Trip Calendar
Click each link below to find descriptions of upcoming trips.- Robotics Lab: Aug 9, 16
- Rocketry Lab: Aug 30, Sep 6
- Marine Science: Sep 22-25
- Washington DC: Oct 3-7
- Washington DC: Oct 17-21
- Disney World: Nov 16-23
- Wild West: August 2014
- Reports of Past Trips
- Travel FAQs
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Washington DC
October 17-21, 2013
Registration Deadline: August 15, 2013
Additional trip: October 3-7, 2013
Registration Deadline: August 1, 2013
UPDATE 4/34/13: Our October 17-21 trip is full and has been confirmed. A second trip is scheduled for October 3-7 (same itinerary), and I'll confirm it as soon as we reach our minimum. We currently have 35 spots available on our Oct. 3-7 trip.
What we're doing
We're visiting Washington DC again this fall and hope you can join us! We plan to tour the various memorials and monuments, the White House, Arlington Cemetery, US Capitol, the Pentagon, Ford's Theater, and the Crime Museum. We'll also have the opportunity to visit Smithsonian museums such as: Air and Space Museum, Museum of Natural History, Museum of American History, Museum of the American Indian, and others of your choice. Our schedule is flexible, some tours we'll do as a group; others we'll do on our own.
How we'll get there
You'll make your own travel arrangements for this trip (car, train, or plane). If you choose to fly or take the train, there's no need to rent a car once you arrive in DC. Our hotel is easily accessible via the metro (whether you travel by train to Union Station or by plane to Reagan International Airport - not Dulles) or via a hotel shuttle (if you land at Reagan International Airport - not Dulles). If you drive, parking at the hotel will be an extra $15 per day.
Please plan to arrive on Thursday, October 17, by 5:00 pm. We'll have a "meet and greet" later that evening, and I'll distribute admission tickets and information about the trip at that time. We'll spend Friday, Saturday, and Sunday touring, and depart for home on Monday, October 21.
Security requirements
I will need everyone's personal information for the White House tour (social security number, date of birth, full name with middle initial, country of birth, current city/state of residence) due to security rules. There's no guarantee that we'll get the tour, but I'll need your personal information to register for it.
Everyone ages 15 and older will need to post the first 4 digits of their SS number on their registration form, and mail the last 5 numbers with payment. Due to the White House's strict security requirements, I must have this information for you to join our tours - there are no exceptions. If you don't want to provide it, that's fine, but please understand that you won't be able to participate in the White house tour if we get it. I will shred your personal information as soon as I'm finished with it.
Everyone in the group 15 years of age or older will be required to show photo identification with information exactly matching the name from your registration form that I submit for clearance. If your identification card does not exactly match the name that you submit, you may be denied admittance, so please make sure there are no typos when you submit your registration.
Cost and what's included
The estimated cost for a "typical" family of four (depending on ages) is around $1,385. A family of 3 is around $1,200, and a family of 2 is around $1015, depending on ages. For families of 5 who upgrade to a 2-room suite, add it will be around $1,650. Cost for a family of 6 is estimated at $2,385, and for larger families, add $185 for each extra person up to eight. The cost for each family will differ depending on family size and ages of the children.
Note: the tax rate for DC-area hotels has increased, so estimates are a little higher now.
The cost of the trip includes your registration fee; hotel for four nights; breakfast on Friday through Monday; lunch on Friday and Saturday; and all site admissions. It also includes Metro transportation while we're there.
It doesn't include all other meals, a $15 per day hotel parking fee if you drive to DC, and anything you do on your own.
Our hotel rooms will have two double beds and will be reserved for each family (you won't share a room with people you don't know). The hotel will allow only four people in a room (they'll make exceptions if your 5th person is an infant/toddler who can fit in a portable crib). If you have five, you can upgrade (for an extra $79 total) to a 2-room suite. The 2-room suites have one king bed, a full-size pull-out sofabed, and they can bring in a roll-away twin bed (if available). If you have more than five, you'll have to get another room.
