How to Keep Students Motivated This Summer
Host An Authentic Destination Meal
You can go all out and prepare an authentic destination-themed meal in your own kitchen, or find a local restaurant that serves traditional fare for the countries you're going to visit. Set the tables as they'd be in a local cafe in Paris, for instance; or find a French restaurant or cafe in your area to meet at. Traveling to Italy? What's better than a real Italian potluck dinner together, or a traditional meal in a local Italian eatery? Heading to London? Fish 'n' chips is a fun favorite -- or for those more adventurous, how about "bangers and mash"? The possibilities abound, and it's a great way to get to know each other better.
Have A Pool or Beach Party
This is a great way to get everyone together in relaxed circumstances, including parents. Have everyone bring a dish, but make a list first so you don't end up with 17 bowls of potato salad! Announce the event on a Facebook "event" page (make sure it's marked private), or use Passports group email feature on your group web page. If you can't host yourself, ask if one of the families traveling would be willing to host. If you're heading to a lake, a park, or ocean beach, be sure to carpool to save on parking fees. Since the group is going to be spending at least a week together in shared hotel rooms what better way to start learning more about your traveling companions. Tip: ask attendees to invite a friend or classmate who isn't already signed up on the trip -- this will help spark interest and grow your group. Nothing wrong with recruiting over the summer!
Use the internet
Everyone is busy over the summer, and we all probably need a break from each other after a hectic school year. But, you want to keep the students interested and dreaming about next year's European tour. What to do?! Use social media, of course! Create a Facebook page or group for your trip. Facebook Groups are really popular right now. Make a private or secret Facebook group and invite all of your group members. You can post reminders, fun facts, photos of past trips (or even your personal trip you took this summer if it's relevant), and other announcements. If you're comfortable in front of the camera, do some Facebook Live videos. Make it fun so the kids will engage with each post. Students prefer Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter nowadays, so it might be more fun to use those platforms. Play around and see what works best for you and your group. Are you more into writing lengthier messages? Then, think about sending out a newsletter once a week throughout the summer, or start your own blog!
Schedule a recruitment meeting
Why not? Just because it's summer doesn't mean you have to stop recruiting travelers for your group. Be sure it's ok with your school admin first. Then, find a place to have the meeting. If the school will let you use a room there, then great. Otherwise, a local restaurant or even a church basement would work. Or, if you're up for it, your home! Ask the students already enrolled to nominate other students to travel on your overseas tour who aren't already signed up. Are you permitted to have people in the group who are not from your school? If so, reach out to your church or other organizations in the area to see if anyone wants to join the group. Send out announcements on social media, or even post on bulletin boards around town. Have a set agenda planned and try to keep the meeting as short as possible. Make sure you bring Passports materials including Enrollment Guides and instructions to enroll online.
What are some other ways you've kept momentum going about your trip during so-called "down time"? We'd love to hear about it in the comments!