By On Your Educational Tour, Don't Forget... on Friday, June 01, 2012 11:06 AM

Categories:Travel, Students, Before You Travel

As an international educational travel company, we come in contact with a lot of amazing travel photography. Rather than be selfish and keep them all to ourselves, we're sharing them with you!

At the beginning of each month, check our blog for the latest NETC desktop calendar. For the month of June enjoy a stunning photo of the Colosseum in Rome. 


photo via

Download the size that best fits your screen:
1024x768, 1280x800, 1440x900, 1680x1050, 1920x1080


None of these fit your screen quite right? Let me know and I will happily send you your correct size!

By Introducing NETC Desktop Wallpaper! on Friday, June 01, 2012 9:06 AM

Categories:Italy, Teachers

Happy Friday Educated Travelers! Check out the top tweets from @NETC_Travel and the rest of the Twitterverse this week:

1. Is one Ipad in the classroom better than none?
   
   
2. NETC's most popular Pins from the month of May!
   
   
3. Big News: NETC joins WorldStrides!
   
   
4. 10 Incredible Up - Close Wildlife Spottings in Costa Rica via @GotSaga
   
   
5. Travel Trivia Tuesday! The Oldest Active Brewery.
   
   
6. Teach Through Educational Travel - New Cathedral in Salamanca Spain
   

Get live tweets by following @NETC_Travel on Twitter!

See last week's top tweets here

Read or tweeted something great this week, share with your fellow Educated Travelers by leaving a comment below!

By Amy on Friday, June 01, 2012 8:00 AM

Categories:Social Media

Download a larger image of the New Cathedral in Salamanca, Spain. Share the photo with your class, then try these discussion questions and activities:

• Listen to this chant while imagining hearing it in this space. Imagine being a peasant, standing during the service, listening to this music. What effect would it have on your sense of God and the church?
  
  
• This cathedral, Catedral Nueva (New Cathedral), in Spain is a combination of Gothic and Baroque architecture. Investigate how these two styles are different. Make a sketch to illustrate the main aspects of each.

Want more? See last week's Teach Through Educational Travel: Design an Art Exhibit

We'd love to hear your ideas! If you've been to Catedral Nueva, Salamanca or anywhere else in Spain, or completed a similar lesson, tell us about it by leaving a comment below. You could be our next guest blogger!

By Amy on Thursday, May 31, 2012 8:03 AM

Categories:Teach Through Educational Travel

In no particular order, here are the top 10 educational travel pins found on NETC's Pinterest boards this month:

If you haven't joined Pinterest yet, check out this article I wrote about why Pinterest is perfect for teachers and join yourself. Or check out last month's pins!

Have you pinned some great things this month? Share your pinterest boards with other teachers and travelers in the comments section below!

By Top 10 Educational Travel Pins - May 2012 on Thursday, May 31, 2012 7:59 AM

Categories:Social Media

By Amy on Wednesday, May 30, 2012 8:02 AM

Categories:Where in the World is Neil?

In this month's issue of The Educated Traveler eNewsletter:

What's New at NETC...

• Heading on an NETC Educational Tour soon, or thinking about taking one? Here's what you can expect
• Educational tours aren't just for students! Group Leader, Fran Morris shares her experiences traveling with adults
• Teach Through Educational Travel: Education meets travel in this weekly series. Collect lesson ideas
• Zapateando por la Vida! Tour Director, Yinka Graves shares her passion for dancing flamenco in Spain
  
• Where in the World is Neil this month? Check out Neil's travel photo and see if you know the answer!

The Latest:

• We are excited to announce our New Partnership with WorldStrides!
• Repin This! Pinterest: Top 10 Educational Travel Pins of April
• One traveler's 11 Amazing Hours in Paris
• Travelers Dish: Best foods eaten while traveling abroad
• See the winner of Neil's Photo Contest for spring 2012 travel

 Have Something to Say?

If you’d like to be a featured contributor in our eNewsletter or on our blog, email me at: aeddy@educationaltravel.com.

By Amy on Wednesday, May 30, 2012 8:02 AM

Categories:eNewsletter

Big News!

NETC, your dedicated friends and educational travel aficionados, are moving up in the world, and we’re taking you with us!

After 19 years of giving you and your students exceptional educational travel experiences, we have decided to join WorldStrides, the nation’s longest-established educational travel provider. WorldStrides shares our passion for experiential travel, outstanding service and personal relationships.

As a member of the WorldStrides team, we will provide a truly unparalleled range of educational travel services that is sure to make your next tour an unforgettable event! Here are a few new benefits for you to get excited about:

• Teachers receive free Professional Development Points/hours (PDPs) for leading an NETC group.

• Students can earn high school or college credit when traveling on certain programs.

