After completing the items in STEP 1 you are ready to make your travel arrangements with Travel Partners, LLC. Future City pays the cost of travel (flights and train only) for the five official team members (3 students, 1 Educator and the Team’s Mentor* only).  Only the Official Team Educator or Mentor is authorized to complete team travel arrangements with Travel Partners, LLC. No team member, educator or mentor substitutions can be made. 

Please make sure to have the full name (including middle name or initial) as it appears on a birth certificate or state or government issued picture ID and date of birth for the five official team members ready to provide to Travel Partners to proceed with bookings.

Travel Partners can be reached at:

office@travelpartnersllc.com (preferred) 1-800-884-0070

Hours: Monday–Friday 9:00 am-5:00 pm (EST)

*Team mentors are defined as the person officially registered with Future City National, approved and paired with the winning team in the FC Dashboard only. No exceptions.

If you plan to drive then you do not need to make any travel arrangements through Future City.

Please Note: The educator or mentor must make the travel arrangements for the official team. When contacting Travel Partners, please mention you are with the Future City Competition.

Teams will fly into one of the following airports:

• Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA)
• Washington Dulles (IAD)
• Thurgood Marshall Baltimore Washington International Airport (BWI)

We will be as accommodating as possible with flights. However, final arrangements will be based on cost and scheduling and are at the sole discretion of the Future City HQ Staff.

DEADLINES FOR MAKING TRAVEL RESERVATIONS:

Teams must finalize travel arrangements within seven days of their Regional Competition. Failure to make your reservations by this deadline may result in the forfeiture of your team’s free trip to the Finals.

After your team selects their desired flight option, Travel Partners will email you a copy of your travel itinerary. You must respond to Travel Partners by 5:00 pm (EST) the same day you receive your travel itinerary to approve it and receive the tickets.

Once the team’s reservations have been made and the travel itinerary has been approved, family members and friends may contact Travel Partners directly to make their own travel arrangements with our partner (anyone not part of the official five team members are responsible for their own travel and hotel arrangements).

Arrange Ground Transportation From the Airport

Teams are responsible for their own ground transportation from the airport.

The Hyatt Regency does not operate an airport shuttle service. Travel options include:

• The Washington DC Metro subway system is available between several airports and the Visit www.wmata. com for more information.
• You can make travel arrangements with the Washington area Super Shuttle in advance by calling 1-800-258-3826 or visiting supershuttle.com.
• Taxicabs, Ubers and Lyfts are also available options to book for transportation

Additional information may be obtained through www.washington.org (the official tourism site for Washington, DC) and from www.metwashairports.com (the official site for the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority).

DiscoverE will make hotel reservations for the three official student presenters, educator, and mentor at the Hyatt Regency.

Please do not contact the hotel to make a room reservation for the five official team members (3 presenting students, educator and official mentor*).

If your team chooses to arrive earlier or stay later than the scheduled Finals dates, you are responsible for the cost of the additional nights. You may make your own reservation at the Hyatt or make alternate accommodations for those nights that are not paid for by Future City once you have recieved confirmation from Hailey at Linder Global for your official event hotel nights, see STEP 1 above).

OFFICIAL TEAM ROOM ASSIGNMENTS

• Student team members will be placed in rooms with two double beds.
• The educator and the mentor will each be placed in a room with a king, queen, or two double beds (based on availability). No special room requests can be made.
• If the educator and mentor are married to each other, they will be assigned one hotel room.
• Single gender teams (e.g., 3 boys or 3 girls) will be assigned one room with two double beds.
• Mixed gender teams (e.g., 2 girls and 1 boy, or 2 boys and 1 girl) will be split based on the gender listed on the team members’ information submitted in the FC Dashboard. This may result in the single boy or girl being placed in a room with a student of the same gender from another team. In such instances, the hotel will make every effort to house the two impacted individuals on the same floor and hallway as their teammates.

