St. Peter's Podcast Episode #4: TY School Tour Advice

Four TY students discuss their school tour to Paris. They talk about the challenges of traveling with a large group, including running to catch flights and losing boarding passes. They mention the lack of sleep on the first day and the bus breaking down. They also mention the flight turbulence and the foggy weather in Paris. Despite the challenges, they enjoyed being with their friends and experiencing something different. They appreciated seeing a different side of their teachers on the trip. They talk about their experiences on the river trip, including seeing the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame Cathedral. They mention their attempts to speak French and the cultural shock of the different cooking styles for meat in France. They advise third years to bring food and an adapter for different plugs in Europe. Overall, they had a positive experience on the school tour. Welcome back to the St. Peter's Podcast, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for taking the time to press play and listen. I've got four giggling students in front of me, trying not to giggle, from TY. And today we are going to discuss the school tour that we had this year, which took our students all the way to Paris, capital of France. And we're going to hopefully provide some information for parents, but particularly for third years who want to know a little bit more about the school tour, the do's and don'ts, the advice that our students might have for third years, and a little bit about what to expect as well on a school tour, and a school tour to a foreign country, which is a little bit more complicated to the ones we had before, which might have been internally in Ireland or up in Belfast. I remember we used to have one a few years ago, but we are getting more adventurous in our school tours now. So let me go to our students. Firstly, we've got Cree here, we've got Alison, we've got Sam, and we've got Ty, hi guys. And we've got four TY students here who kindly volunteered to have a chat with us today. So I have a list of questions from the third years, and I have to shout out to our wonderful newsletter team for putting these questions together, Isa and Millie in particular. They came up with the questions, and I'm going to put the questions to the guys here today, and we're going to have a chat generally. So guys, question number one, are we ready? Yeah. Okay, so what was the most challenging thing about travelling with school? Alison, I might come to you first on that one. I think there's a lot of us. It was kind of hard to get places because there are so many of us. And how many went, do you know on this one? I think there's like over 50. Yeah, for most of the year group, really. Yeah. Yeah, okay. We had to run to the gate. Oh, so there was a bit of drama at the start. Yeah, people were losing their boarding passes. Oh God, okay. But now, you did leave late at night, was that right, Cree? Yeah. Yeah, tell me about that. Well, the bus was meant to be here at 11, but the bus driver was sleeping. Okay, okay. So we didn't get to the airport until like three o'clock in the morning, and then we had to go through security, which was chaotic. And we got dropped at the wrong terminal, so we had to run to our gate, and I lost my boarding pass with security. Okay, so not the best of starts. Okay, but you got there in the end. Yeah. Sorry, so it all worked out in the end. I think, as you were alluding to, Alison, it is quite difficult with 50 teenagers, you know, to make sure all boarding passes and passports are correct and all that. But anyway, so you made it, you made it off. And okay, I'm going to come to Sam there. Sam, can you remember much about the flight or landing in Paris or anything like that? I remember on the way there, yeah, we were running to get onto the plane, and then when we were on the plane, the landing was horrible. The turbulence as well was bad. It was worse on the way back, but on the way there as well, I forgot to download any movies or anything, so I had to sit there, which was quite boring. I think it was like a three, three and a half hour flight, I think, maybe. Was it? I can't, I don't remember. No, of course, the Dublin to Paris, I'd say, I don't think it was three and a half hours. It felt like it. It felt like it, yeah. Okay, okay, but listen, there is a bit of a pointer for our judges. Make sure you've got some movies or at least some music to listen to, yeah? Yeah. While you're traveling, yeah. Okay, that's a good one, Sam. Thank you for that. Tyg. You don't really get a lot of sleep on the first day because we left at 12. At night. At night, in passage, and we didn't really get much sleep unless you took a nap on the bus or the flight. So by the time you got to Paris, you're already awake for maybe a whole day at that point. And then when we were in Paris, did we do stuff before? Or did we