Western Trip Emails

Newest Emails at Top  [Eastern Trip Emails]

5/19/09

We have one seat on the bus and a boy who wants to go on the trip.  The trouble is we don't have another room.  Would any boy's room mind having a fifth person in the room. I will get either an air mattress or rollaway for that room?  Please let me know.  He is Kim Sandleben from District 6670. 

I have updated the money owed on the trip on the web site http://www.rotarytrip.org/Rotarytrips/rotwestmoneyowed2009.htm  . Several students still owe money and you can't come on the trip until you are paid in full.

McMurray Travel has a new web site.... http://www.mcmurraytravelservice.com
Our old website mcmurraytravel.com  doesn't work any more. 

How do you pack and keep under 50lb (22kg)?  One thing is to carry any heavy clothing like a coat or belt in your backpack.  Only pack light clothing in your suitcase.  Don't carry large bottles of shampoo, large heavy hairdryers and other grooming ideas.  Boys, don't shave during the trip and leave the shaving cream, razor or electric razor at home.  Only bring exactly what you'll need.  Most hotels provide shampoo, conditioners and soaps, as well as towels and washcloths.    Don't take a heavy suitcase...take a light duffel.  One of our large suitcases weigh 10lb.  

What to wear on the first day of the trip:  We ask that you wear a Rotary T-shirt if you have one or something else which will ID you as an exchange student.  NO Rotary Pin Jackets.  Dress in shoes you can take off easily. Don't wear lots of metal on your clothing like studded belts etc... You will have a terrible time in security.  It can be cold on the plane, but when you arrive in Phoenix it should be about 100+ degrees F.   Carry your backpack.  

Who to look for on arrival in Phoenix.  I will be waiting for the first student.  I will try to be there for your arrival, but Phoenix has four huge terminals and I can only be in one at a time.  Get your suitcase, get on the shuttlebus and make your way to Terminal 4 (The Barry Goldwater Terminal).  There is a map on the web site of where we will meet.  Look on the web site to know what I look like.   There should not be too many 300lb 6'2" tall white guys, with white hair and beard and surrounded by exchange students.

5/15/09

Many of you were on the Eastern Trip. Chaperones Jaz and Joe Lux had their baby on Mother's Day.  Unfortunately Owen Cameron Lux showed up a number of weeks early and will be in the hospital for a few more months. He was a portly 2.2 pounds.  Mom and Son are doing well. 

Only 24 more days until the trip so it is coming up quickly.  Make sure you know the web site and go over everything in it.  We did have some serious web problems brought on by viruses but we have fixed them and http://www.rotarytrip.org/Rotarytrips/rotwest09.htm is working well.  There are some very important things for you to remember about this web site.

Packing List:  This was broken and has been fixed.  It has a packing list web site and a link to a PDF form you can print and use as a check list.  PACK Light, because if your bag is over 50lb, (22KG) you will be charged a lot of money by the evil airlines.  You probably won't be able to wash your clothes so pack things you can wear a few times and don't show the dirt.  I pack underwear and t-shirts for every day and 3 or 4 pairs of jeans. No reason to dress up. Pack in layers.  Underwear, pants/shorts, t-shirts, sweater, sweatshirt (hoodies are useful), something waterproof (poncho or light jacket), hat. Several kids in our district found cowboy hats in truck stops for less than $10 each.  This might be the only time you can wear a cowboy hat. Get one which can be crushed.  Otherwise do bring a ball cap.    You will need a 2 liter (2 quart) water bottle.  Nothing fancy.  Kids found them in truck stops for $2, canteens at army surplus stores for $3. 

Rules:  Go over the rules and if you think you can break them you can't.  We always have someone trying to get away with breaking a rule.  8 students have been caught and sent home, 36 or so have gotten into serious trouble over the years and have been punished.  Our rules are the 4 Ds and we are very strict on them. We also have a rule which we call the Disruptive Rule.  If you are a person who tries to ruin other kids or chaperone's trips we will send you home. Oher punishments go from cleaning the bus, to missing activities, to having to spend the day around a chaperone... a very unhappy chaperone.

Airline confirmations: Look at this, but don't rely on it.  The day before the trip, call your airline and reconfirm your flight schedule. Give the airline your confirmation number and write down the flights.  If your friends are on the flights tell them.  

Frequently Asked Questions:  Over the past 17 trips I have tried to keep all the questions I am asked and put them in this web site.  Look at it and you will get answers.

Money Owed and Past Emails:  These two website are not updated but will be soon.  I have been out of the office for almost two weeks. 

Flying:  There are several links on flying.  What you must know about flying: is a PDF which explains all the things you have to look for. Read it and take it with you.  Keep looking at it as we might update it if we need to.

Staying Healthy: A lot of students get sick on this tour and we have tried fixing it with information.  This link is terrific.  Two things you need is healthy food, lots of water and plenty of sleep.  Kids get sick because they stay up all night talking, don't eat, and don't drink enough water.  Also too much exposure to sun makes people sick.  This is a great little web site.

Make sure you stay out of trouble.  In the past 10 years at least 7 students have had to cancel because of getting into trouble. There are no refunds at this point.   More students get sent home this time of year because of Prom, graduation parties, and doing something stupid.  Keep out of trouble so we can see you on June 11th.  

DON'T BE COOL:  These trips are so much fun you can't believe it.  Don't be so cool you can't let your hair down and just enjoy the trips.  The kids are these trips can and often do become your best friends IN THE WORLD.  My own daughter who went on the trip is counts four of her closest friends in the world as people who she was on the trip with.  My oldest daughter was a chaperone on the second trip nine years ago.  A boy she met who was a chaperone became her husband last year.  
 

5/14/09

5/5/09

Jackie and I are hauling a number of our exchange students on a trip to Disney this week so we will be out of the office.  If you have any questions you can sell email me or Jackie as we will check our mail, just less frequently.  We are getting in shape for the Western Trip.... yelling, acting unreasonable, and being mean. 

My wife Jeanne is a great worrier.  She is from New York.  The thing she is worries about most is your health.  You need to drink LOTS of water.   You need to get at least 8 hours of sleep a night.  Every year kids get sick because they don't eat enough,  Her other great worry is that one or more of you will fall off a cliff on one of the hikes.  That is why we have the 2 meter rule.  You have to st ay at least 2 meters away from the edge.   

Email Tatum Faithful and tell her about yourselves.  She was the mean chaperone last year and wants to be the nice chaperone this year.  Email her at tatumfaithful@gmail.com.

5/3/09

Remember that the Rotary Web Site address has changed.  It is now http://www.rotarytrip.org/ 
You might want to tell your Rotary District Chairs and host parents what the site is so they can be sure of where you are when you are on the trip.  Flight schedules, hotels, itinerary and contact info for me is on the web site. 

MAKE SURE YOU READ ALL THE EMAILS.  In ten years we have sent 8 students home for violations.  7 of them had never read an email on the trip.   If you don't know something it is YOUR fault not mine.  All the trip information ON THE WEB SITE.

Money - You will need money on the trip.  Usually you need about $300 to $350 for food, souvenirs and extra things you might want to do. We try to save you money on the trip all the time by stopping at supermarkets, advising you guys to share food, and cab rides.   Check out the Frequently Asked Questions web page at http://www.rotarytrip.org/FAQ.htm . 

English - If you want to be hated by everyone insist on speaking in your own language.  It is the one thing kids on the trip complain about most.  Speak English all the time.  So everyone is involved in the conversation.

Airlines are always a surprise for us every year.  Not a pleasant surprise.  One thing which may come us is that the airlines may charge you for checking your bag on the trip.  Usually around $25 or $50.  If it is over 50 lbs, it will cost a lot more.  Just keep that in mind.  Put heavy things in your back pack carry-on.

I have not named all the team leaders yet.  Let me know if you want to be a team leader.

I will be gone from Wednesday until Monday night taking kids from my district to Disney World. Aren't they lucky devils.  So I might of might not get an email in.  Jackie is going with me. 

Chaperone Fact:  Sam Sellinger is a biology and secondary education major at Mercyhurst College.   Jackie Favret is an Art History Major with a French minor at The Ohio State University.  Tatum Faithful is a pre-veterinary medicine major at Charleston College. 
 

5/2/09

Review of what will really get you in trouble. 

• Buying alcohol or drugs.  Drinking alcohol or taking drugs.
• Stealing from anyone
• Hurting anyone or fighting
• Being a relentless pain in the neck
• Destroying property.or defacing the buses, hotel or places we visit.
• Being openly nasty, disrepectful, or rude to chaperones, leaders or guides.
• Not listening to the chaperones, police officers, guides
• Making noise when we have guides.
• Doing something incredibly reckless

Don't forget to keep your nose clean for the next 38 days because the trip is right around the corner. And you are under penalty. If you get sent home, you eat the penalty...... Be charming, brilliant and don't do anything stupid.

We just plain don't allow you to play soccer, football ( American or International), or anysports in parking lots.  You have to look for fields. One year they played in a cemetery.  We don't allow it because one nice German boy was only seconds away from being hauled away by the cops a few years ago because his football broke a mirror. We also have had people injured.... There are other places to play.

 I would bring a ball if you like. You might want to deflate it and bring an inflating device. Don't kick the ball in the airport..... big problems.

Name Tags - We have cool (I like them) name tags for this trip.  They are neck wallets and have places for money, credit cards, you name and other information. I put in hotel phone numbers and address, my phone number,  Jackie's Phone Number, and an itinerary so you know where you are.  In big cities put them inside your shirts for security. 

Maps - I would get a good Western USA map so you know where you are on thetrip.  A rotarian might get one from AAA for you, or you can get a cheap atlas.

 Camera Cards - If you have a digital take a 2-gig card or a couple of 1 gigs and take your pictures on a lesser resolution, say 2 megapixels so you get more pictures you can take.  There are a million things to take pictures of.

The Team Leaders from the Eastern Trip are going to have to help clue in the newbies from the Western Trip on how the trip works. This is a collaborative effort... that is it takes all of us the make it great.  We have it all organized and running smooth... we have great hotels, a great bus company, a terrific itinerary  and plenty of fun things to do,  but if everyone is out of control or we have people trying to disrupt the trip, no one has a good time.

The number one ironclad items are the 10-O'clock in your room time.  Nothing is more irritating to the Chaperones than people constantly trying to mess with us on this.  If people are banging doors and trapsing through the halls being loud, hotels like to throw us out into the street and they have the right to do so.  We really need your help getting this across to everyone.  All drinks, ice runs and snack runs must be done before 10pm. 

 The number two problem we deal with is people messing up the buses.  It really angers the drivers and an angry driver can make our trip horrible. Everyday before we get off the bus, have everyone clean up around their area and pick up stuff off the floor.  They also get angry about gum on the buses.  We once had to pay for a carpet because of that.  If we make their job easier they will go out of their way to help us and increase the fun portion.

 Another area is hikes.  We have several walks scheduled and I like to have a few more on a scheduled basis. Last year one group hiked every morning at 5:30 am.  When you see where we are going you will understand why.  We are going to some of the most beautiful country in the world . To see it early in the morning is amazing. 

