Have you ever wondered what it’s like to see the Eiffel tower in Paris, visit the Trevi Fountain in Rome, and ride a gondola in Venice, all in one week of travel? The GHS Travelers makes trips like this possible for students looking to experience different cultures all over the world. Travel abroad trips are a popular way for students to see the most famous attractions in short amounts of time, learning about cultures and different ways of life along the way. 

The benefits of traveling abroad extend outwards from just a fun way to see the sights. The trips allow students to practice new languages, try new foods, and explore a completely different way of life. A GHS student, Jared Beals, traveled to Madrid with GHS Spanish teachers to Barcelona, St. Sebastian, Sevilla, and many more last summer. Jared says that the trip “helped a lot with my Spanish, and learning about the culture and just everyday life in a Spanish speaking country.” Traveling abroad is extremely beneficial for speaking and understanding a language that you’re learning. Talking with native speakers in everyday life takes your learning experience out of the classroom and into the real world. 

Another benefit of these trips is the ability to embrace a new culture and learn about how people in other countries live. Another GHS student, Jessica Schick, is attending an upcoming trip to Italy. Jessica says that “Italian culture is super fascinating to me. The country is so rich with history and art, it’s one of the biggest cities for fashion in the world, and the food is absolutely delicious!” The ability to spend only a few weeks in a certain country and be immersed in their culture is a unique experience, made possible by the trips planned by teachers at GHS, one of them being Mrs. Peterson. 

Mrs. Peterson started organizing these trips for the GHS Travelers when she was asked to step in and go on a trip to prevent it being cancelled. After that, Mrs. Peterson couldn’t wait to plan and go on another. She has traveled to Wales, England, Ireland, France, Normandy, Holland, and Belgium, all through GHS Travelers. Mrs. Peterson says that she believes the most beneficial part of these trips is “students learning about other cultures, other people, picking up words in other languages, and just being willing to go on an adventure, and on that adventure realizing that people are people no matter where you go.” 

As the awareness of these trips increases, many students at GHS still aren’t sure about how to get involved. A GHS student, Sydney Spicuzza, said that she wasn’t sure how to find these opportunities. She said “I would love to go on one of these trips! I guess I haven’t seen a lot of information about how I should get involved.” Jessica Schick states she “heard about the trip when they mentioned it on the announcements and also saw posters all over the school for a trip to Italy. I’ve always wanted to go to Italy, so I went to the meeting and signed up.” If you’re a student who is looking for these ways to travel, make sure to keep an eye out for announcements or contact Mrs. Peterson! Students may also contact Mrs. Peterson at yearbook@gpsbulldogs.org or speak to a foreign language teacher at GHS about any upcoming trips available to GHS students.