belo student trips

Student travel in the USA with Belo

International Experience USA partners with Belo Travel to offer trips throughout the USA for our exchange students.

Students who have participated in the past said they had “a trip of a lifetime!”

See the trips offered this school year below:

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Forms needed to sign up

• Natural Parent Authorization form
• Student Authorization form
• COVID-19 Liability Waiver

Download: How to sign up for a trip

Reservation Form

In order to place your reservation, fill out all fields of the form below.

We will send a confirmation and the next steps to follow within 2 business days .

• Choose your trip(s) * ↑ Select one or more trips that you wish to register for. East Coast Trip June 16 to June 29 - $2810.00     (Full - Waiting List Available) Please choose accommodations: Standard Accommodation (2 students per bed, 4 to a room) - Included Single Bed Accommodation (Own bed for an extra fee) - Add $1100.00
• Participant Details ↑ You are: *    Select Exchange Student Host Sibling Friend First Name * Last Name * Nickname (name you like to be called) Country of Origin * Select Afghanistan Albania Algeria American Samoa Andorra Angola Anguilla Antarctica Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Aruba Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Brazil British Indian Ocean Territory British Virgin Islands Brunei Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad Chile China Christmas Island Cocos Islands Colombia Comoros Cook Islands Costa Rica Croatia Cuba Curacao Cyprus Czech Republic Democratic Republic of the Congo Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic East Timor Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Falkland Islands Faroe Islands Fiji Finland France French Polynesia Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Gibraltar Greece Greenland Grenada Guam Guatemala Guernsey Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Isle of Man Israel Italy Ivory Coast Jamaica Japan Jersey Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Kosovo Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macau Macedonia Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Mexico Micronesia Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Montserrat Morocco Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands Netherlands Antilles New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Niue North Korea Northern Mariana Islands Norway Oman Pakistan Palau Palestine Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Pitcairn Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Republic of the Congo Reunion Romania Russia Rwanda Saint Barthelemy Saint Helena Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Martin Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa San Marino Sao Tome and Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Sint Maarten Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Korea South Sudan Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Svalbard and Jan Mayen Swaziland Sweden Switzerland Syria Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Togo Tokelau Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu U.S. Virgin Islands Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United States Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Vatican Venezuela Vietnam Wallis and Futuna Western Sahara Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe Passport Country * Select Afghanistan Albania Algeria American Samoa Andorra Angola Anguilla Antarctica Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Aruba Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Brazil British Indian Ocean Territory British Virgin Islands Brunei Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad Chile China Christmas Island Cocos Islands Colombia Comoros Cook Islands Costa Rica Croatia Cuba Curacao Cyprus Czech Republic Democratic Republic of the Congo Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic East Timor Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Falkland Islands Faroe Islands Fiji Finland France French Polynesia Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Gibraltar Greece Greenland Grenada Guam Guatemala Guernsey Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Isle of Man Israel Italy Ivory Coast Jamaica Japan Jersey Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Kosovo Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macau Macedonia Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Mexico Micronesia Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Montserrat Morocco Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands Netherlands Antilles New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Niue North Korea Northern Mariana Islands Norway Oman Pakistan Palau Palestine Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Pitcairn Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Republic of the Congo Reunion Romania Russia Rwanda Saint Barthelemy Saint Helena Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Martin Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa San Marino Sao Tome and Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Sint Maarten Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Korea South Sudan Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Svalbard and Jan Mayen Swaziland Sweden Switzerland Syria Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Togo Tokelau Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu U.S. Virgin Islands Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United States Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Vatican Venezuela Vietnam Wallis and Futuna Western Sahara Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe Passport Number * E-mail Address * Cell Phone No (with Country Code) Select Date of Birth * Gender * Female Male Instagram Facebook WhatsApp Exchange Year: * 2023-24
