The final travel meeting for students going on this year’s Educational Tours (EF) trip was held on May 2 at 6 p.m. Travelers and their parents were invited to play a game, Secret Hitler, at 5 p.m before the official meeting started.

The meeting was held in its usual location, one of the group leaders, Kristie Harms’ classroom.

The meeting lasted until 7 p.m and covered passports, the tour and its guide, flights, tipping, spending money, safety, and what to pack. However, the main topic of discussion was safety and the rules while being abroad.

The group’s dates have been finalized recently. They will be departing from St. Louis on July 9, have a layover in New York and an overnight flight to Berlin, Germany. They will depart from Budapest, have a layover in Toronto, Canada then return to St. Louis July 18.

They will be visiting four different cities while overseas, Berlin, Prague, Krakow, and Budapest. Harms has already visited Berlin, she said, “I’ve actually been to Berlin, and that’s what inspired me to plan this year’s trip starting there.”

EF, is the organization that sponsors this trip that allows students from all over travel. However, because it is not sponsored by Columbia Public Schools, these trips are not school funded or considered a school trip.