accommodation, food & beverage2 major German cities2 3-star hotels1 special group lunch2 special group dinners (welcome & farewell)

team, organization & safety 2 program coordinators and trainers5 local guides 24/7 local emergency contacts

visits9 company visits3 start-up visits1 incubator1 innovation center

cultural activitiesbusiness culture workshop Berlin Wall Memorial

transportation 1 private VIP bus

Arrival Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Departure

Welcome Dinner

Frankfurt

ArrivalFrankfurtAirport

DepartureBerlin Airport

The Weekmorning

noon

afternoon

evening

FreeTime

optionsoptional: historical old town Frankfurtoptional: Museum Embankmentoptional: Berlin street art touroptional: Reichstag visitoptional: Museum Island visitoptional: Berlin Dungeon visitoptional: Berlin Underworld visitoptional: Free Walking Touroptional: GDR Museum

Berlin

Transfer to Berlin

FreeTime

FreeTime

Frankfurt Berlin

program at a glance:Length of program: 1 weekNumber of participants: 25-30 undergraduate seniors and graduate students, 2 faculty membersCredit points: can be earned if the University of Michigan decides to make the program credit-based for its students

featured partners

FreeTime

FreeTime

excluded

flight transfer, travel and health insurance, visa and immigration costs, room service, any other services at the hotel, gratuities for guides

Let your students embark on an experiential learning journey in 2

major German cities!

International Facility Trek to Germany

Stop-overin Leipzig

important information

program overview:

Let your students embark on an experiential learning journey in 2 major German cities:

Frankfurt: a global hub for commerce, tourism and transportation that does not only have the busiest cargo airport in Europe, but also represents the major financial center of the European continent

Berlin, as Germany s̓ capital: a world city of culture, politics, media and science as well as Europeʼs leading hub for entrepreneurship

On this International Facility Trek to Germany, your students visit some of the most prominent global companies in the industries of engineering, logistics, healthcare and transportation (such as BMW, Amazon, Mercedes Benz, Fresenius and Pfizer). They get to, for example, look behind the scenes of the major international airport located in Frankfurt, gain insights into a highly modern logistics distribution center in Leipzig (as a stop-over on our way to Berlin) and learn about the manufacturing processes of companies working in the infamous German automobile industry in Berlin. In addition, the students get a glimpse into the logistics of a couple of social start-ups and meet the young local entrepreneurs behind them, who are eager to talk about their experiences in the market.

In order to help your group understand the cultural differences between the U.S. and Germany when it comes to business practices, Andreas and Janina give a workshop on “Germany and German Business Practices“ at the Social Impact Lab (an incubator for social entrepreneurs) in Frankfurt. That way your students can find out what Germans value not only when interacting with their international business partners, but also internally with their own employees.

We want your students to make the most of this trip and have therefore put together an inspiring, enjoyable and most importantly hassle-free itinerary. Your group is picked up at the airport in Frankfurt by a private VIP charter bus that takes everyone from one city to the next ending at the airport in Berlin. To help everyone re-energize, you get to sleep in modern, comfortable hotels and try out different kinds of food ranging from traditional German dishes at the Welcome Dinner to hip and trendy vietnamese fusion food at the Farewell Dinner.

On top of that, we would love for your students to also absorb the German culture outside of the business world. Everyone is therefore going to visit the Berlin Wall Memorial (as a set program component) and has the option to participate in various additional cultural activities including, for instance, Frankfurtʼs historical old town, the GDR museum and a unique Berlin street art tour.

#insurance

All participants (students and accompanying members of faculty) will be responsible for their own health and travel insurance coverage for their trip to Germany. The participants are covered for any damages caused, e.g. during a company visit, through People & Friendsʼs professional liability insurance.

#safety

During the program, the participants have at least two emergency contacts they can reach out to: Andreas and Janina are available via their cell phones 24/7. Please note: our digital ̒ Germany Welcome Info Package ̓will also entail details on how the participants can keep safe while abroad.

