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New York City: Preparing Student Travel Groups for Security Checks

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In the post 911 era, many things have changed, due to extra security concerns. Some of the sensitive student travel destinations in the New York City area are potential targets because they are symbols of the United States. These include The Statue of Liberty, the United Nations building, and the Empire State Building. There are other buildings that may also be potential targets in the New York City area. I focus on these three because they are the main three sites that most student travel tours want to visit.

For this article, I have interviewed Karen Goodman, a licensed New York City tour guide who works closely with my company, Educational Travel Consultants. Her knowledge of New York City is extensive. I interviewed her on the topic of how student travel groups may prepare to enter New York City sites.

Q. What advice would you give to student travel groups headed to the Statue of Liberty, the United Nations Building, or the Empire State Building?
A. Always travel as light as you can. When you move along the security line, it’s best not to be singled out, because it takes more time to pass through.

Q. What are some of the items related to tourism and education,that you are permitted to take into these buildings?
A. Visitors can bring ipods and cameras with them, but they must be placed in the basket as they pass through security.

Q. Can you explain the security process at the Statue of Liberty?
A. Yes. All student travel groups pass through security tents before they board the ferry boat. Metal detectors are under these tents. All electronics, including watches, ipods or cameras, go through the metal detector in a basket.

Q. Does this security process at the Statue of Liberty take a little more time?
Yes. Similar to planning a little more time at the airport, student travel groups need to leave some space in the itinerary for the day to allow for passing through security, especially if they are a large group.

Q. Is there anything that student travelers to New York City should try to avoid bringing?
A. Sometimes a student will inadvertently bring a pocket knife. Usually, these are confiscated by security, and they are not returned. It’s best not to bring this sort of thing at all.

Q. Are the tents near the ferry in Battery Park the only security checkpoints for the Statue of Liberty?
A. For now, yes. Once student travel groups board the ferry, the security check is completed.

Q. Does the United Nations have a similar security checkpoint in place?
A. The United Nations has metal detectors that student travel groups must pass through as well. The same rules as the Statue of Liberty apply.

Q. What is security like in the Empire State Building?
A. Since it is an historic building that signifies many things, the security is similar in scope to Statue of Liberty and the United Nations building. Around the escalator area, there are security checkpoints with metal detectors in place. Students should be prepared for similar regulations when visiting the Statue of Liberty and the United Nations building.

Q. Do you have any additional tips for student travel groups headed to the New York City area?
A. Yes, some buildings, such as museums, will have guards that request a look inside a handbag or backpack. Student groups should be prepared to open their bags, if asked. In some buildings, a backpack must be checked at the door. So, if a student is traveling and he or she has a choice about leaving a backpack, it would be a good idea to leave it on the charter bus.

Q. Do you have any concluding thoughts about leading student travel tours in the New York City area, in a post 911 era?
A. I think that most people are aware at this point, that we have extra security regulations to consider when we travel. They set up the tents just six months after September 11th near the ferries to the Statue of Liberty. And it’s been many years now travelers have had to prepare for extra security. This precaution has to be done. Even though it may be time consuming, security is important.

With that being said, be aware of the metal detectors, and prepare for them accordingly.

Student travel groups on tour in New York City need to go light and leave the extra baggage behind. Make the most of a student travel tour to New York City, by planning extra time in the itinerary for security checkpoints at major sites. The security procedures at the Statue of Liberty, the United Nations building, and the Empire State Building are subject to change at any time.

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Articles

Performance Cruise Field Trips for Music, Band, and Drama Students

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The next time you consider taking your high school band or drama students on a road trip or educational field trip, especially to Florida, consider taking them on the high seas. Performance and festival cruises have been growing in popularity over the past several years. A performance cruise as a high school band trip may seem more extravagant than other field trips but the benefits of such a student trip make it worthwhile.

