Going Places Educational Travel Blog

20 Travel Tips For First-Time Student Travelers

These handy tips will help get you through your first trip to Europe

4 Favorite Photo-Op Locations in Madrid Spain

On your next trip to Madrid, don't miss these perfect locations for photo ops!

Passports 2018 Travel Photo Contest Winners

Congratulations to our first-prize winners and runners-up in this year's photo contest!

5 Things Successful Group Travel Organizers Don't Do!

Five ways to avoid failure when recruiting passengers for your educational travel group!

Destination Spotlight: Iceland

Volcanoes, a geothermal spa, geysers, and even an earthquake simulator! Iceland is the Earth science buff's dream!

How Much Do You Know About Notre-Dame Cathedral?

From flying buttresses to gargoyles, here are some fun facts about the glorious church in Paris... Notre-Dame!

Wordless Wednesday: Students Traveling in France

Wordless Wednesday: Join us as one of our student groups shares photos from their recent educational tour to France!

London In The News

Our group leaders and travel professionals are heading to London soon for our annual Yuletide International Teacher Convention. Check out these three newsworthy and timely articles to get you psyched for a week in merry ol' England!

3 Must-See Sights in Washington, DC

In honor of Veterans Day, here is our choice of the top three must-see sights in Washington, DC -- the Korean, Vietnam and WWII War Memorials

Wordless Wednesday: 2017 Contest Winners!

Wordless Wednesday: Passports Educational Travel announces the winners of our 2017 travel photo and journal reflections contests!

If It's Monday, This Must Be Munich! Fun Facts About Munich's Oktoberfest

We dug up some fun facts about Bavaria's Oktoberfest because if it's Monday, and it's October, this must be Munich!

Wordless Wednesday: 11 Student Group Photos That Will Make You Smile

We love it when our tour directors take group photos of teachers and their students at famous European locations!

10 Fun Facts About Heidelberg Castle

One of the most-visited landmarks in Germany, Heidelberg Castle is a must-see for your student group tour. To make it better, here are some fun facts about the Castle we bet you didn't know!

3 Ideas for Your Next Group Tour

Faculty-led group tours are shorter, affordable for most families, and provide travel abroad opportunity for more students. Here are our five favorite itineraries. Pick one of ours, or design your own!

Did You Know? Travel Is One Of America's Fastest-Growing Industries

The U.S. Travel Association's report on travel as a job creator has all of us at Passports Educational Travel happy to be a part of America's future!

The Ultimate Guide to Organizing An Educational Group Tour

Back to School! Here is the ultimate guide for teachers organizing a group educational tour. Includes printable checklist! Schedule a meeting with your students today!

Wordless Wednesday: 25 Travel Brochure Photos

For this week's Wordless Wednesday post, we're celebrating 25 years with our readers. Here are 25 years worth of student travel catalog cover photos. Enjoy!

15 Inspirational Travel Quotes

There's nothing like a famous quote to give you some inspiration for leaving your cares and worries at home and exploring the world. Choose your favorite words to share with your travel group, or come up with your own!

How to Keep Students Motivated This Summer

School's out for summer, but that doesn't mean your tour group has to wait until fall to keep the excitement going during down time. Try out these ways to keep connected with your travelers this summer.

7 Airport Hacks For Students Traveling This Summer

Here are some of our favorite airport hacks for student travelers. From packing light to wearing the right shoes, Passports covers all the bases for the smoothest airport check-in ever!

Travel Photo Challenge

Traveling this summer on a Passports tour? Don't forget to enter our photo contests! Send us your favorite travel cliche photo; Instagram your meal; tag your tour director or show off your Passports swag!

Last-minute reminders from traveling teachers

As you get ready for your summer trip, here are some last-minute reminders from teachers who travel with students.

Benefits for Teachers Who Travel with Their Students

As our partner in organizing educational travel, we’ve always rewarded group organizers with cash bonuses, EXTRA free trips, and other great benefits.

Tour Spotlight: Monet and Michelangelo

Explore three of Europe's greatest cities on a tour perfect for lovers of art, culture and history.

Italy is the Ultimate Educational Tour Destination

Overflowing with history and abounding with art and architecture, Italy is the ultimate educational tour destination for you and your students!

Show Your Students the Venice of the North

Although the Hague is its true political capital, Amsterdam is the Netherlands' intellectual, cultural and nominal capital.

