High Schoolers and overseas trips

[MamaLema]

DS15 has a chance to go to Peru for 2 weeks with his class. Can anyone share if your high schooler has gone on an overseas trip with their class. Where they went, how long, what they did, did they enjoy it, etc.

I love my kids and miss them when they go anywhere, but I really believe in life experiences and sometimes you only will get one opportunity for something so I want them to take advantage.

 

[LuLuO]

I went on a trip with my school to England when I was 15. I stayed with a host family. It was fantastic. I was homesick for a few days but when it was time to come home, I cried like a baby because I didn't want to leave. My kids are young, but if they are given the chance to do something similar in high school, I would certainly be for it. Also, my DH went to Russia for three weeks in high school. He loved that as well and still talks about it even though he has traveled to all sorts of places for almost 20 years with the Navy.

 

[DVCLiz]

My daughter went to Africa and Chile during high school. The Africa trip was a two week safari/excursion - the Chile trip was ten days and was a language immersion program at a school, with cultural activities and other travel added. Neither were her whole class but there were 20 or so on the Chile trip and about 30 on the Africa trip.

Both were fantastic experiences for her and kindled her love of travel and adventure. She went on to travel to Spain, Japan and Ecuador during college, as well as England and Ireland for vacations, visiting college friends who lived in the UK.

I am very high on student travel if you can afford it because the experience is so wonderful for most students. I can't say enough good things about it.

 

[Hannathy]

My DD went to Italy for almost 3 weeks with her high school orchestra and loved every second of it.

Still says that is where she is getting married!

She could have gone to France with AP French but at the time we could only afford 1 trip and she chose Italy (they were doing more traveling and seeing things and the French trip was more staying with 1 family)

I Went to Poland in high school and many decades later I still remember it fondly.

If you can afford it I think it is wonderful for a child to do this and I gave up a lot of things so she could take her trip.

 

[tara lynn]

I went on a 10 day trip to Europe with my high school my senior year and it was such an amazing experience. I love traveling and I think everyone should take every opportunity to travel that is presented to them (if possible), especially young people.
I think going abroad when you're young sparks something in many people and gives you a desire to see the world, which is always a good thing. A lot of the kids who went on that trip with me were the ones who ended up studying abroad in college too (myself included).

 

[DeaverTex]

If you can afford it, and the child is mature enough not to be a hazard to him/herself or companions, then sure. It's probably good for them to get away from the 'rents occasionally in a situation where they need to at least pretend to behave like civilized human beings. Plus the drinking age in most other countries is lower, when it's enforced at all.

Just don't overspend because you think think that missing an opportunity to travel abroad will scar your child for life. It won't.

I've always been a little curious, though, as to why so many schools seem to be so eager to get their students out of the country. (Tex Jr. went to Europe on a senior trip -- my senior class had a day long bike ride and picnic that most of us skipped.) Do these schools HONESTLY think that parents have a couple of thousand bucks sitting around, and are looking for something to spend it on? Sheesh!

 

[mhsjax]

I know that I am the odd man out, but nope. my teenager isn't leaving the country without me for multiple reasons.

 

[Anne34]

My son went to spain this past summer for 10 days with his Spanish group. My daughter did the same trip about 3 years ago. There were about 40 kids on the trip and they both had wonderful trips. I'm all for going if you can afford it. They learned how to manage their money (buying food everyday) keeping track of passports, phones and using their Spanish to order things, etc. My youngest daughter is eagerly awaiting her turn to do the Spain trip also.

 

[MissMichigan]

I never had the opportunity to do anything like this, I really wish I had. However, my DB did.

He's been all over the place...Spain, England, France, Italy, Germany...there are others, I think. He speaks so highly of these experiences, it makes me jealous, lol. His trips varied from 2-4 weeks depending on where they were going. He says these are some of his favorite memories, not just of high school, but of his entire life.

If I have kids and they ever have a chance to do something like this (and I can afford it at the time!) there's no way i'd deny them the opportunity. I still hope to someday be able travel like that myself.

