Author: cetours

Student travel companies can help with numerous things such as choosing the ideal destinations for your student group, the best time of year to plan the trip, suggest travel insurance policies, and what to do if something were to go wrong during the journey. They will also be your partners in giving you the best advice and helping your students feel prepared for their expeditions.

So now that you’ve decided to take your students on a tour, it’s important to note all the time and planning it takes to make this trip one to remember. In order to make this dream a reality, you will need the help of an educational travel company to meet your specific needs.

Let’s be real, planning a successful student trip is a lot of work — so let us make it easier for you.

There are many questions you need to ask yourself and the tour company you’re thinking of partnering up with… here’s where you should start.

First and foremost, you’d want to know how long and what kind of experience the company has in the student travel industry. Working with an experienced educational travel company is crucial for the success of your trip and allows that organization to utilize its network of resources while you focus on what’s important: educating your students. (Scientific Education)

Secondly, what kind of safety systems does this company have set in place? You want to ensure you and your students feel safe, especially since they will be in destinations they are experiencing for the first time. Is there security? What kind of protocols does the company have if an incident were to happen? Is there 24/7 support? What is their travel emergency company plan?

You also want to know if the tour company creates custom itineraries, or if all student groups go on the same tour (BORING). Working with a company that can fit your custom needs is key! We want students to have experiences that will leave a mark.

The perfect tour can also come with a hefty price tag, since the tour company will be doing all the heavy lifting. You’ll want to choose the travel company that offers a good balance of benefits and student discounts without sacrificing the service quality. You can also reach out to them through online means such as email, phone, or social media to get this information.

Hope this helps!

We are an educational student tour company, specializing in highly engaging in-person and online experiences. We partner with schools, community-based organizations, and college access programs that serve underserved students, to address critical issues experienced in these communities.

Resources: 

http://www.scientificeducation.org/successful-student-travel-starts-with-selecting-the-right-educational-travel-company

https://www.gltravelco.com/blog/the-ultimate-student-travel-company-vetting-checklist-reviews-ratings-costs

https://travelexperta.com/5-things-to-check-before-choosing-a-student-travel-company/

https://www.costaricaexplorations.org/student-travel-agencies-research/

There are many family variables that may influence student achievement, but let’s focus on two: family education and family income.

It’s true that parents who are more educated are more likely to consider the quality of local schools when selecting a neighborhood to live in. “Educated parents are also more likely to pay attention to the quality of their children’s teachers and may attempt to ensure that their children are adequately served” (Education Next). For parents with a more adequate education, they also tend to have better knowledge on cultivating effective learning habits in their children. This means they are able to provide their children with a more holistic raising by allowing them to attend extracurricular activities or to be independent earlier in life – something that doesn’t always come easy in poorly educated households.

Parents with higher education also have wider networks of information regarding opportunities to support students in higher education. They may be more inclined in teaching their children how to cope with difficult situations and building self-reliance. Additionally, family income may also have a direct impact on a child’s academic outcomes. Parents with greater financial resources can identify communities with higher-quality schools and choose more-expensive neighborhoods— where good schools are likely to be.

More affluent parents have secured incomes to assure that their children have access to adequate studying materials and learning environments, while low-income families usually struggle to afford expensive resources because they have more expenses to cover.

This does not mean that impoverished families cannot encourage their children to achieve great results at school. In fact, several students coming from poor families receive recognition for their outstanding academic achievements and resilience. Their parents’ lack of quality education has fueled their determination to make a better living.

Check out our 5-session course in teaching students financial literacy, when they may not have the access to it at home. 

We are an educational student tour company, specializing in highly engaging in-person and online experiences. We partner with schools, community-based organizations, and college access programs that serve underserved students, to address critical issues experienced in these communities.

Resources: 

https://www.educationnext.org/how-family-background-influences-student-achievement/

https://project-sprouts.com/does-family-background-affect-students-academic-performance/

Thinking of becoming a Tour Director? Pursuing a career in directing tours is one of the most rewarding and exhilarating ways to see the world, learn about a country’s culture while sharing the same desire to travel as the others around you. While it’s not easy to become a tour director, once you land the job, it is undoubtedly the best way to travel the world and still earn the cash you need to enjoy it!

Here are a few reasons why you should consider pursuing a career in tour directing:

1. Earn while you learn and get paid to travel. As a tour director you’ll need to know local history and architecture of the location you’re guiding in. This means you’ll be able to constantly learn while being paid for the pleasure.

2. You’ll have a vast range of contacts. Since you will be meeting new people everyday, it gives you incredible access to opportunities for social and professional networking.

3. From being a public speaker to part-time travel agent – you will be set up for a whole range of future career choices.

