Next summer, 40 North Penn students will embark on a trip across Europe, touching down in Switzerland and venturing into Italy, France, and Spain. Now is the time to sign up.
The Alps and Mediterranean Coast trip is run by North Penn History Teacher, Mr. Eric Lorandeau. It is his fifth time running a trip like this, and takes place from July 22 to August 1, 2025. The trip has a full-time director, seven sightseeing tours, and flight, hotel, and meal costs are all included. If you enroll by midnight on September 30th, you’ll receive a $300 discount.
“As the parent of a student who traveled with Mr. Lorandeu, I would recommend your child to go on any of the trips run by him. Everything was so organized and we received daily updates and pictures from him. My daughter had an amazing experience and she said being on a tour was better than going alone as you got to see so much and were well informed about what you were seeing,” Erin Green, a parent, said.
The group will stop in towns and cities across Europe, including Lucerne, Lake Como, Cinque Terre, the French Rivera, and Barcelona. There is also an extension to the trip that adds three days to the trip in Madrid.
There are many personal benefits to going outside your comfort zone a little bit and exploring a very unfamiliar area.
“At the end of every trip, the growth of our students, so many of our students go on these trips nervous. The amount of growth in independence and confidence that they walk away with, in many cases they’re different when they come back than what they were when they left.” Lorandau stated.
Upon return, students can opt to take a college-level course through Education First, which organizes the trip and possibly earn 3 college credits. Going on the trip can provide a great addition to a college application.
“This is good fodder for that college essay when you’re applying, you can write about ‘I really took a chance, went to a foreign country,’ you can talk about the growth in confidence and maturity and responsibility, things no doubt colleges would eat up,” Lorandaeu added.
The trip costs $4,564, but signing up before 9/30/24 provides that $300 discount. It can be paid monthly for $464 a month or bi-weekly for $232. After October 1st, though, the price increases by another $100, so signing up early saves a solid portion of money.
Students interested in going must sign up by October 4th, and enrollment and more information can be found at the sign up page.