4/29/09

We have seen many strange things happen on this trip.  One year a roomful of students decided to make a movie which turned into a 1 hour long feature film (It was hilarious).   Another group decided that they would wear diapers to one of our group meetings with bibs and baby bonnets. One wonderful Italian Boy and his friend from Japan decided to dress formally for dinner every night, including a tuxedo and in her case a full length evening gown.   Another year girls decided to color boy's hair, so we had several boys with bright blue hair.  
 
 This trip has a long history.  I have been doing it for 10 years, but it went several years before that.  Each year we learn how to do it better for students and chaperones alike.  On year 2, 3, 5, and 8 we have sent kids home from the trip.  We have had 5 perfect trips with everyone having a blast.  We have had 2 near perfect trips and two horrible trips.  We expect this year will be perfect if the eastern trip is any indication.
 
 Ask you friends if they are getting my emails.  If they are not, please have then check their spam filters. 
 
 My assistant and lead chaperone, Jackie has referred to me as a person have two personalities on the trip.  When things are going great (which is most of the time) I am Happy Bill.  When things go bad I am Grizzly Bill.  I have a shirt with a picture of a grizzly bear on it in honor of Grizzly Bill. 
 
 One thing we have to do is clean up the rooms before we check out of the hotels.  You don't have to go crazy, but just keep it a little neat and if you move beds etc. move them back.
 
 Bill Fact - Most of you might not know it, but I am inbound RYE chair for District 6690 (Southeastern and Central Ohio).   I have been active in Rotary exchange for about 9 years although not an officer until this year. You'll notice there are a lot of 6690 kids on the trip.

4/28/09

I have been messing around with room mates.  Look at the web site http://www.rotarytrip.org/Rotarytrips/rotwestpixrooming09.htm and let me know about your room.  We might be able to change you if you hate your room mate.  (Of course being Rotary Exchange students we hate no one).   I usually pick room mates based on your district, your requests on your application, and if I happen to have a space available.

Remember we have a new Web Site http://www.rotarytrip.org/ which will link you to all the other cool web sites we have.  it is a safe web site too. 

I am going to assign Team leaders. Remember if you were a team leader on the Eastern Trip you are a team leader on the western trip.   This is a cool job, where you will know what is going on and have a save in how we run the trip.  We listen to our exchange students.

Tales of Adventure:  Al Forsythe, our trip chairman, used to help me lead this trip.  He developed a sport where exchange students had to toss a large, round piece of buffalo droppings (poop).   The record is still help by Allan in tossing.  Jackie has the record for stepping in buffalo droppings in flip flops.  
 

4/27/09

When you check the web site we ask you use a new web address.  http://www.rotarytrip.org/Rotarytrips/rotwest09.htm  to check out all the interesting and useful information on the web site.  To get to the company web site check out http://www.rotarytrip.org/

Make sure you get a 2 liter water bottle or canteen and bring it with you on the trip.  You will need this or you will most probably get dehydrated and sick.  We have seen it many times and know what we are talking about.

Make sure you check the web site and look at your flight.  All the tickets have been issued as of now and they are not changeable or refundable.   Your flight schedules are very good and in 99percent of the cases we have assigned you seats.  

Trip Fact:  Arches National Park has the symbol of Utah, Delicate Arch.  These stone arches sometimes fall down.  One arch we used to look at fell down a couple of years ago.

4/25/09

4/24/09

have created the web page which has all your flight information for the Rotary Western Adventure.  Please check the Web Page http://www.mcmurraytravelservice.com/Rotarytrips/RotwestAir2009.htm  and look at your flights.  Everything is finalized.   To fly you will need your original passport or government issued photo ID  and the information on that web site.  Once we get to Phoenix we will take your passports and lock them up until we fly home.   You will also need your confirmation numbers which are listed on the web site.

Take a look If your name is not on the list it probably means we have not received your payments.  It is listed by Departure City. 

Other news.  We have changed our chaperones (we didn't need seven) so we have reduced them  You can see who the chaperones are by checking the web site http://www.mcmurraytravelservice.com/Rotarytrips/rotwest09.htm.   The trip is filled right now. But we are opening a waiting list .

Trip Fact: The main terminal of Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport is named after Senator Barry Goldwater who ran for president in 1964. 

Chaperone Fact::  Tatum Faithful is working towards a degree to become a veterinarian.  She is an expert horse trainer.  She also has the coolest accent of any of the chaperones. 

4/23/09

We finalized all the air tickets for the Rotary Trip today, except for the 6 people who haven't sent us their payment yet.  All flights are very early in the morning and will be arriving in Phoenix well before 11 am so we can do some extra touring if all the flights are there on time.  We hope to have a stop in Sedona and it looks like we can do it. Sedona is beautiful.

All tickets are non-refundable so you now own them.  They will be on line by early next week so you can check you itinerary and confirmations.  We are also going to email itineraries to you next week.  

Check the web sites next weekend for the information.  The air departure city web site http://www.mcmurraytravelservice.com/Rotarytrips/RotaryWesternTripdepartureairports.htm has accurate departure cities.  Check this right away and let us know.  Any changes made after 8pm tonight will cost you extra.  The students who names are in Red have not had their tickets issued because we have not received their payments yet.

All tickets except for students leaving from Columbus are electronic tickets. All you need to get boarding passes are your government issued photo ID (passport) and confirmation numbers.  We will give you confirmation numbers.  When we can we have gotten seat assignments. On some airlines and some flights this is not possible.

We do and will have detailed instructions on flying.  Students leaving from Columbus and Charleston will have chaperones traveling with them.  There will be someone in Phoenix to meet you (me). 
 

4/19/09

4/17/09

Please contact me if you haven't sent your final payment yet. I need to know. bill@mcmurraytravel.com

It is only a few short weeks until we leave (about 6) so start thinking about that 2 liter water bottle.  Also you have to pack light.  You can't go over 50lb, (22.5kg) or you will have to pay big money to the airlines.  That weight includes the weight of the suitcase so find a light suitcase. 
 
 Las Vegas is a weird place.  It is amazing in the attractions, huge hotels, and is very crazy.  You have to be careful because since you are under 21 you can get into trouble easily. They are hard on kids who try to buy liquor (jail time). There is a 9:00 curfew which means you will be arrested, detained at the police station and may miss you plane the next day if you are late getting back to the hotel.   We are getting most of you up at 3 am to get to the airport to catch your flight.   It is a neat place to walk around, there are amusement park rides, great free shows and cool things to look at. 
 
 There aren't many places where you can wear flip flops on the trip and you might hurt your feet or yourself if you wear them.  On occasion there are scorpions, spiders and snakes.  There area a lot of rough walks and trails (stubbed toes). 
 
 We are touring the Mormon Temple and Tabernacle at  Salt Lake City. This is the Vatican of the Mormon church and there are people from all over the world on their compulsory mission, guiding people at the Temple.  They are very nice people and it is an interesting place. 
 
 Salt Lake City  is actually on a huge salt lake called the Great Salt Lake.  It is a desert and at the far end (we don't see it) are the Bonneville Salt Flats where all the World Land Speed Records are set.   Salt Lake is framed by the beautiful and high Wasatch Mountains.

April 16

We are getting ready to issue airline tickets and need to make sure we have the right airport. MAKE SURE YOU CHECK http://www.mcmurraytravel.com/Rotarytrips/RotaryWesternTripdepartureairports.htm  ,  If we have the wrong airport CONTACT ME as soon as possible so we can change it.  I also need to make sure that I have the same name as is on you passport.    When you fly you will need to take your passport with you.  We will collect them and lock them up on the bus so you won't lose them.


Last year we had fun with cowboy hats.  Yes people wear cowboy hats out west and they make a lot of sense.  I wouldn't not buy one out there as they are expensive. Look for one nearer to home.  Walmart sells them.  They are fun to wear and will keep your head from getting sun burned. 
 
 There is an official secret wave for the Rotary Western Adventure.  Just extend your pinkie (little) finger and shake it. 
 
 Whenever you are caught speaking in your own language, Mr. Quackenbush Jr., our official mascot will hideously quack at you. 

It is time for all exchange students to be smart. I don't want any of you to end your exchange before the trip.  Just a few things to remember.  Avoid parties around prom time which have alcohol and drugs.  Be polite and respectful to policemen if they tell you to go home.  Don't get involved in any stupid senior pranks which may get you arrested.  Don't EVER run around naked for any reason anywhere.  Be CHARMING, pleasant, happy around  Rotarians and your Host Families and school teachers.  Remember you are about to go on the coolest experience you have ever done, the Western Adventure.  Every year some exchange students are sent home at the very end of their exchange for really stupid reasons.  Remember there are 5 Ds, no drinking, drugs, dating (sex), driving, and being DUMB.   Most kids get sent home for being DUMB.  Anyway I want to meet you and get to know you all.   We've already have had four kids miss the trip this year because they have done something stupid and gotten sent home.

 Fun Fact:  We are going to Rattlesnake country.  In the United States, humans experience about 8000 bites from venomous snakes each year. Of those, an average of 12 per year, less than .1%, result in death.  In other words when we are hiking don't go off the trail.   Often Rattlesnakes are found in huge numbers.  If you wander off  the trail and step into a large den you are in trouble. 
 
 

4/13/09

Things to Remember:
Driving: We will be driving some long distances, but this year we have really cut back on the long driving days.  Every day we will be doing something cool and the distances aren't as great as we have had in the past.  Our goal is for you to be doing neat things, not just riding in a bus all day like some other trips.  This is an Adventure and we will be REALLY DOING ADVENTURES.  I can't wait to do this with you.
Emails: Make sure you read all the emails we have sent in the past if you recently joined the trip. You can find them all at http://www.mcmurraytravel.com/Rotarytrips/rotemails09.htm. I am usually 1 week behind on updating this web site.  There is critical information in those emails.
2 Meter Rule: On hikes stay 2 meters away from the edge of canyons, cliffs, rock faces, any place you might fall.
Rule of 4 - During Free time you have to stay in groups of four or more.  This is for you own safety as larger groups are less likely to be attacked.  Also 4 people have more common sense than 1 or 2.  
You Must bring a 2-liter water bottle on all hikes.  Also you will nee water while we are touring.  It gets very thirsty in the desert.
Limos ; You might have heard that during free time in Las Vegas (we only have about 3 or 4 hours of free time in Vegas) kids in the past have gotten limos.  You can do that this year if you wish BUT you must have a chaperone in the limo with you. 
White Water Rafting:  We will be white water rafting in Durango, Colorado.  Make sure you let me know if you can't do this.  The rapids are mild class-3 rapids, but the scenery is quite beautiful.   The river guides are experts and you are quite safe.
Mesa Verde:  One of the most famous places in the Western USA is Mesa Verde Natl. Monument.  The ancient Native Americans, or Anasazi "ancient ones" nations who lived in this area were farmers and cliff dwellers and their homes are still found in this National Park.  You will be able to visit these amazing buildings which are over 1,000 years old and marvel at this advanced society.
Motion Sickness: If you get car sick make sure you sit near the front of the bus.  The first two seats are reserved for the chaperones but you can join us up there if you have a problem.  If you have another disability, please let us know before the trip by email.
Awesome Hikes:  Chaperone's favorite hikes on this trip;  Navaho Loop, Bryce Canyon; Rim Trail, Grand Canyon; String :Lake, Grand Teton; Windows,  Arches.  
Coolest Road on the Trip:  Drive from Ouray to Silverton, Colorado.  2nd Coolest Road, Road out of Jackson, WY into Grand Teton National Park.  3rd Coolest Road: Road up to Mesa Verde NP.  4th Coolest Road - Road from Grand Canyon to Bryce Canyon. 5th Coolest Road; Road from Yellowstone to Cody, WY.
Digital Cameras:  Take a Digital Camera on the trip and make sure you get the largest memory card you can afford.  I would take nothing less than a 2 Gig card and if you have an 8 gig you can take as many pictures as you might want.

