Four Tips to Get Your Travel Program Off the Ground and On the Road

By Alex Roesser

As the first student group from my district to travel overseas in nearly 20 years, I faced a myriad of obstacles in the formation of a new travel program, from an uncooperative business department to a skeptical superintendent. After two years of planning, and jumping through more hoops than a circus-trained lion, our first trip was a smashing success. If you are looking to start your own educational tour program within your school district, here are some valuable insights that I learned.

1. Get Your Principal On Board
Having your building principal’s support is critical before you begin to take your tour idea to the superintendent and Board of Education for approval. If your principal is hesitant, make sure that you present a strong case for the benefits of student travel. Mark Twain once said, “travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness” because “charitable views on men cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth in one’s lifetime.” Convey that travel will not only make your students stronger in the classroom by experiencing history first-hand, but it is also crucial to their development as democratic citizens. Brainstorm a list of your principal’s potential concerns (missing school/homework, insurance concerns, rowdy students) and have solutions ready to go in your written proposal.

2. Research Your Tour Company
Your administration will want a thorough rundown of the tour company you’ve chosen to ensure that they are fully licensed and insured, and have an excellent reputation for traveling with students. Email schools in your area to see what companies they use, and how satisfied they are with their customer service. Then compare prices and amenities between tour companies. Do they offer free meals? A full-time guide while on tour? The ability to add or delete excursions from your itinerary? What is their refund policy?

3. Create a Student Behavior Contract
Before you have students enroll, you need to be clear what your expectations both before the trip and on tour will be.  Do you want to link eligibility to grades and behavior? If students get in trouble, will they still be able to attend? What would you determine is a serious offense on tour that could have a student sent home? Using your school’s code of conduct as a guide will help you set parameters for potential academic or behavioral issues, and communicate to your school that student travel is an honor, not a right. This can also be a great selling point if you have a reluctant principal.

4. Highlight the Lasting Effects of Educational Tours
Teaching in a poor, rural town, the most important argument we made for the formation of our program was to show students the larger world outside of their small area. When students travel, they learn how to be self-sufficient, financially independent, and experience things that cannot be captured in a textbook. Many people have seen photos of the Sistine Chapel, but my students have stood on the floor, arched their necks, and witnessed “The Creation of Adam” in its massive fresco glory. Travel makes history, curiosity, and independence come alive in a nurturing, structured setting.

Launching an educational tour in my district is one of the most difficult things I’ve done throughout my teaching career, but also one of the most rewarding. Giving students the opportunity to see the world, and hopefully inspire them to continue their wanderlust, has been a joyous experience.