My most recent group with Smithsonian Journeys

As many of you know, a number of ATA employees have led tours as Tour Managers this year (in fact, Kate is staffing tour in China as I write this!)  With my experience in and love for Italy, Emma Impavido, Program Manager, sent me out to staff a tour several times there this year.   What I learned about our travelers, their expectations, their motivations, etc. provided an entirely new perspective of qualitative information  than I could not gain otherwise.  For reference, I staffed SJ’s Vesuvius tour in May; Grandtravel Italy’s Splendor in July; and SJ’s Galileo in October but I focus mostly on the SJ travelers.

Our Traveler Profile:  SJ travelers are sophisticated; well-read; well-traveled and expect the highest quality.  They crave experiential learning and authentic immersion into the culture.  With the recession looming above us all on each tour, value was the key focus.  This is particularly true with the boomer audience we serve, as they are selective and can differentiate when they are receiving value in services.  But it is not enough to “deliver the goods” like nice hotels, good meals, etc.; this audience expects the highest customer service.  Having every detail taken care of for them is of optimal importance.  They don’t want to know what goes on behind the scenes; they want to know that the use of their time has been carefully planned and packed.  Emma’s level of sophistication in planning was recognized on these tours because every minute was maximized.  What is important to remember is that many times the travelers in my groups had been to Italy before but they have not been to that particular part of Italy or had not spent time focusing on the particular content of the tour when in Italy.  So that niche highly-customized tour content and talented study leaders were key to these travelers.   In Naples, a couple said to me that they had been there many times before but never spent a whole day in Pompeii and that is why they came on tour.  Along with the credentials of our beloved study leader, Federico Poole, travelers came because they craved the content.  They read the books beforehand, saw relevant movies, talked with their friends and now they wanted the experience.

That kind of experience on an SJ tour is like no other because you are privy to exclusive special access.  This year, our SJ travelers have been in a special section of the National Archaelogical Musuem in Naples not open to the public; in a part of the Duomo of Florence closed off to visitors; and to a private observatory at night to be awed by the magnificent site of Jupiter with 2 rings around it from the oculous of a telescope that was as big as our ATA conference room.  These are just some of the unique behind-the-scenes experiences that the tours provided the travelers – the magical type moments.

I was surprised, at times, that the qualities that embody a good Tour Manager are sometimes not what you would think.  I found myself digging deep to use skills that I don’t regularly have to use in the office (patience, for one!)  It pushed me to expand myself  and was a good opportunity to go out of my comfort zone at times – which is, of course, when we all learn the most.

Pre-trip planning: Can you think of a better phone call to make than the pre-trip phone call?  All the travelers are excited, some nervous, but all looking forward to a trip of a lifetime!  It’s not a bad phone call when you finish with, “Great, then – I will see you in Venice!” The pre-trip phone call is important and when I meet travelers at the airport I am always amazed that travelers will refer to the conversation that we had on the phone. As for my own pre-trip planning,  I study multiple workbooks on Italian verb drills and expressions; chat with my Italian friends on Facebook ; queue up Netflix Italian foreign films; and read up on the destinations as much as I can to submerge myself in the culture before I get there.

The tour is for education and for fun.  Travelers should never see the deluge of work tour managing is every day; the endless phone calls preparing for the next day; the conversations confirming every movement of the group at each destination; the furious runs across piazzas to different ATMs (that you haven’t yet maxed) to gather as much euro as possible to pay everyone for the day;  the negotiation with a restaurant for better seating/serving, etc. all the while never acting stressed and always smiling.   Travelers should be shielded from the details and immersed in the fun and learning.

What they want is a flawless trip with happy people so having a “can do” positive attitude is imperative.  And just like in life, having a good sense of humor can go miles as a Tour Manager.  And luckily, in this warm-hearted country, a sense of humor is appreciated.  As travelers sometimes encounter problems on tour, the Tour Manager must first of all listen attentively and always respond positively and with an action plan.  They want to see you as competent and action-oriented but first they want you to hear them out.

