travel

Autumn update 2022

The Big Return

2022 has been a big year for L&E.  We hadn’t been able to offer any in-person programmes since 2019 and we were desperate to get back to doing what we do best.  It has been tough time for everyone but particularly young people.  Cultural and adventurous experiences have been few and far between these past couple of years and so it was incredibly important that we were able to operate.  This year certainly wasn’t without it’s challenges but with the energy and enthusiasm of both staff and students we were able to successfully navigate a wonderful year!

World Camp UK

World Camp UK at Aysgarth School returned this summer and was a huge success.  Lots of old and new faces connecting from all over the world.  We had over 20 different nationalities from 6 continents all embracing and learning from each other.  A lot of old activities returned as well as some exciting new ones including the Open Minds course and Wilderness experience.  Our older teens were challenged to investigate and interrogate the world around them, challenge themselves creatively and consider new perspectives.  They also experienced an incredible night under the stars on their Wilderness Experience.

All our International students embraced the British culture and improved their English and our local children learnt so much about other cultures.

Soccer Camp

L&E continued the tradition of working with professional football clubs and this summer we were delighted to work with Manchester City.  Tzeachten Under 16 Girls Football Club from British Columbia, Canada were lucky enough to be coached by ex-pro and Manchester City Academy coach Ian Fitzpatrick.  The girls had elite sessions every day plus 2 matches including the Manchester City Under 17 Educational Team at Manchester Regional Arena overlooked by the Etihad Stadium.  The girls enjoyed a tour of the stadium plus a unique opportunity to see the training facilities.

Teen Travel

Teen Travel UK was also back and our tours were a triumph.  We had teens from the US, Canada, France, Thailand, Italy, Spain and UK all gain invaluable life skills and gain a love for the history and beauty of Britain.  Our travellers learnt how to manage a budget, how to negotiate and how to adapt to different situations all whilst making sold friendships along the way.

It was also the first time students were able to combine the Teen Travel and World Camp experiences which made for a unique experience.

2023

Following a successful return we are delighted to announce our 2023 schedule. 

• 25th June – 8th July, 2023: Teen Travel UK Tour, England (14-17), Scotland & Wales
• 9th July – 22nd July, 2023: World Camp UK (8-15), Aysgarth School
• 23rd July – 5th August, 2023: World Camp UK (8-15), Aysgarth School
• 6th August – 19th August, 2023: Teen Travel UK Tour (14-17), England, Scotland & Wales

All experiences are in 2 weeks blocks and our 14 and 15 year olds can combine Teen Travel & World Camps.  All transfers are included between programmes.  

A 15% Deposit is due to confirm the reservation. Payment plans are available.

Limited places

To ensure the highest quality of experience we will be strict on limiting the amount of children from any one non-English speaking country so please be aware that countries such as France, Spain, Germany and Italy will sell out very quickly.

Early Booking Discount

If families make the reservation before 1st December, 2022 they will receive a 10% discount.

UK, Canadian & U.S. Schools

During the past year we have helped many families find a suitable school for an international educational experience.  We have a thorough knowledge of UK Schools and have placed dozens of students since 2009.  Now we have an office in Vancouver we have developed relationships with a few select schools, not just in Canada but also the U.S.  

This is a free service to families who have attended an L&E programme.  We are able to offer a unique service with our personal experience of both student and school which is invaluable and beneficial to all concerned.  Consultancy can be extended to friends and family so please feel free to make referrals.

L&E back on the road

Now that we are able to travel a little more freely again we will be returning to making a few trips throughout the year visiting countries to talk to families about our programmes and services.

• Berlin: 30th October – 1st November
• London: 2nd November
• Dubai: 13th – 16th February
• New York: 15th-16th April

If your children have attended and enjoyed an L&E experience please “Spread the Word”.

Sharing this email, website link, instagram etc all helps.

We are also always happy to add locations and dates to our “Road Trip” so if you have friends and family interested in meeting with us then let us know!

Why a Multicultural Environment is Good for Young People?

What Does Culture Mean?

According to Oxford Dictionary culture is ‘the ideas, customs, and social behaviour of a particular people or society’ and in addition to that – ‘the attitudes and behaviour characteristic of a particular social group’.

