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Some student travel services have come up with an innovative way for students to keep track of their family. Students can keep an online travel journal on the student travel services' web sites. They can sign up free and update their travel journal throughout their trip. This is a good way to keep friends and family informed of students' progress during an educational trip. Students will need to have access to the Internet to use this type of service.
Not all educational travel takes place abroad. Many educational travel companies offer educational tours both at home and abroad. Students can learn a lot about their own history and culture by taking a tour of their own area, because there may be places they have not visited before. Even students who live in New York, Washington, DC or Europe should consider taking a local tour with an educational travel company. To find out whether there are local educational tours available in your area, look on educational tour companies' web sites. It is also useful to examine local tourist information to identify places of interest.
Some educational travel companies offer the option of trip customization. This means that group leaders and tour managers work together to create a fulfilling educational experience for students beyond a set itinerary. Group leaders usually start with pre-prepared itineraries and then change elements to suit their needs. Educational travel companies are willing to change cities visited, accommodations, transportation and meal arrangements if necessary. They can also offer special tours for groups with particular interests, such as music or drama.
Teachers who are going on trips with educational travel companies can get discounts similar to those available to young people who have an International Student Identity Card (ISIC) or an International Youth Travel Card (IYTC). The International Teacher Identity Card (ITIC) is available to teachers and instructors who have worked at an accredited educational institution for at least one year. The teachers need to work for at least 18 hours a week. Teachers can use the ITIC to get discounts on travel and transportation, accommodation and sightseeing. This is very useful when taking trips with educational travel companies.
Most educational travel companies have a tour manager or tour director to lead educational travel tours. This is the person who is responsible for the smooth running of the educational tour. The tour manager or tour director will arrange accommodations, meals, travel and sightseeing. With some educational travel companies, the tour manager may help facilitate educational activities. Tour managers are often experts in the city, state or country students are visiting.
When traveling with an educational travel company, the group leader is usually the teacher who is supervising the educational tour. The group leader is responsible for monitoring students' behavior on the tour. Sometimes a group leader works with a tour manager of an educational travel company and then runs a teacher-led educational tour. In this case, the group leader will also be responsible for accommodation, meals, travel and sightseeing, with the help of staff from the educational travel company.
A student travel agency is a useful resource when planning an educational trip. Most student travel services have online booking forms and put helpful information on their web sites. Information that students might find on the web site of a student travel agency includes:
- last minute flight deals for those who prefer to arrange accommodation separately. These are usually much cheaper than the standard fare.
- educational travel packages. Sometimes tour spots become available if people have to cancel and these are sold for a cheaper price by student travel services
- accommodation deals.
Many student travel agency sites also have a trip finder where students can select destinations, types of educational program and preferred travel dates.
In addition to booking flights, tours and accommodation for an educational trip, student travel services can help with student travel organization in a variety of ways. For example, they can:
- provide bus and train travel offers for traveling within a country
- supply global cell phones so students can stay in touch wherever they are
- arrange car hire
- help with city tours.
Another way that student travel services can help with student travel organization is by providing destination guides. This will help every student to be more organized on an educational tour.
Guru Spotlight |
Joe Wallace |