4/9/09

4/7/09

We have a couple of rules which will save your life.  One is the two meter rule.  We have a couple of hikes which are along canyons (including the South Rim of the Grand Canyon).  The edges of these canyons are usually loose rock and often people slip on these and fall to a horrifying death.  To limit the possibility of a horrifying death we have the 2 meter rule.  You have to stay 2 meters away from the edge.  You can trip and fall and save yourself if you are 2 meters from the edge.  This is the one part of the trip which really frightens the chaperones.

If you haven't sent money on the Western Trip you aren't on the trip. You are on the wait list.  Get your money into me RIGHT AWAY!!!!!

When you fly you must take your passport or Government Issued ID.  Don't leave it home. Don't pack it in your suitcase.  We will collect them and lock them up when meet you in Phoenix.

We are flying in to Phoenix's Sky Harbor Airport.  It is a huge airport with 4 separate terminals so we might not have someone at each terminal when you arrive. That will be OK because We are all going to meet at one terminal to meet the bus. There is a bus which goes to each terminal.  There will be more about this on the web site later. C

One of the highlights of the trip is Monument Valley. We'll be on a jeep tour into the rough remote parts of this amazingly beautiful place with Navaho Indian Guides.  At the end of the tour we'll have a traditional Navaho meal of Navaho Fry Bread, Chile and chocolate chip cookies.  (OK Chocolate chip cookies aren't traditional, but we like them).  Hopefully the Guides will sing some of their lovely songs for us. 

Chaperone Note: Jackie Favret is an Art History Major and French Minor at The Ohio State University.  Jackie also attended the University of Toledo for a couple of years. 

4/2/09

I have been working on the web site http://www.mcmurraytravel.com/Rotarytrips/rotwest09.htm so you can check out some of the important changes and additions we've added today.

Who owes Money.... http://www.mcmurraytravel.com/Rotarytrips/rotwestmoneyowed2009.htm

Who is on the trip, who is one the waitlist. http://www.mcmurraytravel.com/Rotarytrips/rotwestpixrooming09.htm

What emails have I sent... http://www.mcmurraytravel.com/Rotarytrips/rotemails09.htm

Trip Status:  The trip is definitely going but there are a couple of changes. We are only taking one bus.  It is unlikely we will have enough students for a second bus.  Right now there are 50 applications, but only 39 kids have put money down.  Get your final payment in right away.  A number of you have sent nothing.  Just remember that this trip is first come first serve. Who gets their money and application in first in on the trip.  Those who are late will probably not get on the trip.  It is urgent.

We are getting ready to start doing airline tickets.  Make sure I know where you are flying from.  Our primary goal is to get you to Phoenix before 11 am on June 11.

Trip Fact: With one bus there will be five chaperones, and we'll announce who they are in a future email. 

-4/1/09

We need the final payments because we need to get the airline tickets issued.  Part of this trip is an air flight to Phoenix and back from Las Vegas to your home city. Make sure we have the right city for your departure.  Many of you are really behind on your payments.  We can not issue tickets until we receive payments.

Our plan this year is to do something awesome every day of the trip.  The first day when we arrive we are going to drive to our hotel in Flagstaff AZ.  Enroute we are looking to stop for a break in beautiful Sedona, AZ.  This is an amazingly beautiful town and is where John McCain who ran for president lives when he is not in Washington.   It's a pretty cool place.   The second day we are going to both the Grand Canyon and driving over an incredible mountain plateau to Bryce Canyon.  There are no dull days on this trip, no "just driving days".  Almost all our hotels have swimming pools and almost all have really nice locations.

Trip Fact:  We spend at least two days driving through Indian Reservations which are considered different countries within the USA.   
 

3/31/09

A decision will be made within the next two weeks  if we will have 1 or 2 buses for the western adventure.  If we only run 1 bus we only have a few spaces left to fill.   If you want to go we must know as soon as possible.  If you need help with money to go on the western adventure call your  parents, counselor or RYE officer today and explain this to them.   Email me as soon as possible if you are going.
 

If you have applied for the trip and have not sent any money you are not on the trip. You are only on the trip if we have received payment or at least a deposit.  If you have sent an application without money you are wait listed.  You will be confirmed when we receive payment.  If the trip fills and you have not paid you will be on a wait list. Then you will be confirmed only if a space opens on the tour. 

To see you present status on the trip. See http://www.mcmurraytravel.com/rotwestpixrooming09.htm
 

FINAL PAYMENT:  Final Payment is due April 8th, which is next Wednesday. Please send me your full payment for the trip.
 

3/17/09

Yeah, I admit it, I am so focused on the Eastern Trip I have ignored you guys.  Don't worry when I get back you are my only thought. 

The Western Trip is still wide open and we are looking forward to going to our favorite trip.  It is a long trip but the 14 days are so busy and filled with things to do we are crazed. 

Make sure you send your deposit soon. Final payment is due April 8th in our office so start getting that together.

If you are Facebook, friend me at Bill McMurray on Facebook.  Jackie and I put information about the trips on our facebooks all the time.

There are about a millions things about the trip I love, but my favorite thing is seeing your faces when you see these cool things.  The Grand Canyon is an eye opener to everyone who sees it for the first time.  The Canyon extends for as far as your eye can see.  Things you think are close are dozens of kilometers away, and the view changes as the sun goes over. The light changes the color of the rocks in the canyon.

Denver is known as the Mile High City because it's about 1700 meters in altitude.  The city was named after a bad guy who was also one of the city's first mayors. The city's namesake later became an American Civil War General who died in poverty.  East of Denver there is nothing but flat plains while just to the West of the city are some of America's largest mountains.  It's really a beautiful setting.
 

3/12/09

We are working hard on getting the Eastern Trip together because it leaves next week so we are pretty much ignoring the Western Trip.... but we still love you.

The Western Trip is quite different from the Eastern Trip.  It's twice as long for one thing, but the best part of the Western is it is such a healthy trip.  Lots of outdoorsy stuff, a lot more time spent together as a group in nature.  Everyone on the Western Trip gets much closer because of the time spent together.  

Trip Fun Fact:  Flagstaff Arizona is on the famous US Route 66 (In fact our hotel is on that highway.  Northern Arizona, although a desert is often very cold.  The city sits over 2000 meters above sea level.    The Grand Canyon is really large.  It was created by the Colorado River and is over 10 miles wide in places and is a mile (1800 meters) deep.  Much of our hike along the rim is next to drop offs of between 200 meters to 1000 meters.  That's why we have the 2 meter rule. You can't get within 2 meters of the edge.  The edge is crumbling and dangerous.

 

3/5/09

Hey everyone!

Today Bill has decided to put me, group leader Jackie, in charge of writing the Western trip email. In the past emails Bill has already talked a lot about what we will see, rules and the importance of water. If you have missed any of these emails or can't remember reading them, go to the trip website: http://www.mcmurraytravel.com/rotemails09.htm. All of the past trip emails are listed in the order of when they were sent. I highly suggest re-reading all of them before the trip leaves so the rules and information are fresh in your mind.

One of the places we will be visiting is Mount Rushmore in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Mount Rushmore is a national memorial and includes sculptures of 4 US presidents (George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln) in the rock. It took almost 400 workers and about 14 years to complete. The average size of the carvings is about the size of a six story building. Most of you may recognize this monument from the movie National Treasure 2, and no, we will not allow you to go in search for buried treasure while we're there. We will be taking a short "hike" (not really a hike but an uphill walk) to get a great view and take lots of photos. Most of the chaperones have never been there, we have never visited Mount Rushmore on the Western trip, so it will be a new experience for many of us.

On a side note, when we say that we will be hiking we don't mean that we will be going on extremely difficult paths. Its not hardcore mountain climbing and most of the places we "hike" on have some kind of paved or dirt pathway to follow. We don't want to make these hikes too difficult because not everyone in the group is used to hiking in extreme conditions.

A question that we get every year is "can I bring a musical instrument?". The answer is no. The reason for this is because if you start playing music on the bus every day, some people will enjoy it and the rest of the people will get very annoyed. Another reason is because some people try to catch up on sleep while on the bus and start to get angry if they can't sleep because someone is playing music. We also need you all to hear us chaperones when we make important announcements. Reason number 4 of why we don't allow it is because it is distracting to the bus drivers. We need them to stay focused and happy. Most of the chaperones are music lovers but it is important that you follow this rule. We suggest that you bring mp3 players or portable cd players.

The trip is getting closer and closer so now would be a great time to start getting to know other people on the trip. Try to find each other through facebook, myspace or email. The chaperones also have facebook so try to find us, we would love to get to know you! :)
There is still plenty of space on the trip, so continue to tell other people about it!

Only 3 more months!
-Jackie-

3/4/09

Only 99 days until the trip guys.

The most dangerous animal we'll see in any numbers is the American Bison, commonly called the Buffalo.  A 1000 kilo in weight with very bad eyesight and a nasty temper, bison can kill you by accident.  Their eye sight is so bad they think people are their arch enemies, the Bear.  The will attack a bear, especially if there are babies around.  Very cool looking, you should keep 100 meters between you and a buffalo. Also it's a good idea to keep a large object like a rock or bus behind you so they can't see you very well.

When we pull our group of foreign teenagers into a small town in the west people get a little frightened.  Make sure you are friendly and talk to people to ease their mind.  Once a large number of South American students walked into a store and the lady thought a street gang was coming to terrorize her.  When she found out their were RYE she was much friendlier. 

If any of you are trying to get payments or application to me, I will be at the Ohio -Erie Rotary Conference in Columbus this weekend. You might be able to get your district chair's to deliver it for you. 

Check our web site all the time.  We are constantly updating and improving it.  There will be a lot more information on the web site.  Check out http://www.mcmurraytravel.com/rotwest09.htm

This year students are really slow signing up for the Western Trip. Right now we only have one bus filled and want to run a second bus.  Please tell your friends to join the trip.  We think this is the best itinerary we have every run.  All the chaperones are very excited about it.  There is no wasted time and we will see the real west this year.  

Also there are still a few places left on the Eastern Trip.
http://www.mcmurraytravel.com/roteast09.htm

 

2/25/09

f you haven't done so, please make your deposit on the Western Trip.   Also if you have friends who are thinking about going on the trip, please have them contact us and sign up.  This is the best itinerary we have ever done and we are surprised that we only have one bus filled so far.  Usually the trip is filled by now.

Flying:  We are getting ready to purchase group airfares shortly for the trip.  If you have a flight deviation please let us know.  Remind us which airport you would like to fly from.  The airfare is included in the price of the tour.  The flights will be very very early in the morning.  We try to have everyone arrive in Phoenix before lunch time.

We are also starting the examine the rooming.  Please let us know who you would like to travel with.  If we have two buses we try to keep kids from the same district on the same bus.

Trip Notes:  Navaho Loop is one of the most beautiful hikes in the world. Located in Bryce Canyon NP, it goes straight down hill through bright orange rocks carved into beautiful shapes by wind and water.   