• Parents can rest easy since trips carry even more extensive medical and liability insurance.

• Teachers and students can expand their horizons and select from an even broader range of academic and performing travel experiences.

• Teachers will benefit from enhanced promotional support that includes the proven "Recipe for Success" group recruitment program.

In the future, you'll also benefit from a number of tour improvements, including enhanced educational support materials, scholarships and increased on-tour support.

So get excited, the best educational travel experience is here!


Showing our love for WorldStrides!

By Amy on Tuesday, May 29, 2012 10:52 AM

Categories:Travel

What country boasts the world's oldest active brewery, dating back to 1040 AD?

Leave your guess below and check back next Educational Travel Tuesday for the answer!

Last week's question: What country's holidays include Discovery Day, Natal Day and Fete Nationale? Answer: Canada.

By Amy on Tuesday, May 29, 2012 7:59 AM

Categories:Educational Travel Trivia

Happy Memorial Day!

My guess is that you are all spending today out in the beautiful weather enjoying some outdoor games with friends and family. I don't know about you, but I'm bored of the prospect of the same old games. Horse shoes (yawn), volleyball (I'm too short) and croquet (dangerous). Isn't it time for something new and exciting?

Well I have a game for you. It's not especially new but it is exciting! The French game of Pétanque. Created in the early 1900s, this one is an oldie but a goody! The sport is a game of “boules,” meaning it is played with hollow metal balls. From within a circle, a player throws a boule underhand and tries to come as close as they can to the “cochonnet,” a small wooden ball, also known as a “jack”. Players take turns throwing their boule until each team runs out. A team receives one point for every boule they place closer to the jack then the opposing team. The first team to reach 13 points wins!

About 17 million people in France play Pétanque, which is why it’s a LEAP! Activity on our Paris and Nice educational tour, giving students a truly authentic experience.

Other games similar to Pétanque are Italy’s “Bocce” and the game “Bowls,” which is popular in the UK, Australia and New Zealand among other countries.

For more on Pétanque, visit their official website: http://www.petanque.org/

By Let the Summer Games Begin - Pétanque! on Monday, May 28, 2012 9:00 AM

Categories:Experiential Learning, Holidays, Local

Happy Friday Educated Travelers! Check out the top tweets from @NETC_Travel and the rest of the Twitterverse this week:

1. What Teachers Should Expect on an NETC educational tour.
   
   
2. Check out a new lawn game with Petanque!
   
   
3. What's your favorite international food? Find out what our Facebook fans had to say!
   
   
4. Create a Custom Educational Tour for your next NETC trip.
   
   
5. End the year strong with these tips! @angela_watson
   
   
6. Teach Through Educational Travel - Design an Art Exhibit
   

Get live tweets by following @NETC_Travel on Twitter!

See last week's top tweets here

Read or tweeted something great this week, share with your fellow Educated Travelers by leaving a comment below!

By Top Tweets of the Week - May 25th on Friday, May 25, 2012 7:56 AM

Categories:Top Tweets, Social Media

Download a larger image of the Uffizi Gallery art exhibit. Share the photo with your class, then try these discussion questions and activities:

• Design an art exhibit. You will need at least 3-4 paintings and 3-4 statues. Using Google’s Art Project, find the artwork that you want to use. Take a screenshot of the image. Create a bibliography to attribute each image. Questions to consider:
  
  
  • What is the title of your exhibit?
  • Where will each piece of art be placed?
  • Is there furniture in the room?
  • Are the walls white or painted?
    
    

Want more? See last week's Teach Through Educational Travel: Lavender in France

We'd love to hear your ideas! If you've been to the Uffizi Gallery or any other art exhibit, or completed a similar lesson, tell us about it by leaving a comment below. You could be our next guest blogger!

By Amy on Thursday, May 24, 2012 9:34 AM

Categories:Teach Through Educational Travel

If you’re already planning your NETC educational tour, congrats! You’ve made an excellent decision for you and your students, and you’re going to have an incredible time traveling around. As you prepare over the coming weeks, here are just a few of the things you can expect from your tour, below.

If you’re still on the fence about it, or haven’t given an educational tour too much thought, you should still check out all the amazing things you can expect when you plan your educational tour with NETC.

Centrally Located Accommodations
NETC travelers always stay in three- and four-star hotels that are located close to the city center and major attractions. After all, you’ve traveled all that way, so why would you want to spend time riding back and forth to see everything? Less time commuting from the hotel means more time enjoying the cities you and your participants came to explore!



Don’t just take my word for it, though. Hear from two group leaders about their centrally located hotels with NETC. Plus, check out some examples of our hotel comparison maps.

Hear more firsthand experiences from NETC Group Leaders.



