{"id":8727,"date":"2019-03-11T09:30:38","date_gmt":"2019-03-11T13:30:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/?p=8727"},"modified":"2019-03-07T08:37:55","modified_gmt":"2019-03-07T13:37:55","slug":"teachers-desk-inauguration-tours","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/teachers-desk-inauguration-tours","title":{"rendered":"From the teacher’s desk: Inauguration tours"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tracy is a Mississippi teacher who\u2019s taken her students to two presidential inaugurations, plus several other trips to New York City, Washington, DC, and Chicago. Here, she writes about her experiences with Explorica\u2019s <\/span><\/i>presidential inauguration tours<\/span><\/i><\/a>, how easy they were to plan, and what a great impact they made on her students.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

What made you decide to go on your first inauguration tour? What was the planning process like?<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n

When I took over the travel for our school\u2019s enrichment class, there was a tradition of traveling every April \u2014 to New York one year and to Washington, DC the next. I love to travel and wanted to mix things up. <\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019ll be honest, the idea of just going to Washington, DC seemed kind of boring at the time. When the Inauguration was an option, my interest grew, mainly because it is such a historic event that most people will never see in person.<\/span><\/p>\n

The planning process was very easy. I worked with Tom Love at Explorica and he helped me every step of the way, whether it was informational notes to send home with my students or figuring out what activities would be best for my group.<\/span><\/p>\n

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What was the experience like? Was there a moment when you knew your students \u201cgot it\u201d?<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n

Well, let\u2019s just say, I was completely wrong about Washington, DC. It was so amazing! There were so many fabulous things to do and places to see. <\/span><\/p>\n

While the Inauguration was fabulous, one of our best moments was right after, at the Jefferson Memorial. We walked to the memorial and were the only people there. It was dusk, and hearing the echo of our footsteps as we walked inside the rotunda, overlooking the Tidal Basin, felt almost surreal. Nothing special happened \u2014 it was just a quiet time of reflection after a long day of hustle and bustle and noise. <\/span><\/p>\n

My students were also very taken aback at Arlington Cemetery. The magnitude of seeing all of the headstones is indescribable. Mount Vernon was spectacular. Walking through the same spaces as George and Martha Washington was a really cool thought.<\/span><\/p>\n

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What kind of impact did this make on your students? Have you noticed a change in them?<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n

The 2017 inaugural trip was impactful. The election itself was made to be very controversial in the media and many of my students took a very strong stance for the candidate of their choice. <\/span><\/p>\n

One of my personal favorite moments was seeing two students laughing side by side, one wearing a pair of Hillary Clinton socks, the other wearing Donald Trump socks. It may be an insignificant detail, but knowing that my students have very strong political views but can still enjoy each other was very inspiring to me. <\/span><\/p>\n

What are your future travel plans?<\/span> <\/b><\/h3>\n

I plan on taking a group to the 2021 Inauguration and adding a New York leg to it as well. In all honesty, I do sometimes think, why am I traveling with all of these students \u2014 I could be taking a four-day trip with my family! However, these trips are some of the best experiences I have. <\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019m allowed to create a real-life learning experience for my students. They learn that there is life beyond the classroom. We learn and become fascinated by things that we encounter for the first time together. <\/span><\/p>\n

Whether it\u2019s the first time to hail a cab in NYC or standing at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial on MLK Day listening to groups singing the songs of the Civil Rights movement, my students always come back home wiser about the world that they live in.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Tracy also shared these helpful tips for getting the most out of an inauguration tour. Check them out!<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n

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  1. Wear a backpack, and pack it right:<\/i><\/strong><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    I never travel without a backpack on my tours. There\u2019s no need for a heavy-duty hiking backpack \u2013 just a simple $10 Walmart edition is enough. <\/span><\/p>\n

    A backpack allows a traveler to carry a few granola bars or packs of crackers and a bottle of water if needed. Food is not always around the corner and no one wants to be hungry or thirsty while enjoying our nation\u2019s capital. <\/span><\/p>\n

    Required meds, phone chargers, and other necessary items can be on hand at all times. Light layers can be tucked away safely while indoors. In my own backpack, I have a hard copy master phone list, bandaids, extra snacks, a phone charger, tissues, etc. <\/span><\/p>\n

    Sidenote: NO weapons or liquid drinks are usually allowed through TSA lines for the inauguration.<\/span><\/p>\n

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    1. Be ready for January weather, with layers:<\/i><\/strong><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Washington, DC in January, especially in the early morning, can be bitterly cold. Moving from outdoors to indoors multiple times throughout the day requires smart dressing. <\/span><\/p>\n

      Instead of wearing a heavy jacket, I advise my students and chaperones to pack multiple layers. A t-shirt over a long-sleeved shirt with a hoodie and light jacket has always proven to keep us warm when outside. When we head inside, it\u2019s easy to remove a light jacket and hoodie and stow them in a backpack to keep hands free and maintain a better body temp while enjoy the indoor activity. <\/span><\/p>\n

      Scarves and gloves are a must. If your ears are easily aggravated my chilly winds travelers may want to consider earmuffs or some kind of fleece band. <\/span><\/p>\n

      I would also suggest carrying a pair of spare socks with you \u2013 another great reason for a backpack. If it\u2019s wet or cold, your socks may get wet. It may seem like a little much, but getting into fresh, dry socks after a morning of walking and wetness is an amazing feeling.<\/span><\/p>\n

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      1. Stock up on snacks:<\/i><\/strong><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        Granola bars, peanut butter crackers, and packs of m&ms are easy to throw into a suitcase and, once at your final destination, transfer to a backpack. When I travel with a large group we usually make our first stop a grocery store where we load up on small snacks and large packs of bottled water. Travelers can grab a snack and water as they head out for their next destination. This saves time and money.<\/span><\/p>\n

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        1. Make (and share!) a list of phone numbers:<\/i><\/strong><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

          I always make a master phone list, put it into a jpeg or pdf format, and send the list to all travelers and an emergency number for someone back home. I also put the school, hotel, airline, and Explorica contact numbers on that list. Most everyone has email access and text capability on their phones, which allows everyone to have this document at all times.<\/span><\/p>\n

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          1. Wear comfortable shoes<\/i><\/strong><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

            Tours in big cities means a lot of walking. This is especially true for any inaugural tour. Plus, many streets are closed off for security purposes, which means more travel on foot. My groups have traveled as much as 17 miles in one day \u2013 luckily not all at once. Comfortable, broken-in shoes are a walker\u2019s best friend.<\/span><\/p>\n

             <\/p>\n

            Take your students on the historical trip of a lifetime on one of our <\/span>inauguration tours<\/span><\/a>! Give us a call at 1.888.310.7120 to get started, and hurry \u2014 spots fill up fast! <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

            Tracy is a Mississippi teacher who\u2019s taken her students to two presidential inaugurations, plus several other trips to New York City, Washington, DC, and Chicago. Here, she writes about her experiences with Explorica\u2019s presidential inauguration tours, how easy they were to plan, and what a great impact they made on her students. What made you Read More …<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8748,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[173,63,172],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8727","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-parents","category-students","category-teachers"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8727","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8727"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8727\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8757,"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8727\/revisions\/8757"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8748"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8727"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8727"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8727"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}