EXPERIENCES THAT COUNT!
My experience as an educational trips coordinator
Hello everyone,
I’m Lidia Extremera, responsible for organizing and managing our group trips. I’m sure I’ve had the chance to speak with many of you, and if not, I hope to do so very soon. After these past months we’ve been living through, I wanted to share my experience at Educatrip. Right now, during this unusual situation, is when you value your work the most.
Organizing these kinds of trips is a privilege
For me, having studied tourism, learned several languages, and having a passion for traveling, organizing these types of trips is truly a privilege. I have the opportunity to meet teachers from all over the world and, together with them, create an experience. An experience that translates into a trip to a Spanish city—a trip for teenage students that, for many, might be their first time traveling abroad. They live with local families and experience daily life, have the chance to explore the city’s tourist attractions, art, and culture.
In short, these are days they will remember for the rest of their lives. This reminds me of a teacher who recently contacted us to organize a trip. She had visited Spain years ago with her teachers, and now she wanted to recreate that experience with her own students.
Organizing a trip of this nature requires a lot of time and effort to ensure that the outcome meets everyone’s expectations. The season was looking promising, and we had everything ready for the groups to come to Spain. But then, what we all know happened—something no one expected. This is what I meant about the importance of valuing our work and how much I enjoy doing it.
And indeed, I miss welcoming the groups that come to Granada. Seeing students’ reactions when they are first received by host families, and how they leave in tears on the last day. I miss hearing about how their day went during a new activity, or their eagerness to ensure that the program runs as smoothly as we hope.
Each trip is unique, tailored to the characteristics of the group. But I’m particularly intrigued by the choice of destination. Some teachers tend to always come to the same city—Zaragoza, Seville, Madrid… surely that city is special to them, and they like returning each year with different students. Other teachers prefer that we propose the destination, and that’s when we suggest those less common, but equally special, activities.
There are small groups that want a theme for their trip. Larger groups, over a hundred people, arrive perfectly organized by their teachers. Some groups stay in one city for four or five days, while others stay around fifteen days, traveling from north to south across the country. No matter the group, our excitement—and that of the teachers—is always the same.
We will travel again!
We are fortunate to live in a unique country, with a wide variety of destinations and countless activities. However, for now, we need to be patient so we can travel again—travel safely and enjoy the experience 100%.
Lidia – Coordinator of Educational Trips