Lastly, a tour manager shouldn’t be afraid to negotiate on tour with vendors, suppliers, restaurants, hotels, etc.  The Program Manager can only set up so much beforehand but if the Tour Manager senses that things could be improved for the travelers and it is within reason and the cost we have already paid, the tour manager is responsible for making these types of situations right and in the least amount of commotion as possible to maximize the enjoyment for the travelers.  If tour plans change unexpectedly (and sometimes they do), the Tour Manager should be honest with the group that there is a change of plans and spin the new plan (as they make it up) as something better and truly unique.

Tour managing is a test of resourcefulness; aggregating multitudes of details; and delivering it all in a professional and competent manner.

Emilia Pawlowski

Academic Travel Aborad

Ranch in front of Grand Teton peak (center-left)

In August I had the thrill of landing at the airport in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Though I’ve seen the Tetons before, there is still no way to describe the first glimpse – or any glimpse – of that unmistakable range as you approach the valley. The airplane dips quickly and all of a sudden you’re on the ground looking up at those magnificent peaks,  thinking wow, even Ansel Adams could not capture this.

There are no jet ways in Jackson, so you deplane down the steps directly on to the tarmac. As before, I smiled at the sight of airport personnel in their orange vests, unsmiling, vigorously waving passengers on from the bottom of the steps to the terminal. It’s a daily occurrence for them, I bet – rounding up passengers who are so dumbstruck by the scene before their eyes that they stop dead, fumble for cameras, and immediately begin to take pictures, sometimes wandering toward the Tetons as if those mountains will disappear at any second. The peaks can become shrouded by clouds pretty quickly, I know, but I don’t think that the photographers really have that thought. They just could not imagine missing the opportunity to record the gift in front of them and taking it home. I want to tell them, don’t worry….even if you don’t get the picture, you will take the image home.

We loaded luggage into our rental car and headed up he road to nearby Moose, for a couple of night stay at a historic ranch. We drove up and down that road during the three days we were there, so fortunate that clear weather allowed us to see the Tetons every single day. It may be a cliché to say that the mountain faces change constantly – but, I’m convinced that a time release camera would prove that they changed not by the hour, but by the minute, perhaps by the second.

Our minds cleared as we allowed the landscape to soak in, feeling like the crystal clear air and brilliant sky were doing their work on our cluttered brains. No emails, little phone contact, instead fragrant sage flats, the winding Snake River, and those towering peaks, more powerful than all the emails in the world.

People ask me fairly often – what is your favorite place? The world is full of marvels, and I have been so very lucky to see amazing places in my travels. But that question is an easy one for me. I grew up in the Midwest, but, when I’m in the Tetons, I am home.

Janet Varn

Program Manager
Academic Travel Abroad

Remembering and honoring an event such as D-Day is a much larger task than I had ever imagined.

It has been about a week now since my return from the Normandy beaches with a group of UVA Alumni travelers (with Cavalier Travels) where so many American, British, Australian, Polish and even French troops had landed on June 6, 1944 and I have a very profound new appreciation for their service and sacrifices.

A small German bunker at Utah Beach

The operation was the largest amphibious invasion in history, consisting of an armada of ships numbering over 5,000 and a total of over 175,000 troops who stormed Omaha, Utah, Sword and Juno beaches covering a 50-mile long stretch of the Normandy coastline.  These ships approached these shores on the morning of June 6^th in miserable conditions, with rain, wind, and low visibility and were asked to do the seemingly impossible – to take these beaches back from the Germans and initiate the liberation of mainland Europe.  As their amphibious barges dropped their gates and the men jumped into the murky Channel waters, they were immediately met with German gunfire.   Losses began to accrue immediately and continue at an alarming rate throughout the assault.

To walk these beaches in similar conditions to the day of their landing (cloudy and rain) really helped us all envision what these soldiers had gone through.  Utah beach was calm, almost silent as I walked along the sandy shoreline, imagining what it must have been like.  Omaha was different, but only because of the driving rain and high tide.  The new memorial sculpture jutted through the breaking waves almost seemed to be reaching out to the boys who had fallen on “that” beach on “that” day.  Sword and Juno also invoked the same kinds of thoughts of the great losses and the valiant efforts of so many.