#visa requirements

#immigration costs

The participants will be responsible for any immigration costs, including but not limited to airline, airport, arrival and departure taxes or fees, passport costs and visa costs. The participants should ensure that they are eligible to travel to and stay in Germany for the duration of the program.

#program payments

The People & Friends International Facility Trek to Germany operates outside the United States and is paid for in local currency. All program prices are in Euro. Program payments shall be made through bank transfer. Our typical payment plan has an initial deposit due 90 days prior to the program start date, with the balance due in full to People & Friends no later than 45 days prior to the program start date.

#refunds and cancellation penalties

We reserve the right to cancel, alter, reschedule or amend our program at any time. If a trip is canceled by People & Friends, all or a portion of the universityʼs payment will be refunded, pending the cancellation date. If the university or individual participants cancel, it may result in a penalty of up to the full program tuition, depending on the date of cancellation. Verbal notice will not serve as valid cancellation notification.

optional cultural activities#orientation

Two weeks prior to the program start date, we provide a digital ̒ Germany Welcome Info Package ,̓ which can be distributed to all participants, in an orientation session held at the University of Michigan. In this package, the participants receive e.g. information about travel documents needed, packing tips as well as advice on how to stay safe.

2 hotels:

As requested, the room types will be the following at both hotels: faculty/staff members stay in single rooms and students in shared twin/double rooms.

FREE

9 €

9 €

Holiday Inn Express Berlin City Centre– a 3-star smart Berlin city-center hotel close to Checkpoint Charlie

Frankfurt Historical Old TownFrankfurtʼs downtown, which is also the city's “Old Town”, is an ideal area to discover on foot. Though it was partially destroyed during World War II, it was nearly fully reconstructed in the years since, saving many of the original buildings. After you visit Old Town Frankfurt, you will walk away with a new appreciation of old churches, museums, squares, and shops. Through the website GPSmyCity.com you can download a predefined route that takes you across Frankfurtʼs historical old town within 2 hours.

Museum EmbankmentThe Frankfurt Museum Embankment (Museumsufer) is one of the most important locations for museums in Germany and Europe. Through this unique cultural experience on both sides of the Main, the city enjoys an excellent reputation among art lovers. On the southern bank side alone, nine exhibition buildings are lined up one after the other like a string of pearls. Among them e.g. are the superb German Film Museum and the world-famous Städel Museum, which focuses on fine art of the old masters.

Berlin Street Art TourTake a fascinating walk with “Alternative Berlin Tours“ through Berlinʼs street art and graffiti scenes on this entertaining and highly photogenic tour. You l̓l see the latest and most famous work in the city and learn who is behind the art and what their motivations are. Learn about the history and background stories of these underground subculture in Berlin and worldwide from experienced and connected guides all of whom are active and very experienced artists in the city of Berlin and abroad.

Reichstag visitThe Reichstag is a politically significant and iconic building in Berlin with beautiful architecture and a glass dome. This historical edifice was once constructed to house the Imperial Diet of the German Empire; today it is used by the German parliament (Bundestag) to hold its meetings and can be visited by tourists. Please note: you have to sign up well in advance to go on a Reichstag tour in English and bring your passport in order to enter.

GDR MuseumAnother historical and cultural highlight that is well worth visiting is the GDR Museum. This interactive museum represents a hands-on experience of history. The exhibition at the museum encourages you to touch, feel and interact, so as to reach a fun and full understanding of what it was like to be living in East Berlin during the time when the Berlin Wall was still standing.

Museum Island visitIf you are an art lover you should definitely check out Berlinʼs Museum Island – a magnificent art work in itself, a truly outstanding ensemble of five world-renowned museums. Apart from the legendary bust of the Egyptian queen Nefertiti, the most famous and important cultural exhibits on show here include the breathtaking Pergamon Altar and the stunning Ishtar Gate. In 1999, the Museum Island complex was inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage.