Culture in Early Years

Jennie Lindon describes in her article ‘Cultural diversity in the early years’ that by young children developing a sense of their own identity through their family life they can then learn about other cultures out with the family unit. These experiences away from the family are of great importance and help broaden the understanding of other cultures.

https://www.communityplaythings.co.uk/learning-library/articles/cultural-diversity-in-the-early-years

Learning Languages

Learning a second language is easier for a child as their brains are designed to absorb new information unconsciously.  Check out this TED Talk where Patricia Kuhl explains how babies listen to the sounds around them. 

Multicultural Workplaces

Tim Cook, CEO of apple has been clear that he sees diversity as vital to the future of Apple. In 2013, he used an article in the Wall Street Journal to share his belief that “people are more willing to give of themselves when they feel that they selves are being fully recognised and embraced”. In 2015, he said that diversity “is the future of our company”.

https://www.apple.com/diversity/

What a Multicultural Environment Means to L&E

Learn & Experience have a very clear vision. Creating experiences to bring together young people from around the world while keeping to a simple principle: Happy Children Thrive!  L&E offer experiences for young people which include World Camps, Teen Travel and Open Minds and we have been bringing the world’s youth together since 2009.  We firmly believe that being exposed to people from all over the world and from many different backgrounds at a young age is hugely beneficial.  Each one of our programmes is designed to allow young people to have an amazing experience whilst being surrounded by a diverse group of people.  Want to join one of our programmes click HERE to read what we have in store for 2023!

L&E Parent Talks About the Importance of a Multicultural Program for her Children

Learn & Experience programmes include World Camps, Open Minds and Teen Travel

The Learn and Experience Podcast

Check out our Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play and all the other usual places. We put a spotlight on remarkable young people and explore the world they live in. Subscribe and get your weekly fix of youth related chit chat. 

Why is travel good for teenagers?

Our teen travel expert, Julie explains 5 different factors why travel is so good for teens and how L&E Teen Travel trips give young people the life skills for future journeys…

Experiencing other cultures

In this day in age it is vastly important for young adults to be in touch with a global world and they can do this by discovering other cultures and customs.  Learning about other cultures helps foster understanding and helps us recognise and respect that there is more than one way of ‘being’.  Travel is the best way to experience a different perspective and to also recognise how much we all have in common.

Understanding how to budget money…

By giving teenagers financial responsibility they will learn the true cost of things and not be so frivolous with their spending.  They may make some mistakes, but it is better to learn the hard way when the amounts are small and the repercussions are light.  By creating things like spreadsheets the teens will be able to track incomings and outgoings which will help them manage their spending to make sure they have enough money for the whole trip!

The ability to communicate effectively in a group…

The art of verbal communication is such a vital skill, from asking for directions to job interviews. Teenagers will need to learn to speak for themselves and have the confidence to do so.  When thrust into a group of strangers it is sometimes difficult to get your point across, but when there is a common goal that is fun, teenagers are more inclined to try and exercise their creative muscles.

The importance of good time management…

Learning how to manage your time effectively whilst still being a teenager will set you up for adult life where being late or delaying deadlines are not acceptable. Whilst travelling, time management is key as turning up to a large train station with 5 minutes to spare will not give you enough time to find your platform, go to the toilet and get much needed snacks for the journey!  This skill is also a sure way to keep stress levels down.

Understand the process of building an itinerary…

This is one of the most difficult tasks as it will require all the other skills we have mentioned.  Not only will the teenager have to communicate effectively they will also have to have a good grasp of the financial aspects of the trip and most importantly how to best schedule everything.  This is no easy task!  Even in small groups there will be differences in opinion about where to go, how to get there and how much it should cost.  The teens who are able to learn how to compromise, problem solve and manage conflict will have more success in planning a trip.

Want to know more?

We can offer advice to you and your teen.  So please get in touch with us if you have any questions about Teen Travel.  You can schedule a call with one of our experts who can talk you through the trip or email teentravel@learnandexperience.com with any questions you may have.

Teen Travel really is an adventure of a lifetime – take the first step, get in touch!  

L&E receives prestigious Award

We have been named as Winners of the Go Overseas Community Choice Award 2020…named by the people who matter most — the community (the children and families).