go straight to the hotel? No, we did stuff before. The bus broke down, again. Oh, yeah, the bus broke down. In Paris, yeah. Oh, my God. We were meant to get to the hotel around like 7, we didn't get there till like 10. The bus broke down. Well, that's completely outside of our control, isn't it, really? Yeah. That's just the Parisian bus company or whatever, yeah. But anyway, more drama. Yeah, and what were you thinking at this stage? Well, we were exhausted, so we just wanted to get to the hotel. The bus driver, when we were trying to get to the airport, was asleep, and now the bus had broken down. But anyway, you got there. You got to the hotel, a bit of drama, but you got there. Yeah. Tell me about the hotel. What was that like? It was good. It would have been close to your friends' door and stuff. Yeah, so you had a bit of fun there. Yeah. Okay. We were all in the same hotel floor, so we were just next door to everyone. We were allowed to be with each other until it got late, and then we had to go back to our own spot. Yeah. Okay, good. Now, so you're in Paris. Tell me about your first day. The first day, we went to see the Eiffel Tower. So we went up to one of the viewing points, and we saw the Eiffel Tower. But a lot of the first day was spent driving around Paris. So it was spent a lot of the time we were driving around Paris, but we were still seeing things, because we were going around. Yeah, we went to a tower, but the weather was not good, so you couldn't really see the Eiffel Tower. Oh, it was very foggy, yeah. So just getting back to it, you went in February. Yeah. Yeah, so you're definitely not going to France for the weather at that time of year. But obviously, there's so much cultural stuff there to do in France. Do you know what tower it was? It was the tallest building in Paris. Okay. It just beat out the Eiffel Tower. So when you went up it, you could see the views, but it was foggy. It was quite foggy, yeah. Okay. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Very good. Okay, fantastic. The lads are showing me photos here. So you did that for day one? Yeah. And what was the Eiffel Tower like, Tadhg? It was nice to look at during the day, but when we went down the river Seine at night, it looked really nice. So you just get a lot of pictures of it while you're going down the river. Yeah. It's a nice time altogether. Some people told me... Now, I have to say, I was very impressed with the response to the school tour, because when you guys came back, I asked everybody how they got on, and everyone I said said 10 out of 10. You obviously loved it. Yeah. Yeah. Why do you think you loved it so much? I think it was nice to be with your friends, and you're kind of away from your family, so that was kind of nice as well. You did have a break, but you were with your friends, and it was something different. Yeah. Now, you had a number of teachers on the tour as well. Yeah. And did you feel that you kind of connected with the teachers in a different way? Yeah. You really saw them how they would be when they were travelling, and it was nice. They weren't like teachers. They were more like your friends on holiday. Yeah. And so, you kind of got to see a different side, I suppose. Yeah. Yeah. Brilliant. And so, you're on day one. You've done a few things down the Seine. What was the most interesting part of the river trip, would you say? Well, it's just the Eiffel Tower, and that's all there really is to look at, but you can also go down the road as well. So, you'd see all the historical buildings going down the river as well. Yeah. Yeah. Did you see Notre Dame Cathedral? Yeah. Yeah. Because it was really nice that night, like with all the buildings. Now, you all do French? Yeah. No. No. Some of you don't, right? Two girls here do French, right? Did you speak any French? No. I tried to. Okay. Well, I don't know. It was just kind of like awkward trying to speak it because they know that you can't speak French. Yeah. The French are always known for wanting you to speak French. So, once you try, they do kind of appreciate it a bit, don't they? Yeah. Yeah. So, did you try at all, Cree? Like a small bit in the shop, yeah. I tried in Sephora. I said bonjour, and they scared up me. So, that's when I stopped. Okay. Well, at least you tried. You gave it a go. Yeah. Right. And I'm going to go to another question from our third year. So, did you have any moments of cultural shocks while in France? They cook their meat a lot differently. Yeah. But they don't tell you on the menu. So, we thought we were getting well-done steaks, but they were raw on the inside. They weren't nice at all. Yeah. I think those stories got back to Cork fairly quickly. There was a lot of photographs taken. So, that's a major cultural difference, isn't it? Yeah. So, we tend to cook our meat well, and they don't. Not at all. So, our advice to third years then... Pack a lot of food. Pack a lot of food, but