If you teach secondary school students, you’ll be well aware of how pivotal this time of their lives is—in just about every sense: emotionally, socially, cognitively. Your students are at a unique point developmentally where their brain is not yet fully mature, and they can benefit deeply from new and different experiences. As an educator, you’ll also appreciate how powerful the novelty of a change of scenery from the typical classroom environment combined with hands-on learning can be at this stage.

Enter travel: a catalyst for curiosity, a space for self-discovery, a bridge to connect students to the world beyond their own, and an opportunity to develop a global mindset.

A recent study by the Student & Youth Travel Association shows that kids who travel benefit from improved performance in school and have an increased desire to attend college. It also states that “74% of educators polled believe travel helps students’ personal development” and that “nearly 80% of teachers in the study said that travel is an ‘extremely effective’ teaching recourse.”

Here are a few reasons why travel is particularly valuable during secondary school: 

1. SELF-DISCOVERY. This is a time when young people are really beginning to form their identities. They’re receptive to new experiences. Travel gives them new perspectives. It gives them space to learn about themselves and their place in the world. Some of their strengths and weaknesses will be revealed when they’re faced with an unfamiliar environment. They’ll consider how their own beliefs and values compare to those of people with cultural backgrounds, and perhaps understand more about their own likes and dislikes as well as come across personal interests they may not yet have discovered. Travel can even change or clarify their vision or goals for their own future. 

2. EXPANDED WORLDVIEW. Leaving the childhood bubble in which students’ lives revolve—which is often quite small and intimate during adolescence—to immerse themselves into a new culture can be eye-opening. Interacting with people from different cultures can help students challenge any assumptions and stereotypes they have, appreciate diversity, and build a global mindset that they take with them for the rest of their lives. After travel, students often return home with broadened perspectives, begin to think more critically about the world around them, and start to understand how global issues are connected and relevant to their own lives. 

3. LANGUAGE LEARNING. The earlier students begin learning a language, the easier it will be to become fluent. An “MIT study suggests that children remain very skilled at learning the grammar of a new language much longer than expected — up to the age of 17 or 18.” And there’s no better way to improve on beginner language skills than through immersion. Travel to a country where English is not the first language, and your students will have opportunities to practice ordering a meal, spark conversation with locals, or navigate a purchase at the fruit stalls of a farmer’s market. Instead of words in a book or on a video, language learning becomes a real-world experience with practical applications.  Students will go through situations that will help trigger their memory when they grasp for vocabulary and grammar in future classes back home. 

4. PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT. When students find themselves in an unfamiliar environment, they start to learn to get comfortable with being uncomfortable. Travel can help them develop certain skills that are not only great for their personal lives and character, but for their future too. These include adaptability, flexibility, resilience, empathy, critical thinking, problem-solving, and many others. Travel can also help students work on improving more practical skills like saving and budgeting, navigating public transportation (which they may not have ever even encountered at home), learning street smarts and becoming more aware of their surroundings, and improving interpersonal skills as they interact with their peers in new and different situations. 

5. CROSS-CULTURAL CONNECTIONS. One of our core values is authenticity, and we ensure that each EdOdyssey program gives students access to authentic cultural experiences. This usually comes in the form of connection with locals, whether a guest speaker, a hiking guide, or someone who leads a hands-on workshop. Through these interactions, students build cross-cultural connections. They learn the value of community, of understanding people who live differently from them, of being open-minded to other ways of thinking. Of course, they also—for example—learn practical skills like traditional weaving with an Incan teacher in Peru, gain knowledge like that an Italian guide would share while walking the streets of Rome, and understand important traditions like tea ceremonies in Japan.

6. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT. Travel at the secondary level can be an investment in a student’s future. Today, we live in an interconnected world, so there’s a good chance your students will work in environments that are not only multicultural but global in scale. According to the Institute of International Education (IIE), students who travel abroad in secondary school are more likely to pursue international experiences in higher education and enter globally focused careers. Studying abroad, even on a short-term program, can give a significant boost to college applications and resumes. It sets students apart from peers by showing that they are willing to embrace challenges and entertain different perspectives.

7. UNFORGETTABLE EXPERIENCES. The experiences your students have while traveling—whether overseas or domestically—will no doubt leave a lasting impression. The memories and stories will stay with them, as will the thrill of seeing new places, meeting new people, and trying new things. For many students, travel at a young age tends to inspire life long love of travel and exploration and many will feel inspired to go on to study abroad again for a full semester or year at university.  

If you see the value in travel, give your students the gift of widening their world by opening up opportunities for them.

Not sure where to start? 

Enter EdOdyssey: here to eliminate the overwhelm, to help make travel possible for your students, to create custom programs that meet your learning objectives, to facilitate connections with communities across the globe, and to support you each step of the way.

Every program we create for our partners is one-of-a-kind, authentic, educational, inclusive, affordable, and value-packed. 

“EdOdyssey takes care of the details a travel agent would normally take care of, including arrangements for lodgings, transportation, and setting up excursions,” Andrew Martino Dean of Clarke Honors College at Salisbury University said of his experience working with us for the past several years. “They’ve made it very easy and joyful. Their team taking care of the details has allowed me to customize an experience for my students that is closer to what I envision a study abroad experience to be, not just transplanting classes on foreign soil. This has been a truly collaborative process, and now we have a world-class experience for our students.”

Ready to make it happen? 

Embrace the process: Planning, Marketing, Preparations & Travel

1. Dream & Brainstorm. Consider your academic objectives. Think about what you want your students to gain from their trip. Come up with a few clear goals that will help us work with you to design a program that has the greatest impact and focus. Consider whether you’d like to include service learning or if there are any specific sites or activities that you’d love to incorporate. If you’re unsure about the details at this point, that’s okay! If you’re open to ideas, we can help.

2. Think About Location, Time & Duration. Do you have a preferred destination? For example, we work in a number of countries including Canada, Chile, China, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Peru, Spain, the UK, and the US. Is a certain time of year better than another? How long would you like to be away? Again, if you’re not sure, don’t worry; we can help you decide which of these places would be ideal for you, the best program length for the greatest impact, and whether there’s a particular time of year that would be ideal for your location and vision.

3. Contact us to Start a Conversation! Fill in the form linked in the button at the end of this post so we can start a conversation about the program you have in mind, answer any questions, and generally get the ball rolling. Once we receive your form, we’ll contact you within two days to schedule a 30-minute chat. Within two weeks of our conversation, you’ll receive a full proposal with costs, program dates, activities, learning objectives, program inclusions, and an overview of logistics.

4. Give yourself a pat on the back…because this will be an amazing opportunity for your students. You won’t regret it!

5. Market Your Program. Once your program has been created and approved, we’ll help you promote it and share it with as many prospective students as possible.

6. Prepare for Take-off. Sit back while we take care of all program-related details including registration and all program management! Our domestic and international teams coordinate trip logistics, and reservations and even share helpful cultural resources. We take care of all the details too, such as communication with participants, collecting allergy information, and special meal arrangements. Several weeks before departure, we also host a pre-departure meeting to review the final itinerary, health & safety guidelines, and ground rules & expectations.

7. Lead Your Program. From the moment you arrive in-country until you depart, you and your students will always have the support of your local EdOdyssey Educator, who will accompany you, manage all logistics and travel, plus serve as your local guide sharing their own culture, experiences, and country with you.

8. Reflect. The journey doesn’t stop when you unpack your bags. Take time to process and reflect on this trip with your students once you return. They will have plenty to think and talk about, and there’s value in finding space for this among peers who understand where they’ve been and what they’ve experienced.