• Host Country Information ↑ First Name of Host Parent #1 * Last Name of Host Parent #1 * Cell Phone No (with Country Code) E-mail Address * First Name of Host Parent #2 Last Name of Host Parent #2 Cell Phone No (with Country Code) E-mail Address Street Address * City * State/Province * Zip/Postal Code * Country * Select Afghanistan Albania Algeria American Samoa Andorra Angola Anguilla Antarctica Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Aruba Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Brazil British Indian Ocean Territory British Virgin Islands Brunei Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad Chile China Christmas Island Cocos Islands Colombia Comoros Cook Islands Costa Rica Croatia Cuba Curacao Cyprus Czech Republic Democratic Republic of the Congo Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic East Timor Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Falkland Islands Faroe Islands Fiji Finland France French Polynesia Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Gibraltar Greece Greenland Grenada Guam Guatemala Guernsey Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Isle of Man Israel Italy Ivory Coast Jamaica Japan Jersey Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Kosovo Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macau Macedonia Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Mexico Micronesia Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Montserrat Morocco Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands Netherlands Antilles New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Niue North Korea Northern Mariana Islands Norway Oman Pakistan Palau Palestine Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Pitcairn Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Republic of the Congo Reunion Romania Russia Rwanda Saint Barthelemy Saint Helena Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Martin Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa San Marino Sao Tome and Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Sint Maarten Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Korea South Sudan Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Svalbard and Jan Mayen Swaziland Sweden Switzerland Syria Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Togo Tokelau Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu U.S. Virgin Islands Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United States Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Vatican Venezuela Vietnam Wallis and Futuna Western Sahara Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe Host Family Home Phone Host High School Name * Host High School City and State/Province *
• Home Country Information ↑ First Name of Natural Parent #1 * Last Name of Natural Parent #1 * Cell Phone No (with Country Code) E-mail Address * First Name of Natural Parent #2 Last Name of Natural Parent #2 Cell Phone No (with Country Code) E-mail Address Street Address * City * State/Province * Zip/Postal Code Country * Select Afghanistan Albania Algeria American Samoa Andorra Angola Anguilla Antarctica Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Aruba Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Brazil British Indian Ocean Territory British Virgin Islands Brunei Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad Chile China Christmas Island Cocos Islands Colombia Comoros Cook Islands Costa Rica Croatia Cuba Curacao Cyprus Czech Republic Democratic Republic of the Congo Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic East Timor Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Falkland Islands Faroe Islands Fiji Finland France French Polynesia Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Gibraltar Greece Greenland Grenada Guam Guatemala Guernsey Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Isle of Man Israel Italy Ivory Coast Jamaica Japan Jersey Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Kosovo Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macau Macedonia Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Mexico Micronesia Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Montserrat Morocco Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands Netherlands Antilles New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Niue North Korea Northern Mariana Islands Norway Oman Pakistan Palau Palestine Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Pitcairn Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Republic of the Congo Reunion Romania Russia Rwanda Saint Barthelemy Saint Helena Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Martin Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa San Marino Sao Tome and Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Sint Maarten Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Korea South Sudan Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Svalbard and Jan Mayen Swaziland Sweden Switzerland Syria Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Togo Tokelau Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu U.S. Virgin Islands Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United States Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Vatican Venezuela Vietnam Wallis and Futuna Western Sahara Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe Home Phone No Home School Name * Home School City * Home (Sponsor) Organization * Home (Sponsor) District/Division
• Medical Information ↑ Name of Medical Insurance Company * Insurance Policy No. & ID No. * Allergies, if any * Medications, if any * Dietary Restrictions, if any * I have received my Covid-19 vaccine or I plan on receiving it at least 45 days before my first trip. *    Yes   No
• General Information ↑ Do you smoke? *    Yes   No Can you swim? *    Yes   No Have you had swimming lessons? *    Yes   No T-shirt Size: *    Select Small Medium Large Extra Large How did you hear about CETUSA Tours with Belo USA Travel? *    Select Brochure/Publication E-mail Facebook Friend Host Family Organization Volunteer Your Host Organization in the USA Your Organization in your Home Country Other  * I have read and I do agree with all of the terms of this trip's general conditions .  * I agree that my personal information may be used in accordance with our privacy policy . * This information is required.