also if you're ordering meat... Ask for it well-done. Ask for it well-done, yeah. Now, they might not like to cook it that way, but if that's what you ask for, I suppose... Or even don't even order the meat. You could have a different option fish. All right. So, any other cultural differences? The plugs are different. Oh, that's a very good one, Tadhg, actually. Because we forget small details like that. Talk to me about that. Yeah, like, Ireland uses the same ones as the UK, but most of Europe won't use the same plugs. So, if you go over there, you might have to get... I'm not sure what they're called, but like an adapter sort of thing. And unless you bring that with you on your holidays, yeah, you won't be able to charge your device. Very good advice. So, make sure you've got an adapter or you can change easily. We alluded to it there a while ago that it was different being with your classmates in a different context and your teachers. And that's one of the questions here. What was that dynamic like? Can you give me a little bit more on that, Sam? Like, one example that I kind of think of is when we went to Disneyland, I was kind of with a group of friends. And as we were walking through, we ran into some of the teachers. And then the teachers came with us to the roller coaster we were going on. So, we all rode it together. And that kind of experience kind of showed that they weren't being as strict as they would be in school. And that they were kind of also enjoying themselves as well. And what's Paris like? It's very nice. It's very busy. Now, I have to say, I went to Paris on my own school tour when I was 16. And I had an amazing time. And I still say it was one of the best weeks of my entire life, right? It was just so much fun. So, I really can appreciate it. And in Paris itself, it's just such a lovely city to be in. It's busy, as you said, Alison. But it's also great fun and there's a lot to see. Did you do any museums? We did the Louvre. Tell me about the Louvre there. Oh my God, it was so crowded. There was a lot of people. And the Mona Lisa is really tiny. And I thought it was really big, but it was really tiny. And there was a lot of people around it. And it was also really hard to find. It was like, the Louvre is massive. We didn't think it would take you ages to see the whole thing. It's days. Yeah, it's massive. We went to Versailles as well. Oh yeah, the Palace of Versailles. That was very pretty actually. Yeah, it was really good. And the gardens there are amazing, aren't they? They're beautiful, yeah. Even in February, I imagine, they're still blooming. They're very nice. Yeah. Okay, so we've had a bit of free time. And you got to experience the city in different ways. The museums are a big attraction, of course. When I was there many moons ago, many, many years ago, there were loads of Japanese tourists crowded around the Mona Lisa. It's way smaller, you're dead right, way smaller than expected. And yeah, they were fighting for position, all to get a photograph. And to be honest, it was a bit of, I mean, it's a beautiful painting, but it's a bit of a let down. Yeah, yeah. There's nicer paintings there. Yeah, there's a lot of nicer ones compared to the Mona Lisa. There was such huge queues to see the Mona Lisa. Like you'd be there for ages, but it's tiny. I wouldn't say it's the best one there at all. Great, yeah. And of course, there's other museums as well in Paris, you know. So looking back, another question from the guys. Looking back, what did you appreciate most about traveling to France with your school and teachers? What do you appreciate most, Sam? I'd say just getting the chance to actually go over to Paris. Because I wouldn't really like do a lot of traveling. And I doubt I'd go to like Paris in like a family trip. But to get to go with friends as well and teachers is a big kind of opportunity. Because it's something that you probably would never really happen again in your life. Other than you'd be going in a couple of years with your friends. But as a school trip, it's kind of a lot more people. And you kind of also don't get the stress of having to organize it and stuff. Just kind of minding your passport and stuff is the most important thing in what you're packing. We had a tour guide called Eric. So he brought us around everywhere. And he was actually very nice. He was like a bit of an icon on the trip. All right. So you felt that it was a very good opportunity for you to go see all these great things, hang out with your friends, hang out with your teachers. And it's all kind of done for you. So you don't have to think too much or stress too much yourself. And Tadhg, what was your favorite aspect of the whole trip? I'd say Disneyland is far up there. Because there was a lot of rides. But they weren't too scary. But they were more thrilling. Because I'd say the park is more centered towards kids. And I didn't expect the scent to be one of my favorite parts. But I think I really enjoyed that one as well. Disneyland, they have these parades. And you also get to watch shows out there. And that was probably one of my favorite parts. Because you used to have to see Mickey Mouse. And he's on this big float. And it's really cool getting to see him in real life. OK. So Tadhg, just to summarize that, the best part of the trip for you was Mickey Mouse. In real life. In real life. OK. I'd say so, yeah. The fireworks show was cool at the end. Yeah. In Disneyland. Yeah. We didn't get to see the end of it, though, because we had to get on the bus. But it's actually really cool. OK. So there is a firework. Is it every day? Yeah, so it's every night. I think it starts at night. