How can I raise money for a high school trip to Spain?

My school is organizing a trip to france and spain. how can i raise money for it and convince my parents?

• it has been my dream to go to france ever since i was little and i want to go sooo bad. but the trip is pretty expensive. even if i use birthday, christmas, and the money that would ...show more

• Answer:

  As to the why, I'd tell your parents this: There are many reasons why Paris is an excellent choice as a learning experience for young people from the United States. History is the big reason of course. For many centuries Paris has been an important center of world events, the breeding ground of political, artistic and philosophical movements. You can visit a Roman amphitheater or see the Roman baths from the days when Paris was part of the Roman province of Gaul. There is Notre Dame, built in 1163 and an excellant example of Gothic architecture. You can see the 13th century Conciergerie, once the home of the Grand Concierge, a high court official that would become a prison during the Revolution and hold Marie Antoinette. There is Saint Chapelle consturcted in 1246 by Louis IX (Saint Louis) to hold the Crown of Thorns and other relics. In the little winding streets of the Left Bank and the Marias you can get an idea of what a medieval city was like. At Versailles you will see the Ancien Regime at the height of its power under Louis XIV. You will also be able to understand the excesses that led the people to revolt against his great grandson Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette. In the Place de la Concorde you can see where they both met their end on the guillotine. Paris also played an essential part in the American Revolution. From here Benjamin Franklin mustered support for the revolitionary cause from the French Monarchy. Franklin's favorite cafe, the Procope, is still operating in the same place it was founded in 1689. You can have lunch at the same table Ben Franklin did. This same place was a favorite of such other famous people as Voltaire, Moliere, Danton, Robespierre, and Marat. Fast forwarding to more recent history, you can walk the streets of Montmartre where Picasso and Utrillo stolled and eat at the La Lapin Agile where they ate. You can stroll down the hill and see the Moulin Rouge that Toulouse Lautrec, another Montmartre denizen, made famous with his art. Have a cup of coffee at the Cafe de Deux Magots where Jean Paul Sartre held forth and go to the Cimetière du Montparnasse to see where he is buried. And while visiting cemeteries make sure to check out the Père Lachaise Cemetery where you will find the graves of everyone from Eugene Delacroix, Yves Montand, and Edith Piaf to Jim Morrison of The Doors. The Museums are another big reason for visiting Paris. The Cluny (Museum of the Middle Ages) which contains the famous "Lady and the Unicorn Tapestries) to the Louvre with is classic art (Winged Victory and the Mona Lisa amongs hundreds of masterpieces) to the Musee D'Orsay (impressionists) and the Centre Pompidu with its collection of Modern Art. And in Paris you'll get a taste of a foreign culture that is close enough to American that it will be understandable yet different enough to show you that there are other ways of doing things. Even something as simple as when you eat dinner is different in France where people typically have their evening meal no earlier than 8 PM. The French habit of whiling away a few hours in a cafe, drinking espresso and watching the world go by is a contrast to the American rush rush rush lifestyle. In fact, just being someplace where most people don't speak English is a learning experience. I began taking my own daughter with me to Paris (and other destinations in Europe) when she was quite young. I have no doubt that it was an important part of her education and was one of the reasons she has been so successful in the years since. Traveling with your school is far different than going on your own or without sufficient adult supervision.