So, you’ve convinced the powers-that-be to approve that New York City student tour, but you only have two days? A destination this exciting can overwhelm you with its sheer possibility. You can probably think of several days worth of NYC attractions just from movies you’ve seen, blogs you’ve read, or the friend of a cousin of a friend who’s been there and says you absolutely MUST see such-and-such. So what do you do with only a TWO days?

For starters, stay somewhere nice, within easy distance either to the attractions you want to see most or to the transportation. It’s just one night, so consider how well you want to be able to sleep considering the energy you’ll need for all that sightseeing.

Next – here are some attractions we put in our shorter itineraries for New York City student tours. Some of these give you a great overall glimpse of this amazing city. Others put you right in the midst of its fascinating energy. 

The Beast – The Beast is an exciting (and gigantic!) speedboat that zips you around the NYC harbor so you can take in the sights from the water. You’ll get close to the Statue of Liberty with a great opportunity for photos.

Top of the Rock – What better way to see most of the city at once than from standing way above it? Top of the Rock is a modern alternative to the traditional Empire State Building. The lines are easier to take (with time-stamped tickets), the climb more interactive, and the view every bit as breathtaking. Plus, it’s part of the amazing Rockefeller Center, a favorite New York tradition.

NY SkyRide – Don’t think we’re dissing the good ol’ ESB though. The Empire State Building has an attraction quickly becoming a New York favorite, and it might make a great addition to a quick tour. It’s a virtually simulated flight over New York City. It may be slightly less authentic than a rooftop view, but you’ll get a much closer look.

Times Square – This famous intersection is something most NYC visitors want to see at least once. Broadway shows, a television studio, Hershey store, wax museum, and Ripley’s Believe it or Not are just some of the attractions on it. And that’s not even to mention the huge billboards known around the world, which make this a fun attraction after dark.

Central Park – Who can resist those open spaces where you can stroll or picnic with skyscrapers towering just beyond the pretty trees? Central Park is rich with attractions too, and there are some really fun tours available for it – like the one showcasing previous movie locations from films we know you’ll recognize. Central Park is a New York City icon, and a great stop for even the shortest tour.

If you have any time left in the day, you might want to hit one of NYC’s museums – like Ripley’s or Madame Tussaud’s (mentioned above) or the more traditional Met or Museum of Natural History. In the evening, there’s nothing like catching a show. If you can squeeze in a Broadway performance, we guarantee you won’t regret it.

Check out our pages for more NYC ideas, but hopefully this gives you just a taste of what to do with only a little time.

Photo Credit: jillclardy on Flickr

I’m so excited about a new project we’re working on for student groups. THEME TOURS. We’re going to be building sample itineraries over the summer so we’re all set for you when you return to school in the fall and can’t wait to organize student travel based on fashion, art, literature, ecotours, volunteer work, and just about anything you can imagine!

Book lovers will love our literature tours like the one near Boston that leads you to Orchard House (pictured here by redjar on Flickr). Orchard House was one of the homes of Louisa May Alcott and her family. Other famous author sites are nearby as well, including Walden Pond, which the Alcotts visited at times and about which Henry David Thoreau wrote the famous book by the same name. 

Our fashion tours are another exciting idea for students. The fashion industry is one of the most vibrant in the world. On this tour you can consider its fascination as an art form and get a very specific glimpse into its possibilities as a career choice. This tour gets you inside some very exciting aspects of the fashion industry – from Tommy Hilfiger’s office to a one-on-one with a member of a powerful fashion publishing group. 

Ecotours and those with volunteer opportunities are especially popular these days as well. With a greater awareness of our responsibility to the earth, students love the idea of a true encounter with nature and its powerful inspiration to “stay green”. Volunteer work varies from homebuilding to the cleaning up of our gorgeous national parks and so much more. Check out our student theme tours page to see what else we’ve got planned along these lines, and be sure to keep checking back for more! Better yet, leave us comments on what YOU think would make an awesome theme tour for students.

(Photo of Bloomingdale’s by scalleja on Flickr)

Just because we’re so good at student tours to D.C., New York City, and other fascinating destinations in the States, don’t think we can’t customize a thrilling tour overseas as well. If a trip to Orlando or Virginia Beach seems a little too been-there-done-that for this season’s student travel, how about a summer trip to Europe instead?

For many, European tours are a once-in-a-lifetime experience, so you’ll want to make the most of it. Our sample itinerary includes breathtaking sites from London to Paris. It begins with a walking tour of London. On Day 3 you’ll experience the wonder of Windsor. On Day 4 the train ride from London to Paris is an attraction in itself. And Paris will thrill you from the moment you take the introductory and walking tours. This first day in Paris also provides a tour from the River Seine. 

