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TRAVEL NEWSLETTER
Volume 13, Issue 1 • February 2015
Wisconsin Goes Global
To date, over 35 Wisconsin schools have taken a giant step into
21st century education by committing to offer the Global Education
Achievement Certificate, a program of Wisconsin’s Department of
Public Instruction. Students fulfilling the program’s requirements
demonstrate their knowledge of and exposure to international and
global issues. One way to fulfill the Global School Sponsored Activity component is to travel internationally on an educational tour.
While some may use these terms interchangeably, there is a distinct
difference between an international and global tour.
An international tour simply visits another country, checking off
sightseeing highlights as if travel is only a to do list. Think of Chevy
Chase’s character in National Lampoon’s European Vacation and his
quest to see all the fountains in Rome in a single afternoon. It’s the
kind of tour that is focused more quantity rather than quality.
A global tour, even if it only visits one country, allows students to
consider the world around them in a wider and culturally richer
context. Instead of simply admiring the major works housed at the
Louvre in Paris, a global tour strives for students to understand how
items from Ancient Egypt and Ancient Greece arrived on the banks
of the Seine and how their presence connects these countries across
centuries and influences attitudes yet today.
IN THIS ISSUE
Global Wisconsin
2015 Scholarship Winners
Tour Materials Online
You’re Invited!
The Bucket List
The App Recap
2016 Tour Planning
The Travel Book Nook
Evolving Airlines
2015 Photo Contest
Global itineraries, as opposed to international tours, are becoming
the benchmark for quality, curriculum-based student travel. It demonstrates much more than a simple desire to see something new, but
rather seeks to educate and broaden horizons so that today’s students
become tomorrow’s leaders.
Bravo to Wisconsin’s initiative to include educational travel into a
broader global curriculum!
CETA Tours w N7753 540th Street, Menomonie, WI 54751 w 1-800-501-0397
[email protected] w www.cetatours.com
CONGRATULATIONS!
2015 Scholarship Winners
Anna Andrews - Sioux Falls, SD
CETA received applications from many, many qualified candidates
for our $500 scholarship program again this year. We would like
to thank everyone who took the time to apply. It was certainly
a challenge for our scholarship committee to select the final
recipients. We are delighted to announce the winners of CETA’s
scholarship program for 2015.
Gage Borgwardt - Rapid City, SD
Brianna Gourley - Dubuque, IA
Sheldon Lussier - Blackduck, MN
Haylee Ziehme - Juneau, WI
Congratulations to all of our scholarship recipients!
Tour Materials Now Online
In our continued effort to be eco-friendly and make our materials more easily accessible to teachers, students
and other travelers, we are now disseminating our tour promotional, preparation and pre-departure materials
electronically.
For our 2016 groups we will be uploading the tour promotional documents for each group as soon as the materials are ready. We will e-mail your group’s username and password so you will be able to download all of
the documents, including the PowerPoint Presentation. We encourage you to also share this log-in information
with students and parents.
To help your group become more acquainted with our website, we ask that you log in to your group’s tour
during your informational meeting so they can see how to download the tour brochure & application, travel
insurance information and other documents. Please let your group know that the tour preparation and predeparture materials will be added as they become available. We have added a map and tour specific photos to
each group’s page that you can also show during your meeting.
You will be notified when tour preparation and pre-departure documents are uploaded. We will not be sending
hard copies of our materials, as we believe many teachers, students and their parents are accustomed to going on-line to download and print information and will be able to do the same for their tour. Along those same
lines, we understand that not all teachers are able to make copies of the tour brochure & application. If that is
the case, please let us know if you need hard copies and we will mail them to you prior to your meeting.
We hope that these changes help you better communicate and connect with students and parents, so that they
are well informed about the tour opportunity and best prepared to travel with you.
CETA Tours w N7753 540th Street, Menomonie, WI 54751 w 1-800-501-0397
[email protected] w www.cetatours.com
the
bu-c-k-e-t- list
YOU’RE INVITED!
Who any teacher with a passion or interest in group travel
What appetizers, beer, wine, soft drinks & great conversation
When
Where
Friday, March 13th, 5:30 - 7:30 PM
RSVP
by March 6th
[email protected] or 1-800-501-0397
Tastings Wine Bar @ The Newsroom
990 Nicolett Mall
Minneapolis
The App Recap
fun travel apps to try on your mobile device
Maps, Museums & Metros (iOS, Android)
There are a plethora of apps out there that can be really helpful
while traveling. You can find them for cities, public transit systems
and maps, including some that are interactive and/or work off-line.
Many museums and other sights also have apps that provide basic
information and/or act as mini-tour guides to use while at the sight.
Some can be used as a tutorial or prep before the visit.
It is worth the time to check into some of these prior to departure
and download apps that will be helpful for your specific tour.
Or, better yet, assign the task to your tech-savvy, device-loving
students!
- Kristen Billingsley
We’re passionate about travel too! But
we don’t always get the chance to share
our excitement for all things travel-related with our clients. In this column you
can read about destinations that have
been on our mind.