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Hosting an exchange student: faqs.

Thinking about hosting an exchange student?  Or just curious about how it all works?  We've rounded up our most commonly asked questions and put them all in one place just for you!

If you have questions that aren't on this list, don't hesistate to contact us and we'll gladly answer them for you.  We love sharing the wonderful world of youth exchange!

Q: How does hosting an exchange student work?

A: ICES students come to share their home culture and learn about American culture in a hands-on way. Exchange students live as a member of the host family--not a guest or a boarder—and participate in family activities, respect household rules, and even help with chores. Students learn about real-life America by participating in it.

On the host family side, it means opening your heart and home to an international teen, and sharing your daily life with them.  Most often, cultural sharing happens in the simple parts of daily life such as preparing meals, running errands, and doing all the things that makes your family unique.  

Exchange students are enrolled in the local high school where they attend classes full-time and participate in extra-curricular activities for which the U.S. is so famous.

Q: How old are the students and where are they from?

A: Our students are 14-18 years old, and they come from over 30 countries around the world.  They are screened for English skills, academics, and maturity, and all students receive pre-departure orientation in their home country and again after arriving to their host community.

Q: If I decide to host, how long is the commitment?

A: Our students come for an academic year (10 months) or semester (5 months). In addition to permanent host families, we also utilize Welcome Families (4-8 weeks) and emergency back-up families who fill in as needed.  Whether you're ready to dive in for a full year, or you want to try hosting with a shorter committment, we'd love to talk with you and share available opportunities.

Q: How much does it cost to host? Will I get paid?

A: Host families are volunteers who provide room & board and loving parental guidance to an exchange student. ICES students come with medical insurance and spending money to cover all personal expenses, including school/sports fees, clothing, entertainment, phone, toiletries, etc. 

Some host families want to cover some of these things for their student--and they are welcome to do so--but exchange students come with the expectation that they will cover the majority of their own expenses.  

You don't have to be rich to host.  Most of our host families are average, middle-class people who enjoy sharing their normal, non-exotic lives with exchange students who are eager to experience it.  Many of the things you consider mundane are a thrilling adventure for an exchange student.

Q:  What is the host family screening process like?

A:   Once you’ve decided to host, you’ll complete a brief online application to provide us with some basic information about your family, home, and community. Each person over the age of 18 will need to submit a criminal background check, which we will run at no cost to you. You’ll also need to provide us with the names of several people we can contact to provide a reference for your family.

Your Local Coordinator will meet with your family in your home to get to know you better and answer any questions you have about the program. The LC will receive a tour of your home, and will take photos of the inside and outside of it, as well as a picture of your family.

The LC will contact your local high school  and work with them to secure approval for your exchange student to attend.

The entire process typically takes less than a week, and once it’s completed, you’ll be able to contact your exchange student and start getting to know him/her as you anticipate arrival day !

Q: Does an exchange student need to have their own room?

A: No. A student may share a bedroom with a same-gender teenage host sibling who is at least 12 years old. The exchange student must have his/her own bed and a quiet place to study.

Q: Would I be a good candidate for hosting?

A: We’d need to get to know you better to answer that definitively, but we can tell you that ICES students enjoy living on farms, in small towns, suburbs and big cities. ICES host families may be married or single, with or without kids, younger or experienced. If you have some extra love and a desire to share your culture, there's probably a student who would love to live with your family, and we’d love to talk with you about the possibility!

Q: My kids are young. Should I wait until they’re teens to host?

A: Not necessarily. Many younger families enjoy welcoming a foreign teen as an older sibling and mentor to their kids, and it’s a wonderful way for young children to learn to appreciate other cultures. Please note that your exchange student may not be used as a babysitter on a regular basis.

  Q: I don’t have kids at home anymore. Would an exchange student be bored living with me?