 

2/19/09

Just to let you know if you are interested in doing the Eastern Trip there are places available. Contact me quickly.  It leaves from Columbus Ohio on March 20-28/29.

We ask students to help us make this trip great.  These folks are called team leaders.  It is more like student government.  We ask you what your opinion of things are.  We also tell you when we think there might be a problem.  Team leaders are also used to help lead hikes and sometimes help chaperones in rooming checks when there is a lot of distance between our rooms.  It is fun and you are actively involved in the trip. 

One thing we try to do when you have to buy a meal is make it cheap and easy for you. We try to stop at places which have supermarkets, fast food and even sit down restaurants.  Most kids and chaperones will go to the super markets and get some munchies and have a picnic.  It is much cheaper than including the meals (which usually run between 10-15 dollars a meal.  Also you can select how healthy and how much you want to eat.  Some students live on fast food like McDonalds.  Others like to eat salads and veggies.

We have a lot of free time for you to explore on this trip (and the eastern trip too).  We have one solid rule on these times.  You have to travel in packs of 4 or more.  We prefer you travel with mixed sexes (boys and girls together).  There is safety in numbers.  We will have free time in some pretty dangerous cities, like Denver and Las Vegas so this is really important. 

Trip Fact:  Animals:  We should see some mountain goats and sheep, american Bison, coyotes, badgers, antelopes, deer, elk, and if past years are true... black or grizzly bears.  

2/10/09

What kind of hiking do we have on the trip?  I got this question at our last Rotary weekend and here is the answer.  It's easy enough that anyone in reasonably good health can do without much effort.  It is also primarily on nice trails with chances to stop if you need to.  If the hike is a little difficult, like Navaho Loop at Bryce Canyon, there is another optional walk you can do along the rim of the canyon.  Navaho Loop is tough for me so I stay on the top (I have asthma).  The Rim Trail on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon is amazing, but it's also downhill the entire way so it's easy for everyone.  String Lake in Grand Teton is a little more difficult, but so beautiful you don't want to miss it.  We have seen bear and elk along that trail. Windows at Arches National Park isn't long but it's extremely hot and dry so water makes it easier to do.  That's why we require you to bring a 2 liter water bottle with you.  You will definitely need it.

Two rules are absolutely enforced on hikes. You have to stay 2 meters away from the edge of canyons and rim trails.  You also have to carry 2 liters of water with you.  A cheap canteen, even a 2 liter Coke bottle filled with water can be used.  We ask that you wear comfortable but solid shoes like sneakers or hiking boots, no flip flops.  We have had people injured in those.

There is space on the Western Trip, please tell your friends.

Chaperone Fact:  Mike Rosselet is a student at The Ohio State University majoring in Environmental Science. He has also studied Philosophy and Film Studies.  Mike is a good saxophone player and has played in a jazz band.  He is a huge fan of the "Dark Tower Series and Douglas Adams books. He is also an avid camper. Mike also has a deep love of hats. 

2/3/09

Next to the Highway of death in Bolivia, the scariest highway in the world is the road from Ouray to Silverton in Colorado.  We take that trip in huge buses.  It is fun but a little scary. 

Silverton is an old mining town and a great place to hang out and have fun.  We stop there for a couple of hours and we have found it a great place to buy western gear.  If you want a cowboy hat to wear out west, we do suggest you buy it nearer home.  Walmart usually has cheaper but still cool cowboy hats. 

Shoes are important on the trip and when you are on the trails during the hikes wear solid sneakers or hiking boots.  Many of the trails aren't too smooth and you need something stronger than flip flops.  Days we drive you are welcome to wear flip flops.

Sunburns are a huge problem on the trip. Even people who never burn, burn in the high desert.  One African boy with a very dark complexion got a sun burn.  I burn in 20 minutes in a parking lot.  Bring some strong PDF Sunblock.  You'll need it or you will be sorry. You don't tan you really burn in that sun. 

Water is hyper critcal ( I know I've said this before).  It is important you bring a 2 liter water bottle, canteen or hydration system.  I don't want to take you to the hospital.

Make sure you get your applications in if you haven't and send your deposits.  You aren't on the trip until we get your deposit.   The trip is open and tell your friends to sign up. 

Bill McMurray has been doing this trip for 10 years and has had the joy of getting to know over 1500 exchange students.  Most of whom still talk to me on a regular basis.  I love the west and know most of it very well.  I am very excited about this year because we are visiting some really exciting places I've not been to in year. 

1/27/09

e are in the process of starting finalizing for the Eastern Trip.  If any of you who are not on the trip want to join, please feel free to do so.  It is available. 

Hiking and dehydration:  We do a lot of hiking, walking and sightseeing on this trip.  One of the major problems we have is people not eating or drinking enough on the trip and getting very sick.  Four times we have had to take people to the hospital for dehydration.  That is the reason we demand that you take a 2-liter water bottle or canteen with you.  You can pick one up at an army surplus place or dollar store for a couple of dollars.  

Water: often students waste money (and environmental resources) buying water.  Everywhere we go on this trip the water is completely drinkable and safe.  Just fill up the water bottle from the sink or tub at our hotels.

We have some great hotels on this trip.  I have been taking students to several of these hotels for years and they like us because we are the best behaved student groups they get.  Look at the web site at the hotels.  Some of them have incredible views. Most have swimming pools and many have workout rooms. http://www.mcmurraytravel.com/rotwest09hotels09.htm.  My favorite hotels on this trip are the Bryce Lodge, Arizona Inn and the Sandstone inn.  All are in the middle of beautiful places. 

Trip Fact:  Mesa Verde is a national park dedicated to the famous "Pueblo Style"  dwellings of the Anasazi indians.  Anasazi is  an indian word meaning "the ancient ones".  They lived 3000 meters up in the mountains in sophisticated houses, which are on cliffs.  They were defensible and very advanced.  The cliff dwellers lived between 1500 and 800 years ago.

Chaperone Fact:  Janine Cannell is a avid environmentalist who can give you great information on how to be more "green" in your life.

1/16/09

We have been working on getting the web site a little easier to read and adding some interesting info and links to the web site.  Check out http://www.mcmurraytravel.com/rotwest09.htm.  There are some really great links about flying, the rooming list http://www.mcmurraytravel.com/rotwestpixrooming09.htm, and past emails http://www.mcmurraytravel.com/rotemails09.htm.

We have been doing this trip for the past 10 years and it has been a joy to do for us.  The first year we had 147 exchange students in three buses.  We have shrank that to two buses and a maximum of 100 people.   We have had rave reviews from exchange students since doing the trip . http://www.mcmurraytravel.com/thankyourotarytrip.htm. Since starting this trip we have had over 1500 RYE students on the trip.

We are having chaperone training this weekend.  Our chaperones will be here for three hours learning about the trip and you.  Many of them have been through it several times.

We have pretty great hotels on this trip.  We try to have a swimming pool at each western trip hotel and if everything runs smooth you'll have plenty of time to go swimming.  In the West some of the hotels have a Wild West Theme like the Branding Iron Inn and the Red Stone Inn.  Some just are sitting at an amazing place like the Arizona inn in Page.  That hotel has a spectacular view of the Colorado River, Glen Canyon Dam and the wonderful rock formations.   All the hotels are nice.

We also have very nice buses.  All have bathrooms aboard and are air conditioned with large windows so you don't miss anything.  

Tell you friends about the trip.

1/13/09

The trip is wide open at this point so please ask your friends to check out the web site and sign up. 

We will be coordinating all our flights into Phoenix and we do the air tickets and schedules. The idea is to get everyone there as early as possible so we can see something the day we arrive.  Last year we got a chance to spend a couple of hours in Sedona, Arizona, which  is an amazing place to visit.  It was really beautiful.  

Our goal this year is to have you see as much of the American west as we can.  So we get up early and make as many stops as we can.  

Trip Fact:  The Navaho Loop at Bryce Canyon National Park is a short hike but vigorous and takes a while to complete.  It's less that 2.5 miles in length but most of that distance is at very high altitude (over 8000 feet) and it's half downhill and half uphill.  It is spectacularly beautiful.

Trip Fact: Denver is call the Mile-High-City as it sits over 5000 feet in altitude. Denver was the site of the Democratic Convention and was where Barack Obama was nominated for president this year.

1/5/09

Make sure you get your applications to us. Some of you I have not gotten an application from.  The most important parts are pages 1-4, which including the application and rules.  You can send me the other parts later.

Make sure you friends are signing up for the trip. 

I was watching movies over the holidays and in one day watching movies I saw about 10 places we are visiting.  How is that for weird.  I watched the new National Treasure Movie and  Back to the Future III. 

Our itinerary is quite different this year, but there are reasons for changing it.  For one thing we wanted to keep the trip affordable for you and the old trip was getting too expensive.  The main reason is we want to take you to places you will probably not get a chance to see in the future.  We are going to the most beautiful places in the USA and some of the most exciting places anywhere.   Moab and Arches NP is an amazing site.  Bryce Canyon has the best short hike in the world, Navaho Loop.  The South Rim of the Grand Canyon is awe inspiring. Denver is the most vibrant city in the USA right now.  Vegas is .... well Vegas.  Everyday we will be doing or seeing something different, amazing and beautiful.  There are no slack or boring days in the entire trip.  Last year we had 4 boring days and I wanted to get rid of those.  I am so excited about it this year.

Trip Fact:  The most dangerous animal we will see in quantity is the American Bison or Buffalo.  They are about 700kg of grumpy cow who are nearsighted . People are exactly the size of their worst enemy, the bear so they don't like us much. 

12/22/08

Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas. 

Remember everything you need to know is on the web site. We update it all the time. Check out all the links for important informatoin .

If you live in much of the country the weather sucks today.  It's 1 degree in Columbus and feeling colder.  When we are on the trip often the weather goes cold in the high mountains.  We tell everyone to bring layers.  A sweatshirt, tshirt, sweater and windbreaker can protect you against all sorts of bad weather.  We have had temperature variations of from -5C to +40C in one day.  So you have to be prepared for everything.

2 Meter Rule: When we are near the cliffs we have a rule where you have to stay 2 meters away from the edge.  The drops in the Grand Canyon and other places we are traveling can be up to 500 meters and the edges are usually loose dirt.  25 people a year die from falls in the Grand Canyon.

Hiking - We love hiking and we are always looking for the coolest walks which anyone can do.  Our favorites are "Windows" in Arches NP, String Lake in Grand Teton NP, and the South Rim Trail at the Grand Canyon.  There will be some great new ones this year.

Trip Fact:  Cody WY is named after Buffalo Bill Cody because he helped found the town.  It is a major center of Rodeo and quarter horses.

Chaperone Fact:  Jackie Favret played the piano and saxophone.  She has three crazy dogs and her own house.
 

12/5/08

Christmas Gifts
If you are writing Santa Claus for a gif this season, you might want to ask for a good 2-liter canteen or water bottle.  Everyone on the Western Trip is required to have one.. Every place we goes has a real danger of dehydration.  We spend a great deal of time in the high desert and you are always thirsty there.  Over the years we have taken several students to hospital because they are not drinking enough.  Most students will refill a 2-liter water bottle once or twice a day on the trip. 

A good back pack is always handy.  One with a hydration system included is a great help.