Berlin Dungeon visitAt the Berlin Dungeon, you are taken on a journey into 800 years of Berlin's darkest history. You will laugh and scream as you encounter live shows by skilled actors, gripping storytelling, exciting rides and state-of-the-art special effects. You will also drop into the unknown at Berlin's only indoor freefall tower - the Exitus. The Berlin Dungeon will ensure you'll have a scarily funny time. Let yourself be whisked back into the cityʼs most perilous past to see, hear, feel and (ahem) smell the chillingly amusing characters of the ̒ bad old days ̓as they come to life before you. Will you lose yourself in fear or in laughter? Which ever way, itʼs not looking good for your underwear.

Berlin Underworld visitObserve Berlin from below the ground during an exhilarating tour of the Berlin Underworld – a subterranean museum exploring the city's underground history with a focus on World War II bunkers. On this tour, an expert guide leads you to one of the few remaining bunkers of Berlin, as it was left after the war. Your guide will tell you fascinating stories about so-called "ghost train stations" (in German: Geisterbahnhöfe), Cold War escape attempts to the West via tunnels and canals as well as about the life of the average Berlin citizen during the air raids of World War II.

Free Walking Tour Berlin The Free Walking Tour of Berlin starts in East Berlin in front of the Starbucks at the Brandenburg Gate (S/U-Bahn Brandenbur-ger Tor). On this 2.5 hour tour, you will see some of the main highlights Berlin has to offer including the famous Brandenburg Gate, the site of Hitlerʼs bunker, the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, Checkpoint Charlie, the Berlin Wall and much more. The tour leaves four times a day: at 10AM, 11AM, 12PM or at 2PM and is conducted by SANDEMANs NEW Europe Tours. When you arrive, just look for the team in red SANDEMANs NEW Europe t-shirts!

FREE

People & Friends GbRTheodor-Heuss-Weg 1413355 Berlin, Germanycontact@peopleandfriends.org+49 176 64882732+852 5129 9441

www.peopleandfriends.org

contact:

ARTStreet

15 €

9 €

FREE

14 € ARTStreet ARTStreet ART

FREE

Holiday Inn Express Frankfurt - Messe– a modern and newly renovated 3-star hotel in the financial district

18 €

Holiday Inn ExpressFrankfurt - MesseGutleutstraße 296

60327 Frankfurt am Main

Holiday Inn Express Berlin City Centre

Stresemannstraße 49 10963 Berlin

Day 5 - March 2nd

9AM: All participants are picked up at the hotel by our VIP bus and are transferred to Pfizer – one of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies. Upon arrival, a manager welcomes our group by giving us a tour of the company grounds as well as a presentation on Pfizerʼs activities overseas in Germany.

Subsequently, our group is transferred to visit another social start-up called soulbottles – a social start-up that produces sustainable glass bottles with cool designs aiming to reduce plastic waste and to help people worldwide get access to clean drinking water. Upon arrival, one of the founders gives our group a tour of the soulbottles office and warehouse and provides a more in-depth presentation on the companyʼs activities paying particular attention to their manufacturing and logistics processes.

Strengthened and re-energized after lunch, our participants get to explore the Berlin Wall Memorial – an important historical and cultural site that shows a preserved piece of the Berlin Wall, which visitors can look down on from an observatory tower. The tower is attached to a small museum that contains artifacts from the GDR.

In the afternoon, the students can either enjoy some free time OR join in on a unique Berlin street art tour as an additional optional cultural activity. On this tour, a local street art guide takes the students to different artistic murals throughout the city while sharing some background information on the pieces of street art (see photo of elephant mural) and artists. If the students choose to go on the street art tour their day ends at around 6PM.

This exciting week across Germany ends with the official Farewell Dinner at Royals & Rice – a trendy vietnamese fusion restaurant in Berlin-Mitte from 7-9PM.

