As a veteran world language teacher, people are often surprised to find out that I do not have an annual international trip planned for my students. For me, the thought of organizing a trip abroad has always been overwhelming and panic-inducing, even when just for myself. The more people I intended to invite on the trip, the more stress I felt. I could never have imagined adding to that anxiety the whole process of board approvals, transportation logistics, and individual student needs for a whole group of teenagers. Now that I have been on a Prometour Discovery Tour, though, I feel a wave of relief. I have seen for myself that Prometour takes care of every last detail. I now feel that organizing a trip is something I can begin to do in my district.
On the Quebec Discovery Tour, the Prometour representatives zipped us through Montreal and Quebec City in just one weekend. Before the trip, I was nervous about seeing so much in such a short time. It was a whirlwind of a weekend, but it was completely stress-free in the hands of Prometour. Best of all, I saw the city the way that students would see any city they visit with the company: through guided walking tours led by local experts, through museum visits, and through the conversations, we had with our tour guide Katia and the Prometour reps who live in Quebec. We even had the chance to meet a host family and learn about the program that Prometour uses for home stays.
What traveler doesn’t know that feeling of being concerned with the itinerary and with what’s next that you may have completely missed out on? So immersed in the city map that you walk right past the church you are looking for? This can be a natural side effect of planning trips yourself, but the Prometour Discovery Tour was free from that kind of stress. I was able to exit the tour bus, take a few steps in the heart of Montreal, look up, and fall in love with the charm of the city. In Quebec City, while I tasted my first ever Poutine, the only thing I was thinking of was the sweet-salty combination of that particular recipe, the wash of cider, and the laughter among new friends. Not a moment was bogged down thinking of what time the rental car had to be returned, or what time hotel check-in was.
The Quebec Discovery Tour was so educational too! On our guided walking tour of Montreal, we learned about landmarks from people who walk past them every day. On the coach, we learned names of famous authors and cinematographers from people who grew up studying their work. At the Martello tower, we stepped into the role of soldiers in an interactive activity that had us eager to learn. Even the ghost tour was alive with history lessons for us. I am so excited to have seen what my students could see on their trip abroad.
The representatives from Prometour was amazing. They were with us the entire trip, and they were happy to answer any questions we had. I cannot wait to get the ball rolling and organize a trip for my community!
Thank you, Prometour, for allowing me to fall in love with two new cities!
Ashley A. from New Jersey, USA
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