Another good present is an ipod or other MP3 music device. 

Grand Canyon Rule: We have a great safety rule in the Grand Canyon.  There are few guard rails near the edge of the canyon and every year 25 people are killed or injured by falling off the cliff. Where we are the falls are usually of 200 to 400 meters.  We ask that everyone stay 2 meters from the edge.  Last year's group was perfect at this.  The edge of the canyon is crumbling rock and it's easy to slip and fall to a grisly horrible death. 

Chaperone Notes: We have a great group of chaperones and this year will be pretty close to the same chaperones we had last year and they are great people.   Samantha Sellinger (2nd year) is a college student who has plenty of experience working with students.  She is a vegetarian, athletic and funny.  She is from Greensburg PA, and goes to Mercyhurst College where she is learning to be a biology teacher.  She will be a Senior next year.

Tatum Faithful (2nd Year)  is another college student attending Charleston College in South Carolina. Tatum has an associates degree in management of animal based businesses.  She has worked on her mother's horse camp for years.  She also is very active in Youth Exchange in SC.  

12/3/08

Christmas Gifts
If you are writing Santa Claus for a gif this season, you might want to ask for a good 2-liter canteen or water bottle.  Everyone on the Western Trip is required to have one.. Every place we goes has a real danger of dehydration.  We spend a great deal of time in the high desert and you are always thirsty there.  Over the years we have taken several students to hospital because they are not drinking enough.  Most students will refill a 2-liter water bottle once or twice a day on the trip. 

A good back pack is always handy.  One with a hydration system included is a great help.

Another good present is an ipod or other MP3 music device. 

Grand Canyon Rule: We have a great safety rule in the Grand Canyon.  There are few guard rails near the edge of the canyon and every year 25 people are killed or injured by falling off the cliff. Where we are the falls are usually of 200 to 400 meters.  We ask that everyone stay 2 meters from the edge.  Last year's group was perfect at this.  The edge of the canyon is crumbling rock and it's easy to slip and fall to a grisly horrible death. 

Chaperone Notes: We have a great group of chaperones and this year will be pretty close to the same chaperones we had last year and they are great people.   Samantha Sellinger (2nd year) is a college student who has plenty of experience working with students.  She is a vegetarian, athletic and funny.  She is from Greensburg PA, and goes to Mercyhurst College where she is learning to be a biology teacher.  She will be a Senior next year.

Tatum Faithful (2nd Year)  is another college student attending Charleston College in South Carolina. Tatum has an associates degree in management of animal based businesses.  She has worked on her mother's horse camp for years.  She also is very active in Youth Exchange in SC.  

11/25/08

Send me an email telling me about yourself.

We have had so much fun on these trips because we all become such close friends. In fact one of my chaperones last year called it surreal because we were like a huge family.  That is when we know the trip is great.  We try to make it like a big family vacation with me as the grumpy by lovable uncle.

The Western Trip goes to some amazing beautiful places.  Most people are in awe of the views and scenery and the things we see.  Last year we saw a beautiful black bear in the woods, ice capped mountains, even a forest fire. Every 10 minutes the scenery is new and completely different.  It is so diverse, you can not believe it.  We see a large number of animals; antelopes, American Bison, elk, moose, wolverines, beavers, coyotes, wolves, white tail deer, mule deer, bald and golden eagles, and last year we saw a mountain condor in the Grand Canyon.

We see some strange and beautiful rock formations, bright red mountains made of one solid rock, cores of ancient volcanoes, flat plains, Sonoran deserts, high desert plains, buttes (pronounced "beauts"), and many different types of mountains.  You'll get a chance to enjoy it all close up and personal, not just from the window of a bus. There are few things cooler than sitting in the pool at the Arizona Inn looking at the Glen Canyon Dam, Lake Powell and rock formations of Page AZ. 

The trip is filling quickly, so tell your friends to get their application in.  Kids on the Eastern Trip will definitely fill the western trip (they almost all decide they want to go on both trips after being on the eastern trip, so get your buddy's signed up.

Stange Past Student Facts: We had a nice Australian exchange student who had an unreasonable fear of birds.  It was especially weird because he looked like a bird.

Chaperone Fact:  Tatum Faithful's first name is Sunshine. She is an expert horsewoman and has had pet pigs. Bill McMurray used to have two pet fighting bantam roosters named Pipsqueak and Wilfred.

11/18/08

I am so excited about this trip.  This is a dream itinerary. I love this trip and have been on 9 of them before.  (Yes I am crazy).

This year I am so excited.  We are going to Mt. Rushmore!.  We are also going near The Little Big Horn where General Custer made his last stand vs the Sioux Indians. I hope we have time to do it.  Where we are is exactly where most of the great American Indian Wars of the 1800s took place.  Near Mt. Rushmore is the Crazy Horse Memorial and we'll see that too.  There are many American Indian (some like to be called Native Americans, most by their Tribal names) sites on our trip.  Monument Valley is in the heart of the Navaho Reservation. Cortez, Colorado is the heart of the Ute Tribe (the USA state Utah is named for them).  We'll drive by the Blackfoot Tribe Reservation while out west.  Most of the big cities in the west started out as frontier forts, built to quell uprisings.

The trip is filling quickly (we had 4 applications today) so please tell your friends to sign up as soon as possible.

I put your Pictures on the "Who's on the Trip" page on the website.  Check it out to see who else is one the trip.  

If you are Facebook look me up and befriend me.  I have more interesting stuff about Exchange and the trips on the facebook, including past pictures.

11/03/08

We are getting people signing up for the trip at a very fast rate.  You can see everyone's picture, country etc... at http://www.mcmurraytravel.com/rotwestpixrooming09.htm.

We have the trip planned and ready to go.  There are a couple of things to ask for Christmas which may help you on the trip.  

You'll need a nice camera.... digital is best.  It doesn't have to be expensive but you'll want to remember everything.  

You'll need a two-liter water bottle, canteen, or sports bottle for the trip.  When we go on hikes we required you carry two liters of water with you.  Every year someone gets sick because they haven't drank enough water.  I have had to visit several hospitals with students because of this.

Trip Fact: Near Mt. Rushmore is a statue of American Indian Hero Crazy Horse which is the largest statue in the world.  It is carved out of a mountain. . 

Chaperones Notes:  All the chaperones are volunteers and give up their time.  Dave Saho is a retired steelworker from Eastern Ohio who has a degree in accounting.  Janine Cannell is a senior at the University of Toledo and is a environmental activist.  Jackie Favret is an expert on this trip and this will be her 6th Rotary Trip.

10/16/08

Welcome to the Rotary Western Adventure!!!  This is the 10th year we've done the trip and it is one of our favorite things to do.   Jackie Favret and I run the trip and we have a great group of chaperones.  I am a district inbound chair for RYE and Jackie is an active volunteer in the program. 

This year's trip is the best itinerary we have ever had and Jackie and I are really excited about it.   Make sure you tell your friends to sign up because it sells out usually by the middle of January.   It is open to all Rotary Exchange students. 

Each year our students tell us this is the highlight of their exchange year and one of the best experiences of their life.   It is a great experience and by the end of the trip you will feel like you are part of an amazing family.  You will make some of the best friends of your life. 

We have a few rules we ask you to follow which you can find at http://www.mcmurraytravel.com/rules.htm.  The biggest rules are of course the 4Ds of RYE and any of them can get you sent home (meaning you will end your exchange).  Drugs and alcohol will guarantee that you will be sent home. We strictly enforce these rules.

Make sure you ALWAYS read these emails (there will be many of them).  If you do you will have a great trip. They will have very important information in them.  You will be able to find them on the web site under past emails.  I also put a lot of fun information which will help you enjoy the trip more.  There will also be safety information.  This is a physically tough trip and you need to follow some health guidelines.

Fun Fact:  Mt Rushmore has the heads of 4 US President carved out of a mountain.
 

Eastern Trip Emails

Newest Emails at Top

3/5/09

n the past we used to allow people to bring musical instruments like guitars. What we found was that most of the kids were interested for a short while, then were irritated by having to listen to one person's music.  To make everyone happy we have limited kids to bring their own music devices (like Ipods, MP3 players) and their own music.  We have many cultures on the trip and they all have different musical taste.  We have found that many students get really mad when being forced to listen to music they don't like.  So because of this we don't allow students to bring guitars, mandolins, or other portable musical instruments.   Bring splitters so you can share your music with your seat mate. 

We ask that you don't bring your Rotary Jackets.  There really is no place to wear them and I would hate it if someone lost their jacket or the pins on their jackets.   Dress on the trip is very casual and there is no reason to get dressed up.  Some students like to get dressed up in cities like New York or Boston but it isn't necessary.   Just remember it may be wet, cold and windy so bring warm clothes.  Last year we had a day in Boston where it was -15 C wind chill in Boston.  It was COOOOOLLLLLDDDD>  In New York it rained both days we were there.

Make sure when you arrive on March 20 to wear a Rotary T-Shirt or some other identifying Rotary Exchange Student device.   Look for a chaperone holding a sign at the airport if you are flying in.

The best thing about this trip is that we make friends (both chaperones and students) who become very important to us.  Make sure you have your business cards with up-to-date contact information to exchange.  Jackie and I have made wonderful friends who are very dear to us on these trips and so will you. I talk to these friends all the time and keep in contact.  If you have facebook make sure you get connected with the other kids on the trip.   Try to find the kids you are rooming with on Facebook so you can share information.  Maybe you can share hairdryers or other items.

Chaperone Hijinks - Last year on the Eastern Trip in New York, the chaperones found the best Cup Cakes in the world (Magnolia Bakery on Beeker Street in Greenwich Village).  We also found a wonderful pizzeria which has been popular with the cast of "The Sopranos" in Little Italy.  In Boston last year the chaperones found the "No Name" restaurant in Boston's Commercial pier.  It may be the best and freshest sea food in the world.
 

3/3/09

ey everyone!
Today you have the extreme privilege of getting a trip email from me, group leader Jackie! Can you believe the trip is almost here?? It will be here before you know it. In this email I will talk about what to expect on the bus, when to trade pins and cards, cameras, and flight information.

One thing to keep in mind for this trip is that you will get tired easily because we are constantly doing something and we wake you up nice and early everyday. We will also be driving... a lot. The combination of both things will make you want to sleep on the bus. We don't mind that you sleep, but we do ask that you stay awake during our tours of the cities and when the chaperones and Bill make announcements. We don't like repeating ourselves so make sure you listen when we make the announcements. The first day of the trip the chaperones and Bill will be making many that are very important, like the bus safety rules, so make sure to pay attention. Also, be nice to our bus drivers. They are working very hard for us so when they tell you the rules of the bus, please follow them.   

During the trip you will make many new friends and will want to trade cards and pins. We will plan a day where you can do this near the end of the trip. Make sure you bring as many cards and pins as you can, some students end up not having enough.

Another thing to keep in mind is how many photos you will be taking. Definitely bring a camera if you have one. You will get some amazing photos of the places we will be visiting and some great group photos. When we do get everyone together for group photos, Bill and I will take the picture with our cameras and post them to facebook or the trip website. If you try to hand us your camera to take the photo, we will say no. The reason for this is because we don't have enough hands or time to take photos with everyone's camera. It's just easier, plus I'm sure your face will start to hurt from smiling for too long if we took the photo with so many cameras. If you have a large memory card for your camera, bring it with you.

