The climate is becoming an increasingly important issue in the world. The issue has become even more apparent in day-to-day life: fall temperatures have become shockingly warm, leaves are noticeably less vibrant shades of orange and red, and even wildlife is demonstrating a change in behavior. Students at Abington Friends School have demonstrated increased interest in ways they can help the environment.
Emma Fryer ‘26, clerk of the Environmental Action and Justice club said, “A lot more students joined our club this year [than last year].”
Abington Friends School recently announced the 2026 global travel trips, with destinations such as Washington, DC, Hurricane Island, and Yellowstone National Park. The global travel program is a part of AFS’s experiential learning and provides upper school students with opportunities to travel in cohorts to different places and engage in unique activities and experiences.
Brian Cassady, Upper School Spanish teacher and global travel program coordinator, said, “We generally like to find trips that reflect or compliment the curriculum in the upper school that the kids are studying. We look for trips that have an element of adventure to them…trips that might be affirming of one’s identity or culture or experiences. We don’t always pick trips that we know kids are going to go for, because we want to try to put kids in unconventional situations.”
The trips do not always correlate with one another, and there is typically no discernible theme from year to year. However, the 2026 trips seem to follow a trend of environmentalism: marine biology in Hurricane Island, wildlife ecology in Yellowstone, and possible discussion of policy and the EPA in Washington, DC.
“I think it’s a happy coincidence that this year there’s an environmental science or biology component to each [trip],” Cassady said.
In the past, trips that travel abroad typically have some sort of foreign language component to them, but this year’s trips are all domestic which is likely the reason for science-based experiences.
Cassady said, “I think science and math are easy connection points for domestic travel in particular. They really lend themselves to the hands-on learning that we really look for in experiential learning.”
The trip to Yellowstone National Park will engage students in ecological work surrounding Yellowstone’s wildlife and natural geysers and hot springs.
Katie Livingston, Upper School science teacher and trip leader to Yellowstone, said she is “…really excited for students to engage in ecological research. It’s a really unique experience, and it’s something that I had access to when I was an undergrad, but not in high school…it was really important for me in my study of the environment and I’m excited that students will get it as an earlier experience.”
AFS does not currently have a specific class for environmental science. Cassady says, “We haven’t had an environmental science class in a couple of years, and I think [the trips are] just one way to provide an opportunity for kids to explore an issue that I know a lot of them are really paying attention to.”
The Hurricane Island trip will explore marine biology and ecology on an island off the coast of Maine. AFS has sent students to Hurricane Island as part of global travel before.
Upper School student Nika Kim ‘26 went on the trip during her freshman year and said, “It was very interesting because we got to learn how the island is sustainable, and some of the methods that they use. And we also learned about marine ecology.”
Scott Sowers, science teacher and trip leader to Hurricane Island, said the trip is going to relate to environmentalism by researching intertidal zones. He said, “One of the things that we’re gonna study is intertidal zones, where we have an area that has a certain ecology but that changes a lot.”
The trip to Washington, DC is more vaguely related to the environment than the other two trips but still has the potential for conversation regarding the EPA and policy surrounding climate. The trip will explore different aspects of the government and engage students in conversations about policy with a wide array of students from other parts of the country. The opportunity for discussion relating to the environment is very possible.
Mary Kay Napoli, Director of Admissions and trip leader to Washington, DC, said, “It would be perfect if we were sitting on a subcommittee or a committee talking about environmental issues or things like that. We can’t guarantee that that will happen, but knowing our students and the passions they have, I know with all the time they have to connect with students from different parts of the country, [environmental issues] will be a topic that they bring forward.”
The goal of global travel is always to engage students in new experiences to broaden their knowledge and skillsets. While it is a coincidence that all three trips relate to climate in some way, it is a rewarding one. Students will have immersive and unique opportunities to engage in environmental and ecological work that will be both rewarding and insightful.
With the ever-changing political environment, being knowledgeable and able to advocate for the environment is an increasingly important skill.
Livingston said, “I just think it’s important to still be passionate about the environment. I think things can get kind of overwhelming when it’s this hot in October, but by engaging in ecological research, I hope that students know that they do still have a voice with regard to environmental action, and it’s not totally hopeless.”
Brendan • Nov 12, 2025 at 5:15 pm
I haven’t yet gone on a global travel trip with AFS, but I would love to in the future because I think travel gives us a chance to learn in ways that the classroom can’t. Being in unconventional situations helps students grow by pushing them out of their comfort zones and encourages adaptability, curiosity and empathy. When we experience new cultures firsthand, we learn not just facts but about history or geography, but also how people think and live differently around the world. If I could design a global learning trip without any boundaries, it would be a trip to Singapore. Singapore is renowned for topics such as sustainability, technology and also revered as a melting pot of cultures. I feel that a travel experience to Singapore would deepen understanding and make learning more meaningful by connecting with such a unique nation.