Departure Day - March 3rd

Saturday is a free day. After the students and faculty members have checked out of the hotel, they can leave their luggages in a storage room and enjoy some free time during which they can explore Berlin further. Our suggestions for this day are the following:

Reichstag visitMuseum Island visitBerlin Dungeon visitBerlin Underworld visitFree Walking Tour

We are happy to help with the sign up process for any of these activities or to give directions and further pieces of advice.

In the late afternoon, the students and faculty members meet up at the hotel to pick up their luggages and board the VIP bus, which takes them to Berlin Tegel Airport (TXL). (If the return flight is scheduled to leave in the morning the bus would directly pick everyone up at the hotel after check-out and transfer them to the airport.)

Day 4 - March 1st

10AM: On Thursday, your students are in for a real treat when we visit Restlos Glücklich – a social start-up which aims to reduce food waste in Berlin. Upon arrival, one of the founders of this start-up welcomes our group by providing more in-depth information on their company and subsequently invites everyone to join for a cooking class.

After enjoying a self-cooked lunch, everyone is transferred to visit Mercedes Benz – a global automobile manufacturer known for luxury vehicles, buses, coaches, and trucks. At the Berlin facility, the students get a tour of the high tech manufacturing plant in which Mercedes Benz produces so-called powertrain components with integrated technologies that help reduce CO2 emissions. On this private tour, our guide goes into detail, for instance, about the innovative CAMTRONIC engine control technology and shares some general facts about this global center of competence in the powertrain production network.

After this visit, the students are off to another exciting visit at the BMW motorcycle plant in Berlin-Spandau. After a company presentation as well as a Q&A session, the students get a private tour of the worldʼs most modern motorcycle manufacturing plant to take a closer look at the production process of the high quality BMW vehicles.

The day ends at around 7PM giving the students some free time in order to explore Berlin on their own. Suggestions on things to do and where to grab dinner are given by Andreas and Janina.

Day 2 - February 27th

9AM: All participants are picked up by our private VIP bus and are transferred to Deutsche Bahn (DB) Skydeck – the creative powerhouse of the largest railway operator and infrastructure owner in Europe, which focuses on developing technological innovations and advancements for the DB Group in a start-up atmosphere. Upon arrival, a DB manager welcomes our group and gives our participants a tour of the Skydeck Frankfurt while explaining how this special venue is used by the company.

The morning continues with a company visit at Siemens – the largest industrial manufacturing company in Europe. Upon arrival, everyone gets a private tour of the Siemens switchgear manufacturing plant, a center of competence for gas-insulated systems, operating manuals and technical documentation. Subsequently, your students listen to a presentation given by a Siemens manager who also speaks about the companyʼs current and future activities.

After lunch, your students are transferred to visit the KfW Banking Group (in German: Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW) = Reconstruction Credit Institute) – a German government-owned development bank that was formed in 1948 after World War II as part of the Marshall Plan. Upon arrival, our group is welcomed by a manager who gives everyone some insight into the German banking system, the KfWʼs overall structure and explains how it is different in comparison to German commercial banks.

In the afternoon, the students get some free time. Our suggestions for this afternoon are the following:

Main Tower – the only high-rise building open to the public with amazing views of the Frankfurt skyline

Museum Embankment – visit some of the best museums in the country which are located along the river Main; among them e.g. are the superb German Film Museum and the world-famous Städel Museum, which focuses on fine art of the old masters

Shopping tour on the “Zeil“ (Germanyʼs Fifth Avenue)

Return to Frankfurt s̓ historical old town “Sachsenhausen“

Arrival Day - February 25th

The students and faculty members arrive at Frankfurt International Airport (FRA) and are picked up by our private VIP charter bus, which will be at our disposal for the entire week. Andreas and Janina welcome everyone on board and manage the check-in process upon arrival at Holiday Inn Express Frankfurt

During the day, the students have some free time to explore Frankfurt by themselves or to get some rest after the long flight. Our suggestion for sightseeing is to roam around the historical old town with its apple wine pubs, half-timbered houses and narrow alleys.