Your time in Paris also includes the Louvre, Versailles, and the Eiffel Tower. Just seven days, and you’ll experience some of the most beautiful highlights and most popular attractions in Europe. We’ll customize your tour if you have other ideas as well. But at least consider. You’re young, excited about life’s possibilities, and searching for inspiration – isn’t this the perfect time for your first tour of Europe?

Photo Credit: Anirudh Koul on Flickr

One of the most exciting Disney opportunities for Orlando educational tours isn’t exactly a place. It’s a program and one every teacher should consider when planning student travel. 

The Disney Y.E.S. program stands for Youth Education Series. And few educational programs are quite so exciting as this. Walt Disney was passionate about creativity, invention, and technological innovation. He loved to inspire through entertainment. But he also loved to educate through inspiration – to open the eyes of his viewers and visitors to a world of possibility. The Disney parks and studios celebrate this spirit every day as they bring science and imagination together in every film, attraction, and entertainment experience.

The Disney Y.E.S. program takes this vision another step, having created an educational series focused on popular subjects and infused with Disney magic. The program connects student groups to a specially trained Disney facilitator for a behind-the-scenes Disney experience that highlights exactly how learning and education have been put to use to create Walt Disney’s dream.

These amazing educational experiences can be focused on one of four areas of interest: Humanities, Life Management, Natural Sciences, and Physical Sciences. This has to be the most exciting way to study any one of these subjects. This is one learning experience to which every one of your students will gladly say yes. 

Photo Credit: CCRcreations on Flickr

If the Magic Kingdom is Disney’s take on animation, Epcot Center is Disney innovation, and Hollywood Studios is Disney’s showcase of movie magic – what’s next? Disney’s take on lions, tigers, bears, and all kinds of mythical creatures too in its one-of-kind zoo-slash-theme-park extravaganza: Animal Kingdom.

The tree of life is the centerpiece for this amazing park – you may have seen it in photos and commercials. It is 14 stories tall and has trails leading through and around it to help you view and find the 325 animals carved into it. Another popular sculpture is Dino-Sue, which is a replica of the largest T-rex skeleton ever discovered. But don’t think Disney’s Animal Kingdom is all illusion. Many of the animals here are as real as they can be.

You’ll see them as you journey through Africa in an open-sided safari vehicle. This Kilimanjaro Safari promises giraffes, rhinos, zebras, lions and more – roaming their natural terrain. The Maharajah Jungle Trek is a gorgeous adventure through Asia with the beautiful tigers, crumbling ruins, and vegetation to make the surroundings authentically Asian.

Dinoland offers both a discovery center and a dark thrill ride to suit all personalities and create an entire world out of these favorite prehistoric creatures. And for mythical thrills, you’ll love Expedition Everest with dips, drops, sudden turns and an encounter with the legendary yeti.

Animal Kingdom Park is far more than a theme park and far more than a zoo. It’s a unique entertainment experience perfect for Orlando student tours and guaranteed to thrill.

Photo Credit: Rob J Brooks on Flickr

There are few partnerships as fully entertaining as Disney and Hollywood. Movies are probably the most popular entertainment medium in our century, and they are a wonderful showcase for the kind of innovation and creativity Disney wants to inspire in us all. The building of Disney’s Hollywood Studios was inevitable in light of that. And it’s one of the more popular choices for Orlando student tours.

Michael Eisner’s words at the dedication speech for Disney MGM, which eventually became Disney’s Hollywood Studios, is one of my favorite quotes of all time. He dedicated the park to Hollywood, which he described as, “Not a place on a map, but a state of mind that exists wherever people dream and wonder and imagine.” Disney’s Hollywood Studios is filled with attractions to celebrate that Hollywood spirit.

Disney fans will love the live action theaters that bring to life your favorite animated films, including Beauty and the Beast and The Little Mermaid. To showcase the stunts and special effects at which Hollywood excels, the park created Lights, Motor, Action – a thrilling, high-octane stunt show. The Great Movie Ride slows things down a bit, giving you a tour through Hollywood history, celebrating several of its classic films. You can also take a back lot tour through the Disney studios themselves and maybe even catch a glimpse of some of your favorite stars.

One of the most popular attractions in the park is the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. The ride begins relaxing enough through the Twilight Zone’s mysterious mansion, but your abrupt and surprising exit from it is the part that produces the terror. It’s the most popular thrill in the park, and you’re sure to love it too.

Besides all these, you can experience exciting attractions based on Star Wars, Indiana Jones, the Muppets, and much, much more. You’ll find gifts in the shopping district you can hardly resist. And you’ll love every minute of your stay in this fantastic movie world: Disney’s Hollywood.