A: We’ve found that empty nesters make wonderful host families and most students love this type of placement and the undivided attention it provides them. Your exchange student will make friends at school and by getting involved in extra-curricular activities. Some empty nesters love hosting so much that they host two students at a time !

Q: I live alone. Can I host—and would an exchange student want to live with me?

A: Yes! We have many single host parents who enjoy investing in the life of a teen through hosting. Since this is a non-traditional placement, students are given the option of accepting this type of placement, so any student you host will be there only because he/she wants to and is happy with this type of placement.

Q: Do I have to host for a whole year?

A: Most families love the deep bonds that are created from hosting for a full school year—but there are other options! If a year doesn’t work for you, consider hosting a semester student (5 months) or being a welcome family (4-8 weeks). 

In many areas, we also utilize emergency back-up families who provide occasional short-term, temporary housing to exchange students.

Q: Do I have to take my exchange student on trips to see different parts of the country?

A: If you want to travel the U.S. with your exchange student, you are welcome to do so and your student will likely love it. However, this is not a requirement of hosting. The main focus of a host family is to provide a safe and nurturing home life for the student through which they can learn about American culture.

Your exchange student will have the opportunity to visit some of the most popular destinations in the U.S. through ICES’s partnership with Belo Tours . Belo does a great job of providing group trips specifically for exchange students.

In some areas, local ICES staff also offer trips and excursions for our students.

Q: How is a student matched to my family?

A: The choice is yours!  You may visit Meet Our Students to read student letters and other limited information about students who are awaiting placement.

Once your family is vetted, your Local Coordinator can send you student applications that include letters from the student and their parents, as well as photos and other helpful information.  

A big part of having an enjoyable hosting experiencing is finding a student that is a good fit for your specific family .  You might choose a student from a country that interests you, or one who shares your interests, hobbies, or religion.  Your Local Coordinator will be happy to answer questions and make suggestions to help you in your quest to find the right student.  

  Q: Will my student speak and understand English?

A: Your student will be able to converse with you immediately. Some teens will be almost fluent, while others will have a stronger accent and use smaller words, depending on how many years they have been studying English. Immersed in school, your student's fluency will improve , often quickly and dramatically.

  Q: I have a big trip planned this year. How would that work if I’m hosting?

A: This is a common concern among prospective host families, and there are several good options. If you like, you can invite your exchange student to join you on your trip. It’s perfectly acceptable to ask the student to cover major expenses like airfare.

Sometimes it’s not possible or practical for the student to accompany you. In these cases, your Local Coordinator can help make alternate arrangements for your student while you’re gone. Your student may stay with another exchange student, the LC, or a friend. The LC will take care of any screening needed to ensure the student is in a safe, appropriate place while you’re gone.

Q: What if there are problems or my exchange student doesn’t fit well with my family?

A: Your Local Coordinator is there to support you and your student with anything you need. Excellent orientation will prepare you and your student for the exchange experience, and ongoing communication will help you with any challenges you might face. If for any reason the placement simply does not work, your LC will rematch the student to a different family.

Q: How is ICES different?

A: In a word—SUPPORT. We pride ourselves on going the extra mile to support you and your student. This takes on many forms from phone calls to see how things are going, to helpful handouts on topics like cultural differences and effective communication, to fun activities to enrich the experience for everyone. Our staff are passionate about their work and do their jobs well. We’ll gladly provide references upon request.

Ready to take the next step?  Or do you still have questions?  Wherever you are in the process, we'd love to help you consider the wonderful adventure of hosting an exchange student!

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HIGH SCHOOL EXCHANGE

High school exchange program.

CETUSA’s High School Program allows International Students the opportunity to spend one semester or a full academic year in the U.S.A. They will attend a public high school and have the experience living as an American teenager.

Who can participate?

