MAYMESTER MONEY MATTERS

Program Cost: 
The basic price of the Viculture & Enology Maymester in Cortona is $4,500-$5,000. Students who are not residents of Georgia or do not attend a University System of Georgia University or College pay an additional $250 unless they attend an SEC school. Scholarships may be available. Georgia residents who are eligible for HOPE have access to HOPE Scholarship funds to pay tuition, but not the program fee. Should you require additional material, please contact us by e-mail at cortona@uga.edu or by phone at 706-542-7120. The cost of the program paid by the student before departure includes most basic needs from the time the program begins in Italy until the official end. Included in that cost are:

• Charter bus transportation on all planned field trips
• Charter bus transportation from Rome to Cortona at the beginning of the program
• All museum entry fees
• Shared hotel accommodations when traveling and dorm rooms in Cortona
• Breakfast and dinner while traveling with the program group
• Dinner 5 days a week while in Cortona (Monday – Friday)
• Breakfast 7 days a week while in Cortona
• Tuition: 4 hours of credit for the Viticulture & Enology Maymester
• Program t-shirt

"How Much Money Do I Need To Take With Me?"
Individual expenses vary greatly from student to student, depending on personal habits, needs, tastes, variety of items such as clothing and souvenirs acquired, and – most importantly –  the extent of additional travel planned at the beginning and/or end of the Program. As a guideline to decide how much additional money you may need to cover expenses not provided by the program, which the student must be prepared to handle, we offer the following estimates:

• Airfare ($1000 - $1800)
• All of your lunches (25 @ $5-10 each) $125 - $250
• Weekend dinners (5 @ $15 each) $75
• Local transportation within some of the locations we visit (i.e., public buses, subways, taxis, etc.) $50
• E-mail and telephone expenses
• Any independent travel you may choose to do on your own
• Any personal items you may purchase (gelato, cappuccino, espresso, etc.)

Estimated Additional Necessary Finances: $1,250 - $2,175 (excluding personal purchases and independent travel)

It is recommended that you bring small denominations of Euros with you for use immediately upon arrival. It is difficult to cash travelers checks, particularly in Rome. Be sure to check the currency exchange rate from U.S. dollars to Euros before you leave the U.S. because everything you buy in Italy will be in Euros.

Currency & Banking:
Credit cards with check-cashing privileges and ATM cards are the best way to obtain money when needed. You are allowed to withdraw the equivalent of up to $250.00 per day. You might consider pre-arranging for parents or relatives to deposit money in your ATM checking account in the U.S. as you need it so you can easily access the money from Cortona. Check with your bank to be sure your PIN number will work in Europe.

It is not recommended that you bring the entire amount of money you expect to spend in cash. You will not need a large amount of money with you when you arrive in Rome or Cortona if you have an ATM or credit card. If you want to bring the entire amount of money you will need for the Maymester, bring it in the form of travelers checks. Be sure to keep a list of your traveler's check numbers in a secure place separate from the checks themselves in case they are lost or stolen. Before your trip it’s a good idea to inform your bank of the dates that you’ll be traveling abroad.

We recommend that you take a small amount of U.S. cash with you when you travel to Italy and exchange it in the airport or train station as soon as you arrive. You can also exchange dollars to Euros in Athens or at the Atlanta airport before you leave the U.S. After you arrive in Rome or Cortona, we suggest you cash travelers checks as needed weekly at the local bank or use your ATM card to obtain cash from automated tellers.

Credit cards (American Express, Visa and MasterCard) are honored in most places throughout Europe. They are not a substitute for cash, but using them gives you the advantage of the best exchange rate when you are billed by the credit card company. It is highly recommended that you bring a credit card in your name, signed on the back to be used in case of emergencies. Before your trip it’s a good idea to inform your credit card company of the dates that you’ll be traveling abroad.

Exchange rates at banks are generally better than exchange rates at a cambio. Also, a cambio in a train station or airport will usually have a less favorable rate than one in a more business-oriented district. Frequently hotels will exchange money or travelers checks, but the rate is much less favorable than at a bank.

When cashing travelers checks, you must present your passport. The exchange procedure can take up to half an hour, so it is a good idea to cash enough travelers checks to last you for about a week at a time.