Lastly, Bill has updated the flight information on the trip website: http://www.mcmurraytravel.com/Roteast09flights.htm
If you have any questions about the information, please let us know. We need to have everything finalized soon since the trip is almost 2 weeks away. Also, make sure you are checking the website for any changes. There is also a packing list on the site if you need help deciding what to bring.

Chaperone Fact: Everyone in the group of chaperones (Bill also) can be considered "weird" in their own ways. Bill likes to create nicknames for people and tell bad jokes. Rachelle is what we call "unique" but that's why we love her. I am labeled as a dork by my brother and most of my friends. Joe is addicted to Mafia Wars on facebook.

Most of the chaperones have either a myspace or a facebook account. Try to find us, we love to get to know you before the trips.
Can't wait to meet you all! See you in a few weeks!

-Jackie-

2/27/09

We really need you to check to make sure your payments are in. Please check the web site http://www.mcmurraytravel.com/roteastowes.htm  to make sure your name isn't on them.

One thing you'll find on the trip is that we get up and leave early so we don't miss anything.  If you have problems getting up take an alarm clock with you.

If you are flying email me your flight schedule is you haven't already.  We will finalize all the flights Monday morning.

Team leaders are pretty much selected.  If you want to be a team leader you can still come to the meetings (which are every other night). 

Rooming list is final, fine, done, carved in stone, completed.

If you have a friend who wants to go on the trip please have them contact me as soon as possible.  They do not have to be in an Ohio-Erie Rotary Club. They can be anywhere in the USA or Canada or the Bahamas.

Trip Fact:  Little Italy was where many of the Italian Immigrants came to the USA.  It is also the center of American Mafia lore.   Washington DC is located in the Southern USAand has always been considered a Southern City.

Chaperone Fact:  Over half our chaperones have been chaperones before and actually like exchange students.

Send me an email telling me about yourself if you haven't already.
 

2/25/09

• DON'T RUN OR MAKE LOUD NOISES IN THE HALLS, EVER!!!!
• Don't play ball in the parking lots of the hotels.. any type of ball game. (broken car mirrors and windshields... it's happened).
• DON'T SMOKE IN THE ROOMS... it can cost you and your room mates $300 if you are caught by the hotel.  That is what it cost to clean the smoke from the rooms.
• Remember there are other people in the hotel so keep it quiet in the rooms and in the hallways and lobby.
• Our hotels love our exchange students usually.  But if we make them mad they will throw us out in the middle of the night.  Very expensive for everyone as you have to buy another hotel room somewhere else.
• You cannot leave your rooms after 10pm for any reason other than fire.  You don't have to sleep, but you are locked for the night in your rooms until 6:00am. 
   
• If you violate these rules you will miss the next day's activities.
   

Fun Fact: Baseball Edition - 
 

• Legend has it that modern baseball was invented by Abner Doubleday, who later became a famed Civil War General (although not a good one).  Actually baseball in it's basic form was played in the 15th Century in England.  
• The first professional team was the Cincinnati Red Stockings, now known as the Reds.  
• In 1919, famed gambler Hyman Rothstein paid 8 players on the Chicago White Sox to rig the World Series, which they did.  The players were caught and thrown out of baseball. 
• In 1947 Jackie Robinson became the first African American to play in the major leagues.  He had been an all-star football player at the University of South California. 
   
• Japan and Mexico are more baseball mad than the USA.  Some of the best Japanese players are now in the major USA Leagues. 
   
• The Greatest home run hitter is a Japanese player who never played in the USA. 

2/20/09

2/18/09

We have really worked on our web site and it's got answers to most of your questions.  Check out  http://www.mcmurraytravel.com/roteast09.htm and look at the links. 

We have added a new web page for those of you who are flying.  I have tried to put all your flight schedules on line.  If you are flying and your name isn't on this web page please contact me as soon as possible. If you have done your own airfare please email me the itinerary. The Web Page is http://www.mcmurraytravel.com/Roteast09flights.htm

There is a good chance if you aren't reading these emails or checking the web site that you might miss the trip or find out a couple of days before the trip that you don't have a way here.  

Other pages you should be checking include the rooming list.  It is found on http://www.mcmurraytravel.com/roteastpixrooming09.htm.  This will be finalized and unchangeable by this Friday.

We have a list of hotels with their phone numbers and addresses (with a picture) at http://www.mcmurraytravel.com/roteast09hotels.htm

We have a handy packing guide you can use at http://www.mcmurraytravel.com/rotpacking.htm

We answer a lot of questions on the FAQ (Frequently asked Questions) page. http://www.mcmurraytravel.com/FAQ.htm

If you are driving look for this web page. http://www.mcmurraytravel.com/roteast%20pickupdropoffinstruction.htm.  Students from Cleveland and Northern Ohio can be picked up enroute near Richfield Ohio.  This has a map.  Other students will be picked up at the airport in Columbus at the Baymont Inn Hotel. There is a map to that there. 

MONEY
We need your money for the trip.  You are not on the trip until you are paid in full. Who owes money is found at  the web site http://www.mcmurraytravel.com/roteastowes.htm


2/17/09

We are staying in some big city areas and there are dangers to look out for.  The chaperones a couple of years ago came across some bad characters in one of the hotels.  We told the kids to stay in their rooms and not hang out in the lobbies or hall ways.   Listen to the Chaperones, we have seen it all.  

Our hotels are all pretty nice and are perfect for our type of trip.  They do have rules for student groups.  All students have to be in there rooms and quiet after 10:00 pm.  You can't leave your room.  The main reason for this is your safety.  The 2nd reason is that if you are noisy (and slamming doors are noisy) the hotel can kick us out of the hotel.  This means that you will get to sleep  while standing up in a cold parking lot.  The bus drivers won't open the bus.  Your chaperones will be rather angry.

 We like our hotels and have stayed in all of them before.  Don't mess it up for us.  We want to use these hotels again.

Photo  Tips:
 

• Make sure that you are in all your pictures. 

• If you have a time/date stamp on your camera use it.   

• Lower your resolution (you can take more pictures)

• Get a bigger SD (memory) Card (Most kids take 500-700 pictures.

• Jackie takes amazing group pictures which you will be able to download

• We will take lots of group shots (make sure you are in all of them)

• Keep you camera on a neck strap or wrist strap. Don't drop your camera.

• Have your friends take lots of pictures of you (in case you lose or break your camera)

• Don't use your flash in the bus (Turn it off because it's dangerous)

• Use your flash outside on cloudy days.

I hate flip flops because someone is always stubbing their toe or freezing from cold feet. March is not the weather to wear flip flops.  Wear solid comfortable sneakers, cross-trainers or running shoes.

Chaperone Fact: - Bill McMurray has an uncle who rescues sick monkeys.  Jackie Favrets family owns a heating and air conditioning families.  Rachelle Speth and Jackie Favret were in a Color Guard team together.  Larry Jenkins has marched in four Indianapolis 500s as part of the Purdue University Band.  Sema Akgun Thimmes was a counselor for International Students at her University. 

2/12/09

A number of you are driving to Westerville on the 20th March. The best time to arrive is after 1pm and before 6pm.  If you arrive after 6PM you might not find anything to eat.  We are having a pizza party that evening at the Ramada North.  When you arrive go to the chaperone in the lobby who will check you in and give you your room number and key.  If you arrive in the afternoon you are free to take off from the hotel (there aren't many places to go.  Across the main street is a beautiful park, Sharon Woods, which has great walking trails.   Near the hotel there is a Wendy's, KFC, and a Mexican Restaurant if you are hungry. 

If you are flying in, go straight to the Baggage claim area (even if you are carrying your own baggage. There will be someone to meet you and get you a ride to the hotel. That person will have a Rotary Eastern Adventure sign. If your flight is delayed enroute we will give you a phone number to call so we can know when to expect you.

Columbus is the capitol of Ohio and is a very large city (1.8 million). Westerville, where the first night hotel is located is in the Northeast corner of metropolitan Columbus.  It is a nice community of about 70,000 people.  There are two Rotary Clubs in Westerville and about 15 in the greater Columbus area.

Those of you coming from Michigan should check in with Ellen Blauer as she is driving a number of students to Westerville.  Her email is ryeblauer@yahoo.com.

Ask your friends if the are getting these emails.  It's really important for them to read these.  If not tell them to email me. bill@mcmurraytravel.com.

Chaperone Fact:  Sema Thimmes is from Istanbul, Turkey, and was an exchange student 5 years ago in Ohio.  She liked it so much she came back to college and is living here, having married her beloved Josh (whom she met through an outbound exchange student in her school).  Sema has a degree in business. Sema went on the Western Trip as a student and as a chaperone. 

2/10/09

If you are being driven to Columbus for the trip remember that you have to be here on March 20 and be picked up on March 28th. Those who are flying in arrive March 20th also, but don't leave until the morning of March 29th. We are providing hotel rooms for those flying on that last night.

Drop off is at the Ramada North Hotel (see website for map) after 1 pm. Pick up is at the Baymont Suites at Port Columbus Airport (also on the web site). Only Students who are flying will be staying at the Baymont Suites.

If you are flying you should have your flights booked and ticketed by now. If not call Jeanne McMurray at 800-783-2359 Monday through Friday, 12:00 pm to 5:00 pm Eastern Standard Time and get that finalized. Airline tickets cost extra.

If you haven't paid all your money for the trip DO SO. We are finalizing hotels. If you cancel at this time you will lose 25% of the cost of the trip.

There is space on the trip available for friends, but please tell them to hurry.

Trip fact: Many of the buildings in downtown Boston date from the American Revolution in 1775-1783. Boston looked very different in 1775. It was basically an Island with a little causeway connecting it to the mainland. Since then all the shallow harbor has been filled in with debris and has had building built on it. Where we drop you off is the oldest part of the city and is a lot of fun.

2/4/09

You received an email from Allan Forsythe yesterday. He is the chairman of the trip. He is also quite lovable in a strange sort of way.

One reason this trip  works so well is that we want the students to own the trip. To do so we assign a number of you to be team leaders.  Team leaders are like the parliament for students. We ask that you help students who are having problems.  Give out information we give you in meetings and tell me and the chaperones if there are things you or other students do not like, or do like about the trip.  It takes almost no time and is a way to get more involved in the trip.  We meet every two days in my room before 10pm and we exchange ideas to make the trip better.  It has worked great over 10 years and team leaders have actually saved lives of other students.  If you would like to be one let me know.  I have assigned a few students to this already from my district.

I have updated the email web site so you can read all the past emails for the Eastern Trip (and the western trip).  Check out http://www.mcmurraytravel.com/rotemails09.htm and catch up on what I have been raving about.

Check out the pictures on the rooming list web site.  Did you know that young Abraham Lincoln is on the trip, as is an extremely ugly fish, a sumo wrestler in a tutu and a bunch of bananas. 

Next week is Abraham Lincoln's 200th Birthday.  He was president during the American Civil War (1861-65), was our first assassinated president, and came from extremely poor background.  Most people consider him our greatest president.
 

2/3/09

When you get to Washington DC you keep hearing about the Mall.  The mall is not a big shopping center. It's the park which is surrounded by the US Capitol, the Smithsonian Museums, the Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial and Korean Memorial.  Much of what we are going to visit is surrounds the mall.   The Mall is where the people were gathered during President Obama's inauguration .