Maya G • Nov 12, 2025 at 2:02 pm
There are many benefits of global travel for students, including exposure to new cultures and ideas, but it’s also important to consider how we can shift travel programs toward sustainability and stewardship. I went on a global travel (exchange/immersion) trip over the summer to Ackworth School in the UK, and it was an amazing experience. I was able to learn so much about education in the UK and abroad (because there were many international students boarding there), which I’m really interested in. While plane travel is necessary for most international trips, I think that we should continue to use more environmentally-friendly travel options for domestic trips. The DC trip offers transportation by train, and Hurricane Island presumably has similar transportation options. When studying the environment, it’s important to also actively exert effort to help maintain it; this can come with the reduction of fossil fuel emission. When I went to QYLC earlier this year (though it wasn’t a global travel trip) I learned about environmental law in a workshop taught by the Southern Environmental Law Center. I think that more opportunities like this would be beneficial during trips, as they connect the humanities with the sciences, also appealing to more students.
Maddox • Nov 12, 2025 at 11:42 am
I have gone on a global travel trip before. My experiences were very good as I got to better learn about other cultures and how common American standards differentiate in other countries. I think being in unconventional situations supports learning due to students having to resort to thinking outside the box. Thinking outside the box helps to teach students to use their critical thinking. I would like to learn different cultures and maybe how different norms differentiate in diverse countries. If I had to design a global learning trip for AFS students, I would take them to Japan. The reason why is because I would like to show my students how cultures and standards are wildly different in other countries. I would also make sure my students have a fun experience by making sure we try the food, shop and more.
Amelia Terry • Nov 12, 2025 at 11:21 am
I haven’t been on a global travel trip with AFS since I’m new and in 9th grade. I want to go next year but unfortunately I can’t go this year. If I could go I would really like to go to Hurricane Island because it seems like such a unique experience. Being in unconventional situations helps students learn by challenging them to adapt, think creatively, and step out of their comfort zones. It allows us to experience new cultures and see the world from different perspectives. Through travel, I’d like to learn more about how different countries protect their environments and deal with climate change. Seeing these efforts in person would make the learning experience more real and powerful. If I could design a global learning trip for AFS students, I would choose Costa Rica because it’s known for its amazing wildlife and strong commitment to environmental conservation and sustainability.
caroline • Nov 12, 2025 at 8:52 am
I have not been to any of the places provided (except dc last year) because I am in ninth grade so I haven’t been able to go on a global trip. but I do travel a lot with my family so I have seen a lot of cool, similar places. I think that being in “unconventional situations” supports your learning because it fosters real life application, deeper engagement, and more development in critical thinking and adaptability. Some topics that I would like to learn about, through travel, are patience and going out of my comfort zone. For example, I don’t really like camping/ sleeping outdoors but these trips could be a good way to get over it. Im not sure what I would If I could choose an AFS global travel trip. I really like the hurricane island one and both of the exchange programs.
Skyler Tremblay • Nov 12, 2025 at 8:40 am
I completely agree about the issue of climate. I am glad that more students are joining the Environmental Action and Justice club. I am unfortunately not going on any global travel trips, but I would love to go to hurricane Island, it sounds so intriguing and I love the outdoors. I am also very intrigued about the science or biology component to each trip, especially Hurricane Island. Learning about marine biology on an island off the coast of Maine sounds like a ton of fun. I think that more people need to pay attention to the matter of climate change, because if our planet dies, we die too and none of the other issues will matter if we are not here. The worst thing about it is that most of the harm is irreversible and is happening faster then we can battle it.
may • Nov 11, 2025 at 10:53 am
I have not done any global trips for this school other than Washington DC in 8th grade, but I have been around a lot with just my family. My experiences were fun in DC because we did a lot of walking but I was with all of my friends which was really nice because most of them left for this year. It was fun learning things and just seeing different parts of DC and other places and It was really fun to see an open heart surgery. I think it helps you figure out what to do in a stressful situation by letting you be on your own but knowing there’s still a person here for you. I would like to learn more about really pretty places where the cost is lower that’s still easy to get to and just in general good places to travel to. I would go to Massachusetts and do a big trip on wildlife and still stay in a hotel but learn about the wildlife and go out on boats a lot but also learn about some of the origin of Massachusetts and how the wildlife works with it. I would pick this because I love wild life in the water and I love to go out on boats and fish.
