Now is the perfect time to Think Global and Stay Local.
We might not be able to venture very far from home just yet, but that does not mean students have to miss out on the thrill of travel as part of an action-packed school year. There is plenty to be discovered in our own backyards, and our Close to Home program is guaranteed to open eyes, hearts, and minds while encouraging students to experience the wonder of their nearby surroundings with a fresh appreciation.
How it works
In one of our efforts to continue providing students and educators with a platform to explore learning opportunities outside of the classroom, we have developed our CAS Trips Close to Home travel program. Intended to strengthen student bonding, staff cohesion, team collaboration, leadership, and advocacy — our program has been designed to provide schools with a private, fully customizable, COVID-safe CAS local experience.
In order to participate, schools can simply choose a preferred location, dates, and program themes. Based on the selection, our experienced team of CAS Trips experts will plan and deliver a dynamic solution to ensure an unforgettable school travel experience, without compromising student safety.
A Close to Home Testimonial
To further detail how our Close to Home program works, we spoke with Alice Gerard, an English teacher at the Danube International School with whom we recently had the pleasure of organizing a class trip.
Despite not being able to pursue their initial plans of traveling to Prague and Krakow, due to the fact that Austria had canceled all school trips outside of the country, trips within Austria were ultimately approved—giving teachers and organizers a short window of time to devise a suitable plan for their students. Of course, Ms. Gerard and her colleagues were left scrambling to put together a trip that would be both fun and educational for their students, while staying in accordance with all health and safety guidelines.
A program to meet the times we are living in
We know that these are challenging times for everyone, but all of our programs endeavor to ensure that students will continue receiving the full benefit of their international school experience, while adhering to local health and safety guidelines. For Ms. Gerard—“the highlight was being able to do something outside of the school setting and offer experiences that the students would normally be able to do on their own. We were able to get them to collaborate and work together in new situations and expose them to a lot of fun activities.”
And of course, precautions were taken at every step of the experience to ensure the safety of all involved. Our team is all tested before joining the group, we conduct daily screening and temperature checks, and arrange for fully private transport and accommodation. “We also all felt very safe! I was really satisfied with the measures put in place.”
Flexibility when planning your trip
We realize that the pandemic situation remains uncertain and it can be difficult to plan ahead. Flexibility and confidence can be invaluable, and we understand schools and organizers might be apprehensive when it comes to booking an experience with CAS Trips right now.
For that reason, we want to provide the assurance of knowing that all trips can be changed if required. Please get in touch to discuss further details and allow us to help you and your students think global and travel local!
