What’s it like traveling with a group of 10 to 20 (or more!) high school students? It can be rewarding, inspiring and no doubt…a little challenging! You know how to keep a classroom in synch but what happens when you have no walls, period bells or chalkboard to get your points across? Here are three ways to structure the chaotic side of travel and make organizing groups fun!
1. Play for Punctuality
Tardiness is tough to control in any school, and when you’re moving through tours in sporadic time slots (not neat 50 minute class periods), it’s tough to keep all kids marching to same beat. One way to get a rhythm going is to gamify start times. Assign fun leadership roles or unique prizes to the first down to breakfast and the first back on the bus. This can be anything from getting to decide the lunch spot to winning a goodie bag related to the days activities. Get creative!
2. String Them Along, Literally
Corralling a group in a museum or a walking tour can be tricky. How do you keep everyone together and moving at the same pace? Try working with your Tour Director to come up with a timed scavenger hunt where students have 10 or so minutes to hit each item on a list. That way, you can allow independent exploration while also setting a path around important stops along the particular day’s tour or activity.
3. Give the Reign of Responsibility
Appoint cultural leaders on different days or events to map out the group activities. Either drop names and tour decisions in a hat or have students sign up for things they’re most interested in—first come, first served. The student responsible for leading the day or activity will be more invested in making sure the experience is unique and other students will likely try and top the last. Nothing like a little friendly competition to make every stop on the tour a student-run success.