Luxury school trips overseas
GOLDEN RULES
Noumea, Australia and Buenos Aires: Sounds like the itinerary of a wealthy retiree.
It isn’t. They are the options for school trips at my daughter’s intermediate school.
It’s a great state school, and my daughter’s thriving there, but that’s a challenging list of school trip options for a whole number of reasons, including financial ones.
Price tags start around $2500, and end much higher.
Education these days isn’t cheap, but the rise in what British and Australian newspapers dub ‘‘mega trips’’ in schools has sparked furious debate about things getting out of hand.
There’s no doubt in my mind that school trips are a rite of passage for kids.
It’s a great growing experience for them to be away from their pesky, opinionated parents for a week, but there’s a price point beyond which schools should not stray, no matter how posh the suburb.
School camp trips, costing a couple of hundred dollars, provide a similar, largely affordable option for schools.
School camps get children out into their own country, which is particularly good for townie children, ❚ Distinguish needs from wants
❚ Make choices that work for your family
❚ Be open about money with children
and not bad for local economies.
They are also fairly democratic. They may put a strain on, but don’t break family budgets. Nearly everyone can participate in camp trips. My daughter’s school is doing school camps near Rotorua, so families don’t have to feel too badly about saying no to Argentina.
The arguments for overseas trips are that schools are raising children to be global citizens, and that ‘‘EOTC’’ or ‘‘education outside the classroom’’ is now part of schools’ remit.
This is not an entirely new idea, though really, those able to afford these overseas trips probably already travel overseas as families.
I was raised in England, and went overseas on two school trips, one to France, and one to Italy.
Most of my friends went to the first. Fewer went to the second.
In our society, wealth is spread unevenly. Most days at school that doesn’t matter so much, but, let’s face it, overseas trips are divisive because only rich kids, or parents willing to live in debt for longer, can afford them.
Both my youthful trips away were great, and I would like to provide at least one similar experience for each of my girls, but let’s be clear.
If I end up doing so, it will be a pure luxury purchase, in the same vein as buying a high end TV, a spa pool, or more car than the family needs.
Like all nice-to-have experiences for children, parents should see school trips for what
‘‘In our society, wealth is spread unevenly.’’
they are, and not feel guilty if other things take priority (mortgage, saving, investing, etc).
Children understand if the family budget does not stretch to every luxury they’d like. They often know more about the family finances than parents give them credit for.
Should schools be in the business of encouraging luxury spending on overseas trips?
In the UK and Australia, the debate was fierce, and became a touchstone for nations concerned about the divide between the ‘‘haves’’ and the ‘‘have nots’’.
I certainly had some strong feelings when I was presented with the options.