How
we travel
Group
behavior and solidarity
Living
and traveling as a group requires of each member a strong spirit
of cooperation and a willingness to place the needs of the group
above personal preferences. We expect all members of the group to
travel together, stay in the accommodations provided by the program,
and participate in program activities together. The Cultural History
Tours are interdisciplinary programs. The unique and ongoing dialogue
between students and faculty is born in response to program experiences
and activities. We expect participants to be receptive to the experiences
offered on the program and respectful of one another and of the
people and cultures visited.
Backpacks
All
Cultural History Tour participants are required to carry an internal
or external frame backpack. This facilitates travel and keeps personal
effects to a minimum. Accepted students will receive more information
on backpack specifications.
Public
Transportation
We
move quickly using public transportation, which enables program
participants to mix as much as possible with local inhabitants throughout
the tour. In most large urban centers, ie; Munich, London, Paris,
Rome, Madrid and Athens, students will be required to purchase metro/bus
passes.
Program
Travel
The
program fee covers the extensive intra-European and intra-Mediterranean
or intra-Iberian program travel. Most of our intra-European transportation
will be done by rail, aboard second class express trains. Chartered
buses will sometimes be used for our travel in Greece and Spain.
Communal taxis will be used when convenient. We will take a cruise
on the Seine, and the Rhine rivers. We plan to travel by ship from
Italy to Patras, Greece and Athens to Crete.
Round-Trip
Air
Once
accepted into the program, students will receive information on
arranging their air transportation, and receive an ISIC number in
order to qualify for discount student airfares.
Where
we stay
The
program fee covers the costs of tour hotels, pensions, hostels and
couchettes on overnight trains. Accommodations provide participants
with a variety of living experiences. Most accommodations are multiple
occupancy. International Youth Hostels usually provide dormitory-style
rooms with multiple beds, a common sink and shared restroom and
shower facilities. Pensions are privately-run small hotels. Hotels
are chosen for their central location. Some accommodations have
lock-out periods during the day and curfews at night.
In
London and Paris we stay at centrally located hotels or hostels.
On the Rhine River our accommodations are at a hostel which affords
magnificent views of the Rhine Valley. In Vienna we may stay in
cabins in a campground near the Vienna Woods. We stay in
hostels in Naples. In Italy and Greece we stay mostly in hotels or privately-run
pensions.
Participants
will be expected to abide by the rules and regulations established
by the tour director at each of the locations. A disregard of these
rules may lead to dismissal of the student from the tour.
Travel
requirements
All
participants must have a valid passport. If you have not yet applied
for a passport, please do so immediately. Applications can be obtained
at any county court house, passport agency or designated post office.
The expiration date of your passport must be at least six months
after the tour ends. For complete passport information, including
printable application forms, visit the State Department website
at http://travel.state.gov/
Applications can also be obtained at any county court house, passport
agency or designated post office.
Participants
who are NON-U.S. citizens may be required to have additional visas,
depending on citizenship and are responsible for securing the necessary
visas. The Office of Academic Programs Abroad at Eastern Michigan
University will inform non-U.S. citizens about which steps to take
to receive visas for countries on the itinerary. The Cultural History
Tours cannot be responsible for delays, detainments or losses incurred
by non-U.S. citizens due to visa problems arising from their citizenships.
Note: Canadian citizens used to be considered equivalent to U.S.
citizens by the customs officials of many countries. This is no
longer true, and Canadian citizens might now need the same visa
as any other non-U.S. citizens to enter some countries on our itineraries.
Because
of special discounts available to students and young people, persons
26 and older may be charged an extra fee when they do not qualify
for youth discounts.
