I’ve had the pleasure of adventuring on two bookbag tour trips, London/Paris in 2018 and Sydney Australia in 2019. I’m not exaggerating when I say that the London/Paris trip changed my life. I learned about bookbag tours randomly after find a flyer in my conference bag at the EdCamp professional development conference in spatanburg, SC. Deciding to go on the trip was a leap of faith. I didn’t own a passport, never traveled out of the country, and I was (and still am) a broke teacher. However, as June 2018 arrived, I was ready with my overweight bag and nervous goodbyes as I walked into the airport. While nervous and extremely anxious, i was certain that going on this trip was a great decision. It was.
My adventure exceeded my expectations from the start as I hopped off the plane and meet my new friend and fellow educator, Rachel. From there I met amazing teachers from the US, stayed with an amazing host, ate amazing food with my foodie-pal Emily, and learned public transportation by myself. Yes, this country girl was ‘living like a local’ while in London. Oh, and I can’t forget the eight hours spent in Paris.
Now you’re probably thinking wow, sounds amazing, it was but I haven’t even talked about the most exciting part of these trips—visiting the schools and meeting teachers from across the world. On this trip, I was able to talk about similarities and differences in education with teachers and school leaders. I was given school tours by the cutest students, ate a few UK school lunches, and shared a little about my hometown and school. It was eye opening to see how kids are the same in the UK as in the US…they all need love and struggle with the same thing (long division).
So again, this trip changed my life. This trip inspired me to inspire others to travel. To see the world. I show my travel pictures to my students, my family members, and others who have not had the opportunity to travel. I want them to see that if i can do it, (a young and southern African American female) they can as well! I’m so thankful for this organization. I believe all teachers should adventure on at least one trip.
If you decide to, you won’t regret it. You’ll gain so much from it. It’ll open your eyes to how big this world is and how powerful education can be!