Preparing for departure

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Preparing fordeparture

• Confirmed dates and itinerary
• Coverage
• Optional excursions
• Passports and visas
• Emergency contacts
• Cows Tipping
• Spending money (stacks, and stacks, and stacks)
• Packing Light
• Flights no Fights
• Airport/Plane
• Arrival
• Tour Director
• Bus Life didnt choose me...
• Hotels
• Rooming
• Restaurants/Meals
• Communications
• Ambassadorship (Dont be The Ugly American
• A world of support

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• Our Confirmed Tour Italy Greece (R)
• Our Confirmed Departure Date 3/13/15

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Our itinerary


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All-Inclusive Coverage Plan

• For just 155 your plan covers
• Illness and accident
• Baggage and property
• Tour cancellation and interruption
• Flight delay
• 24-hour access to an English-speaking
  representative
• Deadline for enrollment is 70 days prior to
  departure January 3
• If you miss this deadline and still wish to add a
  coverage plan, call EF Customer Service at
  800-665-5364.

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Passports and visas
All travelers are responsible for securing
necessary documentation

• Carry a copy of your passport with you and also
  leave a copy at home.
• Passports must be valid for 6 months after our
  return date.

• Valid passports are required for all travelers.
• Name and gender listedon your EF account must
  exactly match passport information.
• Non-U.S. citizens may require special visas or
  other travel documents.

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Emergency contacts

• EF will use the emergency contact list if they
  need to communicate any information while were
  on tour.
• Emergency contacts cannot be traveling with this
  group and must be available for the duration of
  the tour.
• Confirm your emergency contacts at least 30 days
  prior to departure.
• Make sure your information is correct and up to
  date. All changes can be made on your
  personalized website.
• If you are contacted with an emergency, call the
  next person on your list to relay the
  information.

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Tipping
Bus driver 3 per day per participant 3 per
day x 10 days of tour 30 per person
Tour Director 6 per day per participant 6 per
day x 10 days of tour 60 per person Local
guides 1-2 per local guide per participant
2 per guide x 3 guides on tour 6 per
person
Total 70 per traveler
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Spending money

• ATMs are the best way to get money.
• Dont bring travelers checks, which can be
  difficult to cash.
• Notify your bank or credit card company that
  youll be abroad.
• Bring the equivalent of at least 50 in the
  currency of your arrival destination. (euros)
• We are responsible for our lunches and tipping.

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Optional excursions

• Roman Catacombs
• Greek Evening
• The deadline to enroll on any new optional
  excursions has passed but if you still want to
  try and add them, let me know.
• (Your Tour Director may offer additional optional
  excursions while on tour)

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Packing

• Pack light We will be responsible for loading
  our own luggage on and off the bus and into
  hotels.
• You are responsible for any luggage handling fees
  charged by the airlines. See the fees at
  eftours.com/baggage
• Carry any valuables or medications in your EF
  backpack or carry-on.

• Pack a change of clothes in your carry-on in
  case your luggage is lost.
• A full packing list can be found in the Tour
  Handbook or at eftours.com/packinglist

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Flights Houston Intercontinental George HW
Bush

Athens, Greece TERMINAL D 230 PM
FRIDAY 3/13
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Flights

• In-flight meal requests
• Contact the airlines at least 72 hours prior to
  departure with any special requests.

• Seat assignments
• Our seats will be assigned at check-in.
• Baggage allowance
• Confirm baggage allowance with each airline
  before departure. Youre responsible for any
  associated fees. eftours.com/baggage

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Airport/Plane

• TRY AND GET 4-5 HOURS OF SLEEP
• Avoid caffeine and eat lightly.
• Get up and walk once every waking hour. Unless
• Forget the flicks. Get some sleep whenever you
  can, but especially after dinner is served.
• Keep personal items and a change of clothes
  within reach
• DO NOT wear contact lenses during plane trip.
• Take Bonine or apply a medicated patch before
  boarding the aircraft if prone to motion
  sickness. (or wristbands)

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Airport/Plane

• Do not separate. Wait just beyond each of the
  checkpoints.
• Passport Control first, then Baggage Claim, then
  Customs
• (P-B C sandwich).
• Start looking for the EF representative carrying
  a sign or wearing EF apparel.
• On the way home, U.S. citizens must declare if
  you are bringing home more than 700 worth of
  goods. Each traveler will need to fill out a
  customs form.