The fun part of any trip is the journey are the things you see along the way.  We'll be traveling on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, which is the first major four lane highway in the USA and one of the first two in the world (the Autobahn is about the same age).  Built on an old railroad it travels through some beautiful mountains.  Driving through New Jersey into New York you can see the first gasoline refinery ever built.  Between New York and Boston in Connecticut you can see where the Atomic Submarines were invented and the largest factory of Atomic Submarines in the world.  You will also drive past Yale University in Connecticut. The New York Thurway follows the Erie Canal.  Upstate New York is some of the most beautiful country in the USA.  Our hotel in New Jersey is a short distance from Giant's Stadium.  Our hotel in Washington is off the campus of the University of Maryland.  Jackie and I will be pointing out places all along the way. 

Make sure you have plenty of memory for your digital camera.  Usually students take between 500 and 750 photos on this trip.  A good idea is to reduce your resolution to 2 or 3 megapixels so you have more room to take picture.   When you take pictures make sure you are in most of your pictures. 

We like to take group pictures and usually Jackie and I will take a master shot which we will upload on the web site which you can download.  We took group pictures last year at the White House, Capitol, Statue of Liberty, Old North Church in Boston and a few other places. 

We are serious about enforcing the 4 Ds and Drinking, Drugs and "Doing It" will get you sent home (you don't have opportunity to drive).  My favorite D is the 5th D, Don't be Dumb (which gets most kids sent home).  Use your brain and don't do anything stupid and you will have the best trip of your life.  Which is our goal.

Jackie Favret is my co-leader on the trip and she has a great deal to do with putting this trip together.  Jackie is a regular volunteer in Youth Exchange and has been active on these trips for 3 years.
 

2/2/09

We are still working on the rooming list. Make sure you look at the website and the following link: http://www.mcmurraytravel.com/roteastpixrooming09.htm so we have you in the right room and your picture isn't hideously ugly.   If you haven't sent me a picture I have found one of my own to represent you. 

Make sure you are set on getting to the tour.  Check with Jeanne at our office 800-783-2359 to get it straight. Jeanne has been working on it.  Email Jeanne directly jeanne@mcmurraytravel.com for particulars and cost. 

Most of you are driving to the tour.  There is a map of where to find the hotel on the web site at link http://www.mcmurraytravel.com/roteast%20pickupdropoffinstruction.htm
That should help a bit.

Tell your friends about the trip. There are still places left. 
 

1/30/09

We have plenty of places left on the Eastern (and the Western Trip) so tell your friends so they can get signed up.  We are running two buses.  The rooming list is linked to the main web site and shows your room mates and what bus/room you are in.  There are pictures.

We have a very tight schedule on the Eastern Trip so you can't be late.  We leave early every morning and spend the entire day touring.  If someone is late we miss things.  So make sure you take something to wake you up every morning like an alarm clock.  When we give you a time to be on the bus make sure you are there at least 5 minutes before that time.  In the past RYE Students have been wonderful in this.

We really do trust exchange students and we do give you a lot of free time to wander on your own in different cities.  There is one ABSOLUTE RULE.  You must stay in groups of 4 or more.  No individuals or couples wondering off.  The reason for this rule is safety.  4 kids traveling together are not a crime target. You also can share the cost of a taxi if you need to.  

In New York we don't want you taking the Subway.  For 4 people taxis are about the same price and more direct and safer.  You don't want to waste your time.  Some of the kids walked all over New York.  One group walked from Wall Street to 59th St., about 10 miles.  You have to be careful crossing the street because New Yorkers will run you over without a thought.  One thing though, you have to stay in groups of 4.  Chaperones are all over and if we catch you alone you get to spend all the free times you have with the chaperones.

If you don't have a group to go with. You can join the chaperones in their explorations.  We go to some very cool places (I love New York) and I know the city very well having lived there for 4 years.  Jackie and the other chaperones really knows the city well.

Chaperone Fact:  Last year the Chaperones visited the Nexus of the Center of the Universe in New York and the best Cup Cake Bakery in the World and ate pizza where the mafia enjoys their pizza.
 

1/27/09

ROOMING: I have been working on rooming list.  I moved people all over the place (and have fixed a few since I put it on line.  LOOK AT IT PEOPLE.  Let me know if you are happy with everything and we can move on.  I do keep people from the same rotary district in the same bus for the most part.

THOSE WHO FLY: Jeanne in our office has been working hard on the flight information.  Please contact her asap (Email is fine at jeanne@mcmurraytravel.com)  She can not book the tickets until she gets your OK on her flight schedule and she gets your credit card.  We take credit cards ONLY on these flights.

THOSE WHO DRIVE: Most of you won't be flying so you need to get to the Ramada Inn North in Westerville Ohio on March 20 after 1:00pm.   Make sure you have worked out the details with your district chair and committee on how you are going to get here. '

We need final payments on this tour.  We are leaving in less that two months. More like 7 weeks from now.  VERY SOON>

Packing:  It can get really cold in March.  Bring gloves, warm clothes in layers and something rainproof.  There is a good packing list on the web site.

This is the 200th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's Birth.  He was President during the American civil war and is often considered our greatest president.  While President he had a son die in the white house, a wife who went insane and he was assassinated just a couple of days after the war ended.  Shot by a famous actor.  It would have been like Brad Pitt shooting the president. John Wilkes Booth was the Brad Pitt of his time.  We will see his amazing monument in the Washington Mall and maybe you can visit the Ford Theater where he was shot.  It's free and amazing.

All the Smithsonian Museums are free admission.

Chaperone Fact: We have two Engineers for chaperones, Rachelle Speth and Larry Jenkins.  We also have a few people who really stink at Math.

1/26/09

ave just finished redoing the Eastern Trip rooming list.  Look and give me you feelings about your room mates.  Tell me what changes you would like to make. We can't make any more changes after February 10.

If any of your friends have not signed up to join the trip please have them contact me. We still have plenty of places to fill.

If you don't see a picture of yourself on the rooming list please send me a picture.  If you don't I will have to put one of my stock pictures of reptiles and movie monsters. I have having places without pictures. 

Please get your final payments to us.  It's important.

Make sure you friends who have arrive mid-year send their applications for the trip as soon as possible. and have them contact me.

Rule Fact:  On three different occasions students have been nearly arrested for playing ball in hotel parking lots.  Because of this we don't allow you to play ball in hotel parking lots. 

1/22/09

First thing we still have 27 places left on the trip so tell your friends about it.  It is a great trip and fun.

If you are flying to meet the trip (so far 28 of your are flying here) please bear with us as we are trying to coordinate everything properly.   Hopefully most of you will be done by Monday.   We want as many of you flying on the same planes as possible.

We have been working on the itinerary and trying to make it better (which we always do). We are planning on visiting the US Capitol Visitors Center.  Unfortunately we can't get a guided tour of the Capitol but the new visitors center is really interesting. 
If you watching the inauguration this pass week, we are going to be all over that area. We are adding more time at the Museum of Immigration on Ellis Island near the Statue of Liberty. Another itinerary chance is a little more time walking around Harvard University's Harvard Yard.  We are also planning on seeing Plymouth Rock, with the first settlers in New England arrived in the new world in 1620.  (The Spanish had been here for 28 years by that time.

We will be shifting rooms around. Please let me know if there is someone else you would like to room with or if you hate your room mate you have now.  Check out  http://www.mcmurraytravel.com/roteastpixrooming09.htm to check who is rooming with whom.  Some rooms on Bus A will be on Bus B and some Bus B rooms will be moved to Bus A. 

Remember that final payment date was 3 days ago. Please get your money into McMurray Travel. 

Chaperone Facts:  Jackie Favret knows enough French to be dangerous.  Jaz Lux speaks Spanish and Tagalog.  Alex Von Lautz speaks German (of course) and French. Rachelle and Larry speak Engineer. Many of us know swear words in most languages.  Bill used to have a room which looked over the Statue of Liberty.   Bill lived in Manhattan for 2 years. 

Trip Facts:   The Statue of Liberty was building on the site of an old Civil War Fort.  The base of the statue was part of the fort.

1/16/09

This link shows how much money you owe on the trip.  We have been very careful but remember that the final payment is due January 19.  If you can't get it to me and haven't contacted me please do so.
http://www.mcmurraytravel.com/roteastowes.htm

We have a new web site with letters from students who have been on the trip in the past.  It tells you a lot about what the trips are like. http://www.mcmurraytravel.com/thankyourotarytrip.htm  We love doing them.

I spent much of today update the web site and making it easier for you to understand so take a look at it and check out some of the links.  I spent a lot of time explaining how to get air tickets for those of you who are flying in.  http://www.mcmurraytravel.com/roteast09.htm.  Check out the web sites at least weekly.  We update it all the time and there might be some important changes.

Jeanne (who does the tickets)  has been out of the office all week with a terrible flu, but is expected back in next week.  Send her an email with your departure city, what Rotary district you will with, who you expect to be flying with, and she will need your credit card.  This is the only thing for which we can take a credit card (the airlines pay the fee). http://www.mcmurraytravel.com/rotary_eastern_trip_flying_instr.htm

You should read and look on the internet and TV about the places we are going so you can get the most out of them.  Watch the inauguration next week and you'll see many things about Washington.  Get on the internet and check out the Smithsonian Institution, White House and Capitol.  New York has had so many books written about it.  We will be at Rockefeller Center, Times Square, Chinatown, Harlem, Upper West Side and Central Park area.  Each of these places have hundreds of books written about them.  Boston is interesting. Check out the John Adams DVD which describes what Boston was like. We center our activities in the oldest part of the city.  A great movie are the National Treasure movies which cover almost every place we are going this year on the Eastern and Western Trip.

Where that plane crashed in the Hudson River yesterday is where we will be when we come out of the Lincoln Tunnel.  We drive right by where the dramatic rescue of 155 people took place. 

The Chaperones are going through 3 hours of training tomorrow to get ready for all of you.  They are a fun and dedicated group and we are excited about the trip.  Each of them is a great person and fun to talk to.  Check out http://www.mcmurraytravel.com/rotinfo.htm to learn more about them.  Look up Alex Von Lautz, he just updated his biography for this page.  He is a fun and great guy who has helped many American exchange students in Germany.  He has visited so many of the kids who were on his trip including my daughter when she was in Turkey.

1/13/09

Tell you friends that there are still places left on the Eastern Adventure. Any inbound Rotary exchange student in USA or Canadian Rotary districts are welcomed on the trip.

Confirmation: You can tell if you are confirmed on the trip by seeing your name on the website http://www.mcmurraytravel.com/roteastpixrooming09.htm  If you name is highlight in red ink then we need something from you like an application or payment. There will be a web page on the site this week show who owes what.

Final payment is next Monday, January 19. Let me know if there is a problem. You can pay with a check or money order.  If you are using a credit card, buy a Money order and send that. Make it out to McMurray Travel Service, and mail to 787-C South State St., Westerville Ohio 43081. Remember the trip cost $825. 

If you are unhappy: When you are on the trip and you are unhappy about something your room mates, or chaperones are doing please come to one of the tour leaders, Jackie Favret or me. Don't suffer in silence, we are here to make sure you have an amazing trip.

