Parents of students going on the East Coast trip always ask, “How much money does my child need to bring with them on the trip?” The short answer, technically, is “none.” Your child won’t like me telling you that, but all necessities are covered on the trip. All meals are paid for, drinking fountains are fairly common in most of the places we’re going, all admissions to all museums, events, and attractions are included, so your child doesn’t need to bring any money. Technically.
OK, seriously now. Your child is probably going to want a bottle of water here and there, perhaps an ice cream cone, or a bag of sweets. So he or she may want a little extra spending money for snacks and beverages beyond mealtimes (about $3-$5 per day). Then there are souvenirs. I’ve seen kids buy a couple small tchotchkes for family, and spend little more than $15 on souvenirs for the whole trip. For other kids, if shopping were an Olympic sport, they could medal several times over. One year I even had parents ask if they could wire transfer their child more money since she had already blown through the $300 they originally gave her! Are you kidding me? (By the way, we don’t do wire transfers).
You know your child and his/her shopping habits best. Clothing is usually the most expensive item kids buy on this trip, and one sweatshirt in one “I LOVE NY” gift shop can go for $40-50, easy. Overall, average souvenir purchases are about $10-$20 per day.
As I mentioned in the parent information meeting a few months ago, I do respectfully request a little tip money ($15 total) in advance from each student: $5 for our coach driver, $5 for our tour guide, and $1 per night ($5 total) for housekeeping. Naturally, tipping is optional, but in our country it is customary and a nice courtesy, especially for a job well done. All other tips are included in the cost of the tour.
On a related note, parents also ask: “Debit card or cash?” There are advantages to both: a debit card can be cancelled and its balance frozen if the card is lost, making it more secure. Depending on the card and the issuing bank, parents can control the amount of spending per day and/or add value to the card if needed. The downside: even now, not every place takes plastic, and not every place honors every type (Visa and Mastercard are the most widely accepted). Cash is accepted everywhere, but once lost is almost certainly gone for good. Talk to your child and find out what you think will work best. We’ll talk more about this at the pre-departure meeting. One thing I know for sure: travelers’ checks are a thing of the past. Many vendors don’t accept them anymore (or the cashiers don’t know how to process them). Don’t even bother with travelers’ checks.
Here’s where you can help. This e-mail also appears on my blog, http://trippolito.blogspot.com. If you have advice or a helpful tip to offer on debit cards or other money-related issues, feel free to make a comment or ask a question by clicking on the “Comments” link at the bottom of this blog entry. Your comments will be viewable by other families so we can all be part of the conversation.
Well, our East Coast adventure is only 44 days away. As always, if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to e-mail me at rippolito@gmail.com.
Cheers,
Ron Ippolito
p.s. We have our next student meeting this coming Wednesday, 2/24, at lunch in Room B-7. Make sure you bring your lunch and I will provide another delicious dessert! At this meeting, I will be asking you for your t-shirt size. T-shirts we get from the tour company are standard, adult sizes, and will come in small, medium, large, extra-large, and XXL sizes. Feel free to e-mail your shirt size in advance; otherwise I will ask you at the meeting.
