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10 Tips for International Travel Planning
You, too, can enjoy international travel with students like
Ilka Doubek of Litchfield Dance Arts Academy did. Just follow
these tips! For more on Ilka’s story, please see "Trouping
Through Europe," by Cheryl Ossola.
1
Consult an experienced travel planner in planning your
itinerary. Schedule regular updates to ensure that you stay on
track and are ready to travel when departure day rolls around.
If the travel planner has experience and connections in the
dance or performance arts world, so much the better. They can
also recommend times of the year when travel packages will be
reasonably priced.
2
Make sure your trip maintains an educational focus. For
example, encourage the students to keep journals or assign
topics along your travel path for each student to report on.
These presentations help break up long stretches of train or
bus travel. Ask your tour guide to describe each country or
region’s culture as you travel through it.
3
Prepare the travelers for the cultural differences that
await them. Create an information sheet about currency,
customs, conversational phrases, tipping, and costs. This will
help parents feel more comfortable about sending their
children abroad.
4
Include performance opportunities. Investigate whether
your school’s company might be included in cultural events,
arts festivals, or performances for U.S. troops stationed
overseas.
5
Give dancers a chance to interact with other dancers,
meet dance professionals, and discuss career opportunities.
6
Call on your personal dance world contacts and ask if
your dancers can take a tour of their studio or class with
their company. The creative interaction will be a memorable
experience for your students.
7
Attend professional performances. Book seats for
traditional and contemporary performances in prominent
theatres and opera houses. Let the students see how other
cultures accommodate the performing arts.
8
Pave the way for taking dance students out of school.
Often educational trips like these must take place during the
traditional school year. Work with principals and teachers to
determine how the students can demonstrate the educational
value of the trip when they return and keep up with their
studies while on the road. Suggestions might include keeping a
journal or preparing a report to deliver to classmates.
9
Enlist help with documentation and promotion. Make sure
the tour is adequately documented, both photographically and
in writing. Don’t ignore the promotional opportunities that
such a trip can create for your school. Assign someone to take
publication-quality pictures and make notes for submission to
local newspapers and trade publications.
10
Relax and have fun!
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