Cancellation and Refund Policy
This trip will not be confirmed until we have enough travelers to maintain our discounts. If it's not confirmed, everyone will get a full refund of payments made to me.
If the trip is confirmed, payments are refundable only if I have a family on my waiting list to replace you, and a $50 per person cancellation fee will be deducted from your refund. No replacements, roster changes, or refunds will be made after August 15, 2013.
Ready to go?
Full payment is due within 7 days of the date I confirm your registration. (I'll send you a confirmation email with payment instructions.) If I don't receive your payment by the due date, you will be moved to my waiting list to fill any open spots that remain after my deadline. No reminder emails will be sent.
After you complete the registration form, you'll receive an automated notification that it posted correctly. This email does not confirm your spots on our trip - it just confirms that your registration went through correctly. Please email me if you have any questions or don't receive your automated email within 30 minutes of registering.
I try to send trip confirmation emails with payment instructions within one week of receipt. If you don't receive yours within one week, please check your spam folder to see if it's in there. If it isn't, please email me at director@carolinahomeschooler.com to check on your status. (It may take longer than a week if I have several trips going.)
To register for this trip, click here.
Registration Deadline: August 15, 2013
Additional trip: October 3-7, 2013
Registration Deadline: August 1, 2013
UPDATE 4/34/13: Our October 17-21 trip is full and has been confirmed. A second trip is scheduled for October 3-7 (same itinerary), and I'll confirm it as soon as we reach our minimum. We currently have 35 spots available on our Oct. 3-7 trip.
What we're doing
We're visiting Washington DC again this fall and hope you can join us! We plan to tour the various memorials and monuments, the White House, Arlington Cemetery, US Capitol, the Pentagon, Ford's Theater, and the Crime Museum. We'll also have the opportunity to visit Smithsonian museums such as: Air and Space Museum, Museum of Natural History, Museum of American History, Museum of the American Indian, and others of your choice. Our schedule is flexible, some tours we'll do as a group; others we'll do on our own.
How we'll get there
You'll make your own travel arrangements for this trip (car, train, or plane). If you choose to fly or take the train, there's no need to rent a car once you arrive in DC. Our hotel is easily accessible via the metro (whether you travel by train to Union Station or by plane to Reagan International Airport - not Dulles) or via a hotel shuttle (if you land at Reagan International Airport - not Dulles). If you drive, parking at the hotel will be an extra $15 per day.
Please plan to arrive on Thursday, October 17, by 5:00 pm. We'll have a "meet and greet" later that evening, and I'll distribute admission tickets and information about the trip at that time. We'll spend Friday, Saturday, and Sunday touring, and depart for home on Monday, October 21.
Security requirements
I will need everyone's personal information for the White House tour (social security number, date of birth, full name with middle initial, country of birth, current city/state of residence) due to security rules. There's no guarantee that we'll get the tour, but I'll need your personal information to register for it.
Everyone ages 15 and older will need to post the first 4 digits of their SS number on their registration form, and mail the last 5 numbers with payment. Due to the White House's strict security requirements, I must have this information for you to join our tours - there are no exceptions. If you don't want to provide it, that's fine, but please understand that you won't be able to participate in the White house tour if we get it. I will shred your personal information as soon as I'm finished with it.
Everyone in the group 15 years of age or older will be required to show photo identification with information exactly matching the name from your registration form that I submit for clearance. If your identification card does not exactly match the name that you submit, you may be denied admittance, so please make sure there are no typos when you submit your registration.
Cost and what's included
The estimated cost for a "typical" family of four (depending on ages) is around $1,385. A family of 3 is around $1,200, and a family of 2 is around $1015, depending on ages. For families of 5 who upgrade to a 2-room suite, add it will be around $1,650. Cost for a family of 6 is estimated at $2,385, and for larger families, add $185 for each extra person up to eight. The cost for each family will differ depending on family size and ages of the children.
