www.cretediscover.com
venice, italy
I have always loved to travel and as a child was completely satisfied with traveling in the United States. However, when I was a junior in college, I took an educational tour with a large group of students to England and France and was bitten by the international travel bug.
Two years into my teaching career my hopes and dreams of traveling abroad seemed more like a fantasy since my income was small and travel expenses large. Then, an idea came to me that would change my life forever…maybe I could organize and lead student trips.
I began investigating student travel companies and discovered that EF Tours offered a variety of destinations and the most reasonable prices on trips. I also learned that if I was able to recruit 6 students, I could travel for free! As an elementary teacher, I knew that I was not willing to travel with young students. I wanted to travel with college students and because I was an alumnus of the NC Teaching Fellows program, I had access to many future teachers with the desire to travel.
I chose a 10 day tour of Italy as my first destination and was surprised to have 14 students enroll. I was able to travel free and I was also able to take the Teaching Fellows director at UNCW with me at no charge. EF Tours provided excellent promotional materials such as flyers and posters but I think the diversity of the trip is what appealed to most of the students.
After recruiting students, my responsibilities as group leader were to remain in contact with all students, collect emergency contact information and be available to answer questions as they arose from students and parents. EF made all of the arrangements including air travel, ground transportation, hotel accommodations, attraction bookings and 2 meals a day.
When the day finally arrived to board the plane and head to Italy, I felt confident that we would be well taken care of while traveling as EF had nailed down all the details of the trip. I was also aware that upon arrival in Italy we were going to have a full-time tour director who would remain with us throughout the trip.
The tour of Italy was amazing! We visited Verona, Venice, Florence, Pisa, Assisi, Naples, Pompeii, Sorrento, Capri and Rome. I felt so privileged to be able to come face to face with so many historically significant sites and pieces of art. I had learned about Michelangelo’s artwork in college but being inside the Sistine Chapel and seeing its beauty brought tears to my eyes. Not only the sights, but also the sounds, smells and tastes of Italy gave me a deep appreciation for the culture. The students that traveled with me were equally astounded by all of the culture we experienced. I knew that this experience would enhance my teaching and enrich my life. I also knew that this was not going to be my last educational tour with EF.
Over the course of 11 years, I have led trips to Spain, Italy (again), France, Greece, Ireland and Costa Rica with EF Tours. This summer I opted for a domestic tour to Puerto Rico through EF’s Smithsonian Student Travel. I would recommend EF Tours to anyone that has a desire to travel with students and wants to explore the world inexpensively.
My love of travel has grown with each trip and deepened my understanding of other cultures. I look forward to future travels and of passing along the passion for exploration to my daughter.
For more information on traveling with EF Tours, visit www.eftours.com
By Brandy Metzger
