Resources

This page includes resources like packing lists, airline luggage regulations, and supplemental readings.

FRANCE PACKING LIST

What to Pack for France

• Passport & Another Form of ID

• Saint Mary’s ID 

• Insurance/Health Card

• Any necessary prescription medication for 12 days—please bring a copy of the prescription and the generic name of the medication

• Personal Grooming Needs 

• Brush/comb

• Toothbrush, toothpaste, floss

• Contact case w/solution

• Deodorant

• Feminine hygiene products

• Lip Balm w/SPF

• Small laundry detergent (for hand-washing clothes) 

• Shampoo/Conditioner in 3 oz. bottles

• Lotion in 3 oz. bottle

• Razor & lotion in 3 oz. bottle

• Hand sanitizer

• High SPF Sunscreen

• DEET-based Insect Repellent

• Dress for versatility and weather changes. Light, breathable clothing with layers.

• Lightweight tops:

  • 5-6 — Short sleeved t-shirts, 

  • At least 1 dress shirt/blouse

  • 2-3 — Long-sleeved shirts to help keep insects at bay

• Activewear — breathable and light materials for walking/hiking/cycling:

  • 3-4 Pairs of pants

  • 3-4 Pairs of shorts — not “booty shorts”

• Swimsuits — that are appropriate for your teachers to see. No teeny-weeny bikinis. 

• Comfortable shoes, all of which are good for walking — sneakers for outdoor activities, at least one pair of water-resistant shoes with thick rubber soles, sandals/flip-flops.

• A sweater or sweatshirt (it gets cool on airplanes and air-con spaces)

• A light waterproof jacket/poncho — for potential downpours

  • Collapsible umbrella?

• A baseball cap/sunhat and sunglasses

• Underwear/socks for 10 days

• Modest PJs

• Watch/alarm clock/iPhone/Camera

• Smartphone with earbuds/headphones & a power charger

• Portable charger for on the go

• Money belt/secure wallet

• Cash in Euros

• Small day-pack for day excursions

• Reusable water bottle

• Something to read  — book or kindle

• A journal and pen

DO NOT BRING

• Anything you cannot afford to lose (e.g., expensive jewelry)

• Heavy Items

• Anything that will get you stopped, arrested, or will embarrass us 😉

• A Negative Attitude

ADDITIONAL THINGS TO CONSIDER

Have you…

MONEY

□ Secured proper currency?

PACKING

□ Reviewed the packing list and confirmed the items you need?

□ Selected one check-in bag not to exceed 158 cm/62 linear inches & 50 lbs

□ Selected one carry-on bag not to exceed 9” x 14” x 22”    

□ Comfortable & sturdy walking shoes

PHONE TASKS

□ Made plans for an international phone plan, if needed?

□ Downloaded WhatsApp?

□ Downloaded educational Podcasts about where we’re going?

SELF CARE

□ Are you getting more sleep?

□ Preparing for Winter finals?

□ Started taking vitamins if you’re feeling sick?

□ Informed us about any/all medications?

□ Informed us about any “special” factors we need to know about?

United Airlines BAGGAGE ALLOWANCE

SAN FRANCISCO AIRPORT

SAFETY TIPS AS YOU TRAVEL

1. Stay with your travel group.  You don’t have eyes on the back of your head, but your group members can have their eyes on the back of your head.  Watch out for your group.  Our motto is “we got your back.”

2. Don’t attract attention to yourself by wearing expensive clothing, jewelry or other accessories.  Dress neatly but inconspicuously.

3. Don’t bring unnecessary valuables with you.  If you don’t have them, they can’t steal them.

4. Be discreet with the valuables you do bring and keep them secure when you don’t need to have them out.  Do not keep anything valuable in your pants pockets, outside jacket pockets, zipper pockets on packs or near the top of the main compartment of your pack.  The best place for valuables is in front of you, on your upper body and inside your zipped-up jacket.

5. Avoid the crush.  Don’t stand in crowds of strangers especially when you are distracted by attention grabbers like street performers.  Maintain distance between yourself and people you don’t know.  If a crowd is unavoidable, move your bag in front of you and pay attention to what the people near to you are doing.

6. Be aware of your surroundings.  Pay attention to the feel of streets as evidenced by the light, condition of buildings, cleanliness of streets, dress, behavior and number of people on the street.  If a street feels sketchy, trust your instincts and find another way to get where you need to go.  Don’t wear earbuds etc., they both distract you from, and cut off information from your surroundings.

7. Pay attention to where the exits are both for indoor venues and outdoor gathering places.

8. Minimize the number of items that you carry.  The more items you carry, the more likely you are to leave something behind.  Consolidate and put items like water bottles, hats and layers away in your pack when you are not using them.  When leaving an area do a quick head count of your possessions.  Many items that are “stolen” are really just lost due to carelessness.

9.  Familiarize yourself with the general layout of the places you will be visiting by looking at maps and identifying key locations such as hotels, emergency gathering points, tourist destinations, transport hubs etc. Don’t rely on following others to get around, know your own destinations and locations. 