Note: the tax rate for DC-area hotels has increased, so estimates are a little higher now.
The cost of the trip includes your registration fee; hotel for four nights; breakfast on Friday through Monday; lunch on Friday and Saturday; and all site admissions. It also includes Metro transportation while we're there.
It doesn't include all other meals, a $15 per day hotel parking fee if you drive to DC, and anything you do on your own.
Our hotel rooms will have two double beds and will be reserved for each family (you won't share a room with people you don't know). The hotel will allow only four people in a room (they'll make exceptions if your 5th person is an infant/toddler who can fit in a portable crib). If you have five, you can upgrade (for an extra $79 total) to a 2-room suite. The 2-room suites have one king bed, a full-size pull-out sofabed, and they can bring in a roll-away twin bed (if available). If you have more than five, you'll have to get another room.
Cancellation and Refund Policy
This trip will not be confirmed until we have enough travelers to maintain our discounts. If it's not confirmed, everyone will get a full refund of payments made to me.
If the trip is confirmed, payments are refundable only if I have a family on my waiting list to replace you, and a $50 per person cancellation fee will be deducted from your refund. No replacements, roster changes, or refunds will be made after August 15, 2013.
Ready to go?
Full payment is due within 7 days of the date I confirm your registration. (I'll send you a confirmation email with payment instructions.) If I don't receive your payment by the due date, you will be moved to my waiting list to fill any open spots that remain after my deadline. No reminder emails will be sent.
After you complete the registration form, you'll receive an automated notification that it posted correctly. This email does not confirm your spots on our trip - it just confirms that your registration went through correctly. Please email me if you have any questions or don't receive your automated email within 30 minutes of registering.
I try to send trip confirmation emails with payment instructions within one week of receipt. If you don't receive yours within one week, please check your spam folder to see if it's in there. If it isn't, please email me at director@carolinahomeschooler.com to check on your status. (It may take longer than a week if I have several trips going.)
To register for this trip, click here.
Important Notes
• Our
October 17-21 trip has been confirmed. Our October 3-7
trip will not be confirmed until we reach our minimum.
Please do not purchase non-refundable airfare until I
confirm the trip.• Homeschoolers in other states (and Canada, and beyond) are welcome to join us.
• Full payment will be due in my mailbox within 7 days of the date I email your confirmation.
• White House, Pentagon, and Capitol tours are not guaranteed and may be cancelled at the last minute for security or other reasons.
• We'll rely on public transportation while touring DC. It's well worth the experience, but it does require that we have patience if things don't go exactly according to our timetable.
• Please read the security requirements section before registering.
• You'll walk a lot during this trip. If you have problems that won't allow you to walk for extended periods during the day, please consider postponing your trip until you're more able. I don't recommend this trip for people who must use a wheelchair or scooter, or for older people unless they're very active and are accustomed to walking for extended periods during the day.
• Start a walking program before the trip if you don't ordinarily do much walking. Be sure to walk in the shoes (sneakers, walking shoes) you'll be using for the trip - don't buy new shoes without breaking them in thoroughly. Trust me on this.
• If you plan to take small children (infants, toddlers, small preschoolers), consider bringing both a stroller and a carrier - both will come in handy depending on security requirements at the sites we visit. (That said, some sites won't allow either and you'll have to carry them if they're not able to walk by themselves.)
• Security in DC is extreme. Be prepared to be security-scanned every place we visit and become familiar with the requirements of each site before we arrive. (I will email this information before our travel dates.)
• If you cancel this trip, a refund is not guaranteed. Please read my refund policy carefully before you register and mail your payment.
• If you have any doubts about the legitimacy of Carolina Homeschooler, please join my community and ask for references before registering. Don't send money to anyone on the internet if you don't trust them.
• See descriptions of our previous trips to Washington DC.
• More "Important Notes" will be posted as we near our departure date, so check back here from time to time for the latest updates.