Culturally Authentic and Tasty Meals
I’ve said it before, but one of my favorite things about traveling is eating all kinds of new foods. I think the saying is “live to eat!” Food is a passion for many travelers and NETC knows this, so on NETC educational tours you can expect to eat culturally authentic and delicious meals for the entire length of your tour. When staying in one city for multiple nights, you can expect to eat in a few different neighborhoods to maximize your time spent exploring every inch of the city! I myself have traveled with NETC twice, so I can tell you from personal experience that every meal I’ve had has been superb!



Educationally Enriched Programs
Don’t expect to just sightsee! NETC wants travelers to learn while they’re experiencing (and have a ton of fun doing it!). Therefore “LEAP!” is infused into every one of our tours. LEAP! goes beyond educational activities, from the way Tour Directors are trained, to the support provided before, during and after the tour. But, for a more tangible view of our experiential learning programs, look in the LEAP! section on any tour itinerary and you’ll find interactive, engaging and fun activities like cooking Spanish tapas in Madrid, painting a masterpiece inspired by Paris in Montmartre, creating a Carnival mask in Venice, meeting local students in Peru or acting out a Shakespearean play in London’s Globe Theatre. This is just a small sample of activities you will experience on an NETC educational tour.

Learn more about LEAP! on educational tours.



Incredible Tour Guides
One of the things we hear most often from travelers after they return home is how wonderful their Tour Director was. The knowledge each possess is unmatched, plus they have an endless enthusiasm that is unfathomable - I am still trying to figure out how they do it! They are experienced travelers who speak multiple languages and enhance your tour more than you can understand - until you’ve experienced it yourself. Before I took my first NETC educational tour I didn’t get it either, but after seeing them in action, I have a much better understanding of how much a Tour Director can enhance your tour. I am still finding it hard to wrap my brain around the magic of it all, though! Some of our Tour Directors have guest-posted on the Educated Traveler Blog, so get to know them and read some of their insights into French, Spanish and Italian culture.

I’ve written a similar post, For Students: What to Expect on an NETC Educational Tour so please share that with all of your travelers.

Plus if you’re headed off soon, share this packing tips video so they’ll know exactly how to pack for educational tours.

Learn more about Group Leader Benefits on NETC Educational Tours.

If you've traveled on NETC educational tours, please share your experiences below. We'd love to hear from you!

By Amy on Wednesday, May 23, 2012 8:16 AM

Categories:Travel, Teachers, Tour Directors, Experiential Learning

What country's holidays include Discovery Day, Natal Day and Fete Nationale?

Leave your guess below and check back next Educational Travel Tuesday for the answer!

By Amy on Tuesday, May 22, 2012 8:02 AM

Categories:Educational Travel Trivia

Without a doubt, one of my favorite things about traveling is eating all kinds of delicious foods! I had a hunch that other travelers may feel the same way, so I posed the question to our "likers" on Facebook:

"My favorite meal I've ever had was _______________ in _______________. Fill in the blanks!"

I got some great responses that I wanted to share with all you Educated Travelers!

• "My favorite meal I've ever had was caneloni in Roma."
  
  
• "It was actually with NETC, on a farm in Ireland. We had lamb stew- some people weren't able to eat it because we'd been playing with lambs a few minutes before, but I ate it and it was so, so delicious. The best part, though, was these biscuits, and I don't even know what they were, but they set out fruit jam and whipped cream to put on them and it was ridiculous. Really simple, but without a doubt the best thing I've ever eaten in my life."
  
  
• "Love, love, love Croque Monsieur and escargots at the Cafe Georges V in Paris."
  
  
• "Cochinillo en EL DUQUE en Segovia, España." (suckling pig)
  
  
• "Moules à la Marinière at Mont St Michel." (Mussels in white wine and herbs)
  
  
• "Chocolata and chorizos in Barcelona."

Please share yours by leaving a comment below, or on our Facebook page!

By Amy on Monday, May 21, 2012 7:57 AM

Categories:Travel, Food

Happy Friday Educated Travelers! Check out the top tweets from @NETC_Travel and the rest of the Twitterverse this week:

1. Left or right brain learner? Find out what it says about you
   
   
2. Summer's almost here! Encourage reading with these tips & ideas
   
   
3. Love flamenco? Then check out this must-read post from a tour guide in Spain: Zapateando por la Vida"
   
   
4. Project-Based Learning Professional Development Guide
   
   
5. Engaging Students with ‘Flipped Learning’ RT @eschoolnews
   
   
6. Teach Through Educational Travel - Lavender in France
   

Get live tweets by following @NETC_Travel on Twitter!

See last week's top tweets here

Read or tweeted something great this week, share with your fellow Educated Travelers by leaving a comment below!

