I will be taking a group of students to France,Spain,Monaco and Italy in June.Does anyone have tips for the trip. Also, how easy is it to use debit cards? What type of weather can we expect? Are phone cards easy to use? Any info. would be welcome.

Check www.weather.com or www.weatherunderground.com for averages of temperatures after selecting the city. You will also see sunrise and sunset times. Expect dry 80-90 during the daytime and 60's at night.

Most likely the cell phones will not work so don't bring them to Europe. You can purchase a phone card over there.

Have all of your students give you a copy of their passport that you take on the trip and hold on to.

Have the students pack lite. One pair of shoes for daytime and another for evenings. Only one pair of jeans only. Tell them to wear long pants on the plane. If they are sitting near the galley area it can be freezing on the plane. If just one kid gets sick on the trip . . .

Cover up in churches. No sleveless shirts or shorts, usually.

Have the students sign a waiver that you are not responsible for ANYTHING. I heard that a teacher in Orlando did not stop an 18-year old girl from drinking one glass of wine in France. He lost his job over the situation. Remember that the School Board will take the "Popular Decision" and not the correct decision in dealing with situations.

Tell them no CD's or players. They should be listening to tour guides, sleeping and meeting people--not listening to music.

ATM's are the best way to go. Check with the bank to make sure you have a 4-digit pin and use the card only at a bank--not a convenience store. I always bring a few travelers checks and RARELY use them in Europe. Instead I buy groceries at home when I return. But they are a good backup.

Tell the students that if they can't carry all of their luggage around the block and up the stairs, they packed too much.

Enjoy!

Are you going with a tour company? Have you been to Europe before? Debit cards are usually very easy to use and IMO the best way to get money. Phone cards can be a bit of a mystery - if you buy a pre-paid one in one country, do not assume you can use it in the next one.

Hi VJ,

>Does anyone have tips for the trip.<

You are taking on a huge responsibility.

Give us some details.

You might also want to mention that baggy pants hanging half-way down their butt are not very popular in Europe. Are you planning to cover all of the students eyes when they see all of those naked statutes in Florence?

Hopefully kidding--

Is this with a group or something you're doing on your own?

ATM machines for debit cards are normally easy to find and easy to use. 4 digit pin numbers.

I would expect the weather to be summer.

I would publish a suggested packing list and put a definite number of, size of, and weight restriction on what each person is allowed to bring.

You can buy local phone cards. But using internet cafes and email is also cheap and easy for contacting home.

I've always found ATMs easy to use in France and Spain (haven't been to Italy), but it really depends where you are going. If it's the major cities, no problem at all.

I've used phone cards easily in France, I bought one there.

I definitely agree you might have a limit on the amount of luggage they can take and size, but this sounds to me like there is a tour company involved and they would be the ones to set those rules. I think you want other kind of everyday tips for being there. I do not agree at all with wally that you can or should tell students they aren't allowed to listen to music (I bet a lot have those small MP3 players or Ipods or something which take up no space). On long plane rides, train rides, or late at night in a hotel when you may be writing postcards or in a journal, or reading, you may want to listen to music. Especially if you get stuck in an airport for hours and long train rides can be boring, also. Those little players are great because they take up no space and you aren't bothering other people with noise. If you are in budget lodgings without TV or anything, they may want to.

People are not out in the streets every minute of the day on a vacation meeting people nor listening to tour guides. IN any case, I don't think you'd have any right to tell someone they weren't allowed to listen to something.

"Baggy pants half way down their butts" are quite the norm among teenagers in Rome I wouldn't worry!

...had a dream come true one afternoon, a youngster wearing those low baggy trousers lost them right down to his feet. Ohmy, a fellow trying to run and pick his pants up is pretty funny!

Personally, I think it is a shame that kids or anyone can't get up their music for one week and listen to the music of the locals. I enjoyed hearing the locals sing in Greece, France and Italy and am glad I wasn't wired with Western music.

The French keyboards are a pain. Try to send E-mails in another country.

We will be with a tour. The trip is for 14 days. Parents had to sign a release to let their kids drink (all did). Even though these are my students, we are not affiliated with the school. All students are high school age. Our group consists of 5 students and 3 adults. What about the casino in Monaco? Any special attire? Can minors gamble or at least go in and see it? Our evenings will be free. We do ride the train from Paris to Barcelona. Any tips on that?

I have heard of people being denied entrance at night if they are wearing sneakers. Suggest dress shoes at night. Is it a night train? Don't use the toilet unless the train is moving. Glad you had them sign a waiver. I don't know about you, but I don't mind having the students trying the wine, but I wouldn't want to be around a bunch of drunk kids.

If you are flying on a U.S. airline, they have $5 beers and wine in coach if you are 21 years old. If you are flying on a foreign airline, they have free beer and wine in coach if you are 18. Something to think about.

Is the train ride from Barcelona to Paris a day train or a night train?

Suggestions for long train rides in general are to pack your own food and beverages, bring reading materials, cards or games, music to listen to...

According to the Monaco casino website, no one under 18 is admitted, ID is required, as are jacket and tie.

So why are you taking this group to Monaco?

By the way, plenty of ATMs in Italy, even in the smallest towns.

For weather, check www.weatherbase.com.

Tell your kids not to bother with cell phones. They very probably won't work in Europe.

Most European csinos require a passport showing the bearer to be at least 18. Yes, they can have a serious dress code.

The train ride is at night. Monaco is part of the tour package. Mostly for the beaches I think. Cities we will be visitingaris, Versailles,Barcelona,Carcassonne,Provence,Nimes,Av ignon,Vatican,French Riviera,Monaco,Eze,Nice,Florence,Pisa,Siena,Assisi ,Rome.

I hope you are getting a sleeper for the evening train. I can't sleep in a chair. Hopefully the tracks won't be too rough.

I will never forget a situation I saw in Paris a few years ago. A young American girl was crying because all she wanted to do in Paris was to go to the Hard Rock Cafe to get a T-shirt and the group was going to the museum instead.

Hope that doesn't happen to you. Sounds like your kids are a little more mature.

Another question: How do the prices of items compare to the US?