Class Trip 2022

Founding Fathers East Coast Trip

The 8th grade Class of 2022 is invited to take a 7-day 6-night trip with the Palms Middle School History Department for the Founding Fathers East Coast Tour during the week of Spring Recess in the Spring 2022 semester.

Departure Date: Saturday, April 9, 2022

Return Date: Friday, April 15, 2022

The tour is run by the Explorica educational travel service, with Palms teachers as chaperones. There is at least one adult for each 9 students.

Trip organizer: Mr. Nicholson

Download letter from Mr. Nicholson

The trip is for students and teachers only, not for parents, not even as chaperones.

Students Will Visit...

Boston:

• Harvard Square walking tour
• Fenway Park tour
• USS Constitution "Old Ironside
• Freedom Trail tour: Old North Church, Paul Revere's house, Old Granary burial ground, Boston Common, King's Chapel, Old State House, Faneuil Hall

New York:

• Metropolitan Museum of Art
• Midtown tour: Rockefeller Center, St. Patrick's Cathedral, Times Square, Grand Central Terminal
• Ellis Island
• Statue of Liberty
• Lower Manhattan tour: Trinity Church, Wall Street, Chinatown, Little Italy
• 9/11 Memorial
• One World Observation at One World Trade Center

Philadelphia:

• Ben Franklin's grave
• Elfreth's Alley
• Friendship Meeting House
• Independence Hall
• Liberty Bell Center

Washington DC:

• Mount Vernon
• National Archives
• Memorials: World War II, Lincoln, Vietnam Veterans, Korean War
• National Mall
• Tidal Basin
• Washington Monument
• White House
• U.S. Capitol
• Library of Congress

Registration

Discounted early registration deadline: Thursday, May 27, 2021

Regular registration deadline: Fall 2021 or when we reach trip capacity

Ways to sign up

1. Go to the Palms Class Trip page and click sign up now

2. Fill out and mail the Flights Travel Registration Form

3. Register by phone: 1-888-310-7121

The Trip ID is Nicholson-8291.

Capacity

There is a practical limit to the number of students that can be taken on the trip and space fills up quickly. Once the initial cap is reached, a waiting list will be available. If enough students sign up for the waiting list, we can reopen registration and take additional students.

Number off students: 87

Once capacity is reached, email the organizer to be added to the waiting list. The capacity may be increased.

Eligibility

Eligibility is based on the rules for Eighth Grade Eligibility as of the Fall semester 20-week report card. Students must not have any U's in Cooperation.

The Travel Protection Plan Plus travel insurance plan will cover students who are unable to take the trip because they do not meet these eligibility requirements. The standard Travel Protection Plan does not cover this possibility.

Cost

The cost for the 2022 trip is $2,652 per student.

A $60 discount is available ($2,592) if you sign up before Thursday, May 27, 2021. Click or tap I have a voucher code on the Payment page and enter code Travel2022.

The price covers:

• round-trip transportation
• 6 overnight stays in hotels
• lodging, 3 or 4 students to a room (or just 1 other student for $45 extra/night)
• tours and tourguides
• security
• meals and meal expenses
• tips
• trip diary on the Explorica website (also on the Palms website)

The price does not include:

• travel insurance (see below)
• souvenirs
• airline baggage fees

Students share rooms with 2 or 3 other students of the same sex. For $270 extra, a student can share with just one other student of the same sex.

Minimum cost, with early registration and no extras: $2,592.

Maximum cost, with later registration, room shared with one other student, and Travel Protection Plan Plus: $3,048.

Payment Plans

Four payment plans are offered with no extra fees:

1. Pay in full.
2. Pay $50 deposit and the rest in equal monthly checking account payments ending by March 5, 2022. For example, 8 payments of about $319 from July to February.
3. Pay $50 deposit and the rest in equal monthly credit or debit card charges ending by February 3, 2022. For example, 8 payments of about $319 from June to January.
4. Pay $99 deposit, $300 in 30 days, and the balance by January 4, 2022.

See below for optional choice of travel protection plan, at extra cost, due with your first payment above.

Scholarships

Scholarships, sponsored by Friends of Palms, are announced in the Fall.

Be sure to meet the scholarship application deadline.

Travel Insurance

Optional travel insurance, payable with your initial deposit, provides protection against trip cancellation.

Travel Protection Plan: $84

Covers injury, sickness, death of a family member, bad-weather flight cancelations, lost luggage, and a few other conditions.

Travel Protection Plan Plus: $126

Also covers cancelation for any reason, with a partial refund, 30 days or more before the trip.

See travel plan details at the Explorica website.

Download

2022 Class Trip Itinerary

See Also

See the Class Trip page for general information.

See the Class Trip Journals section for day-by-day descriptions and photos from previous Class Trips.