Our international students are all between the ages of 15 and 18 upon arrival in the US and have a minimum of three years of English language studies with a B- or higher overall grade point average. Students must also pass an English language proficiency exam. CETUSA does all it can to ensure that students are academically well positioned for success during their exchange experience.

How does it work?

Before they begin their travel, students are assigned to fully vetted volunteer CETUSA host families. The host families open their homes and invite our students to become a part of their daily life. Both students and host families pledge to uphold CETUSA Standards of Conduct which outline expectations.

Each student also has a local CETUSA Local Coordinator who supports the students and host families through every stage of their program.

Students arrive in the U.S. with health insurance and a monthly allowance from their natural parents for items like entertainment and toiletries.

Additional Program Activities

In addition to host family and coordinator planned activities, CETUSA has a partnership with Belo USA Travel for tour opportunities including Hawaii , New York , California and more! Ask your coordinator for details.

Belo USA Travel has 15 years of expertise in organizing cultural programs for exchange students across the world. All tours are chaperoned, and each tour has a Belo USA Coordinator and Belo USA Monitor to ensure everything runs smoothly.

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Company / Work

Work with us, belo usa travel.

Staff Application

Belo USA staff is responsible for leading fully escorted tours for our groups of high school aged international students. Trip staff serves as the face of our company, playing the most critical role in these once-in-a-lifetime experiences for our students. Our most popular tour destinations are Honolulu, Hawaii, Los Angeles and San Francisco, and New York City and Washington, D.C. This is seasonal contract work and the bulk of our groups travel between January and July.

As a Belo USA staff member, you will be responsible for:

Executing a pre-planned travel itinerary Enforcing the trip rules Contributing to the group’s understanding of American history and culture Duties such as keeping a head-count of the group, leading the group during and in between activities, performing room checks each night Offering advice on food, shopping, and tourism options during free time

Requirements:

Must be at least 21 years of age Fluent in English Legally able to work in the United States Able to travel for a minimum of 8 days at time

A successful candidate:

Is outgoing, enthusiastic, and maintains a balance between professionalism and fun Has previous study abroad and travel experience Can think quickly and solve problems independently in stressful situations

To apply, please complete the following application:

Questions with an asterisk (*) are mandatory Please include a head shot style picture (professional photo not required) Please submit a current resume

+1 877 235-6872

+1 312 376-3686.

1504 N Wells Street - 2nd Floor - Chicago, IL - USA 60610

[email protected]

Members area, we connect international students by creating unforgettable educational travel experiences., watch video, login to your account.

Inbound students have the option to travel with BeloUSA during their exchange.

The cost of the trips are not included in the exchange and must be paid by the student’s natural parents. Students will get information, including login and password to BeloUSA’s website at the Inbound Orientation in August.

Students MUST get permission from their host club and district RYE chairman before registering for a trip.

Trips fill up early, so make sure to register with payment to make sure to get a spot.

For detailed information visit:   Belo USA’s website    (Login: RYESE Password: DREAMTRIP)

I'm a college student studying abroad. I'm shocked at how many luxury trips my classmates take.

• I was excited to study abroad in Florence and to take small, cheap trips while abroad.
• My classmates are not traveling cheaply; they are flying to luxury places like Dubai and the Alps.
• I wonder if they are just doing it for social media, but I'm still enjoying my time abroad.

As a third-year college student attending Colorado State University in Fort Collins, I jumped at the chance to study abroad . Trading in a semester of snow and freezing temperatures for beautiful architecture and centuries-old art was a no-brainer.

I was so excited that I filled out the application to study in Florence nearly a year before the day I would depart. Four months in Florence, Italy, was comparable to the cost of a semester at my state school . After talking to my parents and counselor, I believed the cultural experience and travel opportunities were worth it.

I knew that when I arrived, I would have to budget when traveling —doing so through communal hostel stays and low-cost airlines. I was prepared for overstuffed backpacks and bus tickets; upon arrival, though, it became clear that pinching pennies was not on everyone's agenda.