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, it starts quite late. And have any of you four been to Disneyland before? Yeah, I was. Yeah, OK. So you kind of knew a little bit about it, yeah. Yeah, but it was completely different than being with your family. Of course. With your friends. Like, although you didn't do as much, because there were so many of you. But, like, it was almost better, because you're having a lot of fun. More practical question here. What would you recommend packing? Tadhg, you've already mentioned the adapter for charging your phone. But anything else? Did you bring too much clothes? Like, did you bring stuff that you didn't bring? Yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean, that's... I just put on my suitcase at the end of the trip to pull them. OK. And there's no need. Yeah. Yeah. So, I mean, how many nights were you there? Three. Don't bring too much liquid, because they'll take it off you. Oh, yeah, yeah. And don't buy things that are over the middle, because you've only a carry-on suitcase. So you can't check anything in. Yeah. So the max you can have is 100, and they will take stuff off you. Yeah. And I suppose you have to be very strict with the suitcase as well. Yeah, yeah. Don't bring a 20kg bag. Try to check it in. OK, that might catch people out. If you're not used to flying, you know, that might catch people out, yeah. So don't pack too much. Yeah. And any advice for parents here? Did your parents help with packing or anything, or...? Not really. Like, pack food, actually. Yeah. Because you'll get hungry in the night. OK. Yeah. That's a good piece of advice. And water, because we had, like, a tap in the hotel. We could go down and fill up our water, but I'm not sure everywhere would have that. A lot of water. Now, did you stay in the same hotel for the...? Yeah. Yeah. So you didn't have to change? No. That's good. Yeah, yeah. OK. All right, so anything else you'd recommend packing, Sam? I'd always recommend kind of packing a jacket that has pockets on the inside as well, because that's where I kept my boarding pass and passport for the trip, and it's where I kept my phone and wallet as well, on the pockets on the inside. And I'd also say, always leave space in your bag for stuff that you're bringing back, because I got myself a pair of shoes the day before we were going to fly out, and I had to throw away the box in the bag, and I'd wrap them into my suitcase, and they barely fit. You overpacked, basically, didn't you? Yeah. Yeah, yeah. I think that's a common problem, and I think adults do that as well. I think you always think you need more than what you actually do. Three nights is nothing, really. Yeah. You know, yeah, yeah. Now, I suppose it is winter too, so you have to kind of, you know... Layer up. Layer up as well, yeah. Now, just in terms of Paris as well, now, you mentioned a pocket on the inside of your jacket. I think that's a good thing for security as well, because, well, Paris does have a little bit of a reputation... Pickpocketing. Yeah, of pickpocketing, and just in certain touristy areas, there can be a few people hanging around, watching tourists, and, you know, you can be a little bit vulnerable there. When I was young, we used to have money belts, and times have changed now, so you don't carry too much cash. It's all tapping. So, they were the kind of security thing in my day, but... So, Sam, you're saying a jacket with an inside pocket. Yeah. Yeah. Anything else on security, guys? What would you say? Just be mindful of what you have. Like, you might, like, you know, with a bag, just be mindful that you do have a bag. Okay. Don't forget about it. Just take what you need as well. Like, don't take 100 if you only need, like, let's say 20. Yeah, and would you need lots of spending money? Yeah, so you have to buy your lunch yourself. Okay. So, just plan that out in advance, and kind of plan, like, you know, how much you want to, you know, eat. So, like, 30 euro a day for food alone, that would be it, and then you can go shopping and stuff then. 30 euro? Yeah. I spent the five on a Happy Meal, like, three times. That's because you had a Happy Meal. Yeah, Tide's disagreeing here. You don't