Anjali Tremblay • Nov 7, 2025 at 2:31 pm
Global travel and being in unconventional situations allows students to learn far more in a shorter amount of time than regular school. I have been on two global travel trips, one that was a service trip to Guatemala working with indigenous kids at a school and one that was an immersive performance experience at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Scotland. On both trips, I learned far more about myself and about the world than I could have in a classroom setting. When I was in Guatemala, I had to speak Spanish because those I communicated with did not know English. This is not something I experience at school, so I experienced deeper language growth during that trip. I also managed new experiences every day, learning from people who lived vastly different lives than I do. Since it’s much different than a vacation, with planned educational experiences, there was so much new information I was able to learn every day, through tours, conversations, and immersion in local community. In Scotland, putting on a show at a professional level within an extremely short period of time allowed me to grow as a student and actor much more than I ever have during a show at AFS. Global travel is a key educational experience that teaches far more than theoretical learning can.
Augusto Q • Nov 11, 2025 at 10:24 am
I absolutely agree, such trips enable students to not only live out an often once in a lifetime experience, but also grow in vast, compounding ways that the typical classroom simply can not provide. As a peer of the Guatemala Trip, I can too attest that the immersion of the Spanish language certainly bolstered my command of the language. Furthermore, the deep interconnected tenderness of the people and culture we observed served to only deepen my passion for the language, affirming the practicality and humanity it presents to us all. I do hope AFS continues to strive for such experiences and promotion of communal understanding.
Una • Nov 7, 2025 at 2:04 pm
I had the opportunity to go to Hurricane Island my freshman year. While I had previously experienced rather extreme ways of living sustainably (such as a sleep away camp where showers happened 2x in two weeks) Hurricane Island was the first time I felt encouraged by the ways they were showing us how to live. They taught us the basics of composting, something I vehemently believe we should have here at AFS.
The unconventional aspects of the trip definitely brought their challenges, being away from home with pretty much new people, and my hiking boots got soaked and I had to figure out hos to get them dry asap. But, with unconventionality, came distinct benefits. I got to become friends with people I might not have otherwise crossed paths with. As a freshman, the idea of becoming friends with upper classman was daunting. But as I realized, and later had confirmed on last year’s trip to the Yucatan, the social structures imposed by different grade levels or friend groups [somewhat] dissipates on global travel trips, and students are able to foster unexpected friendships.
Leila • Nov 12, 2025 at 4:34 pm
While I myself have never gone a global travel trip, many of my peers have spoken so highly of their experiences. Una, your commentary about Hurrican Island and Guatemala demonstrate the effectivness of AFS’ desire to teach its students about environmental consciousness, and cross-cultural understanding. Even though many students have experianced challenges abroad, the global travel experience helps teach students how to work through any obstacles that arise, and learn how to adapt to our surroundings. I believe that global travel programs at school should be encouraged more, as they provide valuable real-world experiences that inspire growth and global awareness. Being immersed in different cultures and environments help students see the world from new perspectives that aren’t always easily accespible.
Helene • Nov 7, 2025 at 1:53 pm
There is a lot to be gained from environmental study based trips. As this article mentions, discussing the EPA, doing field research, and learning more about how to protect the environment are all noble causes. That being said, I do think its interesting that the title and subject matter are somewhat contradictory. These environment based trips have a large carbon footprint attached to them with many including a plane ride or at the very least a long bus or train ride. In order to access the information and learn about how to protect the planet, students and faculty are forced to hurt the planet through the significant emissions long distance travel requires. Despite this fact, I think that ultimately participating in these trips, if students and faculty are committed to extracting as much information and purpose as possible, are a worthy cause.
Avila S Widestrom • Nov 7, 2025 at 1:53 pm
While I have not participated in one of the global travel externships, I have been on two International exchanges that provided me with different skill sets than those offered by the Global Travel trips. Part of the reason I want to do it before my senior year is that I want to complete it. Throughout school, I’ve always looked forward to taking a trip with the upper school, preferably internationally. However, with the choices that have been offered this year and in past years, none have been calling my name. At the same time, the theme of environmental science and advocacy is essential and a prevalent topic. Overall, Global Travel trips should not overlap as heavily, thereby being more accessible to students who may not be interested in the issues. Knowing the novelty of going on one of these trips and their popularity, they are likely to receive many applicants who may not be particularly invested in the topic but want to attend for fun, which could detract from the overall experience.
