Mr. Wayman’s Spain & France Student Tour – Summer 2019 Dear students and parents, Bonjour / hola. At present, I am planning a student tour for the summer of 2019. You will find some

detailed info about the trip below. We currently (as of May, 2018) have 25 students enrolled on the

tour, so there are about 10 spots remaining. And although our informational / recruiting meeting has

passed, I would be happy to meet / communicate with you about the trip via phone, email, text,

FaceTime, or in person—to answer any questions that you may have. If you are interested in finding

out more about this tour, or enrolling, please contact me (contact info is at the bottom of this packet).

Thanks so much!

Patrick Wayman

Tour leader

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About this tour…

It is an all-inclusive (except lunch), 13-day tour to: Spain & France—including: Madrid, Segovia, Zaragoza, Barcelona, Paris, Normandy (Honfleur, Rouen, and the D-Day beaches), and Mont Saint Michel. This is a private tour—which means we will not be mixed with groups of students from other random schools around the country, like on some student tours. It will only be students of Seminole HS—students who I have invited and chosen to allow to participate, based on their interest in the trip, their grades, and their conduct.

Travel dates: June 13th – 25th, 2019

Tour Company: Explorica (a very reputable company—that offers fair-priced, good-value, and high-quality tours. They have a tour participant satisfaction rating of over 97%). https://www.explorica.com/

This tour is a great opportunity for both students of Spanish and of French, for general students who are interested in history and culture, or for those who just love to travel. The tour is a balance of:

o Cultural immersion - So kids (or all levels) can practice their French & Spanish

language skills (although it is not required to be able to speak either of these languages to go on the trip)

o Learning about history & culture - Museum & guided tours of all major sites on the itinerary (see below)

o Seeing the natural beauty of France and Spain – See the Mediterranean Sea, travel along the Pyrenees Mountains that separate Spain and France, travel through the south of France, crossing the Pyrenees in the high-speed TGV train, travel through Normandy and visit the northern coast (D-Day beaches, and the seaside town of Saint Malo on the coast of Brittany).

o … and Fun – Flamenco evening (an evening of learning about / trying this Spanish dancing tradition), tapas dinner, Paris catacombs visit, Eiffel tower ascent (all the way to the top), boat ride on the river Seine in Paris, exploring the medieval streets of Mont Saint Michel—an 8th Century Abbey off the coast of France, and exploring historic city centers, etc.

It will be a great trip full of adventures—and, a chance to experience Francophone and Spanish cultures.

¡Vámanos! Allons-y!

Here is what is included:

• Round-trip transportation (air fare), luxury motor coach, and high-speed train travel

• 11 overnight *stays in hotels with private bathrooms (upgraded one in Paris). *triple or quad occupancy, depending on # of boys and girls.

• Breakfast & dinner daily (breakfast at hotel, dinner nightly at local restaurants—a great way to experience traditional cuisine).

• Full-time services of a professional Tour Director (a trilingual guide, with us 24/7)

• Guided sightseeing tours, city walks, and museums (see itinerary below)

• Visits to all attractions and excursions on the itinerary (see below)

• On-Tour Tipping (includes tour director, bus driver, tour guides)

• ½ HS elective credit available (free—more details TBA).

Here is what is not included:

• Lunches - Generally lunch is eaten out, during free time—and kids want to go to different places. (But this is the fun part).

• Tour cost does not include airline-imposed baggage fees.

• Rooming upgrades

• Travel insurance (optional—See website link below for more details, if you are interested in this.)

Highlights of What We Will See:

Madrid

Segovia

Barcelona

Paris

D-Day Beaches

Mont Saint Michel

Itinerary:

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Day 1 - Start tour

Day 2 - Hola Madrid! Meet your tour director and check into hotel. Madrid city

walk: Puerta del Sol, Plaza Mayor, Plaza de España, Prado visit

Day 3 - Madrid landmarks: Madrid guided

tour: Calle Mayor, Gran Vía, Cibeles Fountain, Puerta de Alcalá, Columbus Square, Royal Palace visit

Day 4 – Madrid, El Escorial, & Segovia guided excursion: El Escorial visit, Segovia Alcázar visit, Flamenco evening

