Upon our arrival

Our flight is due to land in Paris at 9:20 A. M. local time; that's 20 minutes after midnight here. I will call to start the phone tree as soon as I can, but my experience is there are no pay phones available until after we clear customs and immigration. With a group of 32, that could take us a while. Just know I'll call as soon as I can. In the meantime, you can always check the flight's status at United.com (see "Landing in Paris" below).

From a parent

Charles,
If parents got credit cards for their kids they MUST call the credit card company and tell them, in advance, that their kids will be travelling. This helps avoid embarassing (or down-right problematical) "security holds" because of "unusual activity" on the card. Bank of America is especially vigilant about this (they have placed holds on our card when we've gone to Oregon!), but other companies also appreciate the call.

Editorial note: I always call all of the credit card companies I deal with to let them know I'll be out of town, or out of the country. This especially applies to any bank or credit union with whom I hold a debit (ATM) card!

Thursday night

Thursday, your leadership team will be staying at hotels near the airport. That way, we don't have to worry about being there on time; we'll be at the United counter by 8:00 A. M., and ask that you be there NO LATER than 8:30. It is important that everyone be on time, as airlines won't allow groups to start checking in until everyone is there!

In case you have any last minute questions, Thursday night Janet and I are staying at:
Comfort Inn & Suites SeaTac
19333 International Blvd.
SeaTac, WA 98188
(206) 878-1100

One last comment: PLEASE bring a water bottle. We just heard from another delegation leader who was in Spain earlier this week. One of their delegates didn't follow their advice about drinking plenty of water, and fainted. We really, really don't want this to happen to anyone in our delegation. So please bring along a water bottle!

Last minute items

Two quick items:

1. As you are making your last minute preparations, please take a moment to re-read pages 8 and 14 through 20 of the Student Ambassador Protocol book. You'll see why I'm making this request as you read it. If you are short on time, feel free to read it on your way to the airport.

2. So that I know who is checking this site, please send me an e-mail letting me know you have read this posting: charleshall@yahoo.com. Thanks!

Landing in Paris

I will do my best to start the phone tree when we arrive in Paris, but if you want to keep track yourself, United has a flight status option on their website, http://www.united.com/. There is a box on the left side of their homepage. Click on the tab labeled "Flight Status," and type in our flight number (942). It will tell you when we land. You can even sign up for a paging service that will let you know of any delays, and will automatically let you know when we land. Follow the links from the flight status page by clicking on "Register for flight paging," and go to "Register for a specific flight" towards the bottom of the page.

Packing

As you go down the list of items to take on page 15 of the Student Ambassador Protocol book, you may have noticed it says to take a travel umbrella. Well, the extended weather forecast for Paris suggests thunderstorms on Monday the 25th; the day we visit Versailles. If you want to check out the forecast yourself, here is a link: http://www.weather.com/outlook/travel/businesstraveler/extended/FRXX0076

Rain!

Due to the weather, we have decided to move the meeting from the beach to Round Table pizza at 7901 So. Hosmer. Those of you from the Tacoma delegation will remember we had a meeting there before. Hosmer runs parallel to I-5, just east of the freeway. Here is a link to a map of the location: http://maps.yahoo.com/pmaps?addr=7901+S+Hosmer+St&csz=Tacoma%2C+WA+98408-1101&state=WA&uzip=98408&ds=n&name=&desc=&lat=47.18565&lon=-122.462956&mlt=47.18565&mln=-122.462956&zoomin=yes&BFKey=&resize=l&mag=2&trf=0

The meeting will still be at 1:00, and will be over by 3:00. Don't forget to bring your packed suitcase, but you can leave it in the car when you first arrive.

P2P delegates in London

All 527 P2P delegates and leaders in London this morning are safe. This link to the P2P press release provides full details: http://www.ambassadorprograms.org/APIUpdates/Default.aspx

Airport meeting

Our meeting place at the airport will be near the United desk. United is the first airline you come upon as you drive into the drop off zone at Sea-Tac, at the north end of the terminal. When you get there, just look for the leaders! We'll be the ones wearing the blue polo shirts, and we'll be looking for delegates in their red ones.