City Spotlight: Madrid

Beyond Madrid’s grand architectural set pieces, world-class array of museums and cultural attractions, it is the inviting lifestyle that sets Madrid apart.

Sample Agenda for a Student-Parent Meeting

1. Introduce yourself and the subjects you teach. Mention the number of years you’ve been teaching. Or, if you're a new teacher...

Why Is Passports the Educator's Choice for Student Travel?

The preparation for a student tour begins long before you get on an airplane. It starts in the classroom, with you, the teachers.

6 Travel Apps to Download Before Your Next Trip Overseas

Traveling overseas in the near future? Download these nifty travel apps now, you'll thank us later.

Tour Spotlight: Chocolates and Cappuccino

Visit Juliet's balcony and Mozart's birthplace. Slide down a chute into a mine to explore its dark underground chambers. Enjoy a morning excursion to the top of the world, with an ascent to the summit of Mt. Pilatus 7,000 feet high, and SO much more!

How to Recruit Students for an Educational Tour

Teachers, here is your foolproof recruitment plan and a free download of the 'My Recruitment Plan' checklist.

Pre-departure Reminders for Students Traveling to Europe This Spring

After months of anticipation, your trip is almost here! Are you ready? Here are a few pre-departure reminders for students traveling to Europe this spring (or summer).

Getting School Board Approval for Educational Travel

If you are seeking permission to organize an overseas trip, there are some important things to keep in mind before talking to your school principal, or to the school board.

Educational Travel 101

This process of education through travel does not happen by itself. It happens only with the pro-active, dedicated support of educators that acknowledge the importance of travel.

A Travel Journal Is the Best Souvenir You Can Create

Your travel journal will become a cherished keepsake you’ll have to look back on after your experience to help you relive those memories again and again.

19 Interesting Facts About the World's Smallest Country

Vatican City, the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church, is located within the city of Rome and is the smallest country in the world.

2017 Passports Traveler Contests

passports is excited to announce the kick off of our annual traveler contests! 2 photo contests + 1 writing contest = 3 chances to win an epic spending spree! Do you think you have what it takes to beat out the other 2017 passports travelers?

How to Break the Language Barrier While Traveling

Keep these tips in mind to grant you a bit more independence and make it easier to interact with the locals!

The Best Cities in Europe for Architecture Lovers

If you have an eye for art and architecture, you’ll love this list of the most architecturally impressive cities in Europe.

Sagrada Familia: Gaudí's Masterpiece

La Sagrada Familia is an extraordinary church with towers that soar high above the City of Gaudí.

Ostia Antica: A Little-Known Ancient Wonder

Just 30 minutes from the Colosseum lies the remains of the entire ancient Roman city of Ostia Antica – an under appreciated and little-known archaeological site that rivals Pompeii.

21 Experiences to Add to Your 2017 Travel Bucket List

Inspired by passports participant photos – here are 21 experiences to add to your 2017 travel bucket list!

3 International Dishes That Belong on the Thanksgiving Table

Since America is a melting pot of people from all different cultures, it seems fitting that we include a few dishes from other countries on our national day of thanks. Try out these international dishes for a change that could very well become a new tradition!

Meet Lou Baskinger: Teacher Representative for Passports ACTFL16

Lou Baskinger is a retired Spanish teacher who has traveled on over 20 tours with passports. He accompanied some of the passports staff at ACTFL16 to talk to fellow teachers about his experiences traveling with us.

Sell the Experience, Not the Trip

When recruiting students for an educational tour, your goal should be to sell the experience, not just the trip.

11 Steps for Running a Successful Parent Meeting

You have tons of interested students – now it's time to get their parents on board. Let us help! Follow our 11 steps for running a successful parent meeting.

Here's Why Teachers Should Take Their Students to Spain

An educational tour to Spain has so much to offer your students. Bring your classroom to life in Spain!

Passports Traveler Blog Contest

It's time for another contest!

2016 Passports Photo Challenge Winners

Congratulations to our winners!

17 Tips for Effective Student Tour Recruitment

These tips will make student recruitment much easier!

Contest Voting

Vote once per day for your favorite contest photos! Poll will close September 28 at 11:59 PM

A Letter to European Coffee

Dear European Coffee, Why are you so great? Is it because you’re from Europe? I tried to go to Starbucks but it just wasn’t the same.

