What is the future of student travel?
What will not change in 2030? The impact travel has on teachers and their students. If you've ever led an educational tour, you know how travel changes your students’ lives. Every student in the future should have access to a life-changing trip.
Here’s a bold prediction. Parents, school districts, and philanthropic organizations will team up to send every school-age child on a school trip. How cool would that be?
As our world continues to change, the same will be true of the student travel industry. When you lead trips in the future, one thing is for sure; travel will never look the same. Educators have increasingly designed technology in their lesson plans. Over time, technology will change the way students learn and interact on tour. Middle School and High School students are digital natives, and their comfort with technology will provide greater comfort and access to experiences on tour.
Technology will undoubtedly play a significant role in the health and safety of groups on tour. In pre-trip planning, sharing information will be more streamlined through technology. Another advantage of tech on tours is sharing information so that group leaders and tour operators can work together. This is incredibly impactful with plans that can change at a moment's notice. Tech apps are effectively being used to fight the spread of COVID-19, and there are likely similar programs to come.
We will consider the following topics and make bold predictions of what student travel will look like in 2030:
2030 - Tech on Tour
2030 - Health and Safety Tour
2030 - Travel Experiences on Tour
2030 - Tech on Tour
It's not what you think. Students being glued to their phones is not the vision of tech on tour in 2030. The question is, how and what technology will a group use on tour? We searched for clues from the COVID era (is that even a term yet?) and first to market technologies.
Technology will play a role in the health and safety of groups moving forward. Educational Travel groups will download a contact tracing app to monitor exposures within a group. Thermometers will be integrated into every smartphone so that travelers can perform personal wellness checks. The future of student travel will have an even greater emphasis on all travelers' health, safety, and well-being.
Students who register for a trip (sometimes up to a year in advance) will experience a series of pre-trip webinars and videos to build excitement for next year's trip. Social media platforms will continue to provide a community of travelers to connect with before, during, and after the trip.
Using apps on tour will be the norm rather than the exception for youth travel groups. The gamification of travel is the next horizon for student and youth travel.
Let's face it. Downtime is inherent in travel. Bus rides, subway rides, and some activities need a breath of fresh air. Using an app to "keep score" increases engagement for your group. The trip turns into a quest, and students have more fun. The result is everyone has more engaged, teachers included. The gamification of student travel is exciting, and teachers and their students are going to love it.
What travel tech will look like in 2030.
Okay, admittedly, this idea is a little out there. Pun intended. In 2030 trip leaders will start inquiring about when they can lead a student group to the Moon. Travel time to the moon is roughly three days. Imagine the possibilities of learning STEM on this trip! Traveling to the moon is more of a possibility than you might think. People from the general public are scheduled to take the journey, and moon travel is set to grow exponentially. Read story here
Have you ever watched a music festival or youtube clip where a singer posthumously performs on stage? Now imagine standing on the Lincoln Memorial's steps and having a Hologram of Martin Luther King Jr. deliver the "I have a dream" speech. Or standing in the Yosemite Valley and hearing John Muir describe what he saw in the summer of 1869. The use of holograms at historical cities and National Parks is endless.
In 2030, the use of technology on a school trip feels limitless. Apps will promote a safe and more engaging travel experience for trip leaders and their students. Students will start dreaming about traveling to the moon. Holograms will create an intimate connection between students and their Nation's history. Now imagine all of these advances (except maybe the moon travel) coming together in one trip. We're excited about the future!
2030 Health and safety -- Educational Tours
Students and Youth Travel operators will lead in the health and safety of their groups. Our travel partners will leverage UV light and robot cleaning technologies. Motorcoach operators and hoteliers will continue to increase their sanitation protocols. Sanitizing surfaces is an essential measure in decreasing germs on tour.
The Coronavirus pandemic lockdowns have guided tour operators’ robust safety measures. The changes made from 2020 are likely here to stay. Pre Screening for groups will be required to stop the spread of illness on tour. Wearing masks in any enclosed space will be the norm rather than the exception. Groups will continue to have the assurance of working with a team of health and safety professionals.
Group leaders will likely make purchasing travel insurance a trip requirement. Risking a group's health and safety by sending a sick child on a trip will not be an option. Pre-Screeing, wearing masks, and "cancel anytime" trip insurance will align an educator's goals of leading a healthy and safe memory-making trip.
What travel health and safety look will look like in 2030.
The trip leader will require all trip registrants to purchase cancel anytime trip insurance. All trip participants will have a temporal scan before departing for their trip. Most trip participants will wear masks on the bus to the airport or bus ride to the destination. If the group is flying to their destination city, most trip participants will wear masks. Trip participants will receive a temporal scan each morning and answer health screening questions. The result is that groups will thrive and not risk each other's health and safety or the communities they visit.
2030 - Travel Experiences on Tour
There will be a broader range of travel experiences offered in 2030. Trips that consider sustainability will take many forms. Groups will limit their carbon footprint by taking public transportation rather than large tour busses. Groups may elect not to fly and focus on service learning in their region.
Video and social media have broken down the barrier of the unknowns of international travel. Abroad experiences will become sought after by students from around the world. These experiences will take the form of international education and educational travel.
Large numbers of international students will visit Washington D.C. and New York City.
American students will increasingly travel abroad to places like Costa Rica, Australia, England, and Japan. International experience will be valued on par with a degree. (We also believe a significant shift is happening within higher education, but we'll save that for another post). Young people completing abroad programs will enhance their life experience and show their value in the marketplace.
Conclusion - What is the future of student travel
In 2030, teachers and their students will take memory-making trips. There will always be value in students experiencing travel. Trip leaders know that even when times change, kids will always need inspiring trips. Every student in 2030 deserves to take a life-changing trip.
In 2030 student travel will be compulsory for students in 5th grade, 8th grade, and 11th grade.
Student Tour Operators will evolve how trips are designed. The intelligent use of technology will increase engagement and enhance health and safety for the group. The use of historical holograms at historic sites will create a deep bond between students and their Nation's history. We are knocking on the door of Moon exploration. We might be there already. Public groups will be traveling to the moon soon, and student groups are next. One thing is for sure. Technology will enhance trips in the future.
In 2030 technology will support the health and safety of groups on tour. And tech will connect tour operators with groups so that support can be delivered when needed. Personal Protective Equipment will be prevalent in public places. Health and safety will continue to be a significant focus for student groups.
In 2030, student groups will have a menu of travel options to consider. The experiences of traveling abroad are life-changing and provide value to future employers. The ability to embrace and work with other cultures will grow in importance.
If any of this sounds interesting to you, schedule a quick call by clicking the let's talk button. We support trips whether they travel today or in the future. Happy Travels!