Henry Sylva • Nov 7, 2025 at 12:35 pm
I appreciate the way this article, “Global Travel and the Environment,” covers the two-sided aspect of being excited about global learning and being aware of the environmental problems it creates. Travel brings students exposure to new cultures and worldviews, but it also creates more pollution, commutes, and carbon emissions. Global travel is still a positive experience for education when the travel is planned to teach students about sustainability. A student’s best learning experiences are through witnessing the world first-hand. While a school is not going to stop the environmental harms that will without a doubt result from the trip, they could do a better job by planning environmentally conscious destinations, prioritizing service projects, and reducing unnecessary flights. If AFS linked the learning experience with learning about responsibility, AFS could transition global trips to models of sustainable education, instead of simply contributors to climate change.
Kylie Firmin • Nov 7, 2025 at 9:49 am
Traveling is an extremely important aspect of learning about our world, and AFS’s global travel program continually proves this in how its destinations reflect the social climate. I’ve been on a global travel trip before and think they’re an extremely beneficial aspect of AFS’s Experiential Learning Program. During the trips I’ve attended, I’ve not only been exposed to a multitude of different cultures and experiences, but I’ve also seen how learning through experience enhances the typical high school curriculum. Being in unconventional spaces teaches you not only discernment but also adjustment and how to handle real-life problems and situations. What I hope to gain, no matter where or how I travel, is a better understanding of the world outside of my personal bubble. I think traveling teaches you how to connect and how to better yourself by learning from others. If I could design a global travel trip for AFS, I think I would go to Mauritania. Its deep and reverent history marks a major point in the history of the African slave trade. I think it’s something anyone could benefit from.
Henry Sylva • Nov 7, 2025 at 12:40 pm
I fully agree with Kylie that global travel provides experiences that extend beyond the classroom, particularly because of real contact with culture and history. Experiential travel not only broadens students’ perspectives, but it also challenges them to think critically about themselves, their assumptions, and their privileges in a way that traditional education cannot. For example, Kylie referred to experiences in Mauritania that would provide students with a deep experience of what it means to understand how history shapes society today. It is those experiences that provoke empathy and responsibility, things that simply can’t be conveyed in simulations and textbooks. Global programs will usually have well-structured time for students to reflect upon what they experienced and think through how they would enact those lessons on their return. I believe that travel should allow students the ability to transform their curiosity into awareness and their awareness into change.
Anjali Holloman • Nov 7, 2025 at 9:35 am
During my years at AFS, I have participated in two global travel trips during ExTerm. As a freshman, I went to Hurricane Island in Maine, and I would say it was an interesting experience. The trips offered to students are made to push people out of their comfort zones, which is the greatest thing you can experience in life to grow yourself. I believe that because of my experiences in Maine. It was a rustic camping experience, and on the first day, I got very sick. I had to navigate being away from home for a long period of time, being sick, and living off the grid. In all honesty, I hated it in the moment, but now looking back, I think of it as a fond memory. Getting pushed outside of your comfort zone may not lead you to learning any kind of facts or school-related things, but it teaches you how to live as a person. We had to wash everyone’s dishes, keep track of the time, and make sure we were prepared for hikes and other activities. These simple skills may not be things people do in their everyday lives. Most importantly, I learned what resilience meant. Though I wasn’t feeling well, I still had to go on every hike, I had to help clear the dinner tables, and I had to be part of our group. I would have much rather been sleeping in my bed, but something about that experience made me a tougher person. I now have the perspective to think to myself, nothing is as bad as Hurricane Island whenever I’m feeling unwell. Overall, I think that if you have the chance to experience something new, you should go for it, you might learn something about yourself that you’d never imagine.
Hunter • Nov 7, 2025 at 9:27 am
I went on a global travel trip during my Freshman year to Hurricane Island, Maine. While it was very exhausting, I definitely appreciated the learning experiences and the research I was able to do. For example, we were able to count the different species of crabs on the island and learned about the importance of biodiversity through that research. Many of the unconventional situations were able to give me hands-on experience in the marine field in ways that a simple classroom wouldn’t. I think it would be interesting to learn more about different cultures through traveling, and I would want to design an ExTerm trip to do that in a foreign country.
Roger • Nov 5, 2025 at 9:01 pm
I have yet to go on a global travel trip with AFS, but I did apply to go on one this year. I feel that global travel trips are a special opportunity given by AFS that should be taken advantage of. They put students in situations that really help them grow away from the usual routine of traditional coursework. I also find it exciting how global travel trips can provide us with chances to learn or experience things that we may never learn or experience while in school. The environment I feel should be of special importance to us, and I am really grateful that there are opportunities to learn more about environmentalism in a hands-on setting during global travel trips.