Thank you to all those involved in, what was a very difficult year but one that also had a lot of very special moments. We may not have had camp or travel but we had a lot of fun in other ways…

Highlights:

• Online Language & Life Skill Courses
• Virtual Camp
• L&E Home Launched
• 24 Hours Campfire across 6 continents
• 30 Day Challenge for Save the Children
• New Website
• Global Teen Chats
• Online Dance Classes
• Online Circus Skills
• Online Guitar Classes
• New Podcast

Go Overseas wrote: “We’re thrilled to recognize Learn & Experience as one of the best travel organizations in 2020 through this merit-based award, especially after such a difficult year for our industry.”

Happy International Women’s Day Greta. We Salute You!

Seldom does it happen that one name can conjure up such strong sentiment.  Greta was named Time magazines person of year (2019) and her name will go down in history along side Nelson Mandela, Jimmy Carter and Mikhail Gorbachev to name a few.  Climate Strike was the Collins Dictionary word of year (2019) and on the 20th September 2019 the largest climate strike in world history saw 4 million ‘Fridays for Future’ protesters strike across the world.  This is a stark contrast to just one year previous to this when a 15 year old Greta, a solitary protester, skipped school to sit outside the Swedish parliament, protesting for more action against climate change.

What does Greta want?  Well, we know what she doesn’t want.  She doesn’t want praise, she doesn’t want to be invited to meetings and she doesn’t want to become a politician.  She wants everyone to unite behind the science and to take action.

Due to air travel having a heavy carbon footprint she travels mostly by train across Europe to visit and support climate strikes.  This meant that when she decided to attend the UN Climate Action Summit in New York she had to enlist the help of Captain Boris Herrmann and his schooner.  Boris’ schooner runs on solar power and underwater turbines, therefore emitting no carbon.  The journey took 13 days and Greta, along with her father and a Swedish film maker shared the small space which had no shower, no kitchen and no toilet!

Greta has talked openly about her Aspergers as being her “superpower” and admits that she did try to conceal it, not in order to hide it, but because “ignorant people still see it as an illness or something negative”.  She also tweeted “when haters go after your looks and differences it means they have nowhere left to go.  And then you know you’re winning!”

Greta recently met her ‘role model’ Malala Yousafzai in Oxford where she is studying.  Malala is a campaigner for girls’ education from Pakistan. She was shot by the Taliban in 2012, when she was just 14 years old, but continued her work and became the youngest person ever to win the world-famous Nobel Pease Price in 2014.  After the meeting, Malala commented on twitter saying “She’s the only friend I’d skip school for”.

Happy International Women’s day folks – never underestimate the power of one young girl!

On the 2nd Youth Project Podcast Sam, Julie and Mike talked about the rise of Greta, what she stands for and what small things we are personally doing to help combat climate change. Follow the link below to listen.

Learn & Experience are a youth leadership company based in the UK and they are celebrating their 10th anniversary this year!  Our website is BRAND NEW so enjoy having a look around.

You can find the podcast on our website, Spotify, iTunes, Google Play and all the other usual places.  Subscribe and get your weekly fix of youth related chit chat. 

The Youth Project Podcast

Teen Travel UK Tour Blog

Saturday -Tuesday

We are eleven  people from all around Europe:

Lukas – 15, from Sweden.

Emily – 16, from Holland.

Paul – 16, from Germany.

Serafina – 15, from Germany.

Beatrice – 16, from Germany.

Maria – 16, from Spain.

Marianne – 15, from France.

Gaia – 16, from Italy.

Sam – 15, from England.

Connie – Travel Mentor, England

Julie – Travel Mentor, Scotland

Apart from Sam we all arrived in Manchester airport at various times on Saturday. From there we drove to L&E North camp to plan our trip and get to know each other better. We decided to depart the next day but before we left we all watched the final match for the World Cup and ate at he barbecue with the rest of the camp. After the barbecue big Sam drove us to our first stop in Grassmere where we stayed for one night in a hostel and we all went to the park in the town and we unanimously agreed that we all slept better there than at the camp.

The next day we had breakfast in the self serve kitchen of the hostel and Sam and Lukas made dough balls in the oven. We then took a bus to Brokehole where we went on a treetop trek which ended in a triple zip wire that was 200 meters long! “It was exciting!” – Gaia. Connie had to have her shoe taped onto her foot because it kept almost falling off.