Photo Credit: ivanlanin on Flickr

Epcot is one of the most fascinating of the Disney parks. Do you know what the letters stand for? Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow. In Epcot, you really get a feel for the vision of Walt Disney himself – his desire to educate people on innovation, technology, invention, and what we can become when we put our creativity to work.

Today the park has veered slightly from its original intent. It’s not exactly an experimental community as much as a showcase – a showcase for innovation AND a showcase for cultural diversity. You can experience the former in the section of the park called Future Worlds. The giant sphere that symbolizes the park as a whole is actually Spaceship Earth where guests journey through the history of human communication from prehistoric times to the future. Another innovative ride here is Soarin’, on which you take a (simulated) flight over the Redwoods and other beautiful scenery in California. If you prefer your mode of transportation to stay on solid ground, you might like Test Track. This longest, fastest ride in the park shows off the world of automobiles from their humble beginnings through decades of fascinating improvement.

Inspiration abounds in the Future Worlds section of Epcot, but some of the most beloved aspects of the park are found on the other side in the exotic and intriguing World Showcase. You’ll soon find yourself in Mexico, France, Italy, China, the United Kingdom and beyond when the architecture, costumes, food, and shopping all take on the authenticity of various countries around the globe. The World Showcase is one of the more popular reasons to include Epcot Center in your Orlando student tours, because it literally opens your eyes to a world of possibility – something Epcot has been accomplishing since its beginning.

Photo Credit: Growl Roar on Flickr

What do you do when you need an emotional boost? Turn to a good book or a long drive? Or perhaps your favorite music?

This week I’m highlighting the entertainment powerhouse, Disney, and five of the major reasons you should include it in Orlando student tours. What’s that have to do with an emotional boost? Only this: The Disney franchise is so good at fun, entertainment, and sheer excellence, that each of its parks and opportunities are like the emotional boost of a lifetime – at least for the entire year. And this week I’m going to remind you why.

This photo by d4rr3ll on Flickr shows you one of my favorite, emotional-boosting, aspects of Disney’s amazing and extremely popular Magic Kingdom, the nightly fireworks display. Just try to stay in a grumpy mood during this fantastic sound, music, and fireworks display that is all the more awe-inspiring when you consider the fact that it happens every single night whether you’re there or not. The timing is seriously breathtaking as the fireworks shoot above the castle perfectly synchronized with a soundtrack of Disney songs, music, and movie quotes. 

Of course, that happens at the end of the night just before the park closes. You’re going to enjoy several rides on Space Mountain before that excitement. You will have fully explored the classic rides in Fantasy Land – like Peter Pan and It’s a Small World. You will have seen the exciting addition of Captain Jack Sparrow himself to the Pirates of the Caribbean ride your parents knew without him. You and Brer Rabbit probably got acquainted in line for the favorite, Splash Mountain. You will have laughed through the Jungle Cruise, competed with your friends in Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, and probably outspent your allowance on Main Street. 

By the time you witness the amazing fireworks display you should be collapsed on the sidewalk just beyond the castle (try a little to the right side where most of the display takes place). You’ll barely be awake, but the show will stir your heart nonetheless. Exhaustion was inevitable. Emotional boost? Accomplished.

Our company has been sending students all over the country for over a decade now, and Philadelphia educational tours are still very popular, especially with an emphasis in history. In fact, as mentioned a while back, Forbes Traveler found Independence National Historic Park in Philadelphia to be one of the top 25 visited attractions in the nation. Which brings us to the beautiful fountain we’re featuring today, surrounded by some of Philadelphia’s most popular attractions and rich with tradition: The Swann Memorial Fountain.

Dr. Wilson Carey Swann was the founder of the Philadelphia Fountain Society, and this beautiful centerpiece was designed in his honor, complete with sculptured swans – a play on his name. Large native American figures also grace this landmark and are symbols of the three major rivers in the area.

Swann Memorial Fountain is located in Logan Circle. It stands as the midpoint for Ben Franklin Parkway where both City Hall and the Philadelphia Museum of Art tower nearby. This fountain is therefore bound to figure into your Philadelphia tour whether you plan for it or not. In the past, it has been popular for swimming in the summer, which was eventually banned – by security and everything. But there are still traditions in the city – which make the local news – that include celebrations by emersion in this popular city landmark, including annual end-of-the-school-year jubilees.

This is a beautiful centerpiece to any Philadelphia tour – and yet another gorgeous fountain in our week of celebrating those refreshing, traditional city landmarks we cannot help but love.

Photo Credit: michaelwm25 on Flickr