4. Supports like-mindedness: your colleagues will be like-minded people who love all things travel, which will be invaluable for gaining confidence in your role.

5. You’ll become a destination expert.You’ll know all the best restaurants, cafes, and insider tips to maximize your time there.

There are so many more reasons why you should consider a career in tour directing, these were just a few. If you’re tempted, now is the time!

“Every season, a tour operator sets out to find a tour guide who will be a perfect fit for their business. There are lots of applicants out there — because travel is trending and everyone is catching the wanderlust bug — so why wouldn’t someone look for a way to get paid to travel?” – Checkfront.

We are an educational student tour company, specializing in highly engaging in-person and online experiences. We partner with schools, community-based organizations, and college access programs that serve underserved students, to address critical issues experienced in these communities.

Resources: 

https://www.s1jobs.com/blog/six-reasons-become-tour-guide/

https://www.tourradar.com/days-to-come/tour-guide-best-job/

https://www.checkfront.com/blog/tour-guide-passion/ 

Believe it or not,  traveling is one of the best ways to learn about things that matter. Whether you’re hiking, sightseeing, or just walking along the beach — travel will never fail you as an educator.

High school students who take weekend vacations on the beach or on a cruise probably don’t intend on learning anything while traveling, but undoubtedly they will, as traveling somewhere new already brings a person out of their comfort zone and into a new perspective, a new place and a new self-awareness in that new place. This just automatically happens when traveling, whether a person intends on it or not.

When you add in the intentional educational part of traveling, you get an abundantly useful and memorable experience you will never, and can never, replace with any other lesson.

For principals and program directors who are interested but unsure, try connecting with schools that DO have a travel program and pick their brains on how they make it work and the impact it has had on learning and school culture. 

Check out just a few reasons why traveling is the best form of education your students can get!

They learn about themselves. Students can truly realize their potential, the things they enjoy, and get a better idea of who they are.

They learn social skills. Traveling can help students who are struggling to engage socially. How? Asking for help is not really an option but a necessity during travel.

It challenges students to grow. Traveling will make students more adaptable. Leaving their comfort zone helps them become more responsible and confident. 

They learn about today’s world. Travel teaches students not just about the world as it was in the past but also as it is today. It’s one of the best ways to understand the political, economic, and social structure of the world we are living in today.

They learn history. When strolling through streets and visiting museums, palaces and galleries, the entire nation’s history comes out right in front of you. Learning about different dynasties, conflicts and changes is so much easier when you actually explore a nation.

We are an educational student tour company, specializing in highly engaging in-person and online experiences. We partner with schools, community-based organizations, and college access programs that serve underserved students, to address critical issues experienced in these communities.

Resources: 

https://www.lifehack.org/359773/10-reasons-why-traveling-the-best-form-education

https://www.adventurestudenttravel.com/the-importance-of-educational-travel/

https://www.worldpackers.com/articles/travel-as-education

At one time or another, we’ve all experienced setbacks in our lives. Whether at work, school, or in your personal life, it is inevitable. Everyone hits rough patches, but the question is—

What do you do when you pick yourself back up?

Life can throw unexpected curveballs or setbacks; from minor obstacles like receiving a low grade on a test or fighting with a friend, to more significant ones like illness or loss. These obstacles are difficult for everyone, but they can be especially tough for students who are learning how to balance their personal lives with schoolwork.

Here are a few tips that can aid students in times of distress:

–Planning: This can be helpful to regain perspective after a setback. When things are more planned moving forward, feelings of uncertainty can be reduced.

–Seeking professional advice: If the problems are still persisting, students should have the option to seek help from their schools through counseling services.

–Social support: Support from peers can be a great buffer of negative emotions in students.

–Resiliency: Understanding that setbacks happen more often than students realize. A key thing to keep in mind is that resilience is correlated with success.

–Saying no: Knowing that it is OK to say no to things that make students feel overwhelmed.

–Learning from setbacks: Allowing setbacks to serve as a learning opportunity for the future.

These are just some of the ways students can overcome setbacks and bounce back from them. Most importantly, students should try their best to not take failure personally – as it is a huge part of who they will be later in life.

It’s also super important to come up with the right words to say to students when they are upset. When everything seems to be going wrong for them, these motivating reminders can help.

Remind them that bad times won’t last forever

Teach them to be open to change

Convince them to take chances and trust their instincts, even though the outcome is unpredictable

Emphasize the importance of tuning the negativity out and remaining optimistic

With support and encouragement, students can conquer anything!

We are an educational student tour company, specializing in highly engaging in-person and online experiences. We partner with schools, community-based organizations, and college access programs that serve underserved students, to address critical issues experienced in these communities.