Many performance and festival cruises depart from Port Canaveral, Florida on four-day/three-night cruises in the Caribbean and include stops in the Bahamas, usually at Nassau and another port. There are other performance cruises that leave out of ports in California, Texas, Alabama, as well as other Florida ports. One cruise out of Tampa is a five-day excursion in the Western Caribbean and includes stops in Key West and at Cozumel Island, Mexico. Whichever cruise you decide on, with expert advice from an educational travel service, it will be memorable, fun, exciting, and an educational trip for your students.

Performance Education on a Ship
During a performance cruise, students will have an opportunity to showcase their talent in a performance aboard ship or at a port of call or both, depending on the cruise. Additionally, some cruises offer workshops, specialty clinics, seminars, and adjudication. Thus allowing student musicians, singers, and actors to gain confidence, assess their own skills, and learn new techniques.

Student performers will also have an opportunity to interact with a variety of theater and music professionals in an educational setting and learn about performing arts careers. Through critical feedback and instruction from performance clinicians, students will be able to identify their strengths and areas in need of development and improvement.

Students will also have plenty of time to socialize and make friends with peers in other performance groups who share their passion for music or drama. And if their performance is adjudicated, their efforts and talents will be recognized at a special awards ceremony. At the very least, they will get immediate feedback and encouragement from their audience as well as experience performing somewhere other than their high school football field or auditorium.

Performance Cruises for Students are Packed with Fun, Excitement and Educational Opportunities
A typical cruise leaving from Port Canaveral, Florida will sail through the eastern Caribbean to the Bahamas. This English-speaking commonwealth is an archipelago consisting of hundreds of islands and many ports of call north of Cuba and south east of Florida.

Most cruises make a stop at Nassau, the capitol, on the island of New Providence. Students can spend the day exploring this sub-tropical island city known for its sunny days and balmy breezes. Students can take a water taxi to Paradise Island for a day on the beach or to see the underground aquariums at the Atlantis resort. Students can also wander through local markets like the Straw Market, sample island delicacies such as conch fritters, and admire the architecture which is a colorful blend of colonial and old world styles.

The mix of African and European cultures in the Bahamas has resulted in a unique culture and one that is rich in various musical styles that are indigenous to the Caribbean. Students may be surprised to learn that marching bands are central to Bahamian life. Marching bands play at weddings, funerals and many other events rather than at football games or in holiday parades as in the United States. They may hear rake, scrape, calypso, or Junkanoo music in person while they are in Nassau. Hearing these different forms of music may inspire students to learn a new style or incorporate new techniques and sounds into their own musical performance.

Performance Cruises for Students: Field Trips Made Simple
Like other cruises, most everything is included, even meals and some port excursions, too. That means the cost is comparable to a traditional student or band filed trip. The ship board activities and entertainment will leave Chaperones with little to organize once they get their group to the port and aboard the ship allowing them to have as much fun as their band, music, and theater students. Many packages include one free trip for every 15 or 20 passengers in a group. It is always best to work with an educational travel consultant or expert to select and plan the best trip for your high school student performers. For more information about performance and festival cruise packages for student groups, Request a Quote and a professional travel consultant will respond to your inquiry.

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Articles, Atlanta

Points of Interest to an African American History Tour of Atlanta Georgia

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Many historical points of interest to a black history educational tour are within the Atlanta, GA area. Museums and historical sites abound in the Atlanta area and can complement a student travel tour with a curriculum based on the Civil Rights movement. Being in actual buildings once occupied by great civil rights leaders give students a greater understanding of the subject. Since Atlanta was the birthplace and the city where Martin Luther King, Jr. launched his career as a pastor and a leader in the Civil Rights Movement, it is the best place to gain a better understanding of black history in the U.S.
Following are my recommendations of Black Heritage sites in the greater Atlanta metro area that are a necessary component of a comprehensive student tour.

The Martin Luther King, Jr., National Historic Site:
Student Travel Tours Learn About the Civil Rights Movement
This site includes a number of facilities that operate in partnership with the National Park Service, Ebenezer Church and the King Center. Among the points of interest are the Visitors Center with a museum, interactive exhibits and films about Dr King and the Civil Rights movement.

