As another school year comes to a close, graduation and the summer before college life approaches with speed for the class of 2024. Many events like ceremonies and parties are held to celebrate the end of this chapter. However, one event in particular always becomes a hot topic amongst friends and even users of social media platforms like TikTok or Instagram: senior trips. Whether it be a domestic or international trip, many seniors find themselves gathering with their friends to make one last memory together before parting ways for other life plans.
Many students, including myself, have made sure to plan their trips several months ahead of summer. January and February, as I have seen, are peak times to start planning for a multitude of reasons. For example, those who will be traveling internationally as minors may require extra documents to successfully cross borders. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection notes that “certain countries require children leaving that country without both parents and a legal guardian to have a letter of consent, in some cases notarized.” I have gotten this letter of consent in preparation for my senior trip to South Korea. Thankfully, it did not take long to get it, but with a possible increase in demand for these letters by those similar to me, it may take some time before all papers necessary are completed. Additionally, it may be hard for some people to discuss such a large trip with their parents. Some parents may be strict and need some convincing before making final purchases. Senior and future Vanderbilt University student Matthew Lou recalls his experience of planning his senior trip to Japan, saying, “[My parents] did [approve of the trip,] but it took a while. I had to beg.” Senior and future Gonzaga University student Maia Duafala also describes a halt in planning her trip to San Diego with her friends that came up due to this issue: “One of the people in our group didn’t know if she was coming yet and a lot of us wanted to book things right out of the gate.” Another tedious yet crucial part to planning senior trips is learning to respect the area that will be visiting. Just because your destination will be your home for vacation does not mean that you do not have to follow rules that the place has and lose all inhibitions. Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson recommends students to “first, familiarize yourself with the emergency contacts in your country of destination and, if possible, do research before you go. If this is not possible, then once in the country, take the time to find and share the essential information with everyone in your party. You can contact your travel agency, U.S. embassy, tour operator, an information center, or online resources for more information about the area.”
Cost also becomes a huge part of making senior trips become reality. Obviously, all things come with a price tag. However, that does not entirely stop people from pressing the ‘buy’ button. For those who are deciding to take their travels internationally, I have found that students are often spending at least $1,000 on flights and lodging. For my trip to South Korea, I have spent around $1,700 just for plane tickets, which is common among others as well. Senior and future Carnegie Mellon University student Luke Wilner points out the importance of timing when it comes to making such a large purchase, recalling a struggle prevalent with him and eight of his friends when planning their trip to Cabo San Lucas: “We originally had a larger group but we started planning too late and it was hard to find plane tickets.” Airplane ticket prices tend to go up as the departure day comes closer, so finding that availability and spending the money earlier rather than later will help cut down on costs greatly. Lodging, as mentioned earlier, follows these same price trends and can become more severe depending on the number of tourists that visit a specific area. While it may be common to rent an Airbnb for a day trip with friends in Seattle, many students have found themselves booking hotels for their trips instead for the purpose of convenience and reliability. Afterall, it would be heartbreaking to put money somewhere not so familiar, then get scammed like some students have. Fox 5 New York covered a story back in Sept. 2023 about a group of students who lost six figures in money after getting scammed by a travel advisor who they worked with for their trip to Italy, writing, “The [plane] tickets were never purchased despite the families’ substantial payments. Estimates suggest a total loss of approximately $140,000 paid to Rose Fazzolari [the trip advisor], operating under various names, including her maiden name, Rose Martinez and Ablex LLC, among others.” With tuition fees rising every year, students must make sure to spend their money for their trips as wisely as possible.
While on the trip, there is, as mentioned, one ultimate goal to achieve – to spend the last bits of time with friends in a special way. However, concerns for the stability of relationships with friends may stand. Hanging out with friends for a few hours in a day is much different than spending a whole week together in a not so familiar place. Senior and future New York University student Candice Yang shares her main worry about her trip to Japan with two of her best friends, explaining, “[It’ll be] our last week spent together, so I’m scared that we’re gonna fight then part ways to college in the middle of an argument.” Safety is also a concern that I have come to consider as my trip approaches. While there are people with bad intentions everywhere, it is different to experience that danger in a place where you do not have any trusted individuals nearby to help you out. In case of an emergency, I always wonder what would happen. However, I still believe that I and the rest of my peers will make it through their trips successfully.
Besides senior trips, though, students are planning to spend the rest of their summers busily. As noted, senior trips often take quite the hit to people’s bank accounts. Many students in fact considered that if they never used all this money on their trips, they would have either put the money towards their college savings or items on their wishlist. The money, for example, could have even been used towards charities, which is what students from a high school in Maine did back in June 2021 as they could not foresee their senior trip plans. AP News describes this act of kindness which was sparked by the hardships seen by students during the COVID-19 pandemic, stating a donation of “$5,000 to help out [students’] neighbors struggling in the wake of the pandemic.” Regardless of the amount of money spent and where said money has gone, many students are planning to fill their summer with shifts at their workplaces to fill up the void left in their bank accounts by their senior trips. Of course, many students are also planning to spend time with their loved ones before they move away from home to reach for their dreams.
Senior trips are bound to be a fun experience no matter what happens during them. As life has its ups and downs, each day will follow the same pattern, too. What is most important at the end of the day is to cherish the time you have with those you love and see each second spent as an important part to your stories. As my fellow peers in the class of 2024 make their way out of the nest and out to the next moments in life, I wish well for everyone’s safety and happiness. Without a doubt, I will see you again around the skies, Eagles!
