if applicable), their own baggage fees, tips for the guides, bus drivers, and Tour Directors, and snacks and certain meals (mainly lunch). The trip is partnered with multiple programs and protection plans to keep the students safe, such as the Peace of Mind Program and Global Travel Protection. “The Peace of Mind Program is the team that diverts the whole group in the event of a situation like COVID or Ukraine and Russia,” said Thomforde. “The individual travelers also get the Global Travel Protection that would cover any lost baggage and protect them up to a certain dollar amount if the trip was canceled or if they canceled themselves.” If the students feel they need it, they can also get Global Travel Protection Plus for an extra $295, which will allow them to cancel their trip for any reason up to 24 hours prior to departure, but they will still have to pay $500 for the service.
The cost of the trip is $4490, but if students sign up before Friday, April 29 will get a $200 discount to make it a total of $4290. The students also have an option to pay for the trip bi-weekly leading up to the event at $88 every two weeks or $176 each month with a $95 deposit. The students can also make a customizable Tour Donation Page, every traveler who enrolls will receive an individual donation page that they can raise for themselves. Thomforde said while the trip is expensive, it is worth it as the students who go on these trips return differently due to them going out of their comfort zones to try new events, food, and challenges, gain global perspectives, and after the trip and will have a new appreciation for coming home at the end of the trip.
Thomforde revealed that there are 15 guaranteed spots open to all present 9th and 10th graders, and they have to be on track to graduate. If any actions are taken by the students that are deemed unacceptable, they will be immediately sent home the next day that will be paid for by the parents. Students can fundraise for their tickets and recommended that the students have a goal of raising $15,000 total and passed around a clipboard for parents to sign if they wanted to help come up with ideas for fundraising for the trip. “We’re only allowed to do six fundraisers events per trip,” said Thomforde. “In the past, we’ve sold pizzas, I’ve heard parents come up with an idea for a purse BINGO, but I’m hoping to get a group of creative parents together on a fundraising group so that we can go above and beyond on the fundraising.” She also noted that any money the students raise individually will go to their fundraising page. However, if they decide to cancel going on the trip, the money will still go to the trip unless there’s another pandemic that cancels events around the world.
If students wish to enroll for the 2024 Italy/Switzerland trip, they can go to www.eftours.com/2530673CC.