Ebenezer Baptist Church
Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church is immediately adjacent to the Visitors Center. It is here, in the church’s meeting space, that Dr King planned civil rights strategies of non-violence. Dr King was ordained here and became co-pastor from 1960 until his assassination in 1968. Students visiting this place of worship can walk in the footsteps of America’s most prominent civil rights leader. Student travel groups always feel inspired by being in the space where Dr King spoke so eloquently about social change through non-violence. It is here that Dr King wrote many of his famous speeches while he was the main force behind the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.

The King Center
Directly across Auburn Avenue is the King Center and Dr King’s tomb. At the grave, Coretta Scott King established a living memorial dedicated to her late husband’s non- violent movement for justice, equality and peace. The center utilizes books, audio and video cassettes, film, television, CDs and web pages, to educate students about Dr. King’s life, work and his philosophy of nonviolent conflict-reconciliation and social change. Students will find this site to contain some of the most detailed writings and artifacts of MLK’s career as a minister and civil rights leader.

The Martin Luther King, Jr., Birthplace & Home
The King birth home is a short walk down Auburn Avenue from the King Center. It was built in 1895 and Martin Luther King, Jr. was born here on January 15, 1929 and lived here for 12 years. The home is restored to reflect the period of 1930s and 40s when Dr King lived here as a child.

A comprehensive Black Heritage Tour should include the preservation district of Auburn Avenue, immediately adjacent to the National Park complex. This area includes many points of interest on a Black History tour of Atlanta such as Historic Fire Station # 6 which is currently maintained as a museum, bookstore and gift shop.

Atlanta History Center: the Black Phoenix tour illustrates the Black Heritage of Atlanta
Student tours that visit the Atlanta History center will find this museum interesting. The Black Phoenix tour follows the journey of the African American experience in Atlanta from slavery to the Civil Rights Movement. The tour continues inside the museum with a visit to the Shaping Traditions exhibition to learn how customs were brought from Africa and passed down for generations. Next students visit the Turning Point exhibition to learn about the impact of the Civil War. Finally, student travel groups may tour the Metropolitan Frontiers exhibition for a stroll down Auburn Avenue. Here students learn about the pioneers of black business in Atlanta and the civil rights leaders who helped make Atlanta the city that it is today.

Tullie Smith Farm: Student Tour Groups Learn About Life as an African Slave
A student tour is greatly enhanced with a trip to the Tullie Smith Farm to see a settler’s cabin and learn about slave life. A Black History Civil War Performance shows living history interpreters portray African Americans during the Civil War in Georgia.

Jimmy Carter Presidential Center and Museum: Students learn about the President’s early work for the Civil Rights Movement in Georgia politics
The Museum of the Jimmy Carter Library includes photographs and historical memorabilia from the Carter presidency (1976 – 1981). An exact replica of the Oval Office and gifts received by the Carters are also featured. A permanent exhibit of significant events occurring during Jimmy Carter’s life and political career includes photographs with interpretative text. Students will learn about Jimmy Carter’s childhood and race for President, and study some of the issues that American Presidents have confronted.

Wrens Nest: African American History Atlanta Tour site
By preserving the legacy of Joel Chandler Harris and the heritage of African American folklore through storytelling, tours and special events, the Wren’s Nest serves as an educational resource and entertainment venue for the community, and student travel groups to the greater Atlanta area. The Wren’s Nest was the home of Joel Chandler Harris from 1881 until 1908 and was named for the wrens that made a nest in the mailbox. Today the home features most of the Harris family’s original furniture and belongings, and is Atlanta’s oldest house museum.

It is in Atlanta that I have found the most intriguing sites to inspire and educate student travel groups about the African American experience and the civil rights movement of the 20th century within the U.S. This complete tour will have a lasting effect on all that experience it.

For more information on creating a Black Heritage tour for students visiting the Atlanta Georgia area, email info@educationaltravelconsultants.com.

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Articles, Washington D.C.

Government Student Tour of Washington D.C. May Include Historic Sites in Annapolis, Baltimore, Manassas or Fredericksburg.

