Should You Lead Students Abroad?

If you’re an educator like me, you are continuously pushing the limits in your classroom to better connect with the students that are inside of it; to create a lasting impact in their lives and to help them find their individual passions and pursuits for the future. As a social studies teacher, I am constantly plagued by the complaints of teenagers who could truly not care less about any historic event prior to World War II. And during some years, World War II is even a stretch.

When I managed to make content “cool,” I felt victorious. However most days I found myself with my head on my desk, defeated.

If there is one question I get asked more than anything else by my students, it has to be the dreaded “so why does this matter?” I, as an educator, can answer that question with a multitude of reasons. But my students still didn’t care. I needed to change my tactics. If I wanted my students to marvel at something, I needed to give them something to marvel at. I, very hesitantly, decided to bring my passion for travel into the classroom. That decision transformed everything.

My students fell in love with the people I met, the stories I told, and the cultures I immersed myself in. Eventually my students began asking if they could travel with me. Caught completely off guard and a little too eager, I committed to a trip in 2012. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. There was no advice or guidebook available. Nothing written by teachers for teachers, and it was unnerving.

Fast forward six years and hundreds of panic attacks later, I have successfully established a program that takes high school students abroad every year. Through my experiences, I discovered that teachers must possess certain qualities should they choose to travel with their students.

So, if you want to travel abroad with students, consider these personal attributes.

1. You have experience.

This may seem like a no brainer, but you will be surprised how much this matters. There is something to be said for those who learn as they go. However in order to successfully recruit your students to travel abroad you must convince their parents.Students will flock to your trip, but parents need reassurance. Even if you haven’t been to the particular location that you are taking your students to, it is important to have a basic understanding of international travel: packing, currency conversion, transportation, medical requirements, etc. The more experience you have, the smoother the trip will be for both the parents and the students.

2. You spread good vibes.

Let’s be honest. Teenagers complain—a lot. In fact, there are some days traveling where I question why some of my students signed up for the trip to begin with. Do not let that deter you and your positive attitude. If you submit yourself to even a thought of negativity, the students will see that as an opportunity to unleash their complaints. Fake it ‘til you make it is the perfect motto for this situation.

Trust me. Everyone will be tired. There will be food that students will refuse to eat. Things will not go as planned. And the bathrooms—well, there will be some interesting dynamics. The point is that you as a teacher must spread good vibes. You are the leader and the role model of the group. That’s not to say that you can never be tired, or that you should never freak out over a hole in the ground that is essentially your toilet. However what that does mean is that your students will be watching you and your responses all the time. You should never be tired or cranky in front of them.

My students always poke fun at me because my enthusiasm reminds them of being a little kid. I always enjoy reminding my students where they are in the world, and how awesome this adventure truly is. The more positive I am, the more positive my students will be. The more positive my students will be, the more positive the overall trip experience will be.

3. You are the calm in the chaos.

Picture this. You are on a speedboat with 20 students charting out to the Galapagos Islands. The water is serene; the sky, picturesque. Suddenly the weather begins to change. The sun sinks behind tempestuous clouds, and the waves slowly begin to rise. Your speedboat with 20 students travels directly into a storm. The adrenaline kicks in as the speedboat rides out the enormous waves that smash into your seats. After fifteen minutes, the storm subsides. However the worst isn’t over.

After battling the waves, the speedboat stops running. The captain and crew realize that the speedboat ran out of gas. You are now swaying in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. The adrenaline dissipates from your students, and they succumb to seasickness, quickly.

For some, this scenario brings about an immense sense of anxiety. For my students and I, this scenario was simply just another day in Ecuador. Although the mission was a little….sketchy, we eventually were rescued and everyone survived. While this example is definitely a more extreme scenario, situations arise on trips with students—constantly. As a leader, you must remain calm. Preparation and travel experience helps with this. Students are already a little weary about traveling to another continent. If you panic, the situation will only escalate. Take deep breaths. You got this!

4. You are in good health.

Wow—teenagers have a ton of energy. It never stops, which is ironic because students tend to never have any energy in the classroom. If you want to travel with students, you have to be able to keep up with them. Typically that means waking up before they do and staying up after they go to bed, walking long distances daily, and participating in most of the activities. If you are unable to keep up with your students, the group will run behind schedule causing students to miss reservations. It’s important that your students take advantage of every opportunity abroad on their trip.

5. You are selfless.

Let’s face it. You love to travel. Why else would you contemplate taking students abroad? The idea of strolling through Florence, visiting the Sydney Opera House, or cage diving in Gansbaai, South Africa excites you! Here’s the thing though—this trip isn’t for you. It’s not your vacation. This is a study abroad opportunity for your students, and honestly, they’re not going to always do what you want to do. If you want to travel with high school students, you have to treat the trip as a job for you but as a vacation for them. You must continue your acts of selflessness far beyond the extent of your classroom. For me, that means staying up late to create the perfect itinerary for my students. It also means planning multiple avenues for free time, and taking about a zillion pictures of all my students for their parents when abroad.

6. You are tough when necessary.

Sometimes being a teacher means being the “bad guy.” While this may be easy to execute in the classroom, it is absolutely crucial to set and maintain the same tone abroad. Teenage students will push to try and get away with as much as possible, and this only amplifies when they journey outside of the country. Their safety is more at risk outside of the classroom, and as a teacher, you are one hundred percent responsible for their overall wellbeing. If you want to travel abroad with high school students, you must be tough when necessary. A good rule of thumb is to establish the rules before you and your students venture abroad. With expectations already set, the trip will run much more smoothly. For information on how to create rules abroad, check back for a post coming soon!

7. You really, really, really, love your students.

I have always loved to travel. I am actually kind of obsessed. In fact, I just need an excuse to get on an airplane. However traveling with my students is my absolute favorite way to travel. For many of my students, traveling with me is their first time abroad. Watching them experience everything for the first time is amazing. They are unfiltered, uneasy, and unapologetically themselves.

Each group becomes a family. We are together 24 hours a day for 2 to 3 weeks in the summer. Every conquered fear and bold beginning happens together, as does almost every meal of the day. The laughs echo through every mode of transportation, and the tears always fall on our last day. Giving my students the best trip possible is the most fulfilled I have ever been in my career. Watching them grow as people and continually keep in touch when we return is a never ending blessing. Just look at these videos that my students put together:

Ready to take your students abroad? Email me at [email protected] to get started!