 

[ZephyrHawk]

Well, this is nearly 20 years ago now (dear God...am I really that old?!?), but I went on a trip to Spain with members of my Spanish class when I was in high school. This was a pretty commmon thing at my school (which is in a somewhat upscale area); the French class went to France, the Humanities classes go to Italy...that sort of thing. Anyways, specifics:

The trip was 10 days. We started in Madrid and then bussed around the Castille countryside. We did a lot of tours of castles and cathedrals and the like. What I remember best, though, were the days when we weren't on tours. Then we kids were left to our own devices. We navigated the Madrid subway and bus systems by ourselves. We went searching for open ATMs through the ancient streets of Segovia. One night we slipped our (extremely lax) chaperones and went out to a dance club. The drinking age in Spain is significantly lower than in the states.

We all had a great time. We all learned a lot...more about life skills than Spain in particular. I caught a pickpocket just as she was reaching her hand into my purse. My friend and I struggled to figure out a 17% meal tip, and then convert it to pesetas. We found out that everyone talks faster in the city, that you really don't want to run out of money on a Sunday, and that Guernica takes up a whole wall, but Dali's Enigma of Desire is little bigger than a postcard.

OP, your DS will love it all.

I've always been a little curious, though, as to why so many schools seem to be so eager to get their students out of the country. (Tex Jr. went to Europe on a senior trip -- my senior class had a day long bike ride and picnic that most of us skipped.) Do these schools HONESTLY think that parents have a couple of thousand bucks sitting around, and are looking for something to spend it on? Sheesh!

Whenever I have a couple thousand bucks sitting around I spend it on travel. It is important for me to teach to my children that material things mean nothing, only experiences never lose their value. I will make sure they know just how lucky they are that they have the chance to experience foreign travel.

 

[ksjayhawks]

My son and two neighbors daughters all traveled overseas at age 15 with People to People. They were in Europe for 20 days. It was a great experience for them. They had to be responsible for their own belongings, getting up in the morning, being places on time, handling money, etc. They all stayed with host families which was a great experience. They learned about other countries, interacted with a lot of different people while there. They also had to get along with their fellow travelers and listen to/follow the directions of adults who weren't their parents.

They all enjoyed the experience and would have loved to have gone again. They all have plans to return, each to specific locations, sometime in the near future. (2 in college, 1 in junior year) We parents all agree that they matured on this trip and came back different than we had sent them--in a good way!

I would strongly recommend it.

 

[Zerosinthecloset]

Peru....mmmmmmmm....guinea pigs....thems good eatin'.

 

[XYSRUS]

I went to Espana When I was 16. SO MUCH FUN! And now my oldest is going to China for 3 weeks in the Spring. World travel does a soul good.

 

[DVCLiz]

I know that I am the odd man out, but nope. my teenager isn't leaving the country without me for multiple reasons.

Just curious - would you mind sharing your reasons? Are they mostly financial or mostly supervision? Those are the two reasons I can think of that would make a parent feel so strongly that they would absolutely rule this out, as you seem to indicate you would do.

 

[mhsjax]

Just curious - would you mind sharing your reasons? Are they mostly financial or mostly supervision? Those are the two reasons I can think of that would make a parent feel so strongly that they would absolutely rule this out, as you seem to indicate you would do.

Sure I will share. Mostly at this point financial. I figure they would be doing this as a HS student and that money could and would go to college. Also, I am not fond of the idea of my teen leaving the country without me, call me silly, but I am not. Also, if my teen were to go, I would prefer it be a family vacation, as would my teens, I asked them. They actually love to travel with us. And last but not least, they like me, really have no desire to travel out of the country. For others it is ok, but it just isn't our thing. I also think that if they had a burning desire, I would reconsider, but they don't.

ETA, Not to mention one of the above posters talking about getting into a bar and drinking. I DON"T THINK SO. I will leave it at that. Also as another posted stated that when they have a spare 2 thousand around they would travel, material things mean nothing. sorry but my 2 other kids would disagree, they still have wants and needs and so do I. Travel outside the states can wait until they can pay for it.

