How Travelbound supports teachers planning long-haul trips: Carisbrooke College’s trip to China
China is an inspiring destination for students, with a wide array of both historical landmarks and futuristic exploration. For teachers wanting their students to develop personally as well as educationally, China is ideal for building confidence and independence.
We spoke to Joe Briscoe at Carisbrooke College about their recent school trip to China, and how Travelbound supported them at every stage:
Planning and decision-making
What first led you to consider China as a destination for your students?
“With Mandarin being the main language taught at our school, it was only a matter of time before we offered another trip to China to our students. We found that due to COVID, many of our students had missed out on a variety of trips in previous years. I personally felt it was important to ensure they were given the opportunity to go on a long-haul adventure, such as this.
Back in 2019, before COVID, I had led a trip to China with the help of Travelbound, which had been a great success, and it was this experience, along with a strong desire to see students using their language skills out in the real world, that made another trip to China such an easy decision to make.”
Were there any initial concerns from SLT, colleagues or parents about travelling long haul?
“As I had previously led successful trips to Asia, including China and Vietnam, both the school and parents seemed confident that another trip out to the same part of the world would be well-planned and would put students’ safety first.
Prior to this trip taking place, I arranged comprehensive information meetings for all students, parents and staff involved which ran through the itinerary on a day-by-day basis. The meetings explained many of the cultural differences that students would likely encounter, and I allocated plenty of time to answer all questions that those attending had, regarding the trip and the preparation for it. Parents have subsequently thanked me for these meetings as they felt reassured by seeing the level of planning and the seriousness with which we took all the safety aspects of the trip.
Most concerns that parents had focused on the issues that the students might have in terms of staying in touch with family back home. This was particularly the case for a country like China, where many of the websites and phone apps that they usually use are not accessible.”
How did Travelbound support you during the planning stages?
“One of the key reasons that we keep returning to Travelbound when planning larger trips such as this, is their willingness to help accommodate alterations to their standard itineraries – sometimes drastic ones at that!
When we look at the learning objectives for a trip, we think very carefully about which specific locations we offer, in terms of how they can benefit students and their learning directly. With the 2025 China trip, we wanted students to be immersed in a wide variety of Chinese experiences, meaning we asked for a fifth-tier city – Yan’an – and one of China’s most sacred mountains – Huashan – to be included.
Travelbound were excellent at helping us incorporate these locations into the trip and draw up an itinerary around them.”
What advice would you give to a teacher considering their first long-haul trip?
“There’s nothing more rewarding than seeing how young people develop and grow when faced with the challenges and excitement of a trip to the other side of the world. Many of the students will overcome difficulties and surprise themselves each day, and most will come back completely changed by the experience.
With a trip of this scale, you can’t be too prepared, and anyone considering offering a trip like this should leave nothing to chance. A successful trip doesn’t happen by accident. It’s important that student safety is at the forefront of everything you do at the planning stage, and all staff accompanying clearly know their roles and responsibilities beforehand. It’s important to consider plans in place for every eventuality, then staff can confidently lead and students really can experience the wonders of some truly far-off and incredible places that they will never forget.”
Educational and cultural impact
How did the trip support your curriculum goals?
“Not only did the trip offer students countless opportunities to practice and develop their spoken skills in Mandarin, but they also improved their reading competence in readiness for the speaking assessments back at home.
We ensured that many of the places we included on the itinerary specifically supported and deepened their knowledge of many units of the History, Geography and even RE schemes of work back at home.”
Were there learning moments that simply could not be replicated in the classroom?
“Students found themselves in real-world situations where they needed to use the skills they had learned in a classroom to achieve very simple and basic things. They also overcame many of the practical challenges and obstacles that arise simply through travelling and exploring a different part of the world – these experiences and successes alone could never have been replicated within a classroom environment.”
How did the experience shape students’ understanding of the wider world?
“The experience of travelling so far from home in a group and experiencing new things for the first time together created bonds between students – often students who had previously not been close. As they encountered things they found odd regarding the culture, they were able to confront them together and discuss their experiences with each other.
They also found the glaring differences regarding politics, security and surveillance quite jarring, but with context from staff both prior to and during the trip, they were able to maturely negotiate them without issue and come to understand some of the issues at the heart of these matters. Many expressed less anxiety about visiting places further afield in future because of this trip.”
Student development and school impact
What changes did you notice in students during or after the trip?
“All of the students that attended this particular trip to China expressed that they had grown as individuals – some were most proud of their courageous attitudes toward new food, some satisfied mostly by the educational value of the locations they visited, but many were most appreciative of the opportunities they were given while travelling to develop their confidence and become more independent and capable young people.”
Do you feel that travelling long haul built a sense of independence in different ways to shorter trips?
“For students that had not previously travelled such a distance away from home they were understandably concerned by the length and discomfort of the flights, and the fact that they would be away from family for so long. This was especially the case for those that had never flown before at all.
However, these were the students that, by the end of the trip, had clearly learned to appreciate the fact that sometimes in life to do the most special things does require some discomfort and effort. By the end, even the most anxious students agreed that the amazing experience they had was well worth the discomfort of travel and the challenges they faced.”
How did the trip influence group dynamics back at school?
“A few students who had previously not known each other very well became friends during the trip and have remained so ever since. The students who attended have matured since returning and seem to understand their own world in a much clearer context now. They have a confidence about them that has come from their experiences and are far more willing to offer more varied and rounded opinions on global topics and issues.”
What feedback did you receive from parents following the visit?
“When collecting their students upon our return to the UK, several parents thanked staff members there and then for keeping their children safe. However, since then, many more have contacted us to express their gratitude not only for their safe return, but also for the experiences the students had while away and the efforts that staff put into the careful planning of the trip.”
Ready to start planning your China school trip?
Hear from tour co-ordinator Ali about what teachers need to know.