10. Keep your information secure.  Keep electronically encoded information on passports, driver’s licenses, credit cards etc. shielded using RFID shields.  Minimize electronic access to your devices through Bluetooth, mobile hotspots, air drop, NFID electronic wallets such as Google and Apple pay.  Avoid sending high value passwords over unsecured WIFI networks – this can be automatic sometimes with some apps, so be thoughtful about the apps you use while on WIFI.  Use two factor authentication for accounts whenever possible.

11. Keep track of your belongings.  Don’t put things down and walk away from them.  If you need to do something without your bag ask someone you trust to look after it while you are away.  If you are looking after someone else’s stuff really look after it and try to avoid moving around.

12. Let chaperones and others know if you see someone or something suspicious.  If someone looks sketchy stay away from them.  Don’t engage with panhandlers, peddlers, or anyone else who approaches you on the street.  Buy from people who you approach with fixed businesses.

STAFF SERGEANT RUBEN RIVERS

MONT-SAINT-MICHEL & IT'S BAY

Perched on a rocky islet in the midst of vast sandbanks exposed to powerful tides between Normandy and Brittany stand the 'Wonder of the West', a Gothic-style Benedictine abbey dedicated to the archangel St Michael, and the village that grew up in the shadow of its great walls. Built between the 11th and 16th centuries, the abbey is a technical and artistic tour de force, having had to adapt to the problems posed by this unique natural site.

Perched on a rocky islet in the midst of vast sandbanks exposed to powerful tides, at the limit between Normandy and Brittany, stands “Wonder of the West”, a Gothic-style Benedictine abbey dedicated to the Archangel St Michel, and the village that grew up in the shadow of its walls. Built between the 11th and 16th centuries, the abbey is a technical and artistic tour de force, having had to adapt to the problems posed by this unique natural site. Thus, the practical and aesthetic solutions inscribed in the stones of the edifice are henceforth inseparable from its natural environment.

This Benedictine abbey, founded in 966, was erected on a sanctuary dedicated to the Archangel Michel since 708 and conserves some vestiges of the Romananesque period. The older part of the present abbey, the small pre-Romanesque church with a double nave, Notre-Dame-sous-terre, in granite masonry and flat bricks, dates back undoubtedly to the 10th century. The contribution of the Romanesque period is still visible in the nave of the abbey church, whose crossing is supported by the rock summit, and in a group of conventual staggered buildings (the chaplaincy or gallery of Aquilon, the covered gallery of the monks of which the vault, constructed after 1103, would be one of the earliest examples of ribbed vaulting).

But it is the masters of the Gothic period who, benefiting as best they could from the restricted area, invented the high walls, the soaring masses, the open volumes, the airy pinnacles and the sharp silhouette of the rock. The new body of the conventual buildings, built from 1204, merits the name of “Merveille” (Marvel) for the elegance of its conception. Above the chaplaincy of the 12th century, it comprises the celebrated rooms known as the ‘Hôtes’ and the ‘Chevaliers’ and, on the uppermost floor, in addition to the vast body of the refectory, the cloister with colonnettes grouped in five, open on one side to the sea. Among the many later additions, mention should be made of the flamboyant choir of the abbey church, begun in 1448 to replace the Romanesque choir which had previously collapsed.

The Mont-Saint-Michel, sanctuary located in a difficult place of access, in accordance with the tradition of places of worship dedicated to Saint Michel, place of pilgrimage frequented throughout the Middle Ages, and later seat of a Benedictine abbey of strong intellectual influence, is in its most characteristic aspects, one of the most important sites of Christian civilization in the Middle Ages.

Mont Saint-Michel is one of the most important sites of medieval Christian civilization.

Despite the turbulent history of the Mont and the destruction of the earlier part of the church, the integrity of the ensemble of the site and the abbey is effective. The restorations of the 19th century have given back their dignity to the buildings and their emblematic aspect, notably with the construction of the spire in 1897. The village has conserved its ancient constructions.

The values of the site have been maintained despite the silting up of the bay due to natural phenomena and especially the construction of an access causeway in 1879, that caused the Mont to lose its insular character. On completion of major work carried out by the French State in 2015, the maritime character of the Mont Saint-Michel has been reestablished.

The relation between the Mont and the vast surrounding landscape of the bay has remained intact for centuries. The buildings of the abbey and the village that surrounds it, maintained, restored or renewed accordingly since the 17th, 19th and 20th centuries, are of remarkable authenticity in their substance, their development or lay-out.

Abolished in 1789 and transformed into a prison until 1863, the abbey today is a monument that testifies to the Christian past, where the monastical presence is ensured by a small community. Its history, shared by three million visitors each year, recalls the outstanding role that it played.

The visual characteristics of the Mont, linked to its topograhy, and its status as a largely visible landmark, are very vulnerable to insertions into the landscape likely to alter the panorama from and to the property. Moreover, the high visitor frequentation risks damaging the spirit of the place.