More to Know - Maine 2025
We'll fly out of Greenville-Spartanburg
We will fly from GSP to and from the Portland International Jetport (PWM). The airfare is a separate fee. We will make group flight arrangements for you. If your family plans to start or end a vacation with Maine in mind, it is possible for you to arrange your son's flights. We'll make the reservation in early fall. (There is also the possibility we might need to fly out of Charlotte. We realize the inconvenience, and will do our best to stick with the GSP plans.
We will fly from GSP to and from the Portland International Jetport (PWM). The airfare is a separate fee. We will make group flight arrangements for you. If your family plans to start or end a vacation with Maine in mind, it is possible for you to arrange your son's flights. We'll make the reservation in early fall. (There is also the possibility we might need to fly out of Charlotte. We realize the inconvenience, and will do our best to stick with the GSP plans.
Lodging
Our program is amazing, our leadership is mature and amazing, and our lodging...well....we don't stay in five-star resorts. We choose lodging that fits us and this summer is no exception. We'll be staying at the Bar Harbor Motel for our four nights in that town. This will be our fourth time at this property and we love the motel. They provide an ample breakfast which saves us a bunch of time and a great outdoor heated pool. The first night and last two nights will be spent at a hotel in Portland. As of this posting, the Bar Harbor Motel has not been confirmed and we haven't yet chosen our hotel in Portland.
Our program is amazing, our leadership is mature and amazing, and our lodging...well....we don't stay in five-star resorts. We choose lodging that fits us and this summer is no exception. We'll be staying at the Bar Harbor Motel for our four nights in that town. This will be our fourth time at this property and we love the motel. They provide an ample breakfast which saves us a bunch of time and a great outdoor heated pool. The first night and last two nights will be spent at a hotel in Portland. As of this posting, the Bar Harbor Motel has not been confirmed and we haven't yet chosen our hotel in Portland.
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Food
Eating is an important part of our days. Our "food service" is unlike any other camp. Breakfast is provided by the motel/hotel. Lunches are usually from fast-food restaurants near where we might happen to be. Occasionally a lunch might be a regular sit-down restaurant style meal. Dinners will be eaten in local restaurants. As expected, it will be the big meal of the day. Boys will get to choose from the menu. You are not going to find that in any residential camp in the world that we know of. Actually, you'll get to choose your food items for all three meals. Picky eaters need not worry...you'll find plenty to eat. Of course all meals and many snacks are included in the trip fee. |
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A roadside sign along the carriage trails in Acadia National Park. We'll be biking here.
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How a Day Might Unfold
Like all MindStretch Travel Adventures programs, there are no two days that are the same - ever! Our days will be full. There's a lot to do during this short trip. We'll tell you each evening what time to have breakfast finished by and what time we'll be meeting to start the day's adventures. We'll let you know what you'll need to bring each day...but it's pretty much the same: daypack, water bottle that's filled, rain gear (if it looks like that's a possibility), proper shoes for the activities, and a fleece or jacket. Maine will certainly be many degrees cooler than back home. Having said that, we hit a hot spell in Bar Harbor for a couple of days on our last trip. We will certainly schedule some "chill" time where we can just relax. Our motels will have a pool. Boys will be given some very limited free time to explore the downtown section of Bar Harbor and Portland. There will be strict guidelines as to travel distance and time to report back in with the leaders. Parents can elect not to give their son this option. |
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Some Logistical Notes
All the details will come your way as we get closer to the trip. But here's some more info that might be useful to know now. Luggage You will receive a "What to Bring' list in early spring. Your son will need one main piece of soft-sided luggage (think duffle or rolling piece). It does not need to be large. In fact, the smaller the better. We're only going for eight days and it's not absolutely necessarily that your son have a fresh set of clothes for each day. However, we do recommend clean underwear and socks for each day. In addition to the main piece of luggage, he'll need a daypack (book bag) that should be packed and ready to go each day. We will not be doing laundry on this trip, though motels usually have a small coin-operated laundry if there's a clothes emergency. Electronics
If your son has been on any of our domestic trips over the past several years, you'll know that electronics have been banned. It makes a huge difference when boys put away their electronics. They tend to focus on talking and interacting with each other...and that's an important life skill. And they actually see the beautiful scenery we're experiencing. 
Leaders on a trip to Virginia showing their mastery of modern-day technology! We were at a drive-in movie.
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Leadership
At this time, leaders on the trip include Mark Levin (founder of the program), Don Silleman, and Rae Silleman. All are experienced MindStretch Travel Adventures staffers. We've been around the block...and more than once. If we add any additional staff, they will be listed here as pages get updated.You should check back from time to time. We occasionally have a couple of experienced and mature students who help out as "Senior Counselors." We have not offered this opportunity to anyone at this time. 
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