PhotoVenture Tour with Kenny Kim
Next Stop: Tuscany / Umbria / Marche Region, Italy – November 6-12, 2012
Registration Cost:
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-$2500 per person based on double occupancy / $2800 for a private single room.
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-Special rate of $2100 is available for married couples or partners/staff from the same studio.
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-$1250 deposit due upon registration (refundable for 21 days after registration).
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-There are 12 spaces available for this trip.
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-Registration Deadline is September 16.
The registration cost for PhotoVenture includes: all lodging at a romantic Tuscan villa for 6 nights & 7 days, breakfast & family style dinner + 2 dinners in a restaurant in Cortona, 1 cooking class, ground transportation, various tours & excursions during the scheduled trip, 2-3 wine & olive oil tastings, photo session inside a medieval castle + more. Lunches are not included as you will have some free time on your own (or with the group) to explore the cities we are visiting to taste the local foods.
To keep the tour intimate, we are limiting this trip to only 12 participants.
Frequently Asked Questions
Deadline - This is on a first come first serve basis. Once the spots have been filled up, we will close the registration.
Who Can Attend? - Although this is a photography-related trip, participants are welcome to bring their spouses and/or friends. There will be other non-photographers that will attend this trip. During our classroom times or assigned photo shoots, they are more than welcome to join us or do activities on their own. You’re in Italy - you can’t go wrong. We do ask that you leave your kids behind though :)
Arrival Flight information - You can fly directly into Rome airport (FCO). We will pick everyone up at Terminal 3 Arrival Gate. Please contact Kenny if you plan on coming earlier than the 6th. Italy is 7 hours ahead (CST). If you leave on the 5th, you will arrive the next day on the morning of the 6th. Please arrive by 10am to meet everyone.
Travel Tip: First couple of days can be rough trying to adjust to the time zone difference. Try to sleep according to Italy time as soon as you get on the plane. If you are on a connecting flight, you want to give at least 2 hrs to go from one plane to the next as many of the international airports in Europe will take time going through their customs and often require you to transfer to a different terminal, etc.
Departure Flight Information - We will officially end our tour on November 12th and drop everyone off at the Rome airport terminal 3 or Rome train station (if you are planning on staying longer). Please make sure to book your returning flight no earlier than 6pm. Our suggestion again, if time and budget allow, is to stay longer and explore Rome before you leave. We can help suggest some locations before the trip. Also other important cities such as Naples or Pompeii are only a short train ride away from Rome.
Current Flight Deals - Here are some sites to help you get started:
http://www.venere.com (Great place to find hotel deals in Europe)
Also check out this cool article by Budget Travel: 5 Best Travel Sites
What to Pack: Keep in mind that we are traveling for a week going from city to city on a daily basis. I strongly recommend not to bring a lot of luggage. (1 carry-on and 1 rolling travel case suggested). Although Italy is known for their fashion, this is not the week to strut your new outfit. If you want to, you can bring one or two nice outfits as past attendees like to dress a little nicer at nights when we have our dinners. But again there are no dress codes. Some nights we may not even have time to change before dinner. My recommendation is to bring only what you need and leave room for gifts & souvenirs. Definitely bring comfortable shoes (we will be walking A LOT), warm jacket, rain coat and an umbrella. Tuscany weather in November is normally around lower 60’s to upper 50’s but can be unpredictable.
What Gear to Bring: Do not bring your entire collection of camera equipment. 1 body, few lenses, wide, zoom and high aperture lens, a flash and a tripod (make sure it’s light and compact). You can obviously bring more (backup camera, extra batteries, memory cards, etc) but remember that you will have to carry them around with you as we walk! A good rule of thumb is - whatever you can fit inside your shoulder/backpack camera bag is all you will need. Be sure to bring a journal to record all the wonderful things you will see and taste! :) Bringing your laptop is highly encouraged as all the attendees like to edit, cull and save their images each night. We will collect images from everyone to do a slideshow and portfolio review, so having a laptop that is accessible will be a good option. The villa we are staying at should have WI-FI internet.
Miscellaneous Things to Bring: A Good Attitude & An Open Mind - We want to do our best to provide you with an experience you will not forget. Having a good positive attitude & flexibility for change will go a long way in helping everyone experience the same.
What other costs do I need to factor in?: Attendees are responsible for travel expenses before and after the PhotoVenture. We have designed the tour so that lunches will not be provided. This gives you an opportunity to immerse yourself in their culture and try some local favorite foods on your own or with a group. You will want to bring some spending money for lunches, snacks (gelato), souvenirs and other emergency needs. Leave extra room in your luggage for souvenirs and gifts from the tour, etc. You can get your Euro back home at your local bank by ordering them ahead. You may also use your ATM cards there, but remember that there is a foreign transaction fee added for every transaction. Airports and local banks are also an option but we do not recommend this as they tend to charge a hefty transaction fee. 
Tax-Free Shopping in Italy: Here is an article that can help you when you shop in Italy. If you spend about 155 Euro at participating stores, you can get a VAT (Value Added Tax) refund. Read this article for more information: http://www.lifeinitaly.com/shopping/tax-refund.asp
Emergency/Insurance: Attendees are all responsible for having their own medical, equipment, travel and personal insurance. In case of any emergencies, please have contact information available to notify others back home. Before the trip, please inform us of any food allergies and/or meal preferences that you have (vegetarian, allergies, etc.)
