What Students Remember Most: 5 Magical Moments & Tips for Faculty

An intentionally designed itinerary is the foundation of a meaningful and high-impact educational travel experience. This is our roadmap—one that we carefully craft to weave together the themes of place and community with academic learning objectives. The itinerary sets the stage, opening up opportunities for unique experiences and authentic engagement. But the memories that linger in students' minds years later often can’t be so precisely planned.

They remember the serendipitous encounters and unexpected interactions; small challenges and the feeling of victory when they are overcome; little acts of kindness from strangers; unguarded conversations; and the personal realizations that inevitably happen along the way, changing how they see the world and themselves.

Let’s take a look at some of these moments—the ones that happen along the journey but can’t be planned—that often leave the deepest impression: 

1. THE FIRST “I CAN’T BELIEVE I’M HERE” MOMENT.

Nearly all student travelers can pinpoint a moment of pure, wide-eyed disbelief and excitement when the reality of being in another country or state truly sinks in. It might happen right after arrival—for example, while hearing a multitude of different languages mingle in the air on the first tube ride from the airport into London, or it might come a bit later. It might happen while on a walk through a busy local market in Lima triggered by the scent of maracuyá floating from a juice stand, or perhaps while watching the sunset over Rome and realizing that it is no longer just a city on a screen, but that it is real, and they are living it.

FACULTY TIP: Encourage students to practice awareness and presence. Ask them to make a note of their first, “Wow, I can’t believe I’m here!” moment if and when they have one. This makes a great topic for reflection, journaling, or group discussion. All of these activities can help students find an even deeper emotional connection to their experience, and the more physical act of journaling the smallest details they can remember will help them more easily recall this precious memory as time passes.

2. THE CHALLENGE-TURNED-INTO-A WIN MOMENT.

One inevitability about travel—about taking the brave decision to jump out of our well-worn routines and open our minds to other ways of thinking and of life—is that there will be challenges. There will be unpredictability. You can try to plan a trip down to the minute on paper, but the reality is that trains can be delayed, someone might get lost, an alarm clock might be slept through, a restaurant might be closed for staff illness, or there will come a situation in which it’s difficult to communicate because of the language barrier. While frustrating at the time, these bumps in the road are catalysts for growth. Some of the key soft skills study abroad alumni report they gained from travel are flexibility, adaptability, a better knack for problem-solving. This is, of course, because these skills are necessary when you travel. A student who navigates a challenge that results in a win will feel empowered, and this feeling will stand out for them as an important moment.

FACULTY TIP: Whether it’s ordering food in another language, asking for directions after a wrong turn, or figuring out the best move after a planned activity can’t go ahead because of an unexpected roadblock, don’t jump in to solve every problem. Let students work through the small hiccups on their own and you’ll be amazed at how much confidence they gain when it all works out in the end.

3. THE MOMENT OF UNEXPECTED CONNECTION WITH A LOCAL.

Students will likely look back fondly on seeing the iconic sites, but it’s often the local people who leave a more lasting impression. This is why authenticity is at the heart of EdOdyssey programs. Students may have enjoyed, for example, a visit to Ireland’s Cliffs of Moher, but a stronger memory might be the friendliness of the bus driver who told jokes along the journey; or the connection they found with a local who sat at the table next to theirs at lunch afterward, chatting with them over a traditional Irish stew. It might be the barista in Quebec who remembered their order after two visits, or an elderly shopkeeper in Chile who told them about the history of their family-run business. It’s these small, fleeting, unscripted interactions that create a sense of belonging somewhere new and help students open their minds to differences. 

FACULTY TIP: Be sure to carve out space, time, and opportunities for organic interactions to happen alongside the more structured cultural exchanges. Encourage students to linger, observe, and engage with their curiosity. Unplanned and unexpected connections can be so powerful.   

4. THE MOMENT AN ACADEMIC SUBJECT MERGED WITH REAL LIFE.

It’s one thing to study art, sustainability, or history in a classroom; it’s quite another to engage with the subject in a more tangible way. Watch as your sculpture student marvels at Michelangelo’s David in Florence for the first time; as your international business student has opportunities to speak directly with local employees during a visit to their Tokyo offices; as your student who cares deeply about environmental subjects travels by boat along a murky river into the Amazon and hears the unforgettable birdsong beneath the tree canopy. This type of experiential learning is impossible to replicate in a classroom environment alone. These are the situations in which academic concepts stop feeling so abstract and start to become personal—and memorable.

FACULTY TIP: In the less obvious moments, encourage students to make connections between what they see or hear in front of them to concepts they are learning about in class. A simple, “What does this remind you of?” or asking about expectations versus reality may spark a fascinating conversation. 

5. THE GROUP BONDING MOMENT NO ONE EXPECTED.

When they boarded the plane in the US, your group of students probably knew one another as classmates. By the end of your trip, don’t be surprised if they leave as friends, having formed tight bonds through their shared experiences. There could be moments when communication went awry, resulting in a comical situation and an inside joke; or a group hike up an active volcano with a local volcanologist that left them sharing a sense of awe; or they simply spent a night in a hotel lobby reminiscing about the best moments of the day that left them feeling a sense of connection. 

FACULTY TIP: Embrace the “teachable moments” and make space for informal impromptu group reflections as well as downtime that gives students time to connect with each other in a natural way. The friendships they form will shape their experience just as much as the destination itself.

THE MAGIC OF THE MOMENTS IN BETWEEN. 

No one knows ahead of time for certain which will be the most memorable moments or experiences for students on a trip. While the itinerary lays the groundwork, the power of place and people will work their magic in their own ways. Details fade, but the feeling of connection—to those people and places—will stay with them long after they return home. You can help facilitate these experiences if you pay attention and carve out time and space for serendipity along the way!