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Arrival

• Well meet our Tour Director once we have cleared
  customs and claimed our baggage.
• We will have to wait at the airport for our
  other group.
• We will start the tour right away and wont check
  in to our hotel until the end of the day.
• Staying awake throughout the arrival day is the
  best way to beat jet lag. Taking a nap might make
  you feel worse.

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Bus

• Never be late when traveling by coach.
• Keep your driver happy. Play by his rules.
• "Put your hand on your passport!
• Amenities Bathroom? Maybe. Beverages? Maybe.
  A/C? Usually.
• Avoid "sensory deprivation" (iPods, Flappy Bird,
  etc.).
• M???????PS!
• Boys will be chivalrous Knights! Boys get the
  suitcases out of the bus, ladies will be
  responsible for getting them into the hotel,
  airport.
• No talking anytime our city guide or tour
  director is using the microphone.

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Hotels

• Generally, hotel rooms are smaller than in the
  U.S.
• Most hotels will not have air conditioning or
  elevators.
• Wi-Fi will not always be available for free.
• Late check-ins may be necessary.

Rooming

• Students are roomed 3-4 per room in a combination
  of twin and shared double beds.
• Adults will share twin rooms with other adults
  unless they have upgraded otherwise.
• Night ferry accommodations vary from tour to
  tour. Single rooms are not available on overnight
  ferries or trains. Night ferries are super
  different than anything weve ever done -
  accommodations are very basic but its also a
  really cool experience!

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Hotels

• Clinkohan Maneuver
• All bags going to a particular floor go into the
  lift along with one person.
• The bag-owners use the stairs, meet the elevator
  to
• Most European hotels, keys left at the reception
  desk whenever you leave Electricity
• Adapters and converters
• Dryers/etcshare to save space
• wash n wear hairstyles.
• Noise/curfew!!
• Check-out
• One roommate check in with the Chaperone
• Make a final "sweep" of each room

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Restaurants
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Meals

• Breakfast typically includes cereal, bread,
  juice, coffee and tea.
• Lunch is on our own.
• Dinners will be a mix of local cuisine and
  familiar dishes and will be a preset meal for our
  entire group, rather than ordering from a menu.
• Food portions are smaller than they are in the
  U.S.
• Table water is included other beverages are an
  additional cost.
• Bottled water is included in countries where it
  is deemed necessary.
• Inform us of any allergies.

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Communications

• There is NO ESCAPE.
• Sometimes roommates need a break.
• Please be respectful of others' things and needs.
• Preferably do not wear a lot of cologne or
  perfume.
• Be on time. Always.
• Be patient--with people and situations.
• Your tour will be an exciting and intensely
  emotional experience.
• Boyfriends or girlfriends back home?
  CHHHHHHHHIIIIIIIIIIIILLLLLLL
• Oh, please dont fall in love on the trip... Its
  not love, Its just Rome.

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Safety Traveling

• Groups of 3 or more.
• Always check in with your Chaperone when going
  somewhere.
• pairs and squares. Know where your roommates
  are.
• THEFT be aware of your surroundings.
• Dont flash money.
• Move your backpacks to the front on busy trains
  or in busy areas, so you can keep better watch.
• At airports always place the bags in a square
  pile with squared corners. Easy to spot
  missing luggage.
• In the subways
• Dont stand close to door. You are an easy
  target for a snatch-and-grab thief. Know the
  name of the stop where you are to exit.
• When you exit the car, move to the wall on the
  platform.

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Ambassadorship
Dont be an Ugly American

• I'll keep this simple
• If my under 18 group members consume alcohol
  while on tour, they will be sent home.

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A world of support

EF Emergency Service Team numbers From the U.S.
800-637-8222 While abroad 001-617-619-2913
Arrival Information SUNDAY 3/22/15 325
pm HOUSTON INTERCONTINENTAL PARIS (DE GAULLE) -
AIR FRANCE 636
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Tour Director

• Our dedicated Tour Director will be with us the
  whole time to handle logistics and provide
  suggestions for activities.
• All Tour Directors are trained to handle
  challenging situations and emergencies that might
  arise.
• Tour Directors have 24-hour access to local EF
  offices, as well as our worldwide and North
  American headquarters.

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Wanna meet our tour director?
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Cristina Lambathakis
- born and always lived in Rome - father is from
Athens, mom is from Rome - speaks Italian,
English and some Greek and Russian - started
working with EF in 2006
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Ready for some Backpacks?
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