We then took the same bus with a different bus driver who wasn’t as nice to Windermere where we had lunch which was pleasurable. After that we booked the accommodation for Glasgow the night after, furthermore we found a train connection from Kendal to Glasgow that was also affordable for the next day. We then took the bus to Kendal where it then started to rain on our walk to the hostel we were next staying in. After a break we went to Booths to buy food for tonight and the next morning. Sam and Gaia cooked a delicious meal for dinner – pasta with cheese sauce.  Lukas told some ghost stories (not that scary) and we all sat and chatted until bed time. 

Tuesday – Thursday

After a lovely breakfast in Kendal we took the train to Glasgow. It was a long journey and we had to stop and change the train – at the intermediate station Julie had to pretend to be a dog because of a dare!

Since this morning a fun game had started ,where everyone has to “kill” someone else in a specific place and way, two people were already killed.

We arrived at the hostel around 5 o’clock and we ate at Wetherspoon. The evening was full of talks and bonding and we also started to see Shrek

Deaths of the day:

1. Connie – singing the national anthem on a train, in the morning.
2. Marianne – smelling something in a shop, in the morning.

Wednesday 18th

The next day started slowly. We woke up at around 10 am and after a good breakfast we took the bus to Glasgow centre. After a short trip to the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and the park everybody was allowed to go of in groups of at least and discover Glasgow on their own. Most of us went to a burger and than make a short shopping trip.

Back (in at) the hostel Marianne started making crêpes – Sam as chef in training. We than went to bed “in time” because the next day would start very early.

Deaths of the day:

1)  Paul – reading a book on a playground, at midday

2)  Beatrice – singing the national anthem (german) in the bathroom, at lunchtime

Thursday 19th

To day we had to get up at 6.30 am to get the bus to Loch Ness at 7 am. Because of the early time we didn’t eat breakfast, so we had packed (a lot of) (many) snacks for the bus. The bus trip to loch ness took us about four hours but we had a few stops at beautiful places to make pictures and get a pass from the sitting.

When we arrived at Loch Ness we had two options. We could either go and see the castle and than make a cruise on the Loch or only do the cruise. 

• Spent the day in Glasgow (shopping, eating, a pigeon poop on Lukas…)
• Tastes good
• Take bus (discover scottland)
• loch ness
• Take the bus back (strange songs)

Friday…

In the morning we arrived in Edinburgh. Making our way through the streets in the rain, we found a bus to take us to the hostel, not far from the city centre. Sam was in charge of directions and we followed him (cautiously) down several side streets off the main road. Despite a slightly scary looking front door,

we walked through into a travellers paradise; a ping-pong table, PlayStation, comfy sofas and relaxed, friendly staff awaited. The hostel was made up of converted shipping containers, neatly arranged with every amenity. We felt at home right away. 

No time to relax though; we dropped our bags and went straight into town to explore. We picked up some lunch on-the-go, and made a beeline for the Royal Mile. It was hard to miss the incredible architecture as we wound through the streets; the National Gallery of Scotland and the Castle were particularly impressive. Reaching ‘Camera Obscura’ – a museum of oddities, illusions and mind games – we were were happy to get out of the drizzle. It full of bizarre, interactive activities and we emerged later on, giggling on to the streets. Straight on to a restaurant for food, we then just had time for a quick walk up to Calton Hill for the sunset. It did not take much persuading to get everyone to sleep back at the hostel after such a jam-packed day.

We awoke to a sunny day ~ yes, the sun does shine in Scotland! We all headed to the motorbike and music festival we had booked a few days ago, it was on the same side of the city as us which was good. It was very cool – lots of different styles of motorbikes, we even got to sit on some of them!!  We also had a shot on a theme park ride – Sam has been on so many his facial expression didn’t change at all but all of the girls hair was going round and round and round!  

After we got back to the hostel we collected our bags and headed back into town to try and get some onesies for the bus journey. Unfortunately we couldn’t find any we liked so we bought some blankets and some neck pillows which turned out to be invaluable. We went to a restaurant to get some food and to also make a plan for the next part of our trip. Our big map came in handy – it’s good to have a visual of the UK to see how far away each place is from the other. We all worked very hard to plan the next part of our trip – we were getting very tired which was good as we knew we were about to spend the next 9hours on the overnight bus to London. 

The bus station wasn’t far from the restaurant which was great as we were all quite tired and ready to try and sleep. Although the bus was a little cold we did manage to get some sleep. Next stop – LONDON!!!!!!!