Resources: 

https://spsp.org/tips-dealing-setbacks

https://www.connectionsacademy.com/support/resources/article/coping-with-setbacks-7-reminders-to-help-students-stay-positive/

https://www.edweek.org/leadership/opinion-how-to-help-students-handle-setbacks/2022/10

Schools are a key setting for suicide prevention. All school personnel who interact with students can play an important role in keeping them safe. Students may turn to them because of their position and the respect they hold for them as a faculty or staff member.

It’s not always possible to tell what is troubling a student and where these troubles may lead. But indications that a young person is in emotional difficulty demand action. School staff cannot assume that a young person’s family will take positive steps to respond to these problems – especially those from underserved communities.

By acting on these warning signs, schools can help teens become healthier, happier, and achieve academic success. And in some cases, action will save a life.

So how exactly can schools help prevent these tragedies?

• Establishing a school-based suicide prevention program

This can include awareness and education efforts, integrating SEL into the curriculum, strengthening protective factors, fostering positive relationships between teens and adults at school, and focusing on climate school connectedness.

• Implementing a suicide prevention gatekeeping program

These programs help teach school personnel regularly interacting with students to identify individuals who are showing warning signs of suicide risk, helping them get the services they need.

• Creating a comprehensive school crisis preparation and response plan

A school crisis response plan should include guidelines for membership on the school crisis response team and the roles of its members. This consists of protocols for delivering crisis intervention services; protocols for notifying team members, school staff, students, parents, and the community of information about a crisis. 

• Offering school-based mental health services

– Provide a full array of services at three tiers:

-Universal mental health promotion for all students.

-Selective services for students identified as at risk for a mental health concern or problem.

-Indicated services for individual students who already display a mental health concern or problem.

-Build on planned, purposeful partnerships between schools and community systems.

-Use evidence-based practices to the extent possible and work to address quality improvement. 

These are just a few of the practices your institution can implement to try and decrease the suicide rate among our teens around the country. While it won’t always be in the hands of the school, it’s always beneficial to show students they are supported. 

Learn more about how CE Tours is contributing to student success and emotional well-being, through our Mind Management course – providing teens with skills for living healthier mental lives.

Resources: 

https://afsp.org/bring-suicide-prevention-to-your-school

https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/toolkits/suicide/2/schools/programming

https://sprc.org/online-library/choosing-suicide-prevention-gatekeeper-training-program-comparison-table

https://ovc.ojp.gov/sites/g/files/xyckuh226/files/publications/bulletins/schoolcrisis/pg3.html

There’s nothing like a student that’s proud of who they are, where they come from, and what their future may hold. But how do you foster that sense of pride? And how do you make sure every student feels represented and valued when everyone has a different background?

As your students learn more about themselves and the world around them, they’ll come to understand what makes people the same. We are all human beings with the same basic needs and feelings. What makes us different and contributes to diversity—such as traditions, skin color, foods and cultural practices all make us unique individuals, too.

Helping students uncover their heritage doesn’t have to be a long, arduous process. Here are three ways you can engage your students and help them learn more about the importance of their personal history.

Let “virtual” do the heavy lifting.

Whether you choose from our collection of personalized virtual tours or look elsewhere, there’s no denying the power of digital learning. Take a month or a semester and introduce your kids to the histories of powerful nations and regions, through engaging online tours and classes. Then, encourage them to complete activities like building a family tree or interviewing their oldest relatives to learn more about their own culture!

Brush up on monthly heritage celebrations.

February is Black History Month. May is Asian American and Pacific Islander month. And that’s just two out of the twelve! Hosting a simple themed event to read literature, sample foods, or discuss key figures from specific cultures can be a great way to get your kids excited about their backgrounds and those of their peers.

Arrange a field trip!

With dozens of popular destinations to choose from, CE Tours offers the absolute best in-person experiences for student groups that are interested in learning. You can contact us to set up a personalized tour on your behalf, or work with your assigned guide to make the perfect experience.

Not interested in taking your students too far? Most major cities have local museums devoted to the history of residents and those whom have lived there before. A quick museum trip can be an awesome way to get your students engaged!

Celebrating your students’ unique heritage is a great way to open their minds to the power of their history. It’s always great to encourage students to accept and celebrate differences all year long by learning new ways to celebrate cultural diversity and create an inclusive classroom.

Contact us today to learn how we can help you plan something special!

Resources:

https://studentreasures.com/blog/classroom-activities/celebrating-cultural-diversity-in-the-classroom/ 

https://careerdesignlab.sps.columbia.edu/blog/2022/09/15/5-ways-college-students-can-celebrate-hispanic-heritage-month/

https://dallasftworth.teach.org/articles/5-steps-celebrating-hispanic-heritage-classroom