In the evening (from 7-9PM), everyone gathers for the official Welcome Dinner at the Druckwasserwerk Restaurant – a historical hydraulic plant from 1899, which today offers traditional German food in an unusual and extraordinary ambience. (If your group arrives in the evening on the 25th, the official Welcome Dinner will be held on February 26th instead.)

Day 1 - February 26th

9AM: All participants are picked up at the hotel by our private VIP bus and are transferred to their first company visit at Fresenius – a European health care company focusing on hospital management, engineering and services for health care facilities. Upon arrival, a manager gives our group a tour of the grounds and provides a more in-depth presentation on the companyʼs activities including a Q&A session.

Subsequently, our participants are transferred to the Social Impact Lab (SIL) – an incubator and co-working space for social entrepreneurs in Frankfurt. After getting a short tour of the SIL by one of its managers, the students get to meet two local entrepreneurs who founded the social start-up gramm.genau – a zero waste supermarket that also offers a delivery service. The two founders hold a short presentation providing more in-depth information on the companyʼs current and future activities paying special attention to the gramm.genau logistics system.

After a lunch break, Andreas and Janina give a workshop on “Germany and German Business Practices“. This will provide the students with an overview of Germany as one of the leading industrial nations and allow them to get an impression of what Germans value when doing business with their international partners. Through a couple of interactive exercises, the students also gain an understanding of the corporate culture within German companies.

In the afternoon, our participants are returned to Frankfurt Airport, not for their departure flight but for a customized tour of the airport grounds conducted by an experienced guide. The tour covers the main highlights at the airport, including a drive past the terminals showcasing the wide variety of airlines and aircrafts being fueled and loaded, CargoCity South, the gigantic hangar of the Airbus A380 and the construction site of the future Terminal 3.

In the early evening, the students are taken back to the hotel and get some free time in order to explore Frankfurt by themselves. Suggestions on things to do and where to grab dinner are given by Andreas and Janina on our way back to the hotel. The day ends at around 6PM.

a global hub for commerce, tourism and transportation busiest cargo airport in Europe THE major financial center of the European continentsite of many global and European corporate headquarters home to some of Europe's tallest skyscrapers

#why frankfurt?

Germanyʼs capital and the largest city in the countrya world city of culture, politics, media and science Europeʼs leading hub for entrepreneurshipa continental hub for air and rail traffichome to world renowned universities, orchestras, museums, entertainment venues

#why berlin?

Hamburg

Berlin

Day 3 - February 28th

8AM: After checking out of the hotel, all participants are picked up by our private VIP bus and are transferred to Germanyʼs capital with a stop-over in Leipzig at Amazon – an American electronic commerce and cloud computing company as well as the worldʼs largest internet retailer. Upon arrival, the site manager welcomes our group by giving everyone a tour of the highly modern logistics center and holding a presentation on Amazonʼs activities in Germany.

After a lunch break, everyone is back on the road to Berlin and can relax again aboard our private VIP bus. Upon arrival in Berlin, Andreas and Janina assist with the check-in process at the Holiday Inn Express Berlin City Centre.

Frankfurt

In the late afternoon, the students can either opt for some free time OR join in on an optional cultural activity and go to the GDR Museum (GDR = German Democratic Republic (DDR is the short form in German)), as a historical and

cultural highlight in Berlin. This interactive museum represents a hands-on experience of history. The exhibition

at the museum encourages your students to touch, feel and interact, so as to reach a fun and full understanding

of what it was like to be living in East Berlin during the time when the Berlin Wall was still standing.

If the students decide to go to the museum, their day ends at around 6:30PM. Suggestions on things to do and where

to grab dinner are given by Andreas and Janina.