Describe an educational trip you went on. You should say:
Where this place was; What you did at this place; Who you went there with;
And explain why you thought this trip was educational.

Sample Answer:

When I was in class six, the school authority arranged an educational tour to the city botanical garden. I was very much interested to participate in it and after I got my parent’s permission, I enrolled in the trip. It was a trip to the largest botanical garden called (…say a name…) and we were almost 30 students and 5-6 teachers in the trip.

After we reached the garden I was very much enthralled to watch such a beautiful place that seemed very green and different from the place we lived. The journey took 3-4 hours and I enjoyed my visit a lot. The place very large and there were several thousands of trees, some hills, lakes etc. the large trees gave us the impression of the woods and I felt like we came to visit a large woods of a mediaeval age. The teachers introduced us with several plants and flowers and there were many plants and flowers that I read or heard about but have never seen before that day.

We learned about the importance of forests, the necessity and our responsibility to make the world a better place for all the species and not just for humans only. We learned some medical and herbal aspects of many trees and one of the teachers explained how the plants and their ingredients are still used to make life-saving medicines. The whole trip was educational and enjoyable as well.

This was a very important trip for me as I had the scope to visit such a beautiful place surrounded by green trees and flowers. I learned many things about the plants and their usefulness. I also learned about the natural equilibrium and why should we maintain a greener environment for our own betterment.

Follow-up questions:

1. Do you think it’s true that travel broadens the mind?
   I do, yes. I wouldn’t want to disparage people who haven’t travelled because that is almost invariable due to a lack of opportunity. I doubt any of my great-grandparents’ generation ever travelled anywhere. But I can’t help but think that it does make you a more open-minded person, as you see different ways of living, eating, drinking, interacting with others, and it allows you to see your own culture more objectively. It also leads to you having a wider range of experiences and makes you more interesting to talk to.
2. Do you people and older people benefit differently from travelling?
   I think younger people tend to enjoy adventure and having fun. And older people value relaxation more because they have so many responsibilities at home that what they want more than anything is to switch off when they go away. Of course, that’s a generalization and only takes you so far. I know it’s true of me, though.
3. How can you make sure you get the most from your travels?
   I’ve always thought learning something of the language of the country you’re going to is the best possible way of benefiting fully from your holiday. That way, the local population isn’t so likely to see you as an outsider, but rather as someone who has made the effort of learning some words and expressions, and has an interest in their culture.
4. What are the positive impacts of tourism?
   They are manifold. Tourism brings investment and better infrastructure to poorer communities. This means that tourist find it easier to get around, but it also leads to an improved quality of life of the local people. It also brings about greater work opportunities of the local community. Previously, for example, they may just have had finishing or farming, but tourism opens up the possibility of higher earning jobs.
5. What about the negative impacts of tourism?
   Well, I’ve seen areas where larger numbers of visitor have had a detrimental effect on local habitats. For example, coral reefs in the Caribbean. It’s really tragic. The best solution, as far as the wildlife is concerned, would be to ban tourism for a few decades to let the reefs, recover, but, of course, the local economy has come to rely on tourism and there would be an uproar if the government were to take that drastic step.
6. How has tourism impacted tourist sites in your country?
   I think, because my country is a big tourist destination yet, the small number of visitors we get have had only a positive effect. For ample, small souvenir shops now have a larger clientele because of the visitors coming to see our templates.
7. Other possible questions:
   What is the importance of travelling?
   What type of places do you recommend people to visit on vacation?
   What places do you want to visit in future? Why?
   Can travelling affect children? How?
   What is the best kind of holiday for children/teenagers/adults?