Reminder: Butter Braid Delivery May 1

Greetings, Travelers! First, let me congratulate you on a very successful Butter Braid sale. We had many individuals work hard to earn money for their trips. Our top seller had orders for 48 Braids and earned over $200. Way to go!

Just a reminder that, for those of you who participated, you are required to pick up (or send a confederate to pick up) your order between 3:40 and 4:00 PM this Friday (May 1)in the Chi-Hi Cafeteria. Since the items are frozen and must remain so, timing is everything. I don't have space to temporarily store orders that are not claimed, so please be considerate of this. You'll want to pick up your items and deliver them (or get them to a freezer until delivery) as soon as possible. I will return your original order forms to you so you get the right items to the right people, of course.

We will be sorting orders to help ease pick-up (we have over 500 items coming in!), and I'm hoping this will go smoothly. I'll ask for your patience, however, since I don't get out of class until 3:43. I'll be relying on Jim ("the Butter Braid guy") to assist us in this before the end of 7th hour. As always, email me with any questions.

April 26 Last Day to Add Optional Excursions for D-Day Trip

D-Day Travelers, the deadline to add the Versailles or London Eye/Thames River Cruise optional excursions is quickly approaching. April 26 is the last day you will be able to book these activities in advance.

To enroll, please email me (wellevk@chipfalls.k12.wi.us) immediately or log on to your account at www.eftours.com.

Also, please assist me in making sure the following current enrollments are correct.

Currently enrolled on the London Eye/Thames River Cruise excursion are: Mrs. Welle, Megan G., Miranda P., Carole C., Whitney P., Mr. Welle, Hayden S., Taylor W., Amber P., Dylan M., Meredith K., Katy P., Gail O., Marah H., Leigh D., Karen G., Cindy P., Emily H., Sara K., and Theresa E.

Currently enrolled on the Versailles tour are: Mrs. Welle, Megan G., Miranda P., Drew B., Carole C., Whitney P., Shawna R., Mr. Welle, Nikelle M., Hayden S., Santana R., Michaela H., Amber P., Cory L., Dylan M., Meredith K., Mr. Kinville, Ms. Hill, Katy P., Gail O., Nicole H., Marah H., Leigh D., Mr. Pomietlo, Jon T., Alyssa T., Karen G., Cindy P., Emily H., Jeffrey H., Sara K., and Theresa E.

Please let me know if I need to make changes!

Make Sure Your Emergency Contact Info is Correct!

One of the many pieces of information you are expected to submit to EF Educational Tours is your "Emergency Contact". This is the name, address, phone number(s) and email address of a person who is not traveling with you that should be contacted in case of an on-tour emergency. The information you listed will be used to build our "Telephone Chain Chart" to spread information to Emergency Contacts in case there arises a need to get ahold of them.

Please log on to your EF Account at http://www.eftours.com/ and confirm that that contact information you listed is up to date.

This is especially important for my D-Day travelers departing this June. Some of you originally listed a contact (e.g. parent) who is now joining us on tour. Because the emergency contact must be a person NOT on the tour, you will need to change your information. Some of you did not list an emergency contact at all, and that will need to be corrected also.

We will not receive our final packet (including airline tickets) from EF until all contact info has been submitted, so please review your account today.

Butter Braid Forms Due Monday

Don't forget! Butter Braid orders and money are due Monday, April 20th! This means you've got one remaining weekend to get last-minute sales. For D-Day travelers, this is your last opportunity to raise money to meet your General Fund obligation (or for your trip, if you've met your obligation already).

Please drop the forms off to me directly in Room 136 (D-Day Travelers can do this during our regular meeting at lunch), or place them in my mailbox in the main office. Good luck!

Flight Info for 11-Day D-Day Tour!

I have some exciting information to pass along to you! I just received our flight schedules for the 11-day tour. (Those on the 14-day trip should already have flight information). Except for 2 travelers with special arrangements (who have already been contacted with their schedules), the remaining 15 people on the regular tour will be flying together. Here is the itinerary:

Depart:
6/15/2009 - 2:25 PM - Minneapolis - American Airlines Flight #1442
6/15/2009 - 3:45 PM - Arrival in Chicago

6/15/2009 - 5:00 PM - Chicago - American Airlines Flight #86
6/16/2009 - 6:50 AM - Arrival in London (Heathrow)

Return:
6/25/2009 - 12:20 PM - Berlin - British Airways Flight #983
6/25/2009 - 1:15 PM - Arrive in London (Heathrow)

6/25/2009 - 4:35 PM - London (Heathrow) - American Airlines Flight #91
6/25/2009 - 7:10 PM - Arrive in Chicago

6/25/2009 - 10:30 PM - Chicago - American Airlines Flight #2045
6/25/2009 - 11:50 PM - Arrival in Minneapolis

Now that all of our flight schedules are set, I will make arrangements for busing/shuttles. Please let me know if you are arranging your own transportation from the Minneapolis airport upon return. It will affect how much space I reserve.

Also, now that we know what airlines we are working with, we know for sure what our baggage restrictions will be. See my recent post on Carry-On Luggage for information about what size/weight restrictions you will be expected to comply with.

Reminder: Butter Braid Sale Ends April 20

Hopefully over Easter break you had a chance to rack up some sales with the family and/or neighbors. Because my D-Day travelers won't meet with me this week (no school on Monday), the forms are due the following Monday, April 20.

Please be sure to get your completed forms and money for orders to me no later than that day. Those of you who do not visit the high school on a regular basis may drop off your materials in my mailbox at the high school whenever you get the chance (provided it is on or before April 20).

