PatrickLondon

Is there any way you could bribe a child to keep a diary? I have a feeling there might be more gems to come once they're actually there.

travelerjan

Still curious---- so far there has never been any indication from Missypie that she has talked face to face with this choir director about ANY of the issues she has had with him... clothes, security, whatever.

There's a term, for people who do not resolve problems with the persons directly involved, but instead only talk about them with everyone else they know. I can't think of the term, but maybe a psychology major can help me out on this.

Missy please tell us that you have not stood silently by, yet share it all with the internet world...

Grcxx3

On the thread about the sneakers - missypie wrote -

"a parent has to choose her battles. I chose to confront the choir teacher on his "each student will carry his or her own passport at all times" rule. I emailed the Italian consulate in NY and a deputy consulate guy emailed back, saying that he advised that the kids carry copies of their passports and leave the orignals with a chaperone or in a safe. After that, the choir teacher changed his rule. I have the child who WOULD lose his passport, so this was a more important issue to me than shoes or pants."



So - yes she has talked to the teacher about the issue most pressing to her.

ira

Hi J,

>What's a petty thief going to do with a xerox copy of a kids passport?

Sell it to someone who fakes passports.

caroline_edinburgh

I always keep a copy of the important pages from our passports in each of our bags, just in case we lose our passports or our bags.

Gretchen

Yes, do it. If the passport is lost you will bless the day she has it.

julies

I think it would be pretty difficult for that petty thief to forge a US passport. We just renewed ours and the new ones are definitely different. First of all, there is the embedded chip. Then, the picture is no longer an attached lump. Rather it is somehow digitally embedded in the sheet of paper on that page. Plus, every page is now different rather than all being the same blue.

amyb

I'm kind of confused about what's on a passport that could be used for identity theft, especially for a young teen! Not my SS#, not my address. They'd have to go some to match my picture with their face, and I don't use my passport for anything other than verifying my personal ID when I start a new job. Black and white photocopies are miserable at best and the watermarks show up so it's obvious it's a copy....hmmmm.

Fra_Diavolo

"Paranoia strikes deep

Into your heart it will creep . . . "

charsuzan

Missypie,

I hope at least one of the kids will post a trip report for us. I have enjoyed you postings on getting ready for the trip. I have a picture of this choir director in my mind.

ipod_robbie

For what it's worth

"....It starts when you're always afraid

You step out of line, the man come and take you away...."

missypie

The chaperones will (now) hold the original passports; the school already has a copy of each child's passport. Each of my kids will have a copy of his/her passport in his/her carryon. (And, of course, I have a copy at home.) I made a copy of each passport from which I redacted the date of birth and passport number. That will go into the checked luggage. (I still can't figure out a legitimate reason to have a copy of your passport in your checked luggage, however.)

We listened to the last rehearsal last night. They sound pretty good. Each of my children is taking two pairs of jeans AND two pairs of slacks. They are taking athletic shoes AND non-athletic shoes. We have to have my son at the airport at 4 am on Thursday; his group has the worst flights possible-we parents can't believe we had to pay real money for these bad times/connections. My daughter is leaving from the school on a bus (that will take them to the airport) at 8 am on Thursday. She has agreed to keep a journal. Still have to get my son a haircut and teach him how to work an ATM. Some of the other boys still have to shop for their slacks.

Thanks for everyone's support and encouragement. We won't hear anything from them while they're on the trip unless they can get to a computer. Their brand of cell phones cannot be activated for use in Europe and we opted not to rent a cell phone for them to use.

Guenmai

Personally....have been going to Europe and other places, almost annually, and for over 30 years and have never put a copy of my passport in my luggage. I carry the copy on me along with an old passport for ID in case the current one gets lost or stolen. I personally would not put a copy in my luggage. I don't even put my home address on my luggage tag.I use my P.O.Box address instead and an e-mail address.Why can't the choir teacher just carry the copies on her/him? Happy Travels!

mcnyc

Interesting. I only keep a copy of my itinerary in my luggage. Which I'm about to put together. I keep a copy of my passport on my person, along with my passport.

And I second the notion of at least one of the kids putting together a trip report! It would be interesting to see how this group's trip evolves.

LJ

Please DO listen to TravelBunny. She is spot on in her advice. My husband and I have taught in Italy and guided groups of high-school aged kids. If they have copies of their passports in their suitcases, they will inevitably pull them out and leave them lying around hotels/hostels in the trash when they depart. This is prime turf for identity theft and don't think that is not a well known fact by opportunistic criminals.

We, as teachers, always kept the passports of the kids and the letter of authorization in case of medical emergency in our immediate possession. It is essential to have these if you're guiding a group of kids.

It is not paranoia, or a burden in your baggage: it is common sense.

mcnyc

Er, that should read, I keep a copy of my passport on my person, separate from my passport. To have them both in the same pocket kinda defeats the purpose.

ter2000

I'm sensing the real issue. Missiepie is the travel expert and the teacher is not. Missie wants to go on the trip and can't. Therefore she picks holes in the teacher's emails to make her feel better.

Either the teacher is an idiot - in which case you shouldn't let your children into his care, or he isn't, they'll be well looked after and she should just put up and shut up.

Either way, this has to be one of the most tedious sagas ever to appear on this forum. I won't be reading any more.

missypie

ter2000, the teacher is a competent and beloved choir director. I support him one hundred percent on choir related issues-I don't interfere in or question music selection, tempos, performance attire; that's his thing. He is not a travel expert and I think individual judgment is called for on travel issues.

djkbooks

<<The chaperones will (now) hold the original passports.>>

I think this is THE most dangerous idea. I read/heard about a trip chaperone who somehow was relieved of ALL the passports for the group.

I always spread copies through various bags. I cannot imagine how you can receive an invoice with the little information included on a passport. How would your address be obtained? For me, the convenience of a copy offsets the remote possibility that it will be stolen from my bag (where I tuck it).

E-mailing a copy is not a bad idea, but it may not be quickly accessible if needed.

I do redact my DOB on the copies, since they look you up electonically with your passport number if it needs to be replaced.

It would seem a better idea for the parents to have copies that can be faxed upon request. These days, with cell phones, I would guess any parent can be reached 24/7.

travelgirl2

New word for me tonight - redact. Learn something new every day!