France
Technically speaking, I’ve been to
France three times, but have only managed to visit two cities: Paris and Montpellier. For a country roughly the size of
Texas, that’s just barely scratching the
surface.
Honestly, when I was a college student
studying abroad, I thought that a 4-night
visit to Paris during one of my breaks
would suffice. I could check off the major
sights of Paris as “See France” on my
bucket list and move on. That first visit
to Paris changed my thinking entirely.
Even though my French consists of “s’il
vous plaît” and “parlez-vous anglais”, I
fell in love with the city and realized that
I love to be in places where I can be
transported across centuries of history
and culture, even if I have no idea what
most of the signs say.
Although I would not use a bicycle like
the racers on the Tour de France, my
circuit through the country would include
some of the same things those cyclists
see: the wide range of landscapes, from
the beaches of Normandy, to the Alps
near Annecy, as well as regions forever
connected to the rest of the world by
their history and heritage: the trenches
of World War I near Verdun, the Roman
arena in Arles that’s still used today, the
wine regions of Bordeaux, Burgundy
and Champagne, just to name a few.
- Jean Denesen
CETA Tours w N7753 540th Street, Menomonie, WI 54751 w 1-800-501-0397
[email protected] w www.cetatours.com
2016 Tour Planning
the v travel
Looking for make changes to your “tried and true” itinerary? Never traveled before and need an itinerary that has been popular with students and
teachers? Visit to our website for inspiration!
Like what you see? Contact Kristen for your customized and complimentary tour proposal, based on what your would like to offer your students:
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Airfare out of your departure city
Domestic airport transfers
Chaperone to student ratio you request
Funds for spontaneous activities (i.e slush fund)
Family stay arrangements (your contact or CETA’s)
Group travel insurance
Guide & bus driver gratuities
Ever Evolving Airlines
Decades ago, air travelers arrived in suits and dresses for their
flights, during which stewardesses served them full meals on real
tableware. Printed advertisements celebrated the luxury and comfort
of air travel. Fast forward a few decades and luxury and comfort are
available through pricey upgrades and often the only meal service is
what you bring with you. Granted, not every airline has cut back that
drastically, but it’s safe to say that air travel is not what it once was.
BOOK
NOOK
book recommendations for the armchair traveler
Revolution
by Jennifer Donnelley
This young adult novel is a blend
of teenage angst, historical fiction
and a bit of time travel. It entwines
the stories of two teenage girls:
21st century Andi and 18th century
Alex. 17-year-old Andi has been
dragged to Paris by her father who is
concerned about her mental health
and her grades. While there, Andi
finds the diary of Alex, a young girl
in charge of the Dauphin of Louis
XIV and Marie Antoinette during the
French Revolution.
Andi’s pursuit of Alex’s story takes
the reader through the streets of
modern-day Paris and into the pages
of history. Those who are familiar
with both will enjoy the ride and
those just getting their first taste will
find themselves thirsting for more.
Travelers on CETA’s trips have encountered in recent years BYOF
(bring-your-own-food) on Icelandair flights, baggage fees on
flights to Puerto Rico and Costa Rica and changes to frequent flyer
programs on all major airlines.
Whenever possible, CETA Tours will inform you of any changes
since the last time you traveled with us. We still recommend that
all travelers visit the airline website prior to departure to stay
informed on the airline’s current policies, especially in regards to
frequent flyer programs and current checked and carry-on luggage
restrictions.
CETA Tours w N7753 540th Street, Menomonie, WI 54751 w 1-800-501-0397
[email protected] w www.cetatours.com
- Kristen Billingsley
2015 Photo Contest Announced
Don’t forget to pack your camera! CETA will be sponsoring a
photo contest again this year. Please pass this information on to
your students and encourage them to compete. All those traveling
with CETA in 2015 are invited to submit their photos. Teachers are
eligible too! One winner in each of the following three categories
will be awarded a $50 Amazon gift card. Two honorable mentions in
each category will receive $25 Amazon gift cards.
Contest entrants must include their name, school name and category
when submitting photos. Entries must be submitted in jpeg format
(.jpg) to [email protected] by July 31, 2015 for consideration.
You may submit up to ten (10) entries. E-mail reminders will be sent
a week or so prior to your group’s departure and a few weeks prior
to the contest deadline. Highlights of the contest will be featured
on CETA’s Facebook page, as well as used in brochures and other
promotional materials. Winners will be notified in mid-August and
announced on our Facebook page.
view 2014
entries
(even if you don’t
have facebook)
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“WE WERE HERE”
Photos that capture you, your
friends or your entire group at
an area of interest, landmark
or other cool place on tour.
CULTURAL EXPERIENCES
Photos that showcase cultural
experiences encountered on tour.
Food, markets, art, interesting
locals or anything you see on tour
that probably would not be found
in the US applies.
LANDSCAPE OR CITYSCAPE
This category is just as it says –
scenic photos of landscapes in
the city or country.
✩
SOCIAL MEDIA STAR
The photo in each category with the most likes on Facebook as of August 14, 2015 will win a
$25 Amazon gift card.
CETA Tours w N7753 540th Street, Menomonie, WI 54751 w 1-800-501-0397
[email protected] w www.cetatours.com