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What better way to understand the evolution of our democratic system of government is there than to visit actual historic sites which describe it in vivid detail? Student travel groups traveling in and around the Washington D.C. area can be given a wider scope on history if the tour group goes just a little bit outside of Washington D.C. into nearby Baltimore and Annapolis Maryland, and Manassas and Fredericksburg, Virginia. These towns offer a precious glimpse into the past, as they thrive in the present.

Here is an overview of some important historic sites in these cities neighboring Washington D.C. of interest to student travel groups on tour.

U.S. Capital and White House
Of course the U.S. Capitol and the White House are two government buildings that should not be missed on a tour of Washington D.C. I have mentioned them in another article in great detail. Visit: http://educationaltravelconsultants.com/blog/?m=200707
for more information.

Annapolis, Maryland, Berth of the U.S. Navy
Annapolis is a city that dates to over 300 years old and was once a thriving mecca and cultural center in colonial times. Only one hour outside the city of Washington D.C., Annapolis is well worth a daylong visit by a student travel group on tour. Designed and built on a grid similar to Baroque cities in Europe, Annapolis is truly modeled on classical architectural and urban planning styles. The radiating streets highlight the significance of buildings in the center.

Named after Queen Ann, the city of Annapolis is rich in history. Because of its strategic location, Annapolis was a colonial seaport and offered berth to European traders as well as entrée to the Chesapeake Bay region and further south to other port cities. Annapolis is also known for horse racing. The gentry of Europe needed to indulge this passion in the new world, and so Annapolis is renowned for breeding thoroughbred champions whose lineage dates to colonial times.

Baltimore Maryland
Fort McHenry is perhaps one of the best-known historic destinations in Baltimore Maryland, and is the place where Francis Scott Key wrote the Star Spangled Banner while witnessing the Battle of Baltimore there in 1814. Yet Fort McHenry, because of its location on the Baltimore Harbor, would also be a well-defended location during subsequent U.S. Wars including the Civil War, World War I, and World War II. Student travel groups maybe tour the highlights of Fort McHenry including a look at the battery, Major Armistead’s quarters, soldiers’ barracks, the place where a British bomb was dropped but not exploded, and more. Teachers may visit http://www.nps.gov/fomc/forteachers/lessonplansandteacherguides.htm for lesson plans and guides for student travel visits to Fort McHenry.

Manassas, Virginia Historic Battlefield
Bull Run is the site of two famous American Civil War battles fought there beginning in the summer of 1861 and culminating in another battle a year later. The Battle of Bull Run tipped the cards in favor of the Confederate army during this part of the war. Student travel groups may tour the 5,000 acre battlefield to learn more about the Battle of Bull Run, just an hour’s drive from Washington D.C. A one-hour self-guided walking tour is available to groups on the Henry Hill Loop Trail, or student groups may select a driving tour, or a park ranger guided hike. Bull Run is an excellent place for students to learn about the Civil War era. Teachers may obtain curriculum materials by visiting: http://www.nps.gov/mana/forteachers/curriculummaterials.htm.

Fredericksburg, Virginia
One of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War, the Battle of Fredericksburg, was fought there and is lauded as General Robert E. Lee’s finest victory. This was the first of four battles fought there between 1862-64. Three others include: Battle of Chancellorsville, Battle of Wilderness, and Battle of Spotsylvania. Student tour groups can see Chatham Manor at the Fredericksburg battlefields, a well restored and preserved Georgian Manor that sits on a hill overlooking the Rappahannock River and historic Fredericksburg. Chatham Manor was at one time a hospital and Union headquarters. Student groups will also want to visit Salem Church and the Stonewall Jackson Shrine at this National Park Service site. Teachers may obtain lesson plans for student travel groups visiting Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania County Battlefields Memorial by visiting http://www.nps.gov/frsp/forteachers/lessonplans.htm.

Take a student travel group on a short trip just outside of Washington D.C. to help them understand the big picture of American history.

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