Day 5 - Madrid‐‐Barcelona. Travel to Barcelona via Zaragoza. Basilica of the Virgin of Pilar visit, tapas dinner Day 6 - Barcelona landmarks. Barcelona guided sightseeing tour: Gaudí’s Sagrada Familia, Montjuïc Hill, Park Güell visit, Maritime Museum visit, Barcelona city walk: Mercat de la Boquería, Las Ramblas, Columbus Monument, Paella dinner

Day 7 - Barcelona‐‐Paris. Travel to Paris on the TGV (train á grande vitesse). Paris city walk: Île de la Cité, Notre Dame Cathedral visit, Île St. Louis, Latin Quarter visit. Dinner in Latin Quarter

Day 8 - Paris landmarks. Paris guided sightseeing tour: Arc de Triomphe, Champs‐Élysées, Eiffel Tower, Champ de Mars, École Militaire, Les Invalides, Conciergerie, Tuileries, Place Vendôme, Opera House Eiffel Tower ascent

Day 9 - The art of Paris. Catacombs visit, Louvre visit, Seine River cruise, Montmartre tour director‐led sightseeing : Sacré Coeur, Place du Tertre, Moulin Rouge. Farewell dinner in Montmartre

Day 10 - Paris‐‐Normandy. Travel to Normandy via Honfleur & Rouen. Rouen tour director‐led sightseeing: Rouen Cathedral visit, Old Clock Dinner

Day 11 - Normandy‐‐St. Malo. Arromanches Museum visit, D‐Day beaches. Travel to St. Malo. Dinner

Day 12 - St. Malo‐‐Paris. Mont‐St‐Michel visit. Travel to Paris.

Day 13 - End tour

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These are some amazing places to see / things to do! To find out more about any one of them, a quick Google search will provide you with an abundance of information. Or, if you go the Website below, you can click on the links in blue on the itinerary, to learn more about some of these places.

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Total Student Cost For This Trip: $4,446*

*Note about pricing: This price includes a private group fee per participant (based on estimated 25 participants). We have already reached our recruiting goal of 25, and we may even have more than that—in which case the tour fee will go down a bit (see chart below). However, please note that the price of this private tour can increase if our number of travelers deceases due to cancellations (see chart below), or for any other reason. I just wanted to make you are aware of this possibility. However, we began planning this tour very early—so there is ample time to recruit more students, should there be any cancellations.

*Possible price changes:

10-14 Travelers + $637 15-19 Travelers + $301 20-24 Travelers + $117 25-29 Travelers = $0 change in price (this is included in the quote) 30-34 Travelers - $80 35-39 Travelers - $139 40+ Travelers - $175 As of 5/5/18, we have 27 enrolled on this tour (including 3 chaperones). And the tour is capped at 40 total (including chaperones). So there are still a few student spots available. Although this trip is certainly an investment (the Euro is stronger than the dollar, and the plane ticket alone is costly due to the distance), it is still a great packaged value for all that the kids get to see and experience, and again: it is all inclusive (except for lunch , and airline baggage fees).

Payment Options:

Thanks for taking the time to read through this information, and feel free to contact me with any questions. You can also visit the tour Website for more information. This is the same site where you can *sign up. Registration is still open.

www.Explorica.com/Wayman-2019

*Also, once signed up, travelers will have access to their own Explorica fundraiser page, (like Go Fund Me)—that they can share electronically with family and friends (or whoever), or via social media, to help fundraise for their trips. This is an easy and excellent way to fundraise. In the past I have had students pay for a good part of their tours by doing this. Plus the tour is over a year and a half out—so there is plenty of time to get a summer job this June. Here is an example of an Explorica fundraiser page: https://www.explorica.com/teachers/affordability/fundraising/personal-fundraising-pages.aspx Financial Aid: Explorica also offers need-based financial assistance for international tours.

