Each year during spring break, 8th grade students from Lake Nona Middle School load up three buses and embark on a 12-hour journey to our nation’s capital, Washington, D.C. At the same time that students are loading the chartered buses and parents are either ready to cry or celebrate that their 13- or 14-year-old student will be gone for a week, another set of students is organizing at the Orlando International Airport for an eight-hour journey across the Atlantic Ocean to western Europe for the annual Lake Nona HS Europe Senior Trip.
Over the past two years, I had the unique opportunity to travel with both schools during spring break. This is the time of year that schools are holding parent meetings and sharing ideas on how to fundraise for the specific trip. Please note that these trips are not sponsored by Orange County Public Schools, however, they are organized and led by teachers at each school.
Washington, D.C.: Estimated cost $1,300-$1,500
Who Goes: 8th Grade Students at Lake Nona Middle School
How You Get There: By bus overnight. The bus ride is one of the best parts of the trip as many kids experience true freedom from their parents for the first time. What I experienced on my bus was young teenagers engaging with one another, singing songs, playing games, making new friends and interviewing their teachers. The bus stops in Jacksonville for dinner and makes another stop to switch drivers around 2 a.m. in South Carolina. The bus pulls into Williamsburg, Va., around 7 a.m. for breakfast as the students prepare to tackle one of our country’s oldest cities.
The Itinerary: We arrived very early in Williamsburg and experienced the small town, as well as the College of William & Mary, which is also one of the oldest universities in the United States. Williamsburg is a living museum. Students participate in mock trials from the 1700s, learn about life and survival, and hear from residents about life in that era. The night is capped off with a “Ghost Tour” of Williamsburg before heading to Washington, D.C., for the evening.
The next four days, we are in Washington with our tour guide “JJ” from Global Travel Alliance. In Washington, students get a chance to visit all of our national monuments as well as a guided tour of the Capitol building. When I went on our trip, we even met briefly with Congresswoman Stephanie Murphy, who spent about 30 minutes with our group talking about Congress and the legislative process. Students also visit Arlington National Cemetery and experience the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Students also attend an improv comedy show at the Kennedy Center in the evening.
Safety/Security: There is one chaperone for every five to eight students. There is also specific site security at the hotels on the student’s floors to ensure no one goes in or out of the student’s hotel rooms.
What Is Included: Everything!! Breakfast, lunch and dinner, as well as transportation and hotels. Students will want to bring spending money for possible snacks and souvenirs.

Western Europe: Estimated cost $3,000-$3,200
**Please note the itinerary changes each year. Our trip was to London, Paris and Barcelona.
Who Goes: Mainly seniors, but open to all students and parents.
How You Get There: By plane overnight. We were very blessed to fly directly into London without having a layover. While the flight seemed long, the airline (we flew British Airways) had free movies to help pass the time. Students were very engaged with one another at the beginning of the trip, talking about what they wanted to see and experience. Most slept on the plane until we landed in London, where we hit the ground running with a walking tour of the downtown London area.
The Itinerary: For our itinerary, we spent two days in London, three days in Paris and two days in Barcelona.
In London, we spent most of our time walking to see famous places like Big Ben, the Tower Bridge, and Buckingham Palace. We also had a special tour of areas of London that inspired J.K. Rowling to write the Harry Potter books. We left the city to tour the city of Windsor and Windsor Castle. The day we visited the castle, the queen was on site. Sadly, she did not come to greet us.
We took a bullet train from London to Paris and spent three days in the City of Lights. Paris was my favorite city and absolutely beautiful. We were able to go to the Louvre, Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral and the Palace of Versailles, as well as climb the Eiffel Tower and see the Arc de Triomphe. We also took a cruise and toured the city from the Seine River.
We took another bullet train from Paris to Barcelona. The train ride through the countryside was serene and perfect. Barcelona was a beautiful city, and taking an architectural tour of Antoni Goudi was the icing on the cake to a perfect trip!!
Safety/Security: The adult to student ratio was four-to-one on our trip. Everywhere on our trip, we saw police or military and had a great sense of safety.
What Is Included: Airfare, hotel, breakfast and dinner. Students will need to bring money for lunch and souvenirs.
Overall, both trips are excellent, and the cost is well below what you would spend if you did the trip on your own without a large group. The relationships and the experiences that students receive on the teacher-led trips cannot be matched. I highly recommend both trips for rising 8th graders and any student and family that would like to travel to Europe at Lake Nona HS.
For more information on Washington, D.C., please contact Mr. Gee at tony.gee@ocps.net. For more information on the Europe trip, please contact David Grimm at david.grimm@ocps.net.