The Trip

After hosting a German exchange student in September, Oak Hills students will be afforded the opportunity to travel to Germany for a period of three weeks in June and July, provided they successfully complete at least German III and will be finishing their sophomore year prior to the trip. Before students head to Germany, however, some basic facts about the trip should be known.

Passport

All students must first obtain a United States passport, which can be obtained at the Cheviot branch of the US Postal Service (reservations are not needed at this branch). The cost for a passport is $105 (age 15 and under) and $135 (age 16 and older). The entire process takes approximately 6-8 weeks. Students must bring the following: two photographs of themselves (which can be obtained at Walgreen's, Kinko's, and AAA), proof of U.S. citizenship, a valid form of photo identification (such as a driver's license), a certified birth certificate, and a parent/guardian to sign for them. Students will not be permitted to board the airplane without a valid U.S. passport.

Cost of Trip (Approximate)

The main expense associated with the trip is the airplane ticket, which is paid upfront and costs around $1,700. In addition, families will be required to make a series of five $250 payments to help cover the cost of a three-day side trip, the chaperones' tickets, gifts for dignitaries, and miscellaneous items, all of which should cost around an additional $700. The remainder of these payments will be held in deposit in case funds are needed for unexpected expenditures such as, but not limited to, increases in food, fuel, and hotel costs; property damages; hospital stays; and, early return flights home (all of which have occurred in the past). This deposit will be returned, in full, provided no unexpected costs are incurred by you/your student. If no extra costs are incurred by you/your student, the entire trip should cost around $2,300. Divided by a period of three weeks, the trip to Germany costs about $100 per day!

Itinerary

Generally speaking, Oak Hills students will travel to Germany toward the middle of June and return at the beginning of July. They will stay with their host family in Dingolfing the first week and a half, then take part in a three-day side trip with the Oak Hills exchange group. The last week of the trip will be spent in Dingolfing with their host family.

Forms

All forms must be signed by the participants in the exchange program and their parents, notarized in Ohio, and returned to one of the Oak Hills German teachers as soon as possible. Only those students who have completed and returned all forms will be allowed to board the airplane.