Exposing students to the marvel of travel broadens their horizons, and transforms their perspectives of life. It sounds cliche, but there are many benefits to student travel for any age group. We may be a bit biased but it’s because we witness the results first hand. You want one good reason to plan a class trip for your students? We will give you five!
Some students have never spent a night away from home, nevermind an overnight, out-of-state school trip with their fellow students. While it can be nerve-racking as parents to trust the chaperones and even your own child, to travel without your guidance, it will be a tremendous learning experience for them. Spending time away from home isn’t all that scary, and exposure to travel at an early age will better prepare them for longer, more serious ventures in the future (example: college!).
Consistency and familiarity in a child’s life are important to many parents. It keeps children grounded and oftentimes, safe. However, it is important to teach your student about the varying aspects of life outside of their bubble. This will expose your kids to different walks of life and other variations of “normal” across the country. This can help your student develop a sense of cultural awareness.
This may be considered a cop-out, but it’s true. It’s refreshing to introduce a more tangible, sensory aspect to learning. After devoting months to discussing the significance of leaders such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., or the difference between the three branches of government, how memorable would it be to visit the birthplace of Dr. King in Atlanta, or tour the United States Capitol? Connections between textbook context and real-life are bridged. It’s pretty impressive to hear just how much information is retained when on the road!
Traveling for the purpose of volunteerism, projects or college campus visits can prepare your student for the world ahead. It can unveil new career opportunities they may not have known of back home. It can showcase what a college campus can be like in more rural or urban settings. It can reinstate the drive and purpose to accomplish their dreams. These kinds of class trips are productive and intentional, and all the more rewarding.
Sometimes, trips can be a celebration of a year of hard work. GO can offer an array of suggestions for that senior year, or merit-qualifying excursion of a lifetime. Plus, can be a huge game-changer with disciplinary or participatory issues throughout the school year when the ultimatum is the attendance to a fun, end-of-the-year school trip.
If you have been hesitant about coordinating a class trip for your students, we hope you will reconsider. With a couple of years of travel under our belt, we find that students engage better on a trip. They also form closer relationships with their peers, advisers, and educators. The trip becomes the highlight of the year, and a memory imprinted forever.