The Best Places to Travel with High School Students

So you've finally made the decision to travel with your students, but not sure where to go? This blog post was created to help you choose a location that will be a perfect fit for both you and your students. From the key themes addressed to the must-do activities, we have provided a comparison of the 5 unique program locations that we offer below.

We hope this post challenges you to think about what you want students to get out of this lifechanging experience! Here are the best places to travel with high school students.

East Africa

Main Question Explored: What does it mean to travel responsibly? How does this movement deviate from the traditional voluntourism sector and what impact does that have?

Key Themes:

1. Conflict, Peace and Reconciliation
2. Poverty and Inequality
3. Social Entrepreneurship
4. Food Security and Climate Change
5. Gender Equality
6. Access to Education and Health
7. Sustainable Tourism

Ideal Course Pairings: 

• Health
• World History
• Geography
• World Issues / Social Justice 
• Family Studies
• Business and Economics

Our Favourite Activities:

Visit the National Genocide Memorial and Museum and Hotel Rwanda and meet and engage with guest speakers who survived the genocide. Volunteer on a farm at Tekera Resource Centre and learn the complexities of rural farming in the wake of climate change.

Fiji

Main Question Explored: What are some of the challenges facing Small Island Developing States (SIDs)? What are some of the ways that Fijians are responding to these issues?

Key Themes:

1. Climate Change and Forced Migration
2. The Environment of Small Island States
3. Agriculture and Food Security
4. Eco-Tourism and Sustainable Travel

Ideal Course Pairings:

• Biology
• Economics and Business
• Outdoor Education
• Geography
• World Issues / Social Justice 

Our Favourite Activities: 

Learn about the importance of palm trees and get your hands dirty planting alongside locals. Learn about traditional cultural indigenous practices while hiking between villages.

Ecuador

Main Question Explored: What is biodiversity, why is it important, and how is it currently under threat in Ecuador? What are the relationships between biodiversity and the environment, local peoples & traditional communities, and extractive industries in Ecuador?

Key Themes:

1. Climate Change and Sustainability
2. Indigenous Colonial History of Latin America and Contemporary Issues
3. Social Entrepreneurship
4. Biodiversity and EcoTourism
5. Resource Development and Dependence

• Biology
• Geography
• Native Studies
• Business and Economics
• World History
• Family Studies
• World Issues / Social Justice

Our Favourite Activities:

Reside at the only Indigenous-run lodge in the Amazon, The Sinchi Warmi. Learn about preservation of the environment and how communities are banding together to protect vital wildlife in the Cloud Forest.

Costa Rica

Main Question Explored: What is the international community doing to achieve environmental sustainability and what can we learn from the work in Costa Rica?

Key Themes:

1. Social Businesses and Micro-Enterprise
2. Biodiversity and the Environment
3. Ecotourism and Adventure
4. Climate Change and Sustainability
5. Geology and the Natural Earth
6. Animal Conservation and Protection

Ideal Course Pairings:

• Biology
• Geography
• Business and Economics
• Outdoor Education
• World Issues / Social Justice
• Leadership

Our Favourite Activities:

Plant trees with a community initiative based out of El Tigre. Visit the butterfly gardens -a unique social enterprise combining butterfly conservation with a sustainable for-profit business model.

Yukon

Main Question Explored: What is ecotourism? What does the relationship between the environment and the economy look like in the Yukon? How has the history of assimiliation practises and residential schools impacted this relationship?

Key Themes:

1. Indigenous Culture and Colonialism in Canada
2. Ecotourism and Sustainable Travel
3. Rural Development and Infrastructure
4. Climate Change and Sustainability
5. Food Security and Agriculture
6. Arts and Culture

Ideal Course Pairings:

• Canadian History
• Outdoor Education
• Biology (Climate Change and Ecology)
• Family Studies
• Social Justice / World Issues 

Our Favourite Activities:

Hike and canoe in the Kluane National Park (home to Canada’s tallest mountain) , Learn about food security while spending the night on the Tr’ondeck Hwech’in Teaching Farm in Dawson City.

We hope this helps you take the next step in planning the best field trip of all time! We are here to support you every step of the way.