Global School Expeditions, student-led since 1987.
International school trips lasting from a week to a month in more than 20 countries across five continents. They challenge students to step outside their comfort zone, take real responsibility and discover what they’re capable of. Students take the lead, with a trained Expedition Leader alongside them.
The school expedition World Challenge was built on, and the one schools keep coming back to
Every World Challenge school expedition is designed so students take responsibility, work as a team and make decisions. They do it in a place that pushes them out of their comfort zone, with a trained Expedition Leader travelling alongside them.
World Challenge pioneered this in the UK 40 years ago, and we were one of the first in the world to run a school trip this way.
You travel with them as a teacher, not a tour manager.
Preparation starts months before departure. Students raise money for their own place, learn the skills the trip will ask of them, and train with their teacher and Expedition Leader, so the group that lands has already learned to work as one.
On the ground, most expeditions move through a trek phase, a project alongside a community or conservation partner and time to explore. The days that ask most of them are usually the ones they talk about afterwards.
That’s what our expeditions look like for a student. If you want to know how one comes together from the school side, we’ve set that out separately.
Students will:
Expeditions are designed for secondary school groups that are ready to take on a greater challenge, independence and responsibility. Expeditions happen in challenging environments, and that’s deliberate so that young people have to lead and take real responsibility for each other. Students carry their kit, live more simply and go without some of the comforts they’re used to.
After an expedition, young people come home more confident, more independent and with a stronger sense of what they’re capable of. So while students are encouraged to step up, schools are supported every step of the way.
Our expeditions develop capabilities that are relevant across UK and international education, including the International Baccalaureate. They also support the personal development and enrichment outcomes many schools are already working towards.
Students come back able to explain not just what they did, but what they learned about themselves. Those are experiences they can draw on in personal statements, interviews and applications – for college, university and working life.
Tell us about your group, your aims and what you want students to come back capable of doing. World Challenge will build your school expedition around that and handle the parts that would otherwise land on your desk, such as:
For teachers, most of the admin that usually lands on your desk sits with us instead, from first enquiry to final debrief:
For 40 years, World Challenge has supported schools on expeditions worldwide, whatever the time difference. Our support includes:
Speak to our school trip specialists and start planning an expedition tailored to your students.
Plan your school expedition 
