Exploring the world is a very exciting and surreal experience, and doing it with friends and peers can be very enjoyable. In the upcoming year, students and staff have a variety of international trips offered through different groups at the school. Traveling with these groups is a great way for people to get out, explore the world and go to places they may never get the chance to again. 

Through EF Tours, there are multiple trips to offer for students, staff, and parents. Joyce Deaton is taking a group of students in the spring to Japan, and another group in the summer to France and Spain. The trip to Japan includes seeing the infamous cherry blossom trees, temples, shrines and gardens. The group is also taking a day trip to Mount Fuji. 

“I think that having an opportunity to go to a foreign country is one of the most powerful and influential experiences a person can have,” Deaton said. “You suddenly realize that we have our own culture, and our culture may be different from other people’s culture, and you can only have that experience by going abroad.”

Rachel Bentley is planning on taking students to London, Paris, and Rome in the spring, as well as a summer trip to Eastern Europe. While in Eastern Europe, the group will be exploring a lot of historical aspects such as concentration camps from World War II and art museums to highlight the history and culture. 

“I always enjoy seeing students see a big city for the first time,” Bentley said. “It’s a really exciting moment as a teacher to be able to witness them kind of in awe of being able to kind of experience a different place.”

Culinary teacher, Aiesha Morris, is taking a group of students overseas as well. They will be going to Southern Italy and will be going on many food tours as well as making different foods from the Italian culture. 

“I think it’s important for kids to travel internationally because they can see different walks of life early [on],” Morris said.

Rabe Mialy is going to Paris and Barcelona in the summer with a group of students. They will be using Explorica for this trip. While there, they will visit many historical sites such as the Notre Dame Cathedral, the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre and so much more. 

With all these different options of places to travel, junior Cassidy Barwick is looking forward to seeing how Europe differs from America. 

“I’m really excited to try all the new foods and just to see how their culture is different and see how [it] varies from America,” Barwick said, “including their styles, their food, their culture, their religion and all of that.”

It is also important for underclassmen, such as Kori Kilpatrick, to have these opportunities and get involved in the school’s community. Kilpatrick will be going to Paris, Rome, and France.

“[I just want to] have fun and to learn about the culture because that’s something I really want to do,” Kilpatrick said.

These organized trips are a great way to get out and experience new countries and cultures without having to deal with the logistics of planning an itinerary. 

“I think when you travel abroad you start calling into question another way of looking at the world,” Deaton said.