We are having an epidemic here and most of our office is home sick, so bear with us if you are calling for something specific. 

Washington DC is a beautiful city. You will have some free time there to explore that city.
What I recommend you see is a couple of great places during your free time.  The Holocaust Museum is sad and upsetting, but worth seeing.  Walt to he beautiful Library of Congress behind the capital.  We hope to go to the visitors center of the capitol, but if it doesn't make it into our tour you can go individually.  There are 20+ world class museums you can visit.  The last couple of years we have been seeing the Art Museums in the Mall (that is the name of the park in the middle of Washington).

Chaperone Fact:  Joe Lux  and Bill McMurray were born in Marion Ohio, the popcorn capital of Ohio.  Jaz Lux was born in the Panama Canal Zone. 

1/6/09

One thing you need to do is keep looking at the Rotary Trip Web Sites at least weekly.

Check out these links and put them in your favorite bookmarks.

http://www.mcmurraytravel.com/roteastpixrooming09.htm
Make sure your name and picture is right.  If you hate your picture email me a new one. Some I stole from Facebook.

http://www.mcmurraytravel.com/roteast09.htm
We change this all the time and update itinerary changes, new information and the latest things you need to know.  Read carefully and check frequently.

http://www.mcmurraytravel.com/rotemails09.htm
This is a little behind the times, but if you just joined the trip look at it for information you might have missed.

http://www.mcmurraytravel.com/FAQ.htm
This has all the questions we are asked all the time.  Look at it and you should know what you need to know.

http://www.mcmurraytravel.com/rotinfo.htm
Our chaperones are really great people and you need to get to know them.  We do have people drop out of being chaperones, so check frequently for new additions.  You can contact them by email by clicking on links.  All will have links shortly.

http://www.mcmurraytravel.com/roteast09hotels.htm
This shows where you are sleeping on the trip and tells your family where they can get hold of you during the trip.  These are pretty nice hotels.

Chaperone News:  Chaperone Jaz Lux is expecting a baby so be nice to her on the trip.

12/22/08

ake sure you tell you friends to get their applications in for the trip.  We are half filled at this point and hope to have enough for two buses.  Right now we have filled the first bus and are starting to fill the second bus.

Hope you have a Happy Holiday in the USA.  We really do get into the Christmas Holidays in a big way here.  Make sure you be good during the holidays. There are many ways to get into trouble during this time of the year with all the parties.  Make sure you be aware of that as we really want the chance to meet you in March.

Trip Fact:  New York has the best Hot Dogs in the world.  On the street "dirty water" hotdogs like Sabretts are absolutely delicious.   Also when you are in New York there is a great chance you might see some celebrities.  In the past we have seen Beyonce, Gwen Stephanie, Sean Penn, and many other famous people in our recent trips.

Chaperone Fact:  Bill McMurray lived in New York City for 4 years.  He attended NYU Graduate school there and was in the military (Coast Guard) there.  He met his wife, Jeanne, who is a native New Yorker, while living there. 

12/11/08

There are a number of people on the trip who still need to send their deposits for the trip. Remember you are not really on the trip until we receive the application. That means if we can only run one bus the first 50 people to put down a deposit are locked on the trip.   We are confident we will have 100 students, but you never know with today's economy.

Also send me a picture for the web site so we can identify you on the trip. Check out http://www.mcmurraytravel.com/roteastpixrooming09.htm .  If you don't send me a picture I put one on of what I imagine you to look like.  Usually not pretty.

If you emailed me an application can you mail be the original. 

We don't do bank transfers.  Send a money order, US Bank check or something similar. No credit cards because they charge 3-4% and we could have to pass that along.

Chaperones Info:  Jackie Favret is a volunteer at RYE District 6690 and has been involved on these trips for 3 years.  She is very good at art history and if you like art is a good person to hang around in Washington and New York as she usually hits museums.  

Trip Fact: One of the coolest places we go is Ellis Island Museum of Immigration.  Here millions of people came to the USA from other countries.  It is a very impressive museum and you can usually look up relatives who came to the USA in the past. 
 

12/2/08

Make sure you have sent your deposit on the trip.  You aren't really on the trip until we receive that.

We have one rule when you have free time in these cities.  You have to stay in groups of 4 or more.  We love to see 10 to 20 of you walking around together, but you can't go around by yourself.  If we see you alone you get to spend the rest of the day with the chaperones. How much fun is that? Especially for we chaperones.

Our buses are really nice and have bathrooms on board.  You are allowed one piece of luggage (a squishy duffel is best, a suitcase if you have nothing else), and a backpack or book bag.  You won't have a chance to wash clothes so bring enough clothes for the entire trip.  In your back pack carry your music (ipod etc), snacks, drinks, gloves, hat and scarf, books, pencils, notepad to write down what you are seeing, digital camera and make up. Use your backpack like a purse to save you stuff to carry.

Chaperone Fact:  Larry Jenkins has been involved in a lot of Rotary student activities.  He helped start Interact in Westerville, been a Boy Scout Eagle Scout, and was a percussionist on the Purdue University Marching Band (which has the largest drum in the world). Larry has two little kids (a boy and a girl) and a dog named Indy.  Check out more chaperon biographies and pictures at http://www.mcmurraytravel.com/rotinfo.htm 

There are 44 people on the trip as of today. Bus 1 is a go and we will fill it up this week.  By Christmas we may have filled up the other bus if last year is something to go by.  It was filled by December 31 last year.   Make sure the other kids in your district have signed up as well as your Rotary friends.This trip will go with two buses and a total of 100 exchange student.
 

11/25/08

Send me some information about ourself by email.  Bill@mcmurraytravel.com.

Just a note to remember that you aren't really on the trip until I received your deposit and applications.  So make sure you get those to me as soon as possible. We are getting lots of applications and once the trip fills, those who have not sent their deposit will go off the trip is there is an application received with the deposit.  Final payment of the trip will be due January 18, which isn't very far away.

Rooming:  We will try to put you where you want to room except in the following times. If you district chair has a comment about who you might not be good with we will listen to him or her.  If you haven't asked to room with someone, we'll put you in a room with your District folks.  We will always put you on the same bus with kids from your district. You can change room up to 1 month before departure (when we send the rooming lists to the hotel).

Why in the hell do we have that rule? - We have a rule about playing ball in parking lots (we don't allow it).  Why do we have that rule?  It's because on three occasions damage has been done to cars by people playing ball in parking lots. In one case a student was almost arrested. 

We are Family!!!!   Exchange students are weird and wonderful creatures and one thing we have learned in the last 10 years that 100 exchange students on a trip become like one large dysfunctional family.  It really is fun and the main reason we keep doing this crazy thing.  Treat everyone on the trip like they are a relative you like. 

The language of the Trip is English: We required that everyone speaks English on the trip.  This was a suggestion by a bunch of our exchange students.  They get upset because they feel left out by one group of another speaking their own language. So speak English on the trip.

Chaperone Fact:  Alex Von Lautz is a German Rotex and former trip participant.  Alex speaks English with a North Carolina accent.   Jackie Favret lives with her blackberry in her hand and has the most annoying ring of any person in the world. Bill McMurray has a total inability to concieve of any language so he constantly mispronounces names and foreign words.  Inspite of having a daughter who is a linguist (who is fluent in spanish and Turkish and speaks Arabic reasonably well).   

11/18/08

The Eastern Trip is filling up nicely and should go filled.  If you have friends who are interested in doing this trip, please have them contact me as soon as possible. 

The trip is a definite go  (WE ARE NOT CANCELING IT).
 
 One of the reasons our trip is a success is we are very strict on enforcing our rules.  We don't have any rule on this trip that doesn't have a very good and established reason.  The four Ds are obvious, they are Rotary Rules.  Drinking, Drugs, and Sex will get you sent home from your Host Club.  The same is true from the trip.  Our curfew rule is important because we do this trip every year and we have long time relationships with many of our hotels.  Their rules have restrictions on students out of the rooms after 10 pm.  Our hotels love us because our exchange students are so good.  If we have people in the hall after 10 pm, people complain and the group is not invited back.  Our hotels are very nice, we like them.   It seems early but you have to get up verrrrrrrry early.  It makes sense. The other important reason is that we want you to get a good night's sleep because we see SO MUCH STUFF. 

Sorry not to write more frequently, Lexi, my oldest daughter and long time chaperone on the trip got married this weekend.  I have been pre-occupied.

Trip Facts: We will be in Washington during the early days of President Elect Obama's term; Fall River, Mass. (near our Boston Hotel) has been settled by Portuguese and Brazilian immigrants; Washington DC was designed by a Frenchman; The University of Maryland's (near our Washington Hotel) football team is called the Terrapins, which is  kind of turtle.

Chaperone Fact: Jazalene is not some kind of bio-fuel.... it's one of our chaperones.  Jaz Lux. Rachelle Speth is a plane freak (she is an aeronautical engineer) and has a large B-2 Bomber Tattoo on her back. Several of our chaperones have body art. 

11/03/08

It is only a few months until we go on the Eastern Trip and the time will go very fast.

Make sure you check the website all the time for new information on the trip.  The best web site to link in your computer is http://www.mcmurraytravel.com/rotrip.htm
It has all the links to answer your questions.

The Eastern Trip is 20 percent filled, and filling pretty quickly.  Tell your friends to get their applications in. 

New York is a fun place and is pretty large.  There are 5 boroughs or counties in New York.  Where we will be is Manhattan Island.  The island is connected to the mainland (New Jersey where our hotel is) on the west and Long Island on the East.   There are hundreds of tunnels and many bridges connecting Manhattan. Manhattan is 15 miles from.  Wall Street is the oldest part of the city.  The building where George Washington was sworn in as the first president of the USA is right in the middle of Wall Street.  It's called Wall Street because there was a wall there to keep out the Indians.   We will be exploring the entire city.

If you want to see a cool web site about New York check out http://home.nyc.rr.com/jkn/nysonglines/index.htm
This website is filled with really interesting places in New York.

10/16/08

Thanks for joining the Rotary Eastern Adventure in 2009.  We have been doing this trip for six years and it's always been a great trip and a great deal of fun.   There should be 100 exchange students from approximately 30 countries on this trip. They will be living all over the USA and Canada and maybe even the Bahamas.

 I also do the Western Trip (This year is our 10th version) and if you aren't signed up for that yet, I would think about it soon.  It sells out very quickly and is our best trip. About 80 percent of the kids on the Eastern want to go on the Western.  

This year we are going to Washington, New York, Boston, and Niagara Falls as many places  in between these great cities.  You will get a chance to explore on your own as well as with a fantastic group of experienced chaperones.   

The Rotary Trip is part of your exchange experience.  I have been a Rotarian for 16 years and am inbound RYE Chair for 6690. 

We only have a few rules but we are really strict in our enforcement of them.  
The 4 Ds, especially Alcohol, Drugs and Sex will get you sent home quickly.  Usually that means you will not only end your trip but your exchange.  We use the same great hotels year after year and to do that we have to follow their rules.  One is you have to be in your room and quiet at 10PM every night.  No exceptions. The other rules are on our web site which is http://www.mcmurraytravel.com.roteast09.htm.

I like to communicate in Emails so you must read the emails. There will be very important information in the emails, as well as some cool information and fun facts.  All the emails can be found on the web site.

Fun Trip Fact: Washington DC was built on land once owned by George Washington.