Learning travel or educational travel abroad: Things to Know
What is educational travel abroad?
Educational travel abroad or learning travel abroad is organised travel to another country with the primary purpose of learning – meaning that travel has an educational goal or goals.
This type of travel enables participants to gain knowledge, develop skills, and deepen cultural understanding at the source in a planned, real-world setting in another country.
Who is educational travel abroad for?
Since it has an educational component, programs are mostly designed for high school or higher education students, but sometimes people of all ages and educational backgrounds can join programs.
What are the benefits of educational travel abroad?
- Academic learning: students apply knowledge (e.g. in history, geography, social studies, biology, music) in practice – through fieldwork, site visits, research, and hands-on activities.
- Cultural awareness: educational travel programs abroad are designed to help participants understand different cultures, traditions, values, languages, and points of view.
- Emotional development: programs where students are in the new setting encourage students to understand the process of: feeling anxious at the beginning, being curious while exploring, feeling of accomplishment when finishing the program.
- Long-term life orientation: students feel motivated to participate in more of such programs, consider academic orientation, a globally oriented career
What is education tourism (edutourism)?
Educational tourism is a form of tourism in which learning is in the primary focus, blending cultural immersion with structured educational goals.
It combines travel (abroad) with educational activities, such as:
- learning about a destination’s culture, history, environment, and language
- learning about specialised subjects through firsthand experiences.
Here is a definition from UN Tourism glossary:
“Education tourism covers those types of tourism which have as a primary motivation the tourist’s engagement and experience in learning, self-improvement, intellectual growth and skills development. Education Tourism represents a broad range of products and services related to academic studies, skill enhancement holidays, school trips, sports training, career development courses and language courses, among others.”
What are educational travel programs abroad like?
Best programs for children and teens consider:
- integrating clear educational goals
- engaging with local community
- reflective practice,
- program durations to maximise educational outcomes
- destination and activities
What is the length of the educational travel abroad program?
It depends on the type of program.
- 3 – 5 days short trips for program or topic reinforcement (tours)
- 2 – 4 week program travels that allow students to move past initial culture shock and begin integrating new experiences.
What are the types of educational travel?
- School tours
- Language camps
- Volunteer programs
- Immersion programs
- Cultural programs
- Summer camps
What is an educational tour?
An educational tour is a short planned trip that is designed to achieve specific learning objectives through firsthand experiences.
It combines travel with structured educational activities, allowing participants to gain knowledge, develop skills, and deepen their understanding of a subject by visiting relevant locations and engaging with experts, local communities, or cultural sites.
Why Freepackers?
Freepackers provides educational travel, teen summer camps, and international volunteering across 37 global destinations.
Programs combine language immersion, humanitarian work, and eco-conservation with local NGOs, supported by their non-profit initiative focused on accessible, sustainable mobility.
Popular learning travel abroad programs by Freepackers
- Teen Educational Summer Camps: Specifically designed for teens. Two-week structured programs.
- Autonomous youth projects: humanitarian projects accepting young people from the age of 16.
Popular learning travel abroad locations by Freepackers
Educational teen summer camps:
- Malaga
- Italy
- Ireland
- UK
Freepackers testimonial: 3-week educational youth project in Argentina
Thirty young Belgian Scouts spent three weeks in Argentina with Freepackers. The goal was to promote cultural exchange between the two countries and to have a positive impact on the environment, society, and local communities.
This nearly one-month experience in Argentina helped us all mature significantly—both the young people and the group leaders. We emerged from those 3–4 weeks having grown as people, far from our comfort zones and daily routines. We learned to live as a community, discovered different ways of life, and shared and learned new customs.
Do you have any questions?
What is PlanetaFirst?
Planeta First is designed as an alternative to mainstream tourism, our itineraries are for those who want to explore a country consciously: with meaning, human connection, and a positive impact.
Planeta First offers four main itinerary families:
- Cultural: discover traditions and the country’s history, with immersion and exchanges with locals.
- Spiritual: enjoy moments of relaxation (yoga, meditation) for a full reconnection and a calmer trip that’s just as rich in discoveries.
- Adventure: explore the country and its landscapes on treks, and take part in sports activities to enjoy nature and wildlife.
- Road trip: travel across a country to understand its full richness through itineraries designed to reveal its depth and diversity.
How to plan an edutourism trip?
Planning an educational trip requires more than booking flights and accommodation. You need to define learning goals, destination, length of the trip, connecting with the local community, students’ reflection, and working with culture shock.
Share it on social media