EF Traveler's Handbook - Your Personalized Web Site

One of the topics in the EF Traveler’s Handbook brochure is your personalized website with EF. If you haven’t logged on to this site, then you might want to bookmark it and take a look at it from time to time.

Simply go to the EF login website, enter your account number as the username and, for first time users, your password default is your date of birth: mm/dd/yyyy. Once logged on, then EF recommends you change your password for security reasons.

From this site you can manage your account, make payments, and view your payment plan.

In the left box, click “Tour Details” and view the itinerary. Now click on the “Destinations” tab and get more information. The video and photo gallery aren’t much for Greece, but the “History” tab has a lot of information. Here you can also find a map of Greece. Much closer to departure, you’ll also be able to find hotel and flight information here. Here too you can request special travel arrangements, but please note there is a charge if you do so.

In that same box, “Countdown to Travel” tells you how many days to departure and then provides a list of deadlines pertaining to payments.

Click on “My Profile” and make sure all information is correct. In particular, make sure your first, middle, and last name match your passport EXACTLY (or your birth certificate if you don’t have a passport yet…still time to get one after the new year). Do not use nicknames, abbreviations, etc. The name in your EF profile will be used for airline e-tickets, and if it does not match your passport name exactly, you will have problems boarding the plane. There is a charge to change the spelling with EF if you wait too long. Please check your profile now.

New (and Better) Itinerary!

Great News! Our itinerary now includes three additional items at NO additional charge to us! The optional Delphi excursion on Day 4 is now included as is a visit to the Delphi Museum. Also on Day 3 is included a visit to the new Acropolis Museum. When I wrote the blog last week I did not know!!

This week we all got an email from EF about optionals, and when I went online to check on it, I discovered the itinerary had changed…for the better! The only optional now offered by EF for our trip is the Greek evening. A friend I met at the EF teacher convention in China had just returned from this trip and does not recommend paying extra for the Greek evening as we will have one on the cruise.

The optional excursions on the Greek Islands are not booked through EF, but with the cruise line while onboard. He has also made some recommendations for them that I will share later when I blog about each island. You can then make your own decision as to which, if any, optional excursions to pay extra for while on the cruise.

New Acropolis Museum in Athens

The new Acropolis Museum might be your choice for your free time in Athens. Located at the base of the Acropolis the new archeological museum opened 21 June 2009 to replace a smaller version.

Over 4,000 artifacts discovered in and around the Acropolis are housed in the museum, except for the Elgin Marbles from the Parthenon which are still contained in the British Museum… and a source of contention as Greece has repeatedly requested their return and designed this larger museum to house them.

The museum is located on the southeastern slope of the Acropolis in the historical area of Makriyianni on the road that originally led up to the sacred site. Excavations during construction revealed earlier Byzantine ruins that now lie beneath the museum which can be seen in many places through transparent floors.

Exhibits are on three levels while a fourth middle level houses shops, cafes, and offices. On the first level of the museum there are the findings of the slopes of the Acropolis. The long and rectangular hall whose floor is sloping, resembles the ascension to the rock. Then, the visitor is found at the large trapezoidal hall which accommodates the archaic findings. The original Caryatids from the Erechthion are housed here also.

Be sure to click on the Photos link at the bottom of the web site Organization for the Construction of the New Acropolis Museum and look at each set of photos by clicking “Start Slideshow” at the bottom of each page. In particular, you will want to watch the videos from the link at the bottom of the site. The one on the virtual tour is not high quality, but the others on the construction, moving the exhibits, and the archeological findings beneath the museum are interesting.

Now take a look at the official Acropolis Museum web site and be sure to open each of the galleries to see what the exhibitions look like with the museum now open to the public.

Quick Tips 1

Occasionally I am going to post assorted quick tips for travelers. There will be no particular theme…just random things I’ve heard that work or great ideas I see in magazines or on TV. If you have an idea that you’d like to share with the rest of the group, just send it via email and I’ll include it in the next Quick Tips posting.
--Sometimes a cramped cruise ship bathroom doesn’t offer a lot of space for towels or other toiletries. Try packing a quick-release suction cup with a hook to hang your toiletry bag from.
--To protect the lens of a bulky camera without keeping it in a case, try slipping an extra-wide tennis wristband over the camera lens and viewing screen. That way you can avoid scratches while putting your camera in a purse or backpack.
--Flat irons aren’t just for hair. Put it on a low setting and touch up the seams of shirt sleeves or cuffs of shorts or pants. And try using your blow dryer to take the wrinkles out of clothes. Hold it a few inches from the garment and move slightly back and forth.
--Want to know what it’s really like where we are going? Then check youtube.com. Lots of people post their vacation videos online. You’ll get a feel of what it will be like from a real person’s point of view rather than just a guidebook description. Here is an example of the Greek island of Rhodes.
--Bumpy airplane rides? I hope not, but try strong peppermints. Peppermint oil found in strong mints like Altoids is one antidote for an upset stomach.
--Another way to look at our trip. Download Google Earth, a free app for your PC or iPhone. Search for any of our destinations and get a satellite view that you can zoom in to. Some places show up fairly clear in this aerial view. Here is another example of Rhodes. Warning: Playing with Google Earth is addictive!!
--And I know this one is going to sound outrageous and I don’t know that I would do it because I would feel so conspicuous on the plane, but after spending 12 hours on the flight to and from China I know it would have worked. I read where someone took an inflatable beach ball on flight. After blowing it up, they used it to lean over and sleep on! All I could think of on that long flight was how much my back would appreciate that beach ball! There's also an inflatable neck pillow that takes up little space in baggage. I like the cushioned neck pillow. Even though it is bulkier, it is more comfortable for me. I don't pack it...I just slip it through the handles of my carryon bag.
Send me your tips!