Rommell's headquarters at La Roche Guyon

We began in magnificent Paris, visiting many historical spots long the way, learning about occupied Paris and the French Resistance during occupation.   We then drove from Paris to Normandy, stopping along the way to Visit La Roche Guyon where Rommell set up his Atlantic Wall headquarters and a brief stop at Giverny, the home of Claude Monet for a tour of his home and colorful gardens. Once in Normandy,  we visited the small town of St. Mere Eglise where the predawn 505^th Airborne parachutists had dropped into the awaiting hands of German soldiers, many being killed before touching the ground.  Others drowning in the nearby marshes due to a missed drop point.  We walked across the embattled stretch of the Pegasus Bridge, a key target that the Allies needed to secure before the first men hit the nearby beaches that morning.  We drove across terrain riddled with hedge groves thick enough to stop Sherman tanks in their tracks and where German gunneries had used these thick natural boundaries as camouflaged gun sites.

Mr. Hausermann speaks to us at his Chateaux in Vierville-sur-Mer

But one of the most rewarding and thought provoking experience we experienced on this tour was our lunch invitation to the Chateaux of Mr. and Mrs. Hausermann in Vierville-Sur-Mer.  Mr. Hausermann had lived in this chateaux during the German occupation and shared with us his memories of those days while offering a lunch only to be found in the French countryside.  His stories helped us all understand that the young German soldiers were just as anxious and fearful of their fate as the Allied armies.  His memories truly helped us all realize that there really are no winners when it comes to wars of this scale.

Sixty-five years have passed but walking the American, British and German cemeteries made it feel like it was still fresh in many minds.  Their struggles, their sacrifices and their service are all things that we can only remember in our own personal ways.

Steve Muth
Tour Manager
Academic Travel Abroad

I’ve been traveling to China for, I’m shocked to admit, nearly 20 years. One of the first pictures I have of me in China was taken from the Bund in Shanghai, with my back to the Huangpu and, across the river, an expanse of rice paddies and run-down one-story buildings. I vaguely remember my friend telling me that the Shanghai government had just announced plans to develop a new economic zone in the area called Pudong. I was barely listening. In the aftermath of Tiananmen, a year and a half earlier, I more interested in politics than economics, and at any rate, on that dreary grey day, in that run-down city, I lacked the imagination to see what Shanghai would become.

I am further shocked to admit that I have been planning tours to China for nearly 16 years. This has enabled me to visit far-flung corners of the country, from Harbin in the far north to the border with Vietnam; from Qingdao on the Yellow Sea to Kashgar and the border with the Kyrgyz Republic. And yet, when people ask me where they should go when they visit China for the first (and quite possibly only) time, I always recommend Beijing, Xi’an, Shanghai, and, if time and money permit, one other place. That’s perhaps a little out of character, because I love to travel off the beaten path myself. However, some of my own most indelible impressions of China come from some of the “must-sees,” but doing them a little differently from most.

I never tire of going to the Great Wall. Even though I’ve seen it probably a dozen times, I still am blown away every time I trace its twisting path over and between the mountains north of Beijing. I of course avoid the Badaling section, preferring Mutianyu or, better yet, Jinshanling or Simatai, and I leave very early in the morning so I have the place mostly to myself.

These days it’s almost impossible to visit the Forbidden City and not share it with thousands of others, many of whom are wearing identical hats and are following a bullhorn. Fortunately, most of those thousands are only interested in the admittedly extremely impressive halls in the center of the City. I love to wander through the sections off to the sides, exploring the smaller rooms and hidden alleys. I’ve even been fortunate enough, through the amazing connections of my friends and partners at Hubei Overseas Travel Corporation, to visit, on occasion, sections not open to the public, where some of the most exquisite gems are hidden.

In Xi’an, it’s hard not to be overwhelmed by the scale of the terra cotta army of the emperor Qin Shi Huang. These days, anyone can take pictures of the soldiers and horses, and for a fee, anyone can go down to the VIP level for a slightly closer look and slightly better angle. What trumps both, though, is actually getting down into the pits and standing shoulder-to-shoulder with a 2200-year-old clay warrior. Again through the my friends at HOTC, I’ve had the opportunity to do that twice, and it remains one of the coolest experiences I’ve had in China.

