A travel ambassador could change your trip
Are you planning a tour with your students? Few things rejuvenated my career like taking an annual trip with our students. It's an incredible opportunity for the kids, but for you as an educator as well: Your students see you in a different light and are open with you. If you choose well, you'll learn infinite things about culture, live in the language for the week and have opportunities to understand perspectives first hand. That said, it isn't always the easiest thing in the world...
While traveling with students is an incredible opportunity to immerse your students in culture and language, it can also be a logistical juggling act.
Amelia is SO positive, uplifting and incredible...the perfect ambassador.
Enter: the student ambassador—a motivated, responsible student who can help lighten the load and enhance the experience for everyone. Here are 7 reasons why I “hire” a student ambassador to support me as a group leader:
1. Recruit Other Travelers
This may be the most important feature of having a student ambassador, especially for those Group Leaders, like me, who are not supported by their district or school. They are not only a peer level advocate for the trip, but they authentically share their excitement about the trip with classmates, create buzz on social media, and answer questions from hesitant students. A peer's perspective can often be the nudge someone needs to sign up. NOTE: all of our ambassadors have been repeat travelers so far... They have the most inspiring stories that make what we’re trying to sell THAT much more exciting.
Jaden and I prepping that content for our recruitment meeting
2. Communicate Meeting Times and Details
This goes for pre-travel meetings, especially, since you’ll have this down pat on tour. We know how kids don’t check emails, families are busy, etc, but what our students definitely do is keep up with social media. Have your ambassador post a story the day before your meetings (recruitment, traveler excitement meetings and pre-travel meetings) to be sure no one misses your communication. This will also set the stage for your standard of keeping everyone on the same page, an essential for a successful trip. While you’re at it, have them post last minute details the night before the tour: “Be at the airport at X time!” Or a “Pack with me for Peru!” reel that uses and shows your packing list. If you’ve run tours before, you know that just while you’re doing that last load of laundry for your trip, while making batches of freezer food for the family that you’re leaving behind, you start getting texts and emails from families. This hack reduces that a ton!
3. Help Plan Free Time Activities
Free time on a trip offers valuable opportunities for students to explore independently or in small groups. However, on a lot of trips, there may be an entire day of free time. While I could definitely put together an amazing one day itinerary for Buenos Aires on our trip in April, my ambassadors will help keep me in check about what the KIDS want, and not why adults want! The ambassador can gather input from peers about activities they’re interested in and present ideas to the teacher. From visiting a local market to arranging a group scavenger hunt, their input can make free time more engaging and organized, while simultaneously taking that off your plate.
Last night in Panama...Jaden planned a party bus! SO fun...plus they were all right where we could see them ;)
4. Act as a Liaison Between Students and Teachers
Students may sometimes feel more comfortable voicing concerns or questions to a peer rather than a teacher. The ambassador can act as a bridge, relaying feedback or minor issues to the teacher discreetly. In some cases, the ambassador feels so comfortable with you that they may even overshare…to your advantage.
5. Document the Trip
From snapping photos to organizing a trip journal or social media updates, student ambassadors can help document the experience. This not only creates lasting memories but also serves as promotional material for future trips. If you’ve never seen an Instagram takeover, your ambassador is your go-to! We create a Facebook group for parents while we are on tour, so have your ambassador be the social media chairperson for the day. If they’d rather, have them nominate a fellow traveler instead! Even if they don't ACTUALLY take over, you can task them with taking great pictures to share.
Multiple ambassadors in one shot, with one of the best chaperones ever, my sister.
6. Encourage Positive Group Dynamics
A student ambassador can help set the tone in times that you need them. Flight delays? Train that ONE ambassador to be positive and remind students that it will be just a blip in what is going to be an amazing trip. Your best ambassadors can change a “bad moment” into some of the most fun of your trip. Have them bust out a game or another activity to keep spirits up. In a dinner that took WAYYY too long in Panama, our cutie ambassador had our entire group of 65 learning Tik Tok dances to the point where, when the food was finally ready, no one wanted to stop!
By being a role model for respectful behavior and open-mindedness, they can encourage their peers to embrace the cultural experience and support one another.
A cancelled flight, 2 days of travel and Renee was all smiles!
7. Monitor Group Counts
One of your first protections to safety and timeliness is Chaperone Groups. If each of your chaperones is in charge of counting a few travelers, your ambassador can check in with all chaperones and just communicate with you when everyone is there. Or, have them stay with your group while you check in with the other adults on tour. This way, no one gets left behind, AND you make it to all of your amazing excursions on time.
Having a dedicated student ambassador can make your trip run more smoothly and provide your students with leadership opportunities. By empowering your ambassador with specific responsibilities, group leaders can focus on what matters most: providing their students with a rich, immersive learning experience that they’ll never forget.