 

[ZephyrHawk]

ETA, Not to mention one of the above posters talking about getting into a bar and drinking. I DON"T THINK SO. I will leave it at that. Also as another posted stated that when they have a spare 2 thousand around they would travel, material things mean nothing. sorry but my 2 other kids would disagree, they still have wants and needs and so do I. Travel outside the states can wait until they can pay for it.

Hey, different strokes! I get it. Especially the part about finances. It's not like my DH and I are rushing off to Europe (or Disney or anywhere) all the time, just whenever we can. That being said, my parents were all about travel and drinking. They imposed their beliefs and preferences on me at a young age. I have pictures of my mom holding up frilly drinks all over the world (the joke is that my grandma won't recognize her in photos if she's not holding a drink). I can tell you my parents did not care that I drank while in Spain. They care that I did it responsibly. Not all kids do and not all kids can be trusted to do so. As for the travel, my parents very much cared that I have experiences outside our country. They had friends who never traveled like that with their kids, but then those kids had new skis every year and new cars in the drive. Everybody's got their likes and dislikes, and most kids get theirs from their parents. Was I jealous of my friends designer clothes? Of course, I was. However, I'd like to think they were just a little jealous of the hallway where my parents hung all our family travel photos.

 

[dakcp2001]

A bit off topic, but make sure you get some phone cards for him to call you with. Also call your phone company to see about calling to Peru. Also check to see if cell phones will work or are compatible. I used to work in the billing department and people always call shocked and surprised when they get their bill with all the international and roaming charges. Whomever is organizing the trip can probably recommend a good calling card. Get the international calling plan on your home phone just in case, its only like 5 bucks and discounts the calls outbound.


Also, I would give your children a good talking to about safety, all I think of is Natalee Holloway and how a young person does not always have great judgement. Keep to the buddy system, and stay with the adults. No alcohol. This will be a wonderful educational opportunity, and definitely worth the money. I would encourage my kids to travel, but they would get the lecture on safety first.

 

[Lionqueen2]

I know that I am the odd man out, but nope. my teenager isn't leaving the country without me for multiple reasons.

I agree with you. My teenager wouldn't be leaving the country without me either. They have traveled in and out of this country with me from the time they were babies so it isn't as if they haven't 'seen the world' and I wouldn't have to worry about all the safety concerns I would have with their being young and somewhat one their own in a foreign country.

 

[LuLuO]

If you can afford it, and the child is mature enough not to be a hazard to him/herself or companions, then sure. It's probably good for them to get away from the 'rents occasionally in a situation where they need to at least pretend to behave like civilized human beings. Plus the drinking age in most other countries is lower, when it's enforced at all.

Just don't overspend because you think think that missing an opportunity to travel abroad will scar your child for life. It won't.

I've always been a little curious, though, as to why so many schools seem to be so eager to get their students out of the country. (Tex Jr. went to Europe on a senior trip -- my senior class had a day long bike ride and picnic that most of us skipped.) Do these schools HONESTLY think that parents have a couple of thousand bucks sitting around, and are looking for something to spend it on? Sheesh!

The schools wouldn't do these programs if there was no interest. In my case it was an exchange program. I had to write an essay and be accepted. There was a lot of interest and not everyone was selected. In my DH's case it was strictly group travel with parents and teachers as chaperones as well as local guides. Some people do have savings they can pull from and not everyone lives paycheck to paycheck. I don't mean that to sound snarky. These programs aren't for everyone but just because some can't afford to participate or don't want to doesn't mean that the programs shouldn't be offered.

 

[suzannen]

My DD went on school trips to England, France, Italy (twice), Ireland and Amsterdam. Then last year, as a senior, they went for two weeks to Peru. She (and the whole group) loved it, thought it was best trip she'd ever been on. She called us from the top of Machu Picchu, so incredibly excited.

These trips were wonderful, learning experiences for her. I knew and absolutely trusted all of her teachers who were chaperones. Both my DH and I feel it's important for our kids to learn to be citizens of the world. And, all of these experiences worked themselves into her college essay and made for great discussions with admissions counselors while visiting schools.

If you can afford it, let her go!