The other students are jet-setting every weekend to expensive locations

The first few days in Florence were comparable to a freshman welcome week. The time was full of activities, including hikes, dinners, and other various ventures to get students to meet one another. My roommates and I attended one of the dinners to make connections before classes began.

Standing among groups of strangers , I expected to converse about majors and hometowns; however, I witnessed a quiet competition between students on who would be going to the most places in the coming months.

Comments such as "I have every weekend planned and booked" or "I would go, but I've already been" were stacked on top of one another as my peers attempted to one-up each other. At this time, I had a total of zero trips planned. When caught in these conversations, I felt oddly pressured to also fill my calendar each weekend, accompanied by the feeling of stress due to not being able to afford travel every five days. I feared I would be left behind.

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I've been here for over two months, and this conversation hasn't ended. Every Monday, I hear whispers about where my peers had jet-setted to days before. Places like Dubai and Morocco have been mentioned, leaving me just as shocked as that first dinner. I knew studying abroad was a privilege before getting here, but "a weekend in Dubai " was not what I expected.

Nobody is 'roughing it' like I thought they would be

My spring break was only three weeks into the start of the semester, and this was when I decided to take my first trip. When booking, I scoured sites, such as KAYAK and Skyscanner, but plane tickets and hotels were still extremely pricey. Eventually, my roommates and I decided to spend five days in Prague after finding affordable tickets on Ryanair. One of the greatest appeals of Prague was it was walkable, cheap, and had a good nightlife — my top three requirements as a traveling college student.

My three roommates and I booked a studio apartment for around $100 each for a total of five nights. It took us two trains, one bus, a plane, and some walking to get there, but the price was right. I was excited for the following week and felt satisfied with our trip and housing accommodations.

That was until I scrolled through Instagram to see my peers skiing in the Alps and skydiving in Copenhagen. It was almost unbelievable that the people I attend classes with could afford this style of travel while my school backpack was stuffed with a week's worth of clothes cause I opted out of the carry-on baggage fee Ryanair required.

I thought everyone at this stage made sacrifices when traveling, but I was mostly wrong.

I'm convinced people are traveling for the sake of their Instagram

I have a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that anyone can experience a new country in the span of 48 hours.

I do know, however, that people are really good at making their time away look like the best time ever on my Instagram feed . It's as if they're collecting comments like postcards or putting another notch in their belts by showing one another how many stamps they have accumulated in their passports.

Traveling while studying abroad is a competitive sport with a large price tag that no one told me to train for.

I've learned that such comparisons defeat the purpose of traveling. Maybe I haven't flown on the best airlines or stayed in an oceanfront villa, but my experiences abroad have been enriching and allowed me to engage with other cultures. Best of all? I didn't have to spend much money, and my Instagram still looks good.

Watch: Marriott International's Tina Edmundson tells Insider that the travel mindset has changed since the pandemic

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Bring Back In-Person Field Trips. Here’s Why

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Just as peak field trip season was set to get underway in the spring of 2020, the pandemic hit. Schools, and the cultural institutions and countless other organizations that normally welcome K-12 students for experiential learning, closed their doors.

“The pandemic was absolutely devastating for field trips. They went off a cliff, even when schools went back to in-person,” said Susie Wilkening, principal of Wilkening Consulting, a Seattle-based audience research firm.

Statistics bear this out. In the spring of 2023, Wilkening Consulting and the American Alliance of Museums conducted a survey of 340 museum directors from around the country on post-pandemic visitation. Forty percent of respondents reported that they continued to experience lower on-site visitation from K-12 teachers and students.

Several factors may be keeping schools from venturing back to in-person field trips. Virtual field trips rose in popularity during the pandemic, allowing students to glimpse educational sites as far-flung as the Egyptian pyramids or the Louvre art museum in Paris from the comfort of their homes or classrooms—and those opportunities still exist.

