EF's Educational Travel Blog | Following the Equator

Altered Signs in Italy and France

By Paul Mattesini | EF Tour Director

I was on tour in Italy last week and noticed a new trend (although I really should have seen this before, I am few months late it seems). I was walking my group from the Vatican to the Pantheon and decided to head along via dei Coronari, a lovely narrow street which is lined with antique stores and the like. As we walked along one of the students made a comment about someone carrying a piece of wood on a road sign. The comment didn’t make sense to me.  As I looked at the next ‘No Entry’ road sign I saw what he meant.

Concession Stands, Sporting Events and Other Fundraising Ideas

By Scott Hemker | EF Group Leader 

In my latest blog, I wrote about one of the most dreaded yet important aspects of organizing and leading student travel; fundraising.   When it comes to fundraising for our EF Tours, I try to focus more on the quality of the fundraiser rather than the quantity of fundraisers.  I just don’t believe in saturating the community with an overabundance of activities asking for financial support.  When planning fundraisers, I strive to choose ones that are either unique, fun, or provide a product or service that people would normally look for anyway.

Oscar Wilde Tomb In Paris

By Paul Mattesini | EF Tour Director

Tomorrow (Wednesday 30th November) is an important date as it marks the unveiling of Oscar Wilde’s restored tomb at Père Lachaise cemetery in Paris. When I began touring in the early 1990s the one tomb that many wanted to see at Père Lachaise was that of Jim Morrison. The Doors front man had died in Paris and his grave had long been a place of pilgrimage for fans. Jim’s grave always had a police officer on duty and had suffered from over-zealous admirers attempting to take parts of it away or putting graffiti on surrounding tombs. Whilst at Père Lachaise, in this quiet and pleasant eastern neighborhood of Paris, I would take the chance to show groups some of the other famous names buried in the grounds as well as the striking Holocaust memorials. Oscar Wilde’s was always one of the tombs to show people and a great excuse for sharing some of his observations.

Giving Thanks

By Gail Ingram | EF Group Leader

I’m always at home for Thanksgiving. It’s my favorite holiday. My husband and I open our home to our relatives and friends, and we take the time to give thanks for many things that bless and enrich our lives. 

Going on a tour to places where I have been many times before gives me a great deal of comfort. I often hope that I will reconnect with people whom I’ve met on previous tours. I’m thankful to all of these individuals whose kindness and knowledge enhanced the travel experience for my students. A fast-paced package tour for students can still provide you with many opportunities to meet people who enrich your time in their countries.

Interview With EF's Johann Fulks

By Paul Mattesini | EF Tour Director

Once again we have asked someone from behind the scenes at EF to complete a travel survey that appears regularly in the Independent newspaper. 

Johann Fulks grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He has worked for EF Tours since 2003 in a variety of roles within the Operations Department in Lucerne, Switzerland, most recently as Director of Operations for Northern Europe. When Johann's not traveling across Europe meeting with vendors or checking in with EF groups on the road, he gets his "kicks" in the nearby Swiss Alps as an avid skier and hiker (as you can tell from his photo). Here, he tells us a little of his travel experiences. 

First holiday memory?  

Road-tripping with my family “down the shore” to Ocean City, New Jersey when I was 6.

International Twin Towns

By Paul Mattesini | EF Tour Director

I have long been intrigued by the concept of twin towns (or sister cities as I understand they are known in the US). Not intrigued to the point that I have given it much thought, but mildly interested. Drive into any European town, no matter what the size, and you will probably see a sign with the name and flag/crest of a suitably sized friend elsewhere on the continent. Sometimes you will see a list of two or three ‘twinned’ places and no Wikipedia search of any town is complete without a list of twins at the bottom of the page.

Learning of Scottish History and Culture Through Music

By Gail Ingram | EF Group Leader

When it comes to my own children’s traveling adventures and experiences, I enjoy  living vicariously through them.  Last weekend, however, I wished I could have traded places with my daughter just like what happened to the mother and daughter in the film, Freaky Friday. My daughter, who is a graduate student in Edinburgh, went to the Perthshire Amber Festival, a 10-day music festival held in the heart of Scotland. Now in its 7th year, the festival is based around the music and performance of Dougie MacLean and musicians from all over the world. Sing Out! Magazine describes it as “the most original acoustic music festival in Scotland today” and calls MacLean “a national musical treasure.” The Wall Street Journal hails him as “a musical hero.”

Advertisements Abroad

By Paul Mattesini | EF Tour Director

I am currently in Normandy, having a very pleasant time. I am not on tour, but still having a very pleasant time. The hotel I am in is great, it has a radio and I can pick up the BBC World Service, this is a definite plus. This morning I listened to the news and the ‘light’ article at the end concerned a website which has just released its poll results for worst commercials. The overall winner was Aflac. I don’t think we have Aflac in England but I do have an old friend who works for them. Apparently they have an irritating (to some) cartoon duck which has been joined recently by another animal character. I haven’t seen the commercial in question and I am not going to look it up in case it has an annoying jingle or catchphrase that gets stuck in my head. I have no wish to recreate what happened when I thought I would hear what all the fuss was about with Katy Perry.