|
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
|
Our accommodations are charming, safe, and authentic, our dinners are taken in a variety of restaurants, cafes, and bistrots (the food is, quite simply, fabulous), and our purpose is to share the history, culture, and beauty of Paris and the nearby countryside with teenagers. We invite you to alter your perception of 'Teen Travel'. NOTE: Quite a few participants choose to participate in both Paris trips, offering 25 days in the City of Light. You do not have to repeat activities and you may well find you need both sessions to do and experience all you would want to. |
Our role as counselors is to keep the kids safe while helping them assemble their own combination of activities in a fun and substantive, but non-regimented, non-classroom way; we consider an even balance between fun and learning to be the hallmark of every Travel for Teens experience. Parents needant worry that having a wide range of options means less supervision; counselors are all carefully hand picked to be engaging, funny, and knowledgable role models--the vast majority of participants maintain a correspondance with their counselors for months, and often years. The first three days after arrival are spent as a group, learning the city and visiting some of the important cultural and historical sights. We then take our travel experience to a deeper level, and start living as Parisians...! |
 |
A TYPICAL DAY might include shopping for picnic supplies in the morning, followed by a picnic for lunch, then visiting Jim Morrison's grave, a guided visit through the Louvre, dinner at a French restaurant and an evening at a concert. BASTILLE DAY - This year session III will be in Paris during Bastille day--you can participate in the revelry or dance till you drop the night before, at the famous "Bals des Pompiers."
However, those of you who do not take or speak French do not have to incorporate language learning. There is plenty of fun and learning that does not involve speaking French. |
 |
There is also plenty of time for shopping and fashion shows, but here again we go beyond the superficial... |
You will learn the entire process from design to marketing/distribution and see secret designs that not even employees are allowed to see--the looks that are coming. We see a fashion show and shop a variety of venues from couture to discount fashion. July is sales month and amazing bargains can be found if one knows where to look. |
History and architecture live side by side in Paris. The Arc de Triomphe, Napoleon's monument to himself, offers a climb to the top for a spectacular view down the most famous avenue in the world, the Champs Elysees. At the other end of the Champs Elysees is the Place de la Concorde, scene of beheadings in the French Revolution. Our World War II / Liberation of Paris unit is quite popular as well, featuring key sites of occupation and battles, a little known and hard to find museum to the French resistance and comprehensive understanding of what happened in Paris during this chapter of history. We try to imagine how different it would look had orders to blow up the bridges and landmarks of Paris been obeyed. Do you know which famous piece of art from the Louvre decorated Hitler's private office? You will! |
You can choose to immerse yourself in individual neighborhoods (called arrondissements in Paris), such as the ancient St. Germain des Pres, containing the oldest church in Paris... and some of its best shopping too. The interconnecting maze of medieval streets, the building where Picasso painted, the courtyard where the guillotine was invented, are all awaiting exploration by those who know where to look.
Learn the history of this area--the highest part of Paris. Imagine the old windmills, practically see Renoir, Degas, Van Gogh, Monet, Manet and others going about their daily lives at the end of the 19th century. Walk down the winding streets to the Moulin Rouge. |
 CLUBBINGNighttime is when Paris really comes alive. We go clubbing, go to movies in French, Spanish and English (your choice), take candles and a boom box and have a nighttime picnic, joining the throngs of partiers on the islands or bridges. We take nighttime walks through ancient neighborhoods, go to concerts (last year it was the Black Eyed Peas) or a ballet. There are classical concerts by candlelight, the jazz festival, and the list goes on and on. Again, you decide.
We offer an optional two days in Normandy visiting the key sites of D-Day and experiencing the French countryside. Our base for exploring the single most important day in American history is a charming hotel in a medieval town. Chateau country, featuring palaces that were hunting lodges of 500 rooms or hideaways for the kings' lovers are another popular excursion. For horse lovers, there are many opportunities to indulge your passion, including the incomparable Museum of the Horse, where unusual breeds live in their own palace. |
These days are representative, but in general the first 3 days are spent together learning the layout of the city through walking it and spending time together at key sites and in key places. The choices are virtually endless but are fun and substantive ways to immerse ourselves in another culture. |
|
|
When you leave, you should be able to travel abroad, decode the culture and create a meaningful, balanced visit for yourself by participating in the life of your host country. In short, you will have developed confidence and skills that carry you forward as an international citizen. |
*Small additional tuition |
 |
      |
   |
    |
  |
© 2008 Travel for Teens, LLC, All Rights Reserved tel: 1.888.457.4534 |
Offering flexibility, choice and immersion, our Paris and Paris & the South of France programs let you craft the ultimate summer experience, living as a Parisian. 
MIX AND MATCH
Each day the kids are given a list of options and break into groups accordingly (if there is something particularly meaningful to you, you may request its inclusion in the day's options). The list of choices has been carefully assembled to provide participants with experiences they find most fun and most meaningful.
Beyond that, the goal is to transcend being a tourist and live like a native, encompassing all aspects of a new culture plus developing the skills to do so within any culture you may wish to visit in the future. You will learn how to navigate public transportation, and should leave this experience able to travel anywhere in Europe competently.
FRENCH LANGUAGE 
COOKING / ART CLASSES, ROCK CLIMBING, COOL WALKING TOURS
EXCLUSIVE BEHIND THE SCENES FASHION
SCIENCE, HISTORY AND ARCHITECTURE 
MORE TO SEE 
Everyone has the opportunity to visit the grandest palace in the world, Versailles. Lunch amongst the fountains in the unforgettable gardens. A visit to the artists' colony of Montmartre, where you can watch portraitists 
paint is popular. Sitting on the steps in front of the Basilica of Sacre Coeur watching the lights come on all over the city is nothing short of magic.
EXCURSIONS
On the last day of the trip you may choose our evening bike trip, or a cruise on the Seine and a spectacular final dinner never to be forgotten. You may then go clubbing until the wee hours and try not to think about goodbyes the next day. 