Traveling is something many teens aspire to do. Whether students want to travel for the
experience, educational value, or just to get a break, many teens will say yes to a vacation.
However, leaving town for an extended amount of time is not always as simple as heading to an
airport with your suitcase. For students, traveling often involves missing school, something most
students desperately try to avoid. In this era of AP-filled schedules, many students feel as though
missing school will only lead to anxiety and an overwhelming amount of make-up work.
Traveling is known to have many beneficial effects on people, teenagers especially.
According to Go Abroad, traveling builds confidence, adaptability, and problem-solving skills.
When traveling, things often do not go to plan. When this happens, teenagers must be flexible
and problem solve to fix the situation. In addition, some say travel, especially abroad, can
abolish harmful stereotypes of others and help teens gain a deeper perspective of the world.
Kelsey Early, a teacher at IHS, says, “Traveling internationally helps you understand that your
‘normal’ is not everyone else’s normal. It also helps you recognize that there are other ways to
live, and neither is right or wrong, they just are.” By seeing different cultures and people up
close, students can clearly see how people from other places live, without the hundreds of
opinions and stereotypes found on social media. Maris Menenburg, a sophomore student at IHS,
traveled to England over the summer. Reflecting on her experience, she says, “I found I became
very open to people, and I think that I saw more value in international travel and global culture.”
In addition to gaining a deeper connection to different cultures and people, some say that
travel can also benefit a student’s studies in school. Niko Cornell, a senior student at IHS, says,
“Traveling could be good for understanding different perspectives surrounding science and
history.” He also mentions that it could be useful for music studies: “I think a lot of high school
music is focused just on classical Western music, and I think there’s many of interesting forms of
traditional music and modern music that aren’t explored.” Real life experience can allow students
to gain deeper connections with their studies at school. According to Michigan State University,
experimental learning theory often occurs during travel, which is what allows travel to provide
educational value to a student’s life. This means that the knowledge and skills acquired during
travel can be applied to future experiences.
Though there are many obvious positive effects of ‘educational’ travel, such as trips
centered around experiencing of new places and cultures, teenagers wonder whether leisurely
trips are still worth the trouble. Vacations like Disneyland and all-inclusive resorts in Hawaii
may not seem beneficial to some, but others believe these trips can still have a positive impact on
a student’s life. Kurtis Evans, a teacher at IHS, says, “I could see more relaxing vacation, like a
trip to Disneyland, being for mental health. It could be an opportunity for students to reengage at
school by rebuilding stamina and recharging.” Teenagers often have high levels of stress caused
by school, social lives, and sports. So, it can be very important for students to take time off and
relax. Furthermore, Lee Health states that traveling can lessen the risk of depression in teens.
Traveling brings a daily change of scenery and activities, which has been shown to enhance
happiness.
Unfortunately, when weighing the pros and cons of traveling as a teenager, school often
comes into play. Missing school is often viewed as a big deal, especially for high school
students. Both Menenberg and Cornell said that they have felt overwhelmed by the amount of
schoolwork accumulated after missing a day of school. However, some teachers believe that the
age of technology we live in can make missing school for travel easier. Mr. Evans says, “I think
that the fact that teachers are providing schedules and easy ways for students to access content,
even when they’re not at school, is a tremendous resource that empowers students to be able to
access their education, even if they’re missing school.” So, with schoolwork being more
accessible online, teenagers are able to travel without the heavy restrictions of missing school.
However, many studies show that academic success and attendance is highly correlated.
According to Murray City School District, students with an attendance rate of 95% or greater had
a higher chance of scoring A or B grades, while students with a lower attendance rate had lower
grades. This comes back to students’ perspectives, who believe that even missing school for one
day can cause one to fall way behind in classes.
On the other hand, some believe you can counteract lower attendance with
communication and study strategies. When asked about how to deal with make-up work,
Menenberg says, “I try to minimize transition breaks. For example, if I’m going home from
school, making sure I do work in the car. I will also work during meals and stuff.” Teachers at
IHS emphasize the need to communicate with teachers when missing school. Early says, “My
only advice is to communicate with your teachers as much as possible. Some teachers are very
organized and will be able to give you everything that you need before you leave. Other teachers,
like myself, probably can’t tell you what you missed until you come back.” Building off this,
Menenberg says, “I try to get the work done on the plane.” By obtaining school assignments in
advance and completing them before the trip, a student can avoid falling behind in their studies.
This makes traveling more realistic for many students.
When presented with the opportunity to travel, many encourage students to take it, as
there are many ways for students to keep up with their schoolwork today. With tools like online
calendars and the ability to communicate with teachers about missing work, students can manage
their coursework in advance while enjoying the extremely beneficial experiences that travel
offers. So, by staying on top of school responsibilities, students may be able to create
unforgettable memories and experiences that will last a lifetime.