You see the posters everywhere. OA is always going somewhere, whether it’s on a safari, in the canals of Venice, or in our nation’s capital. Some may look at these trips and never want to go, unwilling to try them because they don’t have a friend going, they’ve never traveled before, or because it’s with the school. But I’m here to advocate for these trips, and to say that if you are fortunate enough that it is affordable and it is not interfering with an activity, you should consider going on one.
One of the most common deterrents for going on a school trip is not having a friend to go on with you. I’m not going to lie- having a friend definitely does make the experience better, but it’s not a must. It might sound cliché, but you actually do become closer with people who you might not be good friends with. Traveling is a unique situation and the challenges and sights you see along the way forge unlikely bonds.
Even if traveling isn’t something you do often, going on one of these trips is a great way to start. With an itinerary there is not many variables that you have to plan and you can do some things that you never would have thought of otherwise.
I went to Peru over this April break and all the new things I tried astounded me. I tried new foods like purple corn juice (which was surprisingly good) and probably more soup than I have ever had in my life. I even went camera-less for a night, something that I would normally never do on a trip, but it was surprisingly refreshing. We all met new people when we did a homestay with locals and we got to talk to them (in Spanish) and learn about their lives. And yes, with travel there are some unexpected bumps along the way, like a lost passport, luggage and a canceled flight, but it is all so worth it to open your eyes to a new culture.
So if you can, try going on a trip. You never know what you may find if you try it, and it might just be one of the best experiences of high school.
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