Calling all educators and trip planners! We’ve compiled invaluable teacher resources, including student discounts and where to find them
Seeing the world is an important part of an educational journey, and some teacher resources provide student discounts for experiential travel. The experiences gained from traveling have the power to open students’ minds by tasting various foods, seeing different cultures, and hearing new languages. By experiencing parts of the world firsthand, students apply what they’ve learned in a classroom to the real world. However, planning educational trips can be costly and difficult to organize. That’s where we come in! In this article, we will share teacher travel programs, student discounts, and field trip scholarships that can help make your classroom come to life!
Tips and Tricks for a Successful Adventure
As exciting as traveling is, it’s important to know the ins and outs of the planning process to make your trip as smooth as possible. Here are some suggestions to ease your journey:
Flights:
Shop on Tuesdays. This is typically the cheapest time of the week to buy a plane ticket (specifically, 3 P.M. Eastern).- Don’t shop too early, but don’t shop too late! Flights tend to be expensive if your trip is more than 5 months away, but they can be even more expensive if you wait too long, as they may be sold out or limited.
- Fly during cheap days/times – weekdays, lunchtime and early mornings, with weekends being the most expensive.
Shop on Tuesdays. This is typically the cheapest time of the week to buy a plane ticket (specifically, 3 P.M. Eastern).Fundraising:
- Begin early. Reach out to networks, families, and communities early to increase your chances of receiving donations.
- Think of creative opportunities to find a source of funding – an art sale, dog wash or talent show?
- Discover more fundraising ideas here.
Hotels:
- Be flexible with your dates. Hotel rates change nightly, so having flexibility will allow you to choose the day with the lower price.
- If you are only staying for one night, consider a less luxurious, cheaper option further from the city center, but close to transit options. If you’re between locations, this can serve as a place to get some rest and be close to the public transportation you need.
Teacher Resources to Make the World Your Classroom
Teacher Resources to Make the World Your ClassroomThere are many teacher resources and student discounts designed to support educational exploration of the world! Take a look at the following travel programs that offer pre-planned trips for your group. When teachers are traveling, it’s wise to inquire about discounted or free admission as many educational and cultural institutions offer this to educators.
GEEO
Find your perfect fit with the many options offered by GEEO, a travel non-profit that offers private student and teacher travel programs. This organization provides discounted pricing, group airfare quotes, free curriculum, free PD certificates, optional graduate credit, and discounted health insurance. Additionally, if your group has 11 or more paying participants, they offer a 5% trip discount off their tour operator’s public rates as well as a free spot in the group! They focus on making their services affordable, enjoyable, and easy. Here is a link to their programs listed as well as their teacher groups.
WorldStrides
Another great teacher resource for planning an educational trip is WorldStrides, an organization offering pre-organized trips for teachers and their classrooms. This company offers a variety of tours, school trips, and educational travel programs. organize them based on subjects such as history, science, language, sports, and more! The WorldStrides website is equipped with information regarding each program, a fundraising site and packing lists for various destinations.
Teachers can lead their own trips, or students can participate independently in their K-12 Programs for students. If you are an educator planning a group tour, you can travel for free, earn rewards, and gain access to exclusive events. Additionally, this organization has made paying for your trip easy through their fundraising site. Here, WorldStrides has collected ideas and templates for travelers to fundraise for their adventure through donations, social media, and the vast network of World Stride Alumni.
Heroes Vacation Club
Teachers are society’s real heroes, so Heroes Vacation Club rewards educators for their hard work and commitment to their communities. This teacher resource is an incredible way to discover hotel, resort, and tour deals for the entire family. To access these discounts, sign up on the Heroes Vacation Club website and instantly gain access to teacher discounts for your next vacation!
Student Discounts, Deals and Scholarships to Afford Adventures Around the World
Student Discounts, Deals and Scholarships to Afford Adventures Around the WorldFinding a trip that fits your needs is the exhilarating part of this process, but finding a way to pay for it is less exciting. However, we can help ease this process by sharing the plentiful student discounts and scholarships that are offered to educators and students. The options can feel endless, so we’ve helped narrow them down for you.
Student Universe
Student Universe is a trusted and vast teacher resource that offers hundreds of student discounts on flights, hotels, and group travel. By signing up and becoming a member, you can gain access to hundreds of international and domestic flight deals for students to popular destinations such as Barcelona, New York, and Copenhagen.
Student Universe has over 200,000 properties that offer accommodation deals for students up to 60% off. When staying with one of these properties, they often have a 24-hour pre-arrival cancellation policy. They even have hostel options if you’re traveling backpacking-style or want a quick and affordable place to lay your head. While you’re at it, check out their Travel Blog to read some inspiration and insight for student travelers.
SYTA
The SYTA Youth Foundation believes that travel changes youth’s lives for good, and they have resources to make this a reality for students! They offer various programs and scholarships to increase young adults’ accessibility to travel.
Specifically, SYTA’s Road Scholarship states that it is dedicated to students who would otherwise not have the resources to participate in enriching and life-changing travel experience opportunities. With a maximum reward of $1,000 for individuals and $5,000 for groups, students are eligible to receive this grant if they meet the criteria of achievement, need, initiative, involvement, service/citizenship, and connection. Applications for this student scholarship are due at the end of March.
Institute of International Education
Another great resource for student discounts and financial support is the Institute of International Education, an organization founded on the belief that international exchange makes the world more interconnected. This platform posts a wide range of scholarships and fellowships, often focused on a specific category and specialization. The IIE website offers many options but utilize the ‘search by keyword’ feature to narrow down the results and find something that’s best suited for you!
Time for Departure!
Now that you have all this information, there’s only one piece left – going! Take a look at these resources to discover your ultimate adventure. Planning travel can be stressful, but with these teacher resources, student deals, and insider advice, you can plan your trip in a manageable and affordable manner. Remember, it is more about the journey than the end result. Enjoy!
By Elise Mackanych, Contributing Writer