Households with an annual income of $55,000 or less are eligible to receive $150 in assistance, offered

as a reduction in their participant’s tour fee. To be considered, participants must submit an

application including a federal tax form 1040. Interested families can start the process by calling

Explorica’s Customer Care team at 1.888.310.7121

Again, thanks--and let me know if you have any questions or need more information. Bonne journée! ¡Buen día! …And most sincerely,

Patrick Wayman

Tour leader

French & Spanish teacher at Seminole High School

Spanish 3 honors, French 4, 5, & 6 honors

French National Honor Society sponsor

Cell: 727-631-5721 or Email: namyawkcirtap1@yahoo.com

About me: I am originally from Chicago, Illinois, but I have spent a good part of my life in Florida.

Due to growing up around lots of Spanish speakers, and taking Spanish for 6 years throughout

middle and high school, I became quite proficient in Spanish by the time I graduated from high

school. I also grew up around Greek and Chinese-speaking friends, and Polish and Czech-speaking

family--so languages have always fascinated me, from an early age. I then went on to complete my

BA in French and Spanish with a concentration in multilingual / multicultural education at Florida

State University--throughout which time I was grateful to have had the opportunity to study and

learn French through immersion programs at both the Centre Linguistique de Jonquère in Québec,

Canada and at the Institut Catholique de Paris in France. At present, I have been teaching French and

Spanish at Seminole High School for fifteen years. I do have a lot of travel experience, and I am

highly qualified to lead this tour / chaperone your children on this trip. I have been to virtually all of

the places that we will be travelling to on this itinerary. And in the past, I have traveled successfully

throughout most of Western Europe (England, France, Spain, Luxembourg, Germany, Italy, the

Netherlands, and Greece) on both personal and educational pursuits, and with groups of students

from SHS. Additionally, in my personal travels, I have been to most states in the US, and well as

Puerto Rico, Mexico, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua. Most recently, I lead a student tour to Canada in the

summer of 2017. We traveled to Quebec City, Montreal, Tadoussac on the Saguenay Fjord, Ottawa,

Toronto, and Niagara Falls. I am very enthusiastic about travel and about languages, and am myself a

product of language immersion learning—experiences which, have been some of the best and most

rewarding in my life. My goal in doing this trip is to provide some of this same experience to your

child.

Disclaimer: Please note that as a general rule, neither PCSB nor SHS endorse international travel,

nor do they approve or endorse my or any of my chaperones’ views on the matter. Per PCSB policy, teachers can still travel internationally, but we they are required to inform you of their views via said disclaimer, and they are not permitted to promote travel using affiliated school email. That is why I am sending this to you from my personal email. I, of course, would not dream of traveling with students if I thought it were dangerous, as student safety is my top priority. Additionally, I have met with our principle, Dr. Brittain, and he does think that this trip will be a great opportunity for our students of French and Spanish (as he did of my recent Canada trip), and although he cannot officially endorse it, he is ok with us promoting it within the confines of PCSB policy, as stated. I have successfully lead student tours to 10 different countries—tours just like this (as mentioned above).

Other disclaimers / important info:

Again, student safety is of the utmost importance to me, to my chaperones, and to Explorica. In the

event that a violent act occurs in or near one of our tour destinations, or if a place we are to visit

becomes deemed unsafe, we will make any and all necessary changes to the itinerary, within our

power, to ensure the safety of our travelers.

Also, please understand, that I and my chaperones are taking on a lot of responsibility in taking high-

school-aged students on this tour. All students’ grades, GPA, and discipline records will be examined

before they can enroll on this tour. Student must be in good standing regarding these aspects to

enroll. And as tour leader, I reserve the right to not allow anyone on this tour due to poor academic

standing, or for misconduct both in and out of school. This would include but is not limited to any

serious actions such as disobedience towards teachers or supervisors, physical violence towards

others, arrests, and drug and alcohol-related incidents. And once enrolled, leading up to the tour, any

student who commits such acts is subject to being cancelled from the tour. And students who commit

such acts during the tour, are subject to being sent home immediately at their parents (or their own)

expense. In the former case, tour fees would be refunded according to the Travelers Insurance

Protection plan (if purchased). And although the drinking age may be different in foreign locals, 18

(or 18 +) year-old participants are expected to abstain from drinking alcohol during this trip.

Thanks for your understanding.