It’s hard to list every benefit of student travel programs. Have life changing experiences, learn in some of the most beautiful and impressive environments on earth, and of course, all the ancillary benefits like massive boosts to confidence and maturity; one survey found that 95% of students reported higher maturity levels and 96% reported higher self confidence following a trip.
These answers are nothing new – student travel companies (like us!) hear all the time about how student travel programs changed the lives of participants – all while earning them a credit!
And that’s the best part – your child gets to have all these wonderful experiences they otherwise wouldn’t be able to enjoy while earning credits towards their graduation, potentially lightening the load the next year and allowing for increased focus on remaining classes.
Let’s explore how student travel in Canada works, so you can get a clear picture of how your child will immerse themselves in wonderful locales like the Galapagos Islands and Paris and learn at the same time!
Student Travel in Canada for High School Students – Everything You Need to Know
Over the years, we’ve fielded many of the same questions from parents regarding the student trips and how exactly they work.
To that end, let’s dispense with any uncertainty so you can better determine if your child can benefit from a student travel program (hint: they almost certainly will!).
Will they learn anything?
One concern that some parents have is that these trips tend to prioritize fun over rigorous learning and study. The fact is that these trips are built from the ground up to ensure that your child can learn as much as possible in the two weeks they’re enrolled in student travel programs.
These are accredited programs that have been vetted and approved by school boards and the Ministry of Education. The teachers leading these trips are experts in their fields and have decades of combined experience balancing the educational and adventurous aspects of these programs.
Don’t be surprised if your child comes back from our Biology in Ecuador student travel program, for instance, knowing more about the country’s 4,500 different species of Orchid than you thought possible!
But it’s so short – are you sure they’re learning?
Absolutely. While these programs are only a couple of weeks in length on average, remember that instead of taking a one hour class five times a week, they are fully immersed in the educational discipline that the specific program centres.
So while high school students will spend a few hours a week in class normally, think of these programs as full eight hour days of class time combined with exploring, socializing, and all the other unique benefits of travelling with a group of your peers.
Combined, they’ll likely have more ‘class time’ during these programs than they would have taking the class in a more traditional manner (i.e. sitting in a regular classroom).
Will they get a good grade?
These are fully accredited academic courses – we can’t guarantee results for any student. The fees cover the hotel, food, tours, teaching, and the logistics of the trip – but the grade must still be earned by the individual student.
With that said, we have built out programs to be engaging, inclusive, intuitive, and intellectually digestible for students. Our goal is always to ensure that they reach their academic goals while stimulating their senses of wonder, independence, and appreciation for the big wide world.
In our experience, students have often excelled during our educational trips. We attribute this success to:
- Low teacher/TA-to-student ratio means students receive higher degrees of care and focus than they are otherwise used to in larger classrooms, ensuring that any challenges they are facing can be highlighted – and addressed
- The immersion into the subject by pairing it with travel almost always results in highly engaged students that take on more active roles in their studies than they may normally
- Our teachers are selected for their diligence and ability to identify any stumbling blocks that may impair their students’ learning, working quickly to resolve them using their decades of combined experience
- A focused subject with a small course load (only a single course, after all) helps these students eliminate all distractions and often correlates with higher grade point averages
Why Choose Student Trips Run by EduTravel
Our student trips are designed to ensure that your children enjoy the best educational and travel experiences possible. Our structure is the perfect balance between gaining that sense of independence and a taste of post-secondary life, yet doing so in a safe and supervised environment. We have a program suited for every student and stand by our excellent programs and even more fantastic staff that run them.
EduTravel offers a variety of international study abroad programs that offer perfect opportunities for you or your child to see the world – and learn while doing so.
Our programs include:
- March Break Programs
- Art History in Europe – Grade 11/12
- Civics and Careers in Ottawa, Montreal, and New York City – Grade 10
- Environmental Studies in the Dominican Republic – Grade 11/12
- Fashion in New York City – Grade 12
- Hospitality and Tourism in Orlando – Grade 11/12
- International Business in New York City – Grade 12
- Photography in Europe – Grade 11/12
- World Religions in New York City – Grade 11
- Summer Programs
- Biology in Fiji – Grade 11/12
- Civics and Careers in Ottawa, Montreal, and New York City – Grade 10
- Environment and Resource Management in Fiji – Grade 12
- International Business in New York City – Grade 12
- Social Justice and Tolerance in Central Europe – Grade 11/12
- World Religions in New York City – Grade 11
- Canadian Geography – Grade 9
- French in Quebec – Grade 9/10
- Biology in Ecuador and the Galapagos – Grade 11/12
- Canadian History in France – Grade 10
- Data Management in Ecuador and the Galapagos – Grade 12
- English in the UK – Grade 11/12
Find out more about these amazing opportunities – learn abroad, travel, and grow.