• If a team does not want a student to share a room with a student of the same gender from another team, the team must notify Linder no later than 2 weeks prior to the team’s scheduled arrival in Washington, DC.
  • In such instances the student or team (whoever is the responsible party) will pay 50% of the cost of a single room ($181.00 per night + 14.95% tax), which is $104.02 per night (including tax). Future City HQ must receive full payment no later than 1 week prior to the team’s scheduled arrival in Washington, DC. Changes made less than a week prior to Finals and/or not provided to Future City in writing by the team educator, will be charged to the team, whether or not the room is used. Accepted payment types:
  • Check or credit card (Visa or Master Card only)

• Payment instructions will be sent via email to the educator/responsible party with an invoice.
• Upon arrival at the hotel, the educator or mentor will be responsible for checking in the official team at the Front Desk.

Registration

All friends, family, and team members not part of the official team must be registered to attend the Future City Competition. To view details to attend and make accommodations, please visit here: Friends and Family Finals Page – Future City® Competition 

Hotel Accommodations for any Friends, Family, and Team members not part of the official team:

Hyatt Regency on Capital Hill 

400 New Jersey Ave NW

Washington, DC 20001

Book Your Room Online Here: Future City Finals Competition 2024 (hyatt.com)

or call 1-877-803-7534 and mention the Future City Room Block to secure your room

Hotel Rate $181.00 per night plus tax of 14.95% while room block supply lasts.

• Note: Room availability and rate is not guaranteed and is on a first come, first served basis. Pending availability, the rate is available until January 30.

Teams are responsible for shipping or transporting all models to and from Finals.

Option 1: Ship Model (Recommended that you use FedEx – Air)

1. Models must be shipped and scheduled to arrive no earlier than February 12 and no later than February 15, 2025 — directly to the Hyatt Regency.
2. Ship Models to the following address:

To:  ATTN: CATHERINE ACKERSTROM

      FUTURE CITY CO HYATT REGENCY WASH.

      400 NEW JERSEY AVE NW

       WASHINGTON DC 20001

Note: All items on the model must be securely attached to prevent damage. If the model is damaged during shipping, repairs will be permitted during the Model Unpacking Session on Sunday, February 15.

3. We recommend using FedEx Air to ship your model to Finals if shipping in from a US region.
4. There is a FedEx Shipping Center onsite at the Hyatt Regency for your convenience shipping models home post competition.

Additional Packing Instructions Include:

• Shipping containers cannot be larger than 30” wide x 54” long x 24” high.
  • Wooden shipping containers may not be used.
  • Please use lightweight packing material to minimize damage to your model during shipment. No packing peanuts are allowed. They make a big mess when unpacking boxes and the hotel charges extra to clean them up. If the model is damaged during shipping, teams may make repairs during the Model Unpacking session on Sunday, February Teams are responsible for bringing all necessary supplies for repairs.

Contact your Regional Coordinator for additional tips and advice about shipping your model or check out tips from past participants in the right column.

Option 2: Drive Model To Finals

1. If the team elects to drive the model to Washington, DC rather than shipping it, please indicate accordingly on your Educator Profile. Contact futurecity@discovere.org for questions.
2. Parking fees are not reimbursed. There are a number of parking garages in the area surrounding the hotel with varying daily rates. Valet parking is also offered by the hotel for a daily fee.
3. Prior to arrival, Linder/ Future City HQ will email instructions to the educator regarding where to bring the model upon arrival at the hotel.

Advice on Shipping Your Model from Educators Who Have Been to Finals

• Be sure the shipping container you use is stronger than the model.
• Secure the model solidly to keep it from shifting in the shipping container but use packing material carefully in order to avoid doing any inadvertent damage.
• Plan for the worst-case scenario: assume some- thing will be damaged and take whatever you might need to fix it when you arrive in DC (e.g. glue gun and glue, wood glue, wires, paperclips, Styrofoam, etc.).
• Bring pictures of your model with you to DC in case you need to refer to them while making repairs.
• If the model has a backdrop, make sure it is the strongest part of the construction OR be sure it is detachable and placed flat beneath the model for shipping.
• If possible, disassemble your model into separate “modules” which you can pack separately (or, depending on size, carry with you in luggage).
• If you have fragile pieces (buildings, trees, etc.), consider removing them before shipment and reattaching them in pieces like these can also be wrapped in bubble wrap, even if they’re still attached to the model.