Travelling With Groups Of Different Faiths
Discover the World Education has been travelling with diverse groups of students from different religious backgrounds for over 35 years. Our experienced team of ex teachers and seasoned travel experts will work with any group to ensure their specific requirements are considered and catered for.
Here are 5 things to remember if you are arranging a school trip for students of various religious backgrounds.
1. Consider who will be travelling?
Take time to think through the pastoral needs of your cohort. What mix of cultural and religious backgrounds are in your group? Are they likely to require changes to a typical itinerary?
Provide an opportunity for the students’ parents or carers to reach out and make you aware of any additional needs via parents’ evening, emails and letters home.
Discuss your group’s needs with your Travel Specialist early on so that they can design an itinerary that provides the most appropriate activity options, accommodation and restaurants options for your group.
2. Dietary Requirements
In some of our destinations, including Iceland, local food options do not always offer kosha or halal options.
Wherever you are going on your trip, make our team aware of how many students and teachers will require these meals.
We take passenger dietary needs very seriously. In order to avoid miscommunication we recommend that if a restaurant is not explicitly saying they can offer halal options, a vegetarian meal is the safest choice. We have found this to be the most flexible option for students and teachers requesting halal or kosha meals.
3. Ramadan And Sunlight Hours
If you are planning on scheduling your school trip during Ramadan it is important to consider the level of activity you have planned in the day. If you are travelling to a destination such as Iceland, look into the sunlight hours for that time of year. In the summer, Iceland can experience nearly 24 hours of daylight!
4. Prayer And Places Of Worship
Where possible we try to make sure students have the time and space to observe their personal religious practices during their trip however some itineraries may make this difficult. Check your itinerary carefully and speak to your Travel Specialist to make a plan for your students. Likewise, we will try and include visits to your students’ places of worship if needed as well as planning for students who will not be attending.
5. Respecting Religious Beliefs Of The Places That You Are Visiting
No matter the religion of your students it is important to respect the beliefs of the culture you are visiting. This could mean asking your students to dress appropriately, be quiet or refrain from certain behaviours depending on the place you are visiting. For example in Italy, make sure shoulders are covered when entering churches and cathedrals.
