It takes courage to chaperon high school students on summer trips abroad. Teachers that have escorted several student groups on 12-20 day foreign tours rapidly realize that it is not a vacation. There are always questions of liability, students getting sick on tour, or worst case scenarios like students breaking laws in other countries. But the benefits far outweigh the anxieties and those worries can be lessened with good planning and on-tour discipline.
The Role of the School or School District
Some school districts actively promote trips abroad. Others ban them, fearing possible law suits if something goes wrong during the tour. In cases where school or district policy forbids officially sanctioned trips abroad, teachers can still facilitate student tours as long as the trip is not advertised or marketed through the school.
Worst Case Scenarios
In April 2007, the MS Sea Diamond struck rocks off the coast of the island of Santorini. Before sinking, almost all of the passengers were rescued, including high school students from Chapel Hill High School and Paisley Magnet School, both in North Carolina. This was a worst-case scenario but did not affect student trips that included Greek Mediterranean cruises.
Most adverse incidents on student tours involve sickness or minor accidents. All student tour providers offer medical insurance. Students should be encouraged to purchase such insurance. Although most policies only reimburse for costs, they usually offer immediate benefits in cases of severe illness or accidents.
Tips to Ensure Smooth Group Travel with Students
Organized escorts or chaperons should begin early to follow a plan of action that incorporates pre-departure actions as well as on-tour policies. Some of these include:
- Eliminating student tour applicants known to be disciplinary problems
- Publishing codes of conduct for all tour participants, including parents
- Establishing firm policies regarding alcohol consumption and curfews
- Developing rooming arrangements before departure
- Requesting flight itineraries without long layovers
- Enlisting one adult chaperon for every ten students traveling
- Distributing a “check list” for all tour participants
- Creating an emergency calling tree for parents and guardians
- Hosting pre-departure meetings for participants to answer any questions pertinent to the tour
- Verifying all passport information (and visa information, if applicable)
- Inform the tour provider of special needs such as dietary considerations or disabilities
Airport check-in and TSA security will be much smoother if all tour participants know what and how to pack. Additionally, it is important to know thoroughly the details of the tour itinerary. Groups traveling to the South Pacific, for example, must collect their checked luggage in California and recheck them with the new carrier. This will involve transporting cumbersome luggage from one terminal to another.
Expect Little Sleep on Group Travel with Students
Although many hotels catering to students have strict curfews, monitoring students after a long day of touring is still important. On one student tour in Amsterdam, two students broke a fire escape door and scrambled down a fire escape to see the town after curfew. In another case, a student left her group to spend the night with a group of Parisian boys who were involved in robbing tourists.
While such examples are rare, the temptations for American high school students are very real. Most foreign hotel rooms come with fully stocked mini-bars. Apart from the exorbitant cost of the items, students are tempted to drink the alcohol found in those refrigerators. Some hotels will lock mini-bars upon request. Others will take out any alcoholic beverages but need advance notice and may charge a per-room fee to do so.
Student Group Travel is Worthwhile
Planning a student trip abroad should be seen as devising a good lesson plan. The goals and objectives of a foreign tour are worthwhile, produce a greater sense of global awareness, and can impact a teenager for the rest of his or her life. The first or second trip can be difficult to facilitate. But experience breeds success and this certainly applies to student trips abroad.
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