Many American high schools offer their students the opportunity to explore the world through international trips, giving them the opportunity to travel outside of the United States and experience other cultures. Oftentimes, this leads to students becoming well-rounded and knowledgeable about others’ opinions and views on the world. Additionally, it can inspire them to continue their educational career or seek residence in a different country in the future.

Every four years, students at Ipswich High School who are in the band, chorus, and/or orchestra ensembles have the opportunity to fly to England during April break to sightsee and perform their talents. Last year, the three cities they  visited were Bath, Liverpool, and London. 

Norah Hickey, who is a current senior at Ipswich High School and a member of the orchestra went on this trip last year. I had the opportunity to ask her a few questions about her time in England. This is what she recalled. Her overall favorite part of the trip to England was when “…[the chaperones] let us go shopping at night, and it was really fun to walk around, buying things with my friends.” The really cool part, in Norah’s opinion, was when they were given free time while sightseeing, which allowed them to go and explore where they wanted.

Her favorite part about this new country was how clean everything was. She added that all three cities were just really beautiful cities to see. Norah stated that the travel overall “…was really good, and the plane ride was fine.” When I asked her about her accommodations, Norah responded that “[t]he hotels were good. Definitely the least exciting part of the trip, but they did the job.” 

A souvenir she bought during the trip was a poster at Stonehenge, which she currently has on display in her room. Some advice Norah would give to future students is to go into it with an open mind, to not be too worried about the traveling aspect of the trip, and to room with somebody that you’re close with. 

My next interviewee was Liliana Ouellette, who went on the international trip to France for the week of April break. Liliana heard about this field trip from “Madam Hoover… She started talking about doing a class trip at the start of sophomore year, and wanted to bring us somewhere.” Liliana decided to go because she had never been to France before, and wanted to experience the amazing looking food, the rich culture, and the stunning architecture. 

Liliana was conflicted when deciding which place she was most looking forward to visiting, stating that “[t]hat’s kind of difficult, there’s a lot of places, but I would say Mont Saint Michel is one.” In addition, she had high hopes for the Sainte Chapelle, because it’s stained glass windows light the whole abbey up. 

When asked if she believed her language skills would be sufficient for this trip, she responded with “yes, but also I am a little worried because they speak really fast, so picking up certain words will be difficult, but I have enough knowledge that I can get by.”

Liliana thinks international trips benefit high school students, because it’s great for them to be immersed within a new culture, especially one they have never experienced before. It broadens their perspective, as they dissect the cultural nuances and embark on new experiences. Additionally, It’s a great opportunity to travel to other locations that aren’t close to home, this way students can get a grasp towards what other parts of the world are like.