The old adage, travel broadens the mind, like many cliches has a germ of truth.

School tours can teach a child a number of things which the child absorbs without realizing. Learning should be fun, a pleasure, yet it is so often a slog. School tours can offer a steep learning curve but in an interesting and constructive way.

A school tour to a foreign country introduce a child to another language, another culture, a different style of living, food, art and architectural styles, all of which are different from home.

Exposure to how other people live broadens the child’s awareness of others. It also shows them possibilities which would not be available at home.

Children are able to absorb, with apparent ease, many things with which adult struggle. For this reason travel offers a child more than they would have from home.

The experience of different modes of transport, dealing with passports and tickets, having to limit luggage for ease of carrying and aircraft restrictions, all offer something to stretch the child. On top of that they see scenery and cities which are not the same as at home.

There are times during a school tour when negotiations have to take place. Buying a bus ticket for a trip to a historic site, in a language you don’t know, can be both frustrating and interesting. The sense of satisfaction when this is accomplished is huge.

Shopping for basics like bread, coffee and a meal demand concentration. All these small aspects of challenge help a child, if they are supported by understanding adults, to develop confidence and a sense of being able to survive.

Dealing with currency is another learning challenge. Ensuring the translations of the values goes in the right direction, working out how much something costs in terms of the home country money and knowing if something is of value, all offer learning. What is being sold and whether it is something worth having, or not, are experiences impossible to have at home.

Sport tours and water based holidays require safety rules. Both offer exercise, excitement and fun in a setting which develops an understanding of what is safe and what is foolhardy.