What are the benefits of student travel? There are the obvious ones, of course: students who travel are immersed in foreign languages, become inspired by new and exciting experiences abroad, and encounter historical landmarks and world geography firsthand.
If you’ve experienced educational group travel, you know that it has a significant impact on students. But did you know that some of the benefits stay with them throughout their lives? By allowing students to experience history, language and culture outside of the school walls, with hands-on workshops and engaging activities in a new and fascinating destination, the influence of educational tours can be long-lasting.
The educational benefits are just the beginning, though: educational travel changes students’ lives for the better. A school trip, no matter how near or far the destination might be, can have a lasting impact on these young globetrotters' worldview. Many participants on our trips (students and teachers alike!) would even say their trip to France, Spain or Québec, was one of the most important experiences of their lives!
Here are just a few of the personal benefits of educational travel:
Students learn to love learning
Educational travel inspires students to link different ideas, including ones that they’ve learned in class, with what they’re experiencing on tour. Travelling to destinations like Washington, D.C., Philadelphia or Boston can give incredible clarity when studying U.S. History and Politics, while a trip to France will have your students totally immersed in the French language that they won't even think twice when responding to their waiter in French first try.
In making these connections, students are inspired and understand the importance of their education more than ever. More than half of the students on our tours say that travel inspired them to learn for the sake of it rather than for grades. And that's without counting the number of students who have become teachers or tour leaders following their travels, have attended college / university in the city they visited on their high school trip, or have decided to study abroad in an unknown destination (we admire you!).
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They become more accepting
When students interact with people from other cultures, this causes a change in perception. It makes them more curious and accepting, and more likely to consider cultural contexts. The best part of going out of your comfort zone? Bringing you into someone else’s comfort zone! With travel, students discover the lifestyles, cultures, and infrastructure that exist outside of their local communities, adding countless layers of life lessons and experiences that can't be fully explained in class.
What’s more, travel also increases empathy for others, and students become more aware of how they live and learn in comparison to others. From witnessing poverty, to discovering environmentally-friendly cities, or getting lost in thought at the Normandy landing beaches or Berlin Wall, travellers often come home with an improved understanding of their own cultural values.
Personal responsibility improves
For so many students, an educational tour is their first travel experience without parents. It's kind of a big deal!
Educational tours provide students with a safe environment to try out mature tasks like budgeting money, meeting the group at appropriate times, and learning to work through problems, like navigating a new city and dealing with language barriers. Many students look back at educational tours as a positive step on their paths to independence and adulthood.
Travel helps boost confidence, and improves personal responsibility and problem solving. Plus, most of the students on our trips come back with lifelong friends and a newfound understanding of who they are as individuals. In short, students learn as much about themselves as they do their destination, and we couldn't be prouder of having been a part of this transformation.
Educational travel is certainly educational, but it’s so much more than that. Give us a call so we can tell you about where we can take you and your students this year!