think you didn't need that much at all, do you? You only need, like, maybe a tenner, and you can't. Okay. Even what if you were shopping then? Well, I did see you were talking about shopping, though. That's not necessary, is it? But if you want to have nice food, then... And it depends where you go as well, because, like, in Disneyland, all food is expensive. So, if you want to buy your lunch in Disneyland, you'd need at least, like, 30, 40. Yeah. But if we're going down just down the street, then I'd say 15, 20 would be fine. So, we're talking between five and 30-ish. Yeah. Right. Okay. That's not just for food. And a lot of the water is overpriced. Like, in the Louvre, the bottle of water was, like, 12 euro for, like, a really small bottle. You'd pay two euro if you wanted to go to the toilet. Oh, yeah, because you were eating your food there. Yeah. Of course, it was two euro to go to the toilet. That's cheeky. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Well, anyway, the next group aren't going to Paris. They're going to be, as far as I know, anyway, they're going to be going to Barcelona. Yeah. So, I don't think they'd get away with charging two euro in Spain for some reason. I think that might be just, you know, because the Louvre is so busy and it's such an iconic place. But, certainly, there's going to be similarities and differences with the Barcelona trip. I think the heat is going to be an issue because... They're going in April. I believe they're going in April, which will be a bit warmer. Certainly, yeah. In that area, it's definitely going to be a lot nicer than here. It might not be piping hot, but, yes, there's going to be a few little differences. But that advice, I think, is very, very good. And it's going to be great for our listeners to take that on board. Is there anything else now you'd say? Just a few tips for anyone going to Barcelona next year. Make a decent amount of money, like, because if you want to get yourself something nice as well. Yeah. So, aside from food, just presents or a present for yourself or something, a souvenir or something? Yeah, like, maybe like 150, but... Okay. Now, that's all optional, of course, right? So, you know, it's up to yourselves. But, did you bring back money? Yeah, yeah. No. As in, you didn't... You had a budget to spend, probably, and did you spend it all? No. Okay. Well, that's a good thing, I suppose. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Okay. Now, and that really was our last question, actually, Tadhg. You preempted it there. So, how much money would you recommend? You were saying about 150? I think I brought 300. Yeah. Okay, but you didn't need that. No, no. But that was just in case. Yeah, because a lot of people don't, you know, they don't need to be bringing that kind of money as well, you know. But that's for, I mean, for three nights, you definitely don't need that. But, yeah, it's up to people. I'm pretty sure 100 will even do, you know. But, anyway, that's great advice. And if you could do the trip to Paris again in the morning, would you go? Yeah, definitely. So, you enjoyed it? Yeah. And great memories? Yeah, definitely. Okay. Okay, guys. Listen, thank you so much for coming in. Or, well, you were here anyway. You didn't come in. But for coming together to have this little podcast and this little chat. Hopefully, our listeners, particularly the third years and the parents of third years, will get something from this. And I think it's fantastic to be able to travel with your community school, with your school and your community and to go to different places and see different places. It's a great learning experience, but it's a great place for bonding and for having the crack as well and seeing some great new sites. So, yeah, highly recommended. Anyone who wants to go on the trip next year, it's to Barcelona. Get in touch with Miss Clark. I'm sure she'll be very busy getting all her paperwork and everything organized next year. So, in the meantime, guys, you've got a small exam coming up next week. And then you've got a lovely summer holiday. Looking forward to the summer? Yeah. Yeah. And just before we finish, TY in general? Yeah, it was really good. Yeah, you enjoyed it? Yeah. And what would you say was the best part of TY overall? The trip, I think. Really? Yeah. You get to drive the car as well. Right, yeah. Like, I never drove a car before. So, I don't know, that was a good experience for TY. Yeah, yeah. And big changes now next year. You won't be doing all the organizing, all the things, yeah, it'll be back down to the books. But listen, you've got great memories. Yeah. And yeah, we've had a great time teaching you this year. And we hope you've enjoyed your TY year. And as I said, great to look back. And like I have my memories of my TY trip, you guys will have yours too, all right? Yeah. Thanks so much, guys. Thank you. Okay, we'll see you soon. All right, bye-bye. Bye. Bye-bye. Bye.