Getting from your home airport to Hotel Diana in Rome

Check-in
You should be at check-in 2.5 hours before departure, as stated many times before. During this time, parents will check in their own student, then afterwards take group pictures, have hugs, etc., before you all go together through the security checkpoint.
BAGS SHOULD BE CHECKED ALL THE WAY THROUGH TO ROME – we lose bags almost every year because of this miscommunication.

At the Departure GateSet up camp at the departure gate, which means EVERYONE's carryon bags are to be neatly gathered together into one spot. From now on, if you go out in a group, a group is THREE PEOPLE from our SPI group. If you want to get breakfast, eat something like what you’d usually eat for lunch. And to get lots of water or juice. Pick up food, and bring it back to the gate to eat it. Be at the gate, ready to board, 45 minutes before the departure time.

On the Domestic FlightsYou all need to stay awake on this flight - talk, play games, share what you're excited about, take pictures . . . and be super-nice to the flight attendants!!!

In Domestic Connecting airportsHere’s where the fun starts. When y’all disembark, find the location of your departing flight, and set up camp. Again, keeping bags with you, go to pick up lunch (dinner), and, with food, return to the gate quickly.  Camp out with the bags at the departure gate.  International flights start boarding 1 hour to 45 minutes ahead of time. If you're traveling with others, try to find out where everyone is sitting, and write it down in your Tour Journal, so that you can say hi to everyone during the flight.

On the FlightEat ALL your dinner. SLEEP. A lot. Drink water.  A lot.  However you need to do it. EVERYONE. Be sure to get up and walk every so often, if you're awake. And eat ALL of your breakfast (no matter WHAT you're served).

Forms? Last time we flew to Italy, we received no forms entering the country. If they do hand out Customs forms, make sure you are filling everything out (you should have NOTHING to claim), and placing the form in your passports, for easy access. Have your passports in a quick-access spot, because that's the first stop you'll make once you get off the plane.

DisembarkingWhen you get off the flight, you might have to take a shuttle bus into the terminal.  Either way, the minute you enter the airport, have any necessary potty breaks happen between there and the passport check.

Passport check: Be sure to get into a NON-EU line. It’s a quick thing – they just check your passports, and you head to baggage claim. No one in our group has an international passport this year (Gratias Deo), so this should be smooth.

Baggage Claim: At the end of passport check, just around the corner is the baggage claim. During this time, you can stop by the ATM inside the baggage claim if you want to get cash, but mostly, make sure your bags made it.  You can always get cash outside of Customs, too.  And there are ATMs in the train station of the airport.  If there is a lost bag, go to your appropriate flight group desk right by the baggage claim.

Customs: You should just pass right through. If someone is stopped, it’s a random search, and shouldn’t be a problem.

Mendiolas and Aunt Carol, at this point, when you walk through the sliding customs doors, we should meet you there.  If there is a severe delay in your flights, you might have to take the train/take a taxi to our hotel.  It's easy:

As soon as you pass through the Customs doors (big sliding glass doors), you should see signs pointing "Ai Treni" (to the trains), and doors leading outside.  If you want to splurge for a taxi (45-60 Euros, usually), go out the doors and find the TAXI stand.  Don't get rides from strangers, adults.  I'd advise you take the Train (Fiumicino/Termini Express) into Termini, and walk the two blocks to our hotel from Termini.

The Fiumicino Train Station is attached to the airport.  You'll take escalators a flight down, then back up a few flights, to enter the train station.  The Termini Express leaves from the Fiumicino Train station every 20-30 minutes, and is 14 Euros a person. You can sit anywhere on the train.  Just be sure you validate your ticket in the machines before you board.  The ride is about 30 minutes long.  When you disembark at Termini, you have to walk all the way to the front of Termini.  Go to the Via Cavour exit, and walk two blocks towards the center of town on the Via Cavour.  Turn right on Via Principe Amadeo, and walk down one block.  Hotel Diana is right there - Via Principe Amadeo 4 - before you get to the end of the street (which is the Opera House).

If you must take the train/taxi in because you're arriving later than the group, I'll make sure to have your room keys ready for you at the front desk, and you can get checked in and cleaned up.  Expect to see me there, too, so we can meet up with the rest of the group on their tour of the Colosseum/Forum!  This should only apply to Mom, Christi, Ursula, and Erin.

Can you believe it??? We're talking specific stuff like this!!!  We're getting close!
Hugs,
Laura  :)