What do students take home from an overseas school trip? Alongside photographs and memories, it can be a new perspective on the world, a sense of accomplishment or a stronger connection with their classmates.
Our Student Impact Report 2026 explores these experiences through feedback from students across three Gapforce school trips to Morocco, Ecuador & the Galapagos, and Borneo (Sarawak).
Their responses offer an insight into what they valued most, how they felt they developed and what made their experiences memorable. For teachers considering an overseas trip, the findings help illustrate the learning and personal development that can happen beyond the classroom.
At a glance: what students told us
Students gave overwhelmingly positive feedback about their trips:
100% would recommend their trip to other students.
91% rated their trip “Excellent”, with the remaining 9% rating it “Good”.
89% said their trip exceeded expectations.
86% said their trip objectives were “definitely” met.
Alongside the ratings, students’ feedback reveals what mattered most to them: experiencing different cultures, contributing to conservation, taking on new challenges and making friends.
A deeper understanding of different cultures
Cultural awareness was the highest-rated area of personal development, with students giving an average score of 4.38 out of 5.
Experiencing a destination first-hand gives students opportunities to encounter different ways of life and reflect on their own perspectives. Their feedback suggests these encounters were among the most meaningful parts of their trips.
One student described their highlight as:
“Getting first hand experience of a culture and nature unlike anything I'd seen before”
Another reflected on their experience in Morocco:
“Morocco allows you to experience cultural opportunities with new people you don't know. This experience is life changing and eye opening as well as a memory I will never forget.”
For teachers, these reflections show how overseas travel can bring a human dimension to learning. Students have opportunities to connect what they know with what they see, experience and discuss for themselves.
Developing resilience and responsibility
Students also reported strong development in resilience and adaptability, averaging 4.32 out of 5, and sense of responsibility, averaging 4.20 out of 5.
An overseas school trip introduces students to unfamiliar environments and experiences. Adapting to those situations, working alongside others and participating in purposeful activities can give them opportunities to discover what they are capable of.
When asked about the best part of their experience, one student highlighted:
“The sense of accomplishment, knowing I've done something important”
Another described a memorable encounter with turtle conservation:
“Contributing to saving 107 eggs from the turtle on the beach and placing them into the nursery. It was surreal and raw and I will forever be grateful for the experience.”
These comments give a personal dimension to the scores. They show students recognising the value of their contribution and taking pride in something they had helped achieve.
Stronger friendships and shared experiences
One of the themes to emerge from the feedback was the value of building connections with other students.
Travelling together creates opportunities to spend time with classmates in a different setting. Shared discoveries, challenges and everyday moments can help students get to know people beyond their usual friendship groups.
As one student explained, their highlight was:
“I was able to experience a whole new culture and get to know people/make friends with people from my school”
Community building emerged as an unexpected benefit in the report. Alongside the destination and activities, students valued the people they shared the experience with.
Teamwork received an average development score of 3.86 out of 5, while communication skills scored 3.78 out of 5. Together with the written feedback, these results highlight the social value students found in travelling as a group.
Meeting the purpose of the trip
For teachers, a successful school trip needs to support clear learning objectives.
In our survey, 86% of students said their trip objectives were “definitely” met. The question was tailored to the objectives of each trip, such as whether students had gained a deeper understanding of local wildlife and conservation efforts.
This provides a useful indication of how students perceived their learning. Their comments about culture, nature and conservation help illustrate the experiences behind those responses.
The survey also asked students to reflect on eight areas of personal development, including independence, confidence and problem solving. This broader perspective recognises that the value of a school trip can extend across several aspects of a student’s development.
What this means for your school
Every school has its own priorities for an overseas trip. You may want to bring a subject to life, introduce students to different cultures, explore conservation in practice or create opportunities for personal development.
Our 2026 student feedback highlights the value of combining clear learning objectives with meaningful experiences. Students particularly valued encountering different cultures, contributing to something purposeful and sharing the journey with others.
At Gapforce, we work with teachers to create bespoke educational trips and expeditions for secondary school students, shaped around your school’s goals and specific learning outcomes.
Explore our school trip destinations or get in touch to discuss a programme tailored to your school.
About the report: These findings are based on post-trip questionnaires completed by 64 students across three Gapforce trips in 2026 to Morocco, Ecuador & the Galapagos, and Borneo (Sarawak). Personal development scores reflect students’ own ratings on a scale of 1 (“Not at all”) to 5 (“A lot”).
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