High School Trips

[mjarrels]

My daughter is excited about a Eroupe trip (England, France etc) during her Junior year of HS... I know these trips are popular for College students but for HS for Juniors? Cost is about $2400.00. My question is who can affort these trips? Yea... maybe we can but she has friends whose parents have never seen $2400.00 dollars... other parents wood gladly send there daughter to Eroupe so they can go the other way to Asia! This seem to put a lot of peer pressure on young kids! She already spent a summer in England a few years ago with her mom and brother... I just seem to see this as another social barrer... we can and you can't! Don't know how the teachers will be funded? Have a friend who is a profession at JMU who takes kids to the Phillippines each year and can't figure out why we don't go back each year? My wife is from the Phillippines.. I can't come back and fill out a travel claim that the state will pay!

mark

 

[AlanB]

I very much know the feeling.

My daughter, who is fairly well traveled for a 17 year old, Now wants a $3500 trip with her French class next year (senior year)

Somehow in the discussion I found out that I (actually the DW) promised my daughter a European Vacation as a grad present..............

Not sure how it will all sort out, but exactly one of my questions was "how the ----- do people pay for this stuff?"

 

[pennwalk]

As far as paying for foreign travel goes, one of my daughters friends worked two part time jobs so she could go to Spain with her spanish class. I was never much of a student but It seems like my kids work way harder that I ever did. I don't know how my girls would have time to work and keep up with their homework. I do think if kids are getting to travel more maybe they will be better able to deal with foreigners when they grow up. Seems to me that we need to do a much better job with that. My daughter is in the Netherlands attending the Model United Nations right now. The MUN is one heck of an event and those kids from her school worked unbelievably hard getting ready for it. It seems like like foreign travel is much more common in schools these days. My class went to Washington DC. Does that count as foreign travel?

Chris

 

[RobS]

My son is headed for his first trip and he's only in seventh grade! Washington DC next summer. It's not exactly a class trip, he was invited to join the National Youth Leadership Conference. In their materials, they have some scholarship money available and recommend letter writing by the individuals to get local sponsorships. Not sure how well that will pan out, but it'll be a good excercize for him.

 

[California]

Both daughters participated with their fifth grade class in the 'Freedom Tour' or whatever they call it, Philadelphia - NYC - DC - Gettysburg, which is expensive to do from the west coast. Somehow every kid in the class who wanted to was able to go. I think PTA subsidized a couple.

Since we had already paid Younger Daughter's airfare cross county we took Older Daughter to meet her at the end of her tour in DC and repeated the Smithsonian, House Gallery, LOC, VN Memorial etc part of her trip, then flew on for 10 days in Britain.

The DC visit was a first for me and my wife. I think everyone should do this at some point - especially us westerners who have no sense of what the east coast is like. And visiting Britain made us think more about roots than we ever would have otherwise.

Then both daughters went with their HS French Club to Paris plus the basic tour - wine regions, beaches at Nice, etc. In contrast to the elementary school tours, not all the students could go to France.

I think this sort of broadening experience is essential to really educating your kids. Mine have grown up to each choose a college semester abroad (both in developing nations), then to choose travel abroad as the ideal vacation. (At their expense, finally!)

The world is getting more interconnected and I think understanding other nations has become an essential part of a complete education.

I strongly recommend travel if there is any way to accomplish it.

And that's why all I could afford is a 30 year old tractor.

 

[MossRoad]

My daughter was invited for three weeks in Europe each summer starting when she was in 6th grade. She doesn't want to go and I'm not sure how we could afford it seeing how three weeks in Europe cost the same as a whole year in high school. But, if she really wanted to go, we would find a way (sell a kidney?). There is a lot to be said for seeing other cultures. Really opens your eyes. Can also make you appreciate what you have here at home, and also see where there is work to be done.

 

[AlanB]

Allright you guys, not sure why, but I think my son (11) was reading this post or something.

Yesterday, talking with my sister (who is married to my wifes brother) who lives in Germany, my son say's "can I come stay for a month or two with you so I can work on my German"

Well, after some heated looks between the wife and I it was quickly determined that neither of us had a clue this one was coming.

Then again, sending both kids to Germany for a couple months this summer may not be such a bad idea

 

[Robert_in_NY]

I will say this. When I was in school (I graduated in 1996) there were numerous different class trips going to Europe and such. I would have liked to go but didn't really care one way or the other. Class trips like those never really appealed to me because I wouldn't be able to do what I wanted. You go and see what your teachers want you to see and you have no input. I always figured I would go when I was older and could enjoy the trip. Some day I will as I have made quite a few friends in Europe from boards similar to this one and it would be great to go visit some of them someday.

If your kids want to go and you can't afford it just tell them the truth. They will understand and if you raised them right they will not argue about it. They might try to negotiate ways to sell things in your house to fund the trip but they won't argue

 

[RockyMnt1]

I was lucky enough to live for 2 years in Venzuela during my high school years. The value of that education is indescribable. Not only does it teach about other cultures, but also about different points of view.

Trips to other countries can have the same effect. It is not only learning about the major tourist sites that are visited, but also lots of small seemingly insignificant items that will affect the travlers outlook for years to come.

To get a real understanding of how good we have it here in the good ole US of A, go and see how other folks live/survive.

 

[mikim]

I went to a lot of overseas places when I was younger.....you know ... on the military plan......."get to travel to exotic far away places....meet strange sounding and looking people....and" I won't finish the rest of that old, bad joke but you get the idea. It is educating - no argument there.