Study trips connection with family bonds
Study trips are connected to family bonds in interesting ways. In our journey of curating exciting study trips for students, we experience certain family bonds all the time when the students are embarking on the study trip. Here’s what we encounter:
The mum
Just two weeks before we embarked on a 14-night trip across Europe, this super-mom called our office with the intention of meeting our team. Having missed the deadline for payments, the son risked missing the lifetime opportunity of exploring the architectural gems of Europe. The mom came to our office and she had interesting ideas she wanted her son to experience during the trip. First; she wanted the son to be assigned a leadership position during the excursion so that he could challenge himself in leading a team outside his comfort zone. Then she wanted the son to be the best performing student and secure an internship position at some of the companies we visited. The mum meeting our team revealed a deep connection to the experiences of study trips and a very strong family bond behind.
The caring dad
In this journey of crafting learning experiences, our roles are usually intertwined with those of parents as we meet young people with immense desire to explore the world and get the best of their studies. A while back during a trip to Abu Dhabi, we encountered one dad, who out of his busy schedule, purposely requested to meet the leader of the excursion sharing how he always wanted to take his daughter on a discovery trip. He was very grateful for such an opportunity, after he learned the daughter will be visiting some of the best architectural firms in the country. This experience taught us how parents always have the best desires for their children and are willing to go the extra mile to support them.
The super sister
They come in handy when packing travelling suitcases for their little brothers and sisters during the trips. The sisters play a great role in preparing timetables for dressing, budgeting, establishing communication channels with our team at ReadTrips, and even advising their siblings on certain cultural biases before they travel. At times we have experienced the sisters paying for their siblings, a sign of belief and commitment to experiential learning. This reinforces our belief that global education vibrates in families and often the sisters have studied abroad or taken trips and in some cases, they have experience working with international companies.
The big bro
Stepping back to see the siblings’ effort toward an upcoming excursion, the big bros are usually quiet on the nitty-gritty of travel, but very keen on budgetary allocation, time management, and the key areas of study to be experienced. Stepping in the preparations, we have experienced them bringing their siblings to the airport, chauffeuring their parents to bid goodbye to their kids. Big Bros also come in handy whenever a flight falls in the red eye category. Bracing cold nights and sleepy airports, they are patient enough to wait for their siblings’ arrival. The excitement of their siblings’ arrival is proof of commitment by family during the travel activities.
Grand parents
Usually, they are the bearers of jokes at the airport terminus and also make sure the students are right on time with military precision. Recalling their travel history, the grandfather occasionally remembers the air lift programs, the struggles with foreign language and fun times were in campus abroad. Now tending to the grandchildren, the rekindle the spirit of discovery with laughter and surprise kids with gifts. During a school trip to China, a grandfather gifted his grandson with the rare watch he had faithfully kept since his work abroad in the 80s. Such gestures reveal that even grandparents value the many benefits of study trips to the younger generations.
The little ones
Pushing a dummy suitcase, and mostly the Hello Kitty brand, the little ones add joy to the trip experience. At times they accompany the siblings to trip briefings, at the airport and even to visa applications. This creates beautiful moments for their young people, who leave their homes to explore the world and inspire their siblings.
The chatty cousins
Always chatting, taking videos and laughing at their phones, the cousins are the real vibe when it comes to family connections through the studytrips. They help to advise the travelling students not to miss certain attractions abroad, not to forget souvenirs, respecting certain cultural observations and a quick reminder to not get in trouble abroad.
As travel is one of the best expressions of human curiosity. Studytrips add more to the families, not only the joy of discovery, but also with the memories in preparing for the trips, strengthen the family bonds.