Kay is a Middle School Spanish World Cultures Teacher. She first traveled with EF to Costa Rica in 2009 and has been leading student groups every summer since. Kay believes that students should experience travel to help broaden their perspectives and allow them to see firsthand how tolerant, global and open-minded we should all strive to become.

One of the first topics we always discuss in my World Cultures class is: “What is culture shock?” To me, culture shock is the feeling of surprise, uncertainty or disorientation that can be felt when people find themselves in a new or unknown environment.

As a group leader, it is important to prepare your students for this prior to heading out on tour. This way, rather than spending time hung up on questioning the cultural differences experienced on tour, your students can focus on remaining open-minded and appreciative.

One of the biggest culture shocks I experienced as a group leader was traveling to China for the first time and seeing the bathrooms, which we affectionately nicknamed as the “squatty potty.” Rather than resting on a toilet, the toilet seat sits right on the floor. Luckily we had done our research and were prepared ahead of time so it wasn’t as shocking as it could have been. Sometimes students can get so hung up on a shocking experience that it takes away from other much more valuable learning experiences. Since we had planned for the “squatty potty” we were able to embrace it and add it to our ever-growing list of cultural differences.

It is normal to feel some level of uncertainty when traveling abroad for the first time, but following these steps to prepare your students ahead of time will help your group’s experience be more focused and enjoyable.

You’ve taught your students about the world—now make the world their classroom. Take your students abroad and you can travel free!