We held a parent meeting a year ago on March 17, 2009. At this meeting I had about 5 parents who paid the $95 non-refundable payment, after seeing the EF Tours DVD and hearing our proposal.
Pro's: Quick and to the point.
Con's: Rarely did all the students show up. Kids would forget, or had other meetings, or were absent. Students even missed a madatory meeting that included PIZZA at lunch time. Becasue of this, I needed to get the hand-outs and important information to those students who missed. This was probablay the worse part of the PRE-trip experience.
Traveling with EFTours:
Pro's: I would highly recommend this company, based on the hands-on support and the jammed packed activity they provide ON TRIP.
Con's: There were a lot of hidden fees! After the tour price was set at $1,935, which was after each student paid a non-refundable one-time fee of $95. Then departure fees went up $72. We paid this about 3 months prior to our trip, based on gas fees. Next, there was the tip money that I had to collect for the TD $48 and the bus driver $24. Lastly, our TD contacted us and came up with extras that we could pay for while we are there. The total of these three EXTRAS was $57. Of course, besides all of this, the students were also able to go horseback riding for an extra $40 and attend a folklore dinner and evening for $45. Our Spanish Club was able to cover the folklore for each student along with the tip money for the bus driver. Oh yeah, we will need gas and parking at the Minneapolis airport which is estimated at $375 for both school vehicles. Bottom line, estimate about an extra $300/student for the extras..before you even leave.
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