P.S. If you've run out of space on the forms you have, I do have a few additional forms left. Otherwise, you can certainly make copies of the order form portion and continue adding orders there.

London Eye Excursion FYI: Online Account Info

Just so you are not alarmed or confused by the information in your online account, I was informed by EF that a temporary computer glich is preventing our travelers from signing up for the London Eye optional excursion online. It should be corrected shortly.

I have emailed our tour consultant the names of those students/travelers who indicated they wanted to sign up, and this will show up on your account as soon as the error is fixed. Also, if you enrolled in the London Eye excursion online recently (last week), it may not show up on your account yet.

The online enrollment for Versailles is working just fine, and if you signed up for that it should be posting to your account. If you have any problems, of course, be sure to let me know and I'll get it corrected ASAP.

All Candy Boxes Spoken For

Due to a run on candy boxes that began immediately after last night's D-Day Trip meeting, we are currently ALL OUT of candy bars for fundraising.

As I had mentioned before, the last order we placed is the LAST ONE for the school year, as we can't stand to incur any unpaid debt so close to departure for one of our trips.

Still need to earn money for your trip? Don't worry. The Butter Braid sale is still going on (forms due April 20).

Italy travelers may be able to squeeze in one more fundraiser before the end of the school year, but we'll have to get moving fast. Our next meeting for Italy travelers will be April 22 during lunch & learn. We'll have to come up with a plan soon, as our bake sale idea (unfortunately) got nixed.

Carry On Luggage: Clearing the Confusion

After tonight's meeting there were several travelers who had questions for me regarding how much luggage is permissible on our trip. It seems there is considerable confusion about this topic, so I'm hoping to clear it up here. We will also be addressing this issue at length during our final meeting on May 31, including demonstrations and practice packing. Travelers will have the opportunity to measure and weigh their bags at that meeting to make sure they meet requirements, if needed.

(FYI: I had not intended to present this info tonight simply because, since our G1 travelers don't have airline info finalized yet, I didn't want to give out details that later prove inaccurate because of differing airline restrictions. So, please, bear in mind that although it's likely that G1 travelers will face very similar restrictions, I cannot say for sure what allowable dimensions are at this point. However, the dimensions listed below do apply to those on G2 (the extension).)

Regardless of what is permissible on other EF Tours or listed on the airline website, travelers on our tour will be allowed only carry-on luggage on the departure flights. There are numerous of reasons for this, which I believe I've outlined before, but here's a short review:

• The main reason for this is to force everyone to pack light. You will be carrying your own luggage everywhere, and if you bring extra stuff it will create discomfort for you AND others (especially on the overnight ferry, but also in terms of sheer space in elevators, rooms, etc.)
• This eliminates the chance that someone will lose luggage. In a group our size on an international flight, it is entirely likely that someone's baggage (if checked) would be lost. Not only would this create personal discomfort on the part of the individual affected (as your luggage may not even catch up to you by the time the tour is OVER), but it will waste all of our time as we try to troubleshoot at the airport (and you fill out paperwork and attempt to adjust).
• This eliminates an extra (and unnecessary) step at the airports. And, if you've looked at the flight schedules we've gotten so far, we go through several airports. On international flights you cannot check your bags all the way through to your destination anyway, since they must go through customs in each country. Fewer bags means less hassle for all of us.
• We will be crossing several international borders during travel - this reduces the sheer number of bags that will be checked at each checkpoint.

I am absolutely certain that, although it may take some extra planning on the front end, YOU WILL BE THANKING ME FOR THIS BY DAY 5 OF THE TOUR.

So, what am I allowed to bring in terms of carry-on luggage?

So far, all of the flight itineraries I have received include flights on American Airlines and British Airways. Since we have to meet the most restrictive requirements of the two (since your luggage won't magically shrink in Chicago when you switch airlines), here is what you can bring (this is based on American Airlines guidelines for carry-on luggage):

Passengers are allowed to carry on:

• One "personal item":examples include backpack, purse, briefcase, laptop OR a similar item such as book bag or tote that does not exceed 36 inches( length+width+height) and fits under the seat. It should not weigh more than 40 lbs.
• One "standard-sized bag": no more than 45 dimensional inches (length+width+height) and not exceeding 40 lbs of weight. Most luggage that you purchase marked as "carry on size" should meet this requirement, but double check to make sure. For example, I measured my own carry-on suitcase tonight and it was 21" x 13" x 6.5". Almost 5" under the maximum size, so I've got room to spare.
• You will also be allowed to carry on any outer wear (coat/jacket, hat, etc), a book or newspaper, and a small bag of food to eat on the plane (provided it meets requirments for liquids/gels).

Note: British Airways Restrictions are similar and viewable here. Though keep in mind you must plan for the most retrictive of the two.

Prior to our departure from Chi-Hi on June 15, the trip advisors will be checking all travelers' luggage to see that it meets these restrictions. If you bring additional bags or ones that do not meet the size requirements, THEY WILL NOT BE LOADED ON THE BUS. They will be stored at Chi-Hi until you return. Please, check to see that your items meet these requirements BEFORE the morning of departure.

If, after I receive the final flight information for those on G1 (the 11-day trip), I get different or additional information, I will post it here immediately. Otherwise, presume your luggage guidelines are similar to those above. I hope this clears up any confusion.

For those still wondering how you're going to fit it all...we will be demonstrating packing and going over packing lists at the May 31 meeting. You will likely find yourself shortening your list of "must have" items at that point. You CAN make this happen! (And you will.)

Also, it's important to keep in mind that you CAN check bags on the return flight (at your own expense), so folding a duffel bag inside your carry-on to check on the way home (and fill with souvenirs) is possible.