Student travel is an opportunity unlike any other for youth to broaden their worldview.
Being open-minded is a large part of the experience! Be sure students are ready with these tips.
Prepare them beforehand.
Identify what being open-minded looks like with your students. Sharing experiences from other trips will give students a baseline for what to expect, so they’re not shocked when met with something new. Whether it’s encountering new foods, meeting people with different life experiences than them or exploring diverse communities, students are more likely to be open-minded when given the tools to prepare themselves.
Encourage establishing new relationships with classmates.
Traveling together can be a powerful way to forge new relationships that don’t necessarily happen within the halls of your school. Allow students to spend time with their close friends, but ensure they spend time with other students they may not be as close with, whether it’s who they sit with on the bus or share a room with at the hotel.
Unplug.
Stress the importance of living in the moment. Though they can be a useful travel tool, you can’t absorb the world around you and be open to new experiences if your nose is buried in a phone! Consider setting designated times for students to use their phones throughout the trip. That way, you’ll know they’re not missing a single thing.