In Shanghai, I love to visit the Shanghai Museum. In a city that is all about the future, the museum is a beautiful reminder of the thousands of years of exquisite artisanship that are otherwise obscured by the glass and steel and traffic and Maglev. And in the basement, closed off to the public, is a beautiful replica of a tea garden, with mood lighting that can be adjusted to simulate different times of day. It’s a peaceful place, in stark contrast to the hubbub above ground.

What I REALLY like about Shanghai, though, is the change. Shanghai is about growth, the future, transformation, possibility. Whenever I can, I go to the Bund and stand where I stood nearly 20 years ago and gaze over at the unimagined reality of what China has become.

Chris Roper
Program Manager

Academic Travel Abroad

Education abroad lets you see home in new light

• Source: Global Times

• [22:26 August 25 2009]

Link to article online at:

http://opinion.globaltimes.cn/commentary/2009-08/461114_2.html

• Comments

Editor’s Note:

Along with the emerging economy of China, Chinese language and culture are becoming more popular subjects of study in the US, and more students are coming to China to study. The following is an interview by the Global Times (GT) reporter Chen Chenchen with Mark Lenhart (Lenhart), director of CET Academic Programs, a Washington-based study abroad organization founded in 1982.

GT: How did CET start its business in China? Why do you bring students to China, rather than simply teaching them Chinese in the US?

Lenhart: The roots of CET are really in China. Our first Chinese language program was in Beijing in the summer of 1982. We expanded in China in the 1980s and 1990s, but CET did not begin to operate programs outside of China until 1997.

We now operate in Vietnam, Spain, Italy, and the Czech Republic, and we’re developing new programs in Japan and the Middle East. But more than 50 percent of CET’s students choose to study in China.

We currently send around 600 students to China, and the majority of them are American. This number is still growing.

It is estimated that about 60 percent of our students stay in China after they graduate. It is wonderful to see them build lives in China, find professional success, and contribute to China’s development.

Many students arrive in our programs with simplistic ideas about what China is like, and as time goes on and as they learn both inside and outside the classroom, their old views are challenged.

Some are critical of what they see, but by the end of their semester or academic year in China, they develop a more nuanced view. They come to understand how complicated China is and how much China has achieved in the last 30 years.

Quite often, they also develop a clearer picture of the US, and they arrive home more critical of American media, our foreign policy, and our economic system.

This is the true benefit of education abroad. Because students experience firsthand life in a very different country, they begin to think critically about the US and its role in the world. They are then in a much better position to solve problems and to create positive change.

GT: How does CET promote China overseas?

Lenhart: While CET makes an effort to distinguish its China programs from the competitors’ programs, we really don’t have to do much to promote China as a destination. Students know from the news, classes and friends that China is a fascinating place of contradictions and change. This is very exciting for me.

When I was a student in the mid- 1980s, it was difficult to find China in the US media or even as a subject in my college classes. Now there is something about China on the front page of the Wall Street Journal every day.

It is not CET’s job to represent China as traditional or modern. Instead, we try to expose students to as much as we can about China, and we try to give them the tools they need to make their own connections and to learn from their Chinese teachers and peers.

We have programs that offer students courses taught in English about China. These courses focus on a variety of topics, including Chinese history, China’s economy, and Chinese society.

Some of our faculty members are Chinese, and some are from other parts of the world, so they offer a variety of perspectives. No matter what their own views are, they try to present information about China objectively so that students can draw their own conclusions.

I personally find it fascinating to see how “traditional China” is presented to foreigners, just as I’m interested in how Americans represent the US to outsiders.

I’ve watched Peking Opera performances dozens of times, but the audience for these performances is nearly entirely foreign.

If foreigners did not visit China, would Peking Opera become a thing of the past?

Similarly, ethnic minorities in Yunnan Province have made a concerted effort to preserve and present their traditional culture to tourists from both abroad and China’s urban areas. If tourism did not exist, would these traditions survive?

I think it’s interesting to consider how everyday people represent their own culture. I hope our students think critically about these questions, and that they discuss them with their Chinese friends.

GT: According to the students’ feedback, have their China experiences changed their original perspectives and how?

Lenhart: Students often write to me that China “changed their lives.” They don’t always elaborate, but I think the changes I’ve described above are at the heart of what changes. They come home with a deeper understanding of China and the US.