Tsukki • Nov 5, 2025 at 2:08 pm
I’ve never been on a global travel trip. However, I did apply for the hurricane island trip, and one of the main reasons I did apply is to try and push the boundaries on things that I’m not used to doing and step out of my comfort zone. I think being put in unconventional situations is good for students because it allows them to experience being in “explorer mode” truly (in the words of Brendon). Students’ adaptability and problem-solving skills can be strengthened by global travel trips as well. There’s a lot to gain from having to adapt to environments you’re not used to or from having to change plans on the fly.
Ruhi • Nov 5, 2025 at 11:42 am
As a person who went on a global travel trip last year, New River Gorge, WV, I really enjoyed it, and because of it, I became closer to people whom I definitely wouldn’t have gotten close to if I didn’t go through really tough situations with them. I think being in unconventional situations really strengthens your adaptive and critical thinking skills, which ultimately support your learning. You learn a lot from being in a situation with no clear way out, and you have to derive a solution of your own. I loved learning about ecosystems and the construction of ziplines during my trip, and I would love to learn about the effect of things on our world from these trips. If I could design a trip, I’d go to Italy or somewhere rich in history in Europe in order to better understand history.
Kylie Firmin • Nov 7, 2025 at 9:52 am
I agree that presenting students with unconventional situations strengthens their ability to adapt and enhances their critical thinking skills. I remember from the same West Virginia trip having to adapt to a multitude of different situations. From sleeping outside, to strangers, to wet clothes, to sunburns, there was always something or some situation where we had to pivot. I think it taught the students there how to adjust to the flow of things, but also how to appreciate it all in the same breath. But to add to what you’re saying, I also think the experience of being with our AFS family on these trips creates a sort of cushion. Even if the opportunity to adjust to these things was presented, sometimes we wouldn’t. And that was okay, because we had trusted adults there to guide us through those situations. These global travel trips allow us to independently grow while still having a soft place to land if we falter.
Anais • Nov 5, 2025 at 10:02 am
I have not gone on a global travel trip and I won’t be going this year however I am very interested in both traveling and the environment. I think being in unconventional situations really supports students’ learning because it puts them in places they have never been. It encourages problem solving and thinking about situations in a different way. It quite literally strengthens neuro plasticity in the brain. I personally really love the environment and I care about it. I think everyone should and it’s important that we are all educated. Traveling is a great way to learn about other environments and see how ecosystems work. In school we learn about many things we will never get to see and so traveling to learn and see these things first hand is a great experience.
Joshua M. • Nov 5, 2025 at 8:40 am
This is my first year at AFS. I’m in 9th grade and I have not gone on a global travel trip before but, I have been to London for vacation. My experience there was very rich and fun. This experience taught me about different cultures and different ways to live in society. For example, while I was in London I realized that more people are active during the night than during the day, the police don’t carry guns; but batons and tasers, the red police cars have police carrying guns, women are able to walk the streets late at night without worrying about anything, and cameras are everywhere reducing the city’s crime rate. I would like to learn about different foods that each culture produces. I would make a trip to London because it is a huge cultural difference to the US and I think it would open our eyes to the rest of the world.
Lauren Washington • Nov 5, 2025 at 8:23 am
Hi Grace! I love how this article is written and the topic. During my sophomore year at AFS I went on a global travel trip to Quebec City and Montreal. I experienced hearing a different language (French), trying new foods, and connecting more with the peers I traveled with. Being in unconventional situations support my learning by forcing me to adapt and get out of my comfort zone overall. I would like to learn more about politics through global travel too. So, I am happy there is a trip to DC this year about politics and law. If I could design a trip for students, I would want to go to Morocco or Greece because they are beautiful places with a lot to explore.
Anjali Holloman • Nov 7, 2025 at 9:48 am
I agree with you, Lauren, that being in unconventional situations forces you to adapt and get out of your comfort zone. As you know, I went to Canada as well, and I really liked that the trip focused on so many different facets of culture in Quebec and Montreal. We not only learned about French culture, but also native culture in Canada, as well as the diverse diaspora of immigrants in the cities. My favorite thing was that our tour guide made an effort to expose us to so many different types of food, which I felt was a great way to try something new and learn about a culture. I really enjoyed your idea for a Mediterranean trip. I would LOVE to go on that. It would be very cool to learn about the history and culture, eat new foods, and go sightseeing.