Katharine Haworth, Geography teacher at Tranby School in East Yorkshire, says that ‘as well as helping with things in the classroom, it’s also things to do with experience.’ This is certainly what the pupils at this school are being offered. On the 17th of October 2022, a trip to Iceland will run, and has been offered to students studying Geography at GCSE, but also those who show a keen interest in younger years. ‘It’s an enrichment Geography based trip’ she states, ‘not everything that we study can be seen in the UK.’ Students participating in the trip will have the opportunity to see Geographical features in the real world, such as a wide range of waterfalls, including Skógafoss and Seljalandsfoss, impressive rock structures such as Dyrhólaey and even swim in the world-renowned Blue Lagoon. ‘It’s all about life experience as well’ says Haworth, ‘school trips often offer a little bit more than what you would choose to do in your own time.’ 

This is not the only trip run by the school. Sally Smith, who runs the Classics Trip to Italy every two years, as well as a trip to Uganda for older pupils, says ‘I don’t think any travel is ever wasted.’ At Tranby ‘there is an international trip, at least one, every year,’ says Haworth, ‘we’re quite lucky in that respect.’ Both teachers agree on the benefits of such trips: Haworth believes that the most important benefit is ‘life experience. Being away from home for an extended period and being able to make friends as well, with different people they [young people] might not have socialised with before.’ Smith believes that ‘if you get the opportunity to go on one trip every two or three years, in your school lifetime that’s two or three places that you’ve gone to that you might not have visited.’  

‘Obviously there is a cost,’ says Smith, ‘but like I say we do try to get the trips out well in advance so that people can pay over a given time.’ The trip to Iceland and the other to Uganda fall into the bracket of the school’s more expensive trips, ‘you’ve got to be careful not to run too many in one year,’ says Haworth, ‘because obviously, money wise, people can’t just go on every single school trip available. However, Haworth also professes that ‘I think it is a good idea that most subjects do have some kind of international, or national, trip that runs.’ ‘In other schools, there’ll probably be less opportunity for that, and that’s a bit of a shame.’ Tranby is lucky to be able to provide these trips for its students, and both teachers agree that, for young people, these opportunities to see the world should be grasped if within reach. Haworth says, ‘It’s not all about social, it's about experience, and being able to see things that you learn about, and that happens when you go on a trip.’ ‘Even if you’re not a language student’ says Smith, ‘I think it’s still important to travel, because last time I looked there were about 8 billion people on this planet.’ Despite the recent developments in technology, Smith is certain that ‘by travelling more and making friendships and these bonds across the world, I think it brings us together as a global community.’