In the summer of 2027, the Rockbridge Education First Tours (EF Tours) team will take students on a once in a lifetime trip to the “capitals of Scandinavia.” This trip will include a guided tour from a local tour director employed by EF Tours through the capitals of countries in the Scandinavia region for nine days, including: Oslo, Norway; Stockholm, Sweden; Tallinn, Estonia; Helsinki, Finland; and Copenhagen, Denmark.
EF Tours, or “Education First Tours,” is a touring company that is dedicated to providing travelers with an educational experience that will reshape how they see the world. EF Tours is especially targeted towards schools as an affordable trip that will broaden students’ horizons.
At our school, we have our own EF Tours travel team, which is a group of teachers passionate for traveling consisting of social studies teacher Mr. Chris Gallagher, science teacher Mr. Zachary Rhodenizer, and language arts teacher Ms. Stephanie Brooks.
They are in charge of collaborating with EF Tours to select a trip abroad each year for students. This year, they chose the trip’s location to be Scandinavia through a poll completed by students and parents at last year’s “Back to School” night.
It’s a common misconception amongst Americans that Scandinavia is a country; it’s actually a cultural region on and surrounding the Northern Peninsula of Europe connected to Russia, known as the Scandinavian Peninsula. From monuments dedicated to Hans Christian Anderson’s fairy tales in Stockholm to exploring lands where viking kings and warriors once explored themselves, student travelers will see it all on this once-in-a-lifetime trip with EF Tours (“Capitals of Scandinavia” trip itinerary).
Each trip has a trip leader that’s rotated between each member of the travel team. This trip’s leader is Mr. Rhodenizer. He and the other trip leaders plan each trip by breaking each part of the trip’s logistics up into smaller steps and then planning them and contacting EF Tours and chaperones about their plans.
Mr. Rhodenizer and others have expressed a lot of interest in the trip.
“Personally, I am excited for the Viking museum, the food, and that… we are going to five countries I have never visited before. [Many students have expressed interest in] the original little mermaid statue [in Copenhagen] and some of the more colorful downtown areas [in the cities], ” Rhodenizer said.
Senior Lena Greer has been on five trips so far with the Rockbridge EF team, and each trip has been a very memorable and enjoyable experience for her.
“I love how there is a tour guide throughout the trip and I love how we have time to independently explore the country. I feel like I have created a lot of friendships on the trips and made best friends on these trips.”
In addition to exploring new countries and meeting new people, Greer has gained skills that have shaped her and will last throughout her life on these trips.
“I usually only travel with my family, so these trips have been opportunities to not travel with them and have allowed me to be more independent,” Greer said.
Rhodenizer has noticed other impacts that the trip has had travelers over the years.
“I believe travel enhances the learning experience for all students. It adds a global context to your worldview that helps you connect science, language, history, and literature to the human experience in ways that you cannot if you’ve never traveled away from home,” Rhodenizer said. “Travel opens opportunities that students may not otherwise know exists”
If you or someone you know is interested in the Scandinavia trip, registration is still open to students and their families! Information can be found for the trip by contacting Rodenhizer via email ([email protected]).
