As summer approaches, a new wave of study tours is in full swing. In recent years, the core of the popular overseas study tours should have been a combination of "traveling" and "learning". Some parents believe that studying abroad not only allows their children to visit foreign scenery, but also allows them to experience famous overseas schools in a short period of time, killing two birds with one stone. However, there are also some overseas study abroad summer camps disguised as "integrating education with travel", which often cost tens of thousands of yuan, but in reality, they prioritize "travel" over "learning", making students and parents exclaim "not cost-effective".

7-year-old children also travel to study

Young age is a new characteristic

The rise of parent-child family style study tours has contributed to the younger generation of study tours. Last July, XX from Beijing went to the Philippines with her 7-year-old son. She said that taking the child out to play and learn oral English together would kill two birds with one stone.

The author learned from the New Oriental International Study Abroad Consulting Office that the study abroad craze has given rise to a "study abroad fever". For example, the main products such as the European and American study abroad life experience series had 70% of their routes fully booked by early June. "A few years ago, third and high school students were the main force of study tours, but now their age has decreased, and the first and even elementary school students are gradually seizing the market."

The main destination for study tours should be English speaking countries. Taking a two-week study tour as an example, the highest cost is to go to countries such as the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, with most expenses ranging from 30000 to 40000 yuan or even higher; The relatively low-cost option is the Asian route, priced at around 10000 or 20000 yuan.

From the perspective of the purpose of studying abroad, statistics show that nearly 40% of the study abroad group last year were preparing for studying abroad, 30% of consumers wanted to experience the customs and traditions of overseas, and a considerable number of people just wanted to have a "go and go" trip.

In the opinion of Professor Lin Shanshan from the Department of Tourism Management at Zhejiang University, students above middle school and adults are most suitable for studying abroad. It is best for elementary school students to participate in parent-child study tours or self guided tours with their parents.

Personal customized travel and learning

Choosing diversity is key

In the context of diversified demands, personalized study tours are becoming increasingly popular, and the ability to choose customized products that suit oneself is the key to the success or failure of study tours.

Chen Junxu, Deputy General Manager of Maggie Study Tour, stated that the current customized study tour route allows for the free combination of travel and study ratios according to needs, and the study tour cycle and location selection are also more flexible.

In the eyes of some parents, "study tours are preparatory classes for studying abroad.". Parents hope that through studying abroad, their children can experience whether they are suitable for studying abroad and avoid blindly going abroad. Mr. XX hopes to sow the seeds of studying abroad for his daughter XX, who is in her second year of junior high school, through a study tour. Therefore, after discussing with the study tour institution and based on the child's actual English level and needs, he has chosen a product that offers "morning classes and afternoon play" and can choose some places to visit independently. Having experienced different learning experiences in Australia, Wu Siyi was very happy.

However, sixth grade student XX from Changsha was not so lucky. Her parents did not carefully compare the specific projects of the study tour and thought they were participating in a fun and educational 2-week study tour in Canada. As a result, the child who participated in the tour alone only changed places to play games. There is also freshman student Ma XX, who originally thought of visiting various prestigious schools in the United States, but eventually became a "stop here" for campus tours.

How can "study tours" not be "blind tours"