World History Travel Project
This is designed to be a fun project. It is designed
to allow you to use your knowledge of what we have studied this year in a fun
and interesting way. This project will require you to do a number of things
that fall outside of “history” per-se. You’ll be budgeting
your money, planning your own time, and researching a myriad of things that
will sound confusing…..but don’t fret, it will eventually come together.
The Premise: You have
saved diligently for 3 years from your college job and have decided to use this
money for going on a trip overseas.
The issues: You get out of school on May 6th. Your
senior year of college begins August 15th. During this time, you
hope to travel to at least 5 countries.
-Your
friend is going with you, that way things are cheaper for the two of you.
-You
can only bring one backpack (no larger than backpacking size)
-You
really want to visit every place possible in these countries, but only have
time and money for a limited amount of places.
-Since
you’re a student, with limited money, you might have to sometimes stay in
hostels. Don’t expect to stay at the Hilton for 3 months J
-You
need to have a passport….it’s best to plan ahead if you don’t have one or yours
might expire between now and your Junior year of
college.
-You’re
going to have to get around on public transportation as you don’t have the
money for renting a car. Occasionaly you’ll be able
to take taxi’s…but not always!!
-You’ll
be visiting places where not everyone speaks English, so it would be wise to
learn a few phrases….more on this later.
-Your
budget doesn’t allow you to go on organized tours….unless they are small/local
ones.
The Budget: You have saved $3500.
-you must buy your plane ticket….be sure to
get it in advance for a cheaper fare.
-Try
getting a ”student rate”…often these are deeply
discounted.
-You
HAVE to visit 5 countries….you can visit more if your budget allows.
-Since
you’ve got a friend with you, prices might be cheaper.
-you
MUST spend a minimum of 2.5 months traveling….
Your Interests:
As you took Mr. A in High
School, you want to learn a bit about the culture and history of the
places you’re visiting.
**You
must visit at least 3-4 historical sites in each country you visit**
-These
should hopefully be based on some interest you have in History….maybe even
something Mr. A mentioned
**You
must participate in 3-4 cultural activities in each country**
-these can include cultural dances, plays, art exhibits, concerts,
parades, national holidays, celebrations
You’re
also free to spend a majority of your time lounging around if you like…i.e.
beach, hiking, just cruising around.
Some things
to think about:
-your cell phone won’t work
-Mom & Dad can’t
lend you any more money
-You should spend
time doing what you enjoy!!
-GO PLACES THAT
INTEREST YOU
-leave extraneous
items at home….hairdryers, curling irons, huge bags of make-up. (likely the plugs are
different anyway)
-You should obey the laws and customs of the places you visit. (the U.S. Embassy doesn’t usually get people out of jail)
(ladies:
this might mean wearing skirt and long sleeve shirts in some places)
How to Plan
your Trip:
1st - figure out where you want to go:
Asia/Africa/Latin
-
-
-
-SE Asia can be VERY cheap…plane tickets are often $$$
-Mid-East can go either way….but is often more $$
-
2nd – Find out plane ticket costs
-remember to inquire about “student” fares
-it is often cheaper to fly the national airline than a
-sometimes it’s cheaper to fly into a nearby country and
travel to your country of choice overland.
-remember to book early!!
-sometimes National Airlines have “visit such and such
country” specials…..often 3rd world countries.
3rd – research the places you want to go
-check out travel brochures
-read travel websites
-Read Lonely Planet books…Mr. Andersson has
a few.
-ask parents/friends/teachers and other people about the
places.
4th Begin planning
-what historical sites will you visit?
-what cultural activities will you take part in?
-How are you going to get around?
-How much is it going to cost you to get around?
-Where will you stay?
-What will that cost?
-How will you ask, “Where’s the bathroom? “ in the local language?
-What will you eat? NO McDonalds…even if they are where you are going!!!
-How much will that
cost??
-What are you going to take in that backpack? NO
SUITCASES….duffle bags are OK.
-How will you keep in touch with family? Internet
Café’s?
-How will you document your trip? Journal, Camera, video ??
5th- Start
planning an Itinerary
This doesn’t necessarily
have to be a day-by-day thing
because while you’re traveling, things will change and you’ll need to be
flexible.
-It should have some structure though….
you have to hit those 5 countries on your limited budget.
PLAN
YOUR BUDGET -
You
must allow for:
-transportation
costs
-lodging
costs
-meals
-spending
money
-fees
for museums, concerts, art exhibits etc….
-miscellaneous/reserve
cash
What
is the exchange rate???
-How
far will your money go??!!
Will you be using Travelers Checks?
Cash? (what
if it’s stolen?)
ATM card? (these don’t always work)
Credit Card? (don’t lose it!!)
6th- Finalize the
itinerary….that means check in with me to see if there’s something your
obviously forgetting.
7th – Type it up
so you can have it when you’re traveling
8th – GO ON YOUR
IMAGINARY TRIP
9th- Come back and
give us a detailed report of what you did and where you went
Rubric / Guidelines
100 points total
-----------------------------
30pts –
planning and organizing….are you working on this trip. Are you using you time effectively?
50 pts. – Typed Itinerary
(20pts) – Budget
Do you have a
budget?
Do
you stay within it?
Does it account
for all of you expenses,..see
above
(20pts)
– The Trip
-Do you go to 3-4 cultural
places and explain about each of them?
-Do you go to 3-4 historical places and explain about each of them?
-Do you do something that interests you?
-Is this a reasonable trip…..i.e staying at the Hilton ISN’T
(10pts)
– The format
-Is
it typed?
-Is
it organized with dates….? Think calendar here….
20pts. – Presentation
(5 pts) Packing
Skills
-Did you bring your backpack/duffel bag?
-Is
the pack reasonable to carry?
-Do
you have enough clothes…but not too many?
(10 pts) Presentation
-Do you have something (visual aid) to show
us?
-Is
you report organized? Rambling isn’t good….
(5pts) Answering
questions about your trip
-Do you know about the places you visited?
(hopefully you were conscious
while you were there?)
` -Do you know the most
important phrase in the local language?
(Where’s the
bathroom?)
RESOURCE PAGE
Books:
Lonely Planet Series- This travel series is great for the type of traveling you will be doing
Fromors / Fodors guidebooks – These cater to families and people with more $$ to spend, but often have good descriptions.
Rough Guide – Another good budget travel series, similar to Lonely Planet.
Brochures:
I’ll provide lots of these…..
They can be very good for planning places to visit. Just don’t plan on going on their tours.
Websites/Internet:
These often have up-to-date prices for many things. Although, sometimes prices are inflated a bit.
TRAVEL GUIDE SITES:
http://www.Lonely Planet.com
Airlines
ALL INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES
http://www.atlas-club.com.au/InternationalTrav/Airlinewebs/all_links.htm