Fairview-Cholet Exchange Post-Parent Meeting Recap Part 1
Dear Travelers and Parents,
For the benefit of those who were unable to attend the parent meetings, and as a review for everyone, here is a summary of what was discussed. I also have a few other miscellaneous items, not from the meeting, tossed in here and there. And since this is getting long, I will split this and send a follow-up tomorrow..
Calendar on our Quia page https://www.quia.com/pages/rhall/page656
Electric Adapters and Converters: check your devices to see if they already convert. Some do. Here is a popular option.
Credit Cards & Exchanging Euros:
Using credit cards for purchases is easy. However (a) many people prefer to pay cash; (b) there are a few places that accept only cash.
If you want to exchange dollars to euros before we leave, (a) check with your bank soon - it takes a few days; (b) don’t get too many - if you lose it, it’s gone. $60-$100 is a good amount to get started. If you prefer to have even bills of €60-€100, just ask the bank how much that will cost. As of this writing, that’s $64-$106.
If you get a temporary travel credit card, be sure it can be used in Europe (see card instructions).
Let your banks know! If they feel there is suspicious activity (like unexpected purchases in Europe), they may cut your access to spending. If you give the bank a heads up, you reduce the risk.
If you are a AAA member, ask them about travel credit cards.
Using an ATM is the easiest way to get euros. Be careful how much you withdraw. especially near the end of the trip. If you have a lot of euros when you return to Fairview, the options are limited: check with your bank to try to exchange them into US dollars; make plans to go back to Europe; give/exchange them with someone else going there
Spending Money: EF recommends $20-$60 per day. I think that’s a little high. You have to buy lunch every day on the EF tour. Your shopping habits will vary. Your costs will be minimal in Cholet
COVID Safe Traveler Agreement: Log in to your EF account to see the COVID Safe Traveler Agreement.. In short, you are not required to provide proof of a negative test or be vaccinated to travel. What you read on that EF page outlines what happens if you test positive while in France or before we leave Fairview at the end of March. (Please do what you can to reduce the risk between now and our departure!)
Communication with Parents: To keep in touch with the parents, I have created an account on Remind.com. This will be used a few times just to keep you up to speed on certain things - when we land in NYC, Paris, Dallas (so you know we’ve landed safely) Dallas and from Cleveland when we leave the airport (so I can give you our ETA to FHS. It is called Cholet Exchange April 2023. Please click here to register your phone number (and your email if you wish). https://www.remind.com/join/d9cdad Please do this soon so I can test the system this week.
Communication with Students: I have created an account on WhatsApp, It’s called Fvw-Cholet Exchange April ‘23. Two of you (Riley and Addison) are already invited to join since they are already on WhatsApp and in my contact list. All other students, please create a WhatsApp account and join our group now so I can be sure it’s working.
There is a Facebook page for this exchange. It’s called Fairview-Cholet Exchange 2022-2023. If you were a part of the group last June or October, it is the same group. You are invited to join and see what your kids are up to. I plan to post something everyday, provided I have decent internet access. You may also invite relatives to join and I believe you also have the ability to accept requests - it may take me a while to get to requests after we leave. Joining in advance in ideal, https://www.facebook.com/groups/986745981858050
Luggage:
You pack it, you carry it! You are allowed one suitcase, one carry-on bag and and on the plane, one “personal item” (smaller bag, purse, etc.)
If your suitcase weighs more than 50 pounds, your choices are (a) pay a tax) and (b) take something out of your suitcase. You will then either ask a friend with room to take it, or throw it away. Remember that what you bring back may not weigh the same as what you take.
In your carry-on bag, be sure to observe the 3-1-1 rule for carrying liquids. See this video for more info. You don’t want to end up throwing away a brand new jar of Nutella at the security checkpoint! If you know that you have items that will violate the 3-1-1 rule, pack them in your suitcase.
Hotels: Three of our four hotels are set. In Paris, we will stay at the Villa Lutèce Port Royal the first two nights and again on our last night in France. We stayed at this hotel last year - great location, two metro stations, a couple of small grocery stores a short walk away along with a water bottle refill fountain nearby!
When we visit the châteaux, we will spend two nights in the Kyriad Joue les Tours. We stayed here in 2022 also. Nice hotel with an outdoor picnic table, the kids played cards … against humanity maybe? In the summer there were a few bugs flying around, but it wasn’t terrible. My only complaint - I wish we were staying IN the city of Tours rather than in the suburbs.
Our Normandy is the B&B Hotel Caen Sud. Though I’ve never stayed in this exact hotel, I’ve stayed three times in their Saint Malo location (2015, 2019 and 2022). No complaints.
The only hotel we haven’t booked yet is for Saint Malo. I’ll let you know when it’s set. If it ends up being my fourth stay at their B&B, that’s OK - though being in the walled city would be even cooler!
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