Active Educational Trips & Adventures
We endorse the value of an active, physical educational experience.
Our most popular means of travel is on foot, trekking through a range of natural landscapes from mountain foothills to rain forests and bush trails. Along the way students may encounter remote communities, sites of cultural, geographical, and historical significance, as well as a range of flora and fauna endemic to the region.
Students will observe delicate eco-systems and interact with ethnically diverse cultures to come away with a sense of how to co-exist harmoniously in these environments. Depending on the destination and itinerary chosen by the school, students will complete short half-day treks carrying a small daypack, simple multi-day treks carrying a daypack with the only water, food and clothes they need for the day, or more challenging full-pack treks.
We will tailor a trip to suit the school’s desired outcomes, desired degree of difficulty and level of experience of the group.
World Expeditions Schools advises against the use of mobile phones on all of our school trips abroad. We do this because we know students gain a deeper understanding and awareness of themselves, their teammates, and their environment when they are not distracted by outside communications. In addition, for risk management reasons, it is essential that students communicate initially with their teachers and guides, who are on hand to help them, rather than text home. (Please note, students and parents can contact each other through a managed system. Calls home for homesickness reasons can be arranged with teachers if parents/students request this from their school).
Learn more about our core values below.
World Expeditions Schools has an exemplary safety track record. Each trip is assessed for risks. Travelling teachers are prepared and trained regarding roles/responsibilities of all stakeholders, supervision of students, communication processes and incident management. Our expert local Guides and support crew undergo intensive first aid, leadership and risk management training to ensure a high level of competency. During the adventure they will provide teachers and students with valuable insights into how to stay safe and healthy. Our local Guides are made aware of the training provided to the travelling teachers so they can all be on the same page regarding roles/responsibilities of all stakeholders, supervision of students, communication processes and incident management, and in addition they will meet with the teachers daily to run a mandatory teacher/Guide briefing to discuss student welfare, itinerary options, and risk management concerns.
Knowing who to trust when sending your students and children on an overseas adventure is an important consideration. Our partner schools across the globe come back to us year after year due to our focus on prioritising safety first, then enjoyment and learning. We are aware of the different parameters to be considered by schools and families when dealing with school groups, and we will always go the extra mile. When we first present opportunities in person to schools and families, we actively encourage them to ask us about our safety record and how we try to prevent incidents from occurring, and how we manage incidents if they do happen so schools can make informed decisions.
Although the nature of educational adventure travel involves a level of uncertainty, we believe the risk mitigation that comes with pre-booking accommodation and transport far outweighs the perceived educational benefits of students making their own arrangements as they travel. Our local operations teams will organise all logistics including accommodation, meals, activities and private vehicle transport with known, experienced and licensed drivers. Not having to rely on students, teachers, or Guides to book accommodation or public transport, as they travel also means the teachers and students have more time to immerse with local cultures and gain a deeper understanding of the country and its people.
The best way for students to gain a genuine understanding of a country is to immerse them in a community project. This is a way to ‘give back’ and transcends cultural barriers through the shared experience with a local community.
Projects can range from teaching English to students in Africa; to a full participation, hands-on project involving general maintenance and painting of a facility for a community in need. The benefits are many for all involved.
A meaningful and sustainable contribution is made to an underprivileged community, and participants are thoroughly immersed into the culture in a way that is not achievable when simply passing through as a regular traveller.
Prior to departure, students are given a per-student fund raising target that constitutes the funds required to complete the community project.
It includes the costs associated with purchasing the materials for the project as well as the wages for local workers and transportation costs. We provide guidance and encouragement to participants so that they can fundraise in their local community, working together with schools to achieve this.
Participants are also encouraged to buy education resources for schools e,g, sporting equipment and teaching aids, to give to local schools where such items are scarce. We will help facilitate this by asking the local school and community exactly what it is that will help the school. Please note, we actively discourage the giving of individual presents to individual local children, and instead request that all donations are provided to the school to assist local teachers and make schools attractive to local children in a bid to increase participation in education. Please see the UN Global Impact Goals – 4. Quality Education.
World Expeditions Schools is operated by World Expeditions who are widely regarded as market leaders in environmental and sustainable tourism. Well-defined environmental plans exist on every adventure across all continents.
The land content (accommodation, vehicle transport and internal flights) on all our adventures is fully carbon off set.
When travelling with World Expeditions Schools you’ll witness first hand the range of simple but effective measures that preserve environments and cultures. World Expeditions Schools believes every traveller has a role to play and will provide each participant with information on how to minimise your footprint while travelling before they depart.