If you're looking for a fun activity to highlight a year of learning a foreign language, then you should consider organizing a field trip to a country where your students can soak up the culture and immerse themselves in the language they've been studying. A field trip overseas is a great learning experience and anyone can participate since you can hold fundraisers throughout the year to raise money to cover the cost. You may find it easier to organize your trip if you use an educational travel company. Here are some of the services they might offer that you would find useful.
Determine The Itinerary
No doubt, your students will want to see as much as they can, but they need to remember the trip is for educational purposes and not for sightseeing only. A professional who is familiar with the area can pick out the important places for your students to see while slowing down the tour and including many opportunities to interact with the locals. Your students will want to practice the language they've been learning by ordering food in restaurants and shopping in stores. The tour company may even arrange conversational gatherings where your students can talk with native speakers, which might very different from hearing the language from teachers with English as a first language.
Offer An All-Inclusive Option
When you're responsible for several students on a tour, the last thing you want is to be surprised with last-minute charges. One good thing about taking a tour with a travel company is that the price is often all-inclusive and paid for before you leave. Your students will need spending money for snacks and shopping, but all the lodging, attractions, and main meals are paid for in advance so you're not hit with unexpected fees.
Provide a Tour Guide
Going to a new country is exciting, but it can also be a little unnerving. You may prefer being provided with a guide who is familiar with the customs and laws in the area. This may also put parents' minds at ease knowing someone is going along who can communicate with medical professionals in an emergency and who is familiar with risky places and activities that should be avoided.
Prepare Students And Parents
When you work with an educational travel company like Passports Educational Group Travel, you start planning the trip months in advance. This gives you and the students plenty of time to raise funds and get parents on board with the idea. The travel company can provide information to parents and students and hold meetings to let them know what to expect and how they should act during the tour. When the students are told about what will happen and what they are expected to do, you may encounter fewer problems than if they have the idea they are going on a free-for-all getaway overseas.
A field trip overseas may be a once in a lifetime opportunity for some of your students and it's a fantastic way to put the language they've been learning to use. And most of all, it is a fun and exciting experience that your students will appreciate and enjoy.
