Travel broadens the mind?

Is it still worth taking school students abroad in the modern world?

A hard yes from me! Trips, camps, and tours abroad are what most students remember first and foremost on reflection upon their schooling career. Why? These trips break the monotonous school routine, the rules, pressure, the expectations, their everyday backdrop, and indeed, the workload. Need I say more? Yes, other rules, expectations, and responsibilities come into play whilst being ‘on tour’, and the days can be gruellingly long and testing with travelling, guided tours, museum visits, and the like. Yet all of these serve to be valuable life skills, taught or revealed rather in unforgettable backdrops such as the Louvre, the Colosseum, the Statue of Liberty, the Berlin Wall, an unforgettable rainforest, the pyramids of Giza, a breathtaking mountain range, or even under the striking face and consistent rhythm of Big Ben.
"The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page" – Saint Augustine. 
At their core, these trips are rarely about a polished destination but rather about the journey itself. A cliche, possibly, but so true, every day of the week.

From the horse's mouth
When I meet former pupils, which has generally been in informal settings allowing for more familiar conversations, their first memories are rarely of the classroom, tests, or textbooks. Instead, they recall school camps that, at times, have had very humble facilities, where they braved early morning “polar bear swims,” or the time they played cricket under a 19th-century clock tower. They don’t dwell on the average camp, hostel, or hotel food or possibly a heavy defeat in a particular sporting code. What stays with them is the location and backdrop, the change of scenery, and the chance to see their teachers in a (brand)new light.

Skills gained or nurtured from students being away from home:

1. Independence and Responsibility
Managing their own belongings, time, and personal wants and needs.

2. Social and Teamwork Skills
Living, travelling, and problem-solving with classmates. Building stronger, longer-lasting friendships

3. Cultural Awareness and Respect
Experiencing new places, traditions, and ways of life. Appreciating something different. Developing global citizenship growth

4. Confidence and Resilience
Overcoming challenges such as homesickness, unfamiliar food, or new routines.

5. Problem-Solving and Adaptability
Coping when plans change (delays, weather, etc.). Learning to be flexible in new situations.

Parents and guardians
It can be a significant ask for parents to put total faith and trust in the individuals accompanying their children abroad in loco parentis. What do their duties and roles mean?  Being in charge of the students and available to them for 24 hours a day, making the correct decisions for them and the team or group on a daily basis in varying situations. Having personally sat at both sides of the table and worn the two different hats, I fully understand the range of emotions that bring stress, concern, and at times even panic for a parent. Remember, it is about the student or pupil, rugby player, musician, delegate, or ambassador, not the parent. In the lead up to the trip, if the t’s are genuinely crossed and i’s are convincingly dotted, step aside… let the learning begin for everyone.

"It is better to see something once than to hear about 
it a thousand times". Asian Proverb