My daughter's high school Latin class is starting to plan a class trip to Rome next May just before they all graduate. They are a bunch of very smart kids who have taken Latin for four years and want to see the real thing. This will be the typical financed by bake sales and car washes sort of affair, and I don't think the teacher has any experience planning a trip like this. Any advice on places for them to stay that would be inexpensive (I know nothing in Rome is cheap) and appropriate for a group of 30 (hostels, lower budget hotels etc.)

My daughter went to Mexico with her spanish class last year during spring break. It was planned through a tour group that specializes in student traveling, EFTours (EFTOURS.com). There were 18 students, 3 adults from school (2 teachers and 1 husband of a teacher) and a dedicated tour guide who travelled with them and stayed with them at their hotels. This may not be as inexpensve as doing it on your own, but they provided constant supervision, all transportation (the visited 4 cities), guided tours, 2 meals a day and basically a great experience for these kids.

mstraveler: This sounds a little scary to me. If the teacher has no experience planning a trip for that many people, he/she is in for a lot of surprises! How in the world do you arrange to get 30+ people from the airport into the city? A teacher friend of mine has used EFTours and like it very much. Her only complaints were about some of the complaining parents who went along on the trip!

Oh my gosh, mstraveler. I realize how that sound; I was in no way suggesting that you are a complaining parent! My friend loved traveling with the students, but she said the parents who went along were always late and very demanding. She liked taking the groups and using EFTours, but stopped because 2 parents on her last trip made everyone miserable.

I agree with MFNYC and Marty, if the teacher has never planned a trip for that many people, it's a trip ready for pitfalls.

My nephew went to France, Spain and England with his French class last summer and I believe he also went with EFTtours. In addition, this was the 5th or 6th tour that the teacher who was the primary chaperon was doing. They had no problems but it was organized by professional. I would definitely question the teacher about how this is really organized. I know I wouldn't want to send my teenager to Europe with someone who had never planned travel for large groups.

"I don't think the teacher has any experience planning a trip like this."

Well, be sure you "know" before you start taking charge. There's nothing worse than a controlling parent who runs to Fodors to get an instant education on travel and wants to remind the teacher what she doesn't know. Everybody has to go through a first, no matter what, to get to a second, a third and so on. Try being supportive without being presumptuous.

Firstly, congratulations to your daughter for getting through Latin. Secondly, Rome (and other Italian cities) is well equipped to handle 30 students or more. I travel to Italy in winter and I always check out the large student groups who are sharing museum time with me. Rome has numerous low-cost accommodation choices for this sort of thing. You may wish to speak with a professional tour operator who handles student groups to get some accurate and helpful info. Be sure to volunteer as an escort, unless your daughter wants no part of that.

Teachers have access to all kinds of travel planning organizations and special group discounts through those. It is likely he/she may have already taken some action on that direction. Lodging is probably not the first thing that a school group sets up. If you are so concerned, you may want to contact the teacher and discuss it before starting to lay out the group's trip. Since you remarked how smart the kids are and how inexperienced the teacher is, it would probably be best to gather whatever info and provide it to the teacher, so that he/she gets smart pronto, after all, he/she is the teacher willing to take on a worthwhile project.

I have to be the devil's advocate here. I was a parent chaperone on an EF tour a few years ago and it was the worst trip I have ever taken. The teacher in charge had taken groups abroad for the last ten years and was horrified by all the mishaps. For instance, we waited 7 hours for a bus at a ferry station in Ireland; had to skip Wales due to poor planning; caught a night train to London from Edinburgh and there were no activities scheduled for us after 6:00 p.m. so we were on our own for five hours with 40 kids and all our luggage. I sat behind the tour guide on the bus and she was literally reading a 5 minute guide to European History.

This teacher had previously had a good experience with this company and what it boils down to is be sure that you have an experienced guide. They are with you the entire time. Therefore, be sure you check that out with any company because an inexperienced guide with an inexperienced teacher is a formula for disaster.

I would be careful about using overly dramatic hyperbole when discussing this subject. For me, "disaster" usually requires a hospital visit or worse.

I'll also take resourcefulness over experience any day. I mentioned in another thread that I participated in the World Tour (6 years) of a Grammy winning recording artist. We weren't a group of 30, more like 22 and all adults. Our tour manager was a 12-year veteran but spoke no foreign languages. By the time we got to Japan, he got smart and hired a translator. I can't tell you how many times our group got stranded by foreign bus drivers who never showed up. At one location, we all shared cabs to the hotel and had to pay the drivers from our own pocket (unheard of when you travel with a diva). You don't need to be a group of 30 to know that one needs to be flexible while traveling in Europe. Things just happen, even to the most experienced.

I wouldn't hesitate sending Tom Rankin an e-mail at ScalaReale.org and ask him for advice. I'm sure several of his docents have experience touring with large student groups. Gather as much information as you can and write it all down. You may wish to start your own tour business someday.

Obviously, food snob, your definition of a "disaster" differs from mine. Let me return the favor and caution YOU to be careful in defining drama.

That said, the trip I referenced could easily have met your "disaster" requirement as EF grouped us with 10 kids from another school who's chaperone wanted to send two of her members home when the mother of said member threatened our kids. Her kid was a filthy-mouthed, large female with a black belt and a bad attitude who threatened to use her "skills" on any kid who "pi%$#d her off." Trust me when I say it took very little to p&*% her off. The EF tour guide informed the teacher that the only way she would be authorized to send the child and mother home would be if they broke the law.

Jayne, I wasn't proposing a duel. I was merely trying to point out that some parents are more hyper-active than their chlidren. You've helped me make my point. Thank you.

Food Snob, I'm a peace lover as well. I'm sure you mean that your point was proven by the mom of the black belt!!!

Drinking age in Italy is 16!

Hi
Here's what I'm assuming:
that more than one teacher/chaperone is going
that the teacher is eager or at least willing to accept suggestions

If the assumptions aren't correct, then there is a problem

I'd definitely arrange some guided tours with an organization like Enjoy Rome or Through Eternity or my favorite Scala Reale. Scala Reale tours are fours each and may be too long and too detailed and too expensive for the group.

I'd arrange tours that include the
Vatican, one for the Forum/Colosseum, and one for a general orientation or overview.

www.venere.it is a good place to browse for hotels. If you click at the top of this screen, the Hotel section of fodors.com has lots of hotel listings with customer comments.
Many popular budget hotels in Rome are quite small and this group, even doubling or tripling up in rooms, might be too many for one small hotel, especially since some of these hotels book months in advance. I'd find a place now, just find out what the cancellation policy is.

Some popular budget hotels are
www.hotelparlamento.it

www.bridigine.org (a convent guest house)

www.lancelotrome.it

www.hotelromae.com

other Convents and Monasteries that accept guests:
http://www.romeguide.it/files/cas_rein.htm
A complete list is available from the Centro Peregrinatio ad Petri Sedem, Piazza Pio Xii, 4 (Vatican City) phone 06 69 88 48 96, fax 06 69 88 56 17.
Also look at the list at www.santasusanna.org/comingtorome/convents

I have a long file on Rome; if you'd like to see it, email me at
[email protected]

Thanks to all for the information. Good thing there is a lot of time before this proposed trip.