The group leaders will be getting together once Miss Laister gets home (she hung around Europe to see family) and we'll be assessing the lessons we've learned from this trip. We'd love some input from folks who went on the trip, parents, colleagues, etc., about what we should do differently next time. Some questions:
When should we go next? Three years? Four? Five?
Where should we go next? Italy and Greece? A longer trip to only England or Spain?
Should the next group be smaller? Larger?
More time seeing certain kinds of sites? Historical sites? Museums? More free time? More shopping? Good balance?
What did folks think of EF, our tour company? Did they do a good job organizing the trip? Was bill paying easy? How would you rate your satisfaction?
What was the best part of the trip? What should we make sure not to miss in the future?
Post your responses in the comments section below. Thanks!
Great trip! And thank you hard-working faculty at CHS. I believe experiences on this journey expanded horizons far beyond the geographical ones, for which a parent like yours truly has deep gratitude.
ReplyDeleteA few observations:
-- Simon was a terrific guide, based on personal comparisons with other guides on similar trips. This can make a huge difference in ease of travel.
-- Students were flexible and all-round good sports, a big plus for an aged chaperone and worthy of a big thank-you, too.(Re: possibility of missed flight connection ... might want to review that possibility next time and its possible ramifications, since it happens a good percentage of time).
-- The mix of historical site visits and fun tourist run-around was perfect balance, in my view.
-- Next trip? I love Greece, but I would vote for a return to London for students due to the fact that all seemed to relish that experience, it linked many to their ancestral origins, was historically enriching, made communication with the population universally easy, and it gave our young group access to all kinds of theatrical exposure rare elsewhere ... even if one of our travelers gave me one of life's biggest laughs by pronouncing Shakespeare's Julius Caesar pure "torture." Anne Scheck-end-
First let me say "Thank You" to our teachers for putting this trip together. We all know there was a lot of work involved in planning, organizing and chaperoning a trip of this size and complexity. I hope you found it as worthwhile as did our kids!
ReplyDeleteEF is a big company with a good reputation so I was surprised to learn that you did not get to see Stonehenge. It was posted on the intinerary - why did EF not know it was closed on that day? It also seemed (from Aidan's comments anyway) that they were not always informed about delays, closures etc. I'm sure the adults on the trip have a much better sense of how well EF performed as a tour company. They certainly gave us a great price but it might be worthwhile to see if any other companies offer similar prices with somewhat better service.
Aidan especially enjoyed his time in Barcelona. It may be that after many days of touring he was just glad to have more free time. Maybe in the future fewer cities and a more leisurely pace?
I think a trip every 2 years would be great if you can manage it. That allows plenty of time for fund raising but keeps the goal in sight. Suggestions for future trips: the British Isles; Italy; Germany; Scandanavia.
Thanks again for putting together such a fun and enriching experience for the kids. This is a trip that they will remember forever.
Kathleen
Hi Ben,
ReplyDeleteWhen will we (group leaders) get together for input on trip, photo exchange, potluck???
Angel
I'm not sure if Amanda is back yet, but Jeff has offered to host at his place, so maybe we could do that as soon as this next week. I'll shoot off an email to everybody as soon as I hear from Amanda.
ReplyDelete