Logistics and funding may also be preventing schools from returning to on-site field trips. Educational researchers have suggested that some schools prioritize putting resources toward activities that may improve student achievement on standardized tests over experiences like field trips, whose results aren’t as quantifiable. That may especially be the case for schools struggling to help students recover from pandemic-era learning declines.

The argument for doing field trips again

But a growing body of research, advocacy from some district-level officials, and anecdotes from students provide compelling reasons for bringing back in-person field trips.

Lin Tajeken Jeufack, a high school junior at Kenwood High School in Maryland’s Baltimore County schools, vividly recalls how a 6th grade field trip to the National Aquarium in Baltimore that offered a behind-the-scenes glimpse into husbandry of aquatic animals planted an idea in her head about one day becoming a marine biologist.

Lin described testing the water in the animal tanks, peering under a microscope in an onsite laboratory at the aquarium, and learning about a profession she knew little about. The 16-year-old, who is now enrolled in her school’s International Baccalaureate program, volunteers at a local hospital, and says she’s leaning toward majoring in math in college, though she hasn’t ruled out a career in marine biology. Lin still welcomes the opportunity to attend in-person field trips—like a recent outing to the Philadelphia’s Franklin Institute, an art museum that features a “Giant Heart” exhibit that allows visitors to walk through the organ’s enormous, lifelike chambers.

“I think students feel safer now [post-pandemic],” said Lin. “We have a really tough course load; we’re always working. It’s good for us to get away from school for a little while.”

Field trips are especially beneficial for disadvantaged students

The lasting benefits of field trips don’t necessarily register in students’ consciousness at the moment of the visit. But these experiential outings have been proven to increase student interest in, knowledge about, and motivation to study subject matter to which they’re exposed, according to a sweeping, decade-old report by Ohio University researchers on field trips. Students from disadvantaged backgrounds tend to reap the biggest benefits from these experiences, as they are less likely to have the opportunity to engage in these activities outside of school-sponsored trips.

That’s not lost on Kadee Anstadt, superintendent/CEO of Washington Local Schools in Toledo, Ohio, who’s committed to ensuring that the students in her high-poverty district take field trips routinely.

“We are quite intentional now about the breadth of experiences we are offering our students,” said Anstadt, who recently established what she refers to as “superinten-dates,” in which she personally takes groups of students on field trips they likely wouldn’t otherwise experience.

“As an urban district, our kids sometimes don’t get to see their larger community. We’ve been to the Detroit Auto Show, to hear a Holocaust survivor, experienced the Toledo Opera, and taken the entire junior class to the Henry Ford Museum,” she said.

Some of the field trips students in the Washington Local Schools take are culturally enriching; others, practical. The district has developed a partnership with two local YMCA branches in which every 2nd grader receives eight water safety lessons.

“This ensures our kids know the dangers of a pool, pond, or lake, and also know how to get help if they need it. Some learn to swim during this time. For so many, it’s the first time they’ve ever been in a pool,” said Anstadt.

Since last year, more than 1,000 of the district’s approximately 7,000 students have received the lessons.

Fish hatcheries, hiking, ice fishing, and Native American landmarks

Laurie Barron, superintendent of the Evergreen school district in Montana, shares a philosophy on experiential field trips similar to Anstadt’s—but with vastly different surroundings to explore.

“We are in northwestern Montana bordering Glacier National Park, a recreation mecca,” said Barron, reeling off a number of recreational and cultural resources available within a quick bus trip: fish hatcheries, hiking, ice fishing, skiing, forestry opportunities, and Native American landmarks.

Barron says administrators aim for younger students in the K-8 district to go on between two and four trips per year, a number that increases to six to eight trips by the time students reach 8th grade.

“We love for them to have several off-campus opportunities each year, experiencing the great west Montana outdoors. It’s very relevant and easy to connect that to our curriculum and content,” Barron said. “And students remember a lot more that way than just reading about places in a book.”

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