Just a few decades ago, if you asked people about their priorities in life, most of them would have involved starting a family or furthering a career. However, younger millennials and Generation Z consistently seem to report that they “want to travel” or “see the world”.
Travel channels are incredibly popular, even on YouTube or TikTok, so the trend is very well-buried within the zeitgeist.
Yet, there are two types of travelers: those who just want to go to a place with nice weather and relax and those who want to explore and learn. Thankfully, most often, you do not have to choose. Plenty of places offer both beautiful accommodations and a rich culture and history.
Many students avoid travelling in the summer, which is the height of the tourist season when prices skyrocket. Depending on your school, you can arrange your schedule to go in the spring or fall.
For example, many students choose to work with better writing services and buy research papers and essays for subjects that are very effort—and time-intensive. This frees their calendar, so they can afford to travel while the homework is taken care of.
This article lists some places to have educational vacations while enjoying yourself.
The Netherlands
The Netherlands punches well above its weight class for such a tiny European country. Like most Western European nations, its cities are marvelous. Europeans tend to appreciate culture, and visiting the old style of architecture is like taking a live history class. The capital has museums, theaters, and beautiful canals.
Another fun fact about the Netherlands is that the nation stays true to its name. It is situated very low in terms of height, with much of the country below sea level. Much of the land was reclaimed from the sea.
Of course, this is also the land of windmills and tulips.
In the major cities such as Amsterdam, we have many world-class universities for students who want to prolong their trip and study here. There is also a high prevalence of English speakers, so you won’t have trouble even if you don’t speak the local language.
The last selling point is that the Netherlands does not have a car-heavy culture. The infrastructure for riding bikes is very well set up, so you can take things slow and enjoy the views.
This country is one of the best educational travel destinations.
Canada
Canada is a land of contrasts, which makes it an ideal candidate for educational vacation tours. It is both a hypermodern, first-world nation and a country with vast natural beauty.
New world countries are different from European nations. While Europe hosts dozens of countries crammed together on the continent, America and Canada have plenty of room to develop.
Canada has thousands of miles of barely touched land.
If you are interested in ecosystems, animal biology, or dendrology, this is a paradise for you. Not to mention the opportunities for fishing and sports such as whitewater rafting. This country has some of the last wild places on Earth, and it would be a shame not to visit.
The cities have plenty of educational opportunities in the form of theaters, museums, or Universities. However, there isn’t as much opportunity to learn by osmosis. In Europe, you get a history lesson just by walking around.
Since Canada is a younger country, it has less time to develop unique architecture and aesthetics. Aside from the cathedrals present due to its Catholic past, you will only see modern, brutalist, or glass buildings.
Finally, we have the fact that Canada is officially a bi-lingual country, with English and French. Needless to say, it can be fascinating to visit a nation where some street signs are even in multiple languages.
Spain
To apply a bit of pop psychology, if European countries were part of the family, Spain would be a really extroverted member. Latin cultures and countries are famously warm-blooded, with a lust for life that is unique to this family of people. It has become a worn-out cliche to call a culture “vibrant,” but if this word would ever apply to a nation, that would be Spain. It is a great destination for educational trips.
Unlike more inland countries, Spain does not have vast, sprawling forests, but it makes up for this by having some of the best beaches in the world. It also hosts tons of music festivals and parties and has a nightlife that would leave anyone enthralled.
However, we are talking about educational travel and not just party destinations. Spain was under North African control for 700 years, and then it broke free, became an empire, and conquered most of the world. It was (and to some extent still is) a deeply catholic country, and all of these facts are reflected in its architecture, food, language, and culture.
If you peel away the layer of fun and dynamism around every corner, you will get an education in one of the most influential countries in history.
The buildings are an interesting blend of Latin, gothic, and Mediterranean influences. Most of these buildings were built using the massive amounts of wealth from the imperial days, so they are dripping with details and ornaments.
Japan
Japan has become a global cultural giant, mostly due to its anime and manga industry.
However, outside of that, the nation is a gleaming example of a non-European, hyper-modern, successful civilization.
The language barrier will make it harder to navigate, yet there is a lot to learn. Unlike most Euro-centric nations, which are heavily secularized, Japan still maintains its culture and traditions. Customs and cultural habits saturate almost every aspect of life, especially outside of the major metro areas.
In addition, it is probably the best-ordered and cleanest society on the planet. Almost everything functions like clockwork, and it is fascinating to witness.
The United Kingdom
If alien educational tourists had come to Earth and tried to understand the modern world, they would not have made any progress without understanding England. Just like Rome copied Greek culture and spread it throughout the world, America has also proliferated English culture and language to the ends of the Earth.
The UK is the most culturally dense place on the planet. English is the default international language, and this nation has also produced central works of literature, politics, science, music, and pop culture.
On any top-10 list of any field, you will find an Englishman. Even the English version of liberal democracy has been adopted by most nations. There is so much opportunity to learn by visiting the UK that your vacation can feel like a fun college semester.
You can even learn folk songs or sea shanties if you go to the right pubs.
The country has everything from medieval castles to hyper-modern glass buildings in terms of architecture and style. The only downside is that nature is pretty barren, as this packed little island was deforested more than other places.
Educational school trips should definitely focus on going to England.
