1. They naturally build a team and a sense of belonging.

Students are already likely to have a lot in common; school, community, age. When you add to the mix that they are all taking time out to visit the same part of the world in the same way, they seem to magically transform into a team. Shared interest and experience tends to bond people very quickly.

2. Time and shared goals foster deeper relationships between peers, students, and teachers.

We all know that nothing allows you to get to know people more than time. A shared mission also really helps, when people have to work together to get from a to b, it’s amazing, they just do. We almost always find that students, who may feel they had little in common at home, bond over the strangest tasks or challenges.

3. Trips improve students’ resilience, self-confidence and wellbeing.

It is a universal truth that happiness and confidence are infectious. Our leaders joke about the volume increasing through an expedition as confidence and relationships build. Students often talk about the opportunity and experience of ‘just being themselves’ which is a wonderful lesson to learn.

4. They help to develop teachers’ understanding of their students.

Many teachers feel that being with the group, away from the school environment, really improves their understanding of their student’s individual strengths and limitations.

5. They teach students to ask for help - a fundamental life skill

Let’s just put it out there, a bit homesickness or worry is completely normal and not necessarily a bad thing. We know many intrepid explorers who will tell you that they often have these feelings even now. Getting over them, without your parents, and understanding that everyone is in the same boat is a powerful thing. Learning that difficult situations are, almost always, better when you enlist the help of others will definitely start to build the skills that students need to deal with life’s bigger challenges.