A Tribute to Our Founder: Dr. Gilbert Scott Markle

If you lived in the Worcester, Massachusetts area in the 1980s, chances are you either knew who Gil Markle was, you were employed at one of his companies, you were one of his students, or you knew somebody who knew somebody, who knew Gil.

How to Choose the Right Destination for Your Student Tour

Whether your educational goals are historical, linguistic, cultural, charitable or a combination, Passports has the right tour for you and your students.

Free LINK Lesson Plans for Teachers

Mindful that teachers often spend more time writing lesson plans than implementing them, we provide comprehensive lesson plans for all group organizers.

5 Steps to Successful Student Recruitment

Having trouble recruiting enough students for your tour? Our 5 step guide will help you through that process!

Passports vs. Other Student Travel Companies

With many student travel companies to choose from, why Passports? We offer the perfect balance of quality and price.

Educational Travel Services: How Necessary Are They?

Educational travel services are essential for teachers who wish to travel with their students overseas.

Blog Spotlight: Lillie Marshall

Lillie Marshall is a Boston public school teacher with a passion for teaching and traveling.

What Does Educational Travel Mean to Us?

What did Passports employees have to say when asked the question “What does educational travel mean to me?”

Student Tour Group Travel to Costa Rica

A student tour to Costa Rica is a breathtaking, Central American paradise for Spanish-speaking, science studies, in-service programs, and so much more.

A Brief History of the Educational Travel Industry

Did you know that most of the companies existing in the educational travel industry today were influenced by Passports' founder Gil Markle, dating back to the 60's?

Teacher Tuesday: An Educational Tour Experience to Remember

Guest Post by Ingrid B.

A Letter of Appreciation to Teachers

Today, as we celebrate National Teacher Appreciation Day, we’d like to say “thank you” to teachers.

7 Brilliant Travel Hacks You've Never Heard of

Fundraising Tips and Ideas

Expand Your Mind and Boost Creativity

Travel has the potential to revamp and vitalize the mind by immersing us in unfamiliar cultures with new customs and ideas.

7 Tours, 7 Wonders of the World

There have been numerous lists compiled to nominate the world’s most spectacular natural wonders and manmade structures. Explore 7 Wonders of the World on tour with Passports!

The Most Exquisitely Designed Museums in the World

In honor of museum week, here are eight captivating photos of the most exquisitely designed museums in the world.

5 Unique Easter Traditions from around the World

In the United States, we don't think twice about frantically searching for colored eggs hidden by a mythical bunny. Do you ever wonder how other countries around the world celebrate Easter?

Out of This World: Stadtkeller Swiss Folklore Restaurant

The Swiss people rarely practice traditional customs like yodeling in their everyday lives anymore, so the Stadtkeller is a must if you’re looking for a taste of traditional Swiss folklore and culture.

Out of This World: Ristorante Terme Del Colosseo

Immersed in the heart of ancient Rome, Ristorante Terme del Colosseo caters to the Italian culture enthusiast.

Why Is English So Weird?

There are students all over the world trying to make sense of a language where comb, tomb and bomb don’t rhyme but pony and bologna do.

Passports Photo Challenge

3 photo contests, 3 chances to win. Think you have what it takes to beat out all 2016 passports travelers in this year’s photo challenge?

Untranslatable Words We Need in English

Have you ever thought of a witty comeback, only it's hours too late? The Yiddish have a word for that.

6 of the Coolest Hotels in the World

Have you ever wanted to have breakfast with a giraffe? If the answer is yes, this is the list for you!

Quotes That'll Make You Question Why You Don't Travel More

Fundraising Ideas Part 2: Events

Fundraising Ideas Part 1: Sales

Fundraising Ideas Part 3: Activities

Teacher Tuesday: 5 Fundraising Event Ideas

Take Our Buzzfeed Quiz! Which European Country Should You Visit?

What Is a Global Education and Why Is It So Important?

At its core, global education means teaching students how to be flexible and creative when trying to understand and act upon issues of global significance.

Thanksgiving Travel Tips You'll Be Thankful for

Sugar Skulls and Día De Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) in Mexico

The History of Halloween Will Surprise You

The pagan rituals of Samhain sparked many of the Halloween traditions that we still carry on in the US today.

6 Photos That Will Inspire Your Wanderlust

Why Travel Is the Unrivaled Educator

Students gain a deeper understanding of their own cultural values and beliefs, and strengthen their college applications.