By Amy on Friday, May 18, 2012 7:42 AM

Categories:Top Tweets

Download a larger image of the lavender fields in France. Share the photo with your class, then try these discussion questions and activities:

• Lavender has been used since the time of early Egypt, when it was part of the embalming process. What are some other uses for lavender throughout history?
  
  
• Lavender is often grown for bees to flavor their honey. How has honey been used over time? Look up what flowers attract bees the most, try this resource.
  
  
• Design a garden that would attract bees. 
  
  

Want more? See last week's Teach Through Educational Travel: Olympic Village in Barcelona

We'd love to hear your ideas! If you've been to France, seen a field of lavender or completed a similar lesson, tell us about it by leaving a comment below. You could be our next guest blogger!

By Amy on Thursday, May 17, 2012 8:19 AM

Categories:Teach Through Educational Travel

By Amy on Wednesday, May 16, 2012 8:31 AM

Categories:Travel, Teachers, Spain

What Asian people traditionally believe there is a toad on the moon instead of a man?

Leave your guess below and check back next Educational Travel Tuesday for the answer!

By Amy on Tuesday, May 15, 2012 8:30 AM

Categories:Educational Travel Trivia

NETC Educational Travel Tour Director in Spain (check out NETC's Educational Tours to Spain!)

Don't miss the chance to watch Yinka dance at the bottom of this post!


I started flamenco as a hobby at University. Little did I know that it would take over my life and I would literally find myself "Zapateando por la vida."

Zapatear (the footwork in flamenco), is an integral rhythmical component. What from afar might look like loud stamping are really complex steps that require buckets full of technique, control, strength, agility and a generous helping of compás. If there is a sturdy surface beneath my feet I can be found Zapateando just about anywhere, at train stations, at my stove, even at the hairdresser. However, I still have many hours to put in until my bucket of technique is even half full!

Por la vida can be translated in two ways: for a living, or through life; both imply that zapatear is a way of life.

Many versions of palos are differentiated according to which town they come from, sometimes even which neighborhoods! An example would beTangos de Triana, a district in Seville, which differs from Tangos de Granada. In November 2010 flamenco, its cante, baile and toque (singing, dancing and musical accompaniment - see image below!), was recognized as an Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO. 

I knew that if I wanted to really learn how to dance, I would have to make Spain my home. I've now been based in Madrid for four years. At the moment I'm even thinking that I need to make the move down to the south of Spain to continue learning - flamenco was born in the gypsy communities of Andalucía, after all. The gypsies are descendants of great travelers, and I myself have become something of a nomad since I started dancing. Due to the experience of the communities where flamenco was born, I see its essence as the artful balance of holding onto ones historical traditions, customs and identity, while continuously reinventing oneself so as not to become irrelevant.

Through my experience training to be a flamenco dancer, and more recently through performing in the tablao setting (small bars and restaurants that are the traditional setting to see live flamenco), which is ultimately based on improvisation, I've realized how the dance in and of itself is a reflection of this relationship between what I'll call roots and wings. I wasn't born into the culture, so I'm growing my own roots through learning and creating an understanding and a connection with the norms and traditions of flamenco, in classes through watching endless live performances, studying alone and listening to the cante in peñas (local social organizations whose main function is to enjoy and preserve live flamenco). It's a personal journey, but whichever way you go about it, it's impossible not to delve deeply into the cultural and historical background from which flamenco exists.

I often wonder why it is that more and more people are attracted to flamenco. It seems that at a time when we are becoming increasingly focused on the individual (communicating via social networks, recording music alone on our computers, etc.), flamenco offers a direct and very powerful antidote to that. Without a singer and a musician, there can be no dance. When I perform, this idea of balance between being persuasive and strong enough (through my flamenco roots) to know where I want to take the dance, but flexible and open enough to be led and guided through the musical piece (with my wings) becomes even more real. What we call flamenco is what is created when these different elements come together. The most important thing I have come to feel is that flamenco is above all, a shared experience and a shared way of life, in which you are "Zapateando por la vida."

For your next trip to Spain, feel like an expert in flamenco and learn some of the key jargon used in tablaos, I promise people will be impressed!

Is compás:

• a type of flamenco song
• a metronome
• the rhythm of a song

Is a palo flamenco:

• a stick used in dances
• a musical form within flamenco
• a jacket worn by men when dancing

Watch Yinka dance flamenco to understand the cante, baile and toque that she explains in this blog post.

Have you experienced a flamenco performance in Spain? Share your feelings and thoughts as you witnessed the dance and listened to the music by leaving a comment below!

By Yinka Graves on Monday, May 14, 2012 8:21 AM

Categories:Spain, Tour Directors