In addition, many experience tremendous personal growth – they develop new levels of independence and confidence, and they start to think more broadly about “how to learn.”

Happily, most of our students also return home with lasting friendships with Chinese students. They all make an effort to maintain and renew these friendships when they stay in China after they graduate.

China also changed my life. Of course it was a completely different place when I first studied here in 1987. But my experience was not unlike what our students experience today. I made incredible friendships with Chinese students, I traveled more in China than I had ever in the US, and I had the privilege of meeting and learning from Chinese people from all walks of life.

I knew when I finally left China in 1992 that I would commit myself to promoting US-China educational exchange, and I’ve been very fortunate to be able to make a career out of this commitment.

GT: What suggestions do you have for those who deeply want to know about China, but don’t have a way to get here?

Lenhart: I think that most Americans can find ways to get to China, even if they face difficult economic constraints. There are more and more scholarships and loans available to students who wish to study overseas.

Since I believe that there really is nothing quite like studying in China, even for a very short time, my advice to those who face these barriers is to find ways around them.”

Link to article online at:

http://opinion.globaltimes.cn/commentary/2009-08/461114_2.html

ACADEMIC TRAVEL ABROAD, INC. LAUNCHES NEW SALES DIVISION

Professionals Abroad debuts on September 1, 2009

Washington, DC, September 2009—Academic Travel Abroad, a 59-year old international travel company that has served the country’s elite non-profit organizations, museums, and universities in operating specialized educational and cultural programs, will launch a new sales division on September 1^st.

Professionals Abroad will develop and market high quality international professional programs to associations for their members’ career development, continuing education and cultural enrichment. These programs will provide an opportunity for associations to engage in counterpart exchange and international outreach.  Dawn Davis, formerly the Executive Director of Citizen Ambassador Program, a division of the People to People Ambassador Program in Spokane, Washington, will lead the Professionals Abroad team. Dawn brings over twenty years of experience with professional delegations to ATA, and maintains strong relationships with many of the country’s largest professional organizations.

ATA has ensured its long term stability through diversification of its portfolio. In 1994, ATA acquired CET Academic Programs, a premier study abroad organization. In 2005, ATA acquired Grandtravel, the originator of travel programs designed exclusively for grandparents and grandchildren. In addition, the company manages the reservation and customer service centers for National Geographic Expeditions, Smithsonian Journeys, and The American Museum of Natural History’s Expeditions, as well as managing the overall AMNH tour program as the Museum’s outsource partner.

“We are delighted to be entering a new market,” said Chase Poffenberger, ATA’s Executive Vice President. “Dawn Davis brings a wealth of energy, creativity and professionalism to the company and we feel fortunate that she will be leading our new division.” While Dawn will reside in Washington State, she will travel to ATA’s offices in Washington, DC regularly and collaborate with ATA’s marketing, programming and customer service teams.

To learn more about this program, contact:

Chase Poffenberger
Executive Vice President
Academic Travel Abroad

Even in tough economic times, people are turning to group tours as a reliable way to travel that provides value and peace of mind. Tour operators negotiate group discounts, plan activities with smooth logistics in mind, access unique venues and draw on well-connected contacts in destinations around the globe. With years of experience under their belt, tour operators offer travelers the most value and security for their dollars.

Here are ten pointers from the National Tour Association’s latest newsletter that reinforces why Academic Travel Abroad is proud to be part of this organization of tourism professionals who share our common goals.

Excerpt from the NTA's "Trip Planner" for August 2009

Portrait of Galileo Galilei

Did you know it is the 400th anniversary of Galileo’s discovery of the telescope? I am very excited to be escorting this unique trip with Smithsonian Journeys which will take us through the major landmarks where Galileo lived, studied, and wrote his most landmark achievements. Leading us is an expert in communicating the wonderment of science to all types of audiences – popular Harvard scientist, David Aguilar.

Some highlights include Venice’s Murano Glass Factory to learn about the art of glass-making and see where Galileo obtained the very glass used in his telescope lenses. Later we are off to an evening of stargazing in Padua from the place where Galileo first discovered Jupiter’s moons, telling him more of the nature of orbiting planets in our solar system and directly contradicting established beliefs that everything revolved around the Earth. In Florence, we’ll visit where the great astronomer’s theories were first attacked from the pulpit in Santa Maria Novella, the city’s first great basilica and principal Dominican church. And in Arcetri, we’ll enjoy stunning views and glimpse the Villa il Gioello, where the persecuted scientist spent the final years of his life.

Off to a fascinating voyage of discovery and we still have a few spots left – please join us!

October 11-18, 2009, with Smithsonian Journeys

A visit to the studio of R.B. Bhaskeran for talks on Modern Art Movements in India

India ranks very high on the “life lists” of many travelers, including the group of museum professionals and ATA staff who set out in early June to learn about India’s booming contemporary art scene, which has its roots in a 5,000 year artistic tradition.

India is “exotic” in a way quite unlike any other place on earth. It was a sensory overload, a spiritual experience, and a mystical, bedazzling riot of colors and activity—all at the same time. Braving India’s summer heat, we were rewarded with virtually tourist-free sights and monuments.

Our exhilarating journey to Chennai, Agra and Delhi provided us with an exciting curriculum in the living arts, as well as an introduction to the India’s most important art movements, archeological treasures, and architectural monuments. For eight days, we had the distinct pleasure of discussing art and culture with painters, dancers, musicians and an extraordinary archeologist. We left India hungry for more, knowing we had just scratched the surface of a rich, multi-layered artistic tradition.

There were so many highlights to cherish on this trip!

First, the artists. Kuntal Desai and R B Bhaskeran in Chennai generously opened their homes to us, giving us a very personal look at their work and inspiration. We also visited several artists’ villages, and a state-sponsored artist studio in Delhi.

Then there were the musicians and dancers, who demonstrated the power of oral tradition in India culture, and sang and played beautiful music on traditional instruments.

And of course, we were awe-struck at the Taj Mahal, where we spent two hours examining this most famous example of Mughal architecture. We also spent time at the temples of Mahabalipuram, built between the 7th and 9th century.

To see a slideshow of our tour, click here

To see a few of our trip videos, click here

Academic Travel Abroad’s website

Student group in Beijing

CET is excited to announce a new avenue for high school students looking for unique study abroad opportunities for 2010. CET has now teamed up with Smithsonian Journeys and will offer study programs in Spain, Italy, and China for 2010.

CET Academic Programs is a private study abroad organization based in Washington, DC that has been designing and administering innovative educational programs abroad since 1982. CET is known for their high academic standards, innovative approaches to teaching and careful student management. Their programs integrate students into their overseas communities and lead them to create lasting relationships with their local hosts. Staffed by over 40 full-time employees in the US and abroad, CET currently sends around 1000 US students abroad annually.

Smithsonian Journeys will be offering Smithsonian Studies Abroad programs in Italy, Spain, and China summer programs geared specifically to high school students looking to take advantage of the benefits of studying abroad programs.

Students in Avila, Spain

These programs will include;

Rigorous courses of study led by highly qualified teaching staff.

All programs feature a language component, cultural explorations, sightseeing, and weekend excursions.

Student accommodations feature modern facilities, internet service, most meals, and a dedicated full-time residential staff.

More about the programs;

• Florence, Italy –Renaissance Treasures

Florence offers an ideal location for students to study Italy’s rich artistic and cultural legacy. Surrounded by brilliant art and architecture, students will be uniquely immersed in contemporary Tuscan life with many opportunities to practice their language skills.

• Avila, Spain – Life in a Medievil Walled City

Located halfway between Madrid and Salamanca, medieval Avila is recognized as one of Spain’s most distinguished centers of learning. Students will strengthen existing Spanish skills during a comprehensive cultural course at the University of Salamanca.

• Beijing, China – The Heart of Imperial and Modern China

The Beijing program focuses on China’s extraordinary past and present. Students will reside at China’s top-rated Capital Normal University, located just outside of Beijing. Students will study Chinese politics, economics, history, and environmental policies, and gain a foundation in Chinese language.

To learn more, visit www.smithsonianjourneys.org

Also visit CET’s website to learn more here: www.cetacademicprograms.com

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