10 Our trips are bound by our Booking Terms & Conditions - for details visit discover-the-world.co.uk/educationalvisitsFrom the horses mouth.The ultimate aim of our educational trips is clear: to inspire students in the classroom and with their coursework by providing an enjoyable and above all, valuable excursion from school. What better way to see if we accomplish that goal than to hear from the students themselves? Here we have two accounts from students who have recently travelled to Iceland as well as an extract from a blog written by a student following a Morocco adventure."My first impression of Iceland was how vast and empty it was; it seemed like a huge rocky desert. You could see for miles and miles without seeing any life, and although it was bleak it was still very interesting and surreal.I found the trip very interesting and think it helped my knowledge of Geography a lot. It made me think about green energy (geothermal power), mountains, and how countries are made. And it has made my interest for the subject increase too. Even on the coach journeys our friendly guide made it fun by telling us lots of stories and describing the scenery outside. We saw amazing waterfalls, volcanoes and breath-taking scenery. In the evenings we had plenty of free time to have fun with friends too.I will never forget the black sandy ash that you could see everywhere, the lava deserts and the huge waterfalls. If I had to describe Iceland in three words they would be: amazing, exciting & out-of-this-world"Joe Laithwaite, 14"When the plane started the descent into Iceland all I could see for miles around was open space and lava rocks. Add in the coldness and the sudden burst of sleet and it quickly felt very different to home.The trip to Iceland gave me a new insight into geothermal power and how volcanoes work, I also learnt about glaciers and how places change. It has made me more interested in Geography, as I saw how amazing the world is around us and what different places and cultures are like. The Iceland trip was really great fun and I made some new friends with people I wouldn't normally know in school.I will always remember climbing the glacier and standing behind the great waterfall Seljalandsfoss, hearing the thunder of water and how freezing cold it was! If I were to describe Iceland I would say it is extraordinary, unique and eggy!"Sam Carter, 13Thingvellir Blue LagoonReynisfjara

talk to the experts 01737 214 214 11In April 2011 myself, and a group of 40 other students spent 5 nights and 6 days in Morocco as part of our Geography studies.Day 2 We were up at 7 o'clock. We drove through mountainous roads and on desert-like tracks; on our journey we saw many baby camels and mountain goats and we stopped for several 'Kodak moments' to give us time to take pictures of our beautiful surroundings. After lunch at a Moroccan café we continued our journey. Before reaching Ouarzazate, we made one final stop at the Moroccan film studios, where films such as Gladiator and Star Wars were shot. We had a tour of the grounds and got to see different film sets, which everyone really enjoyed! After this we checked in to our hotel, had dinner then joined in with a bit of Moroccan dancing. Day 3 We travelled to the east side of the High Atlas Mountains where Todra Gorge is situated; we saw spectacularly high rocks and the beautiful stream that runs through them. After visiting a marble factory we split up into small groups and departed on our journey to the desert in a convoy of 4x4 Land Rovers, the journey was absolutely amazing and was one of the best parts of the trip! It took around an hour to get to the Berber tents where we would be spending the night, surrounded by perfect sand dunes. We had traditional Moroccan tea and a chance to explore our surroundings before dinner. In the tents it was fairly scary at first, but once we got used to the sounds, bugs and the chilly climate, it was a fantastic night and a great opportunity never to be forgotten! Day 4 At 5:30am we got ready for our camel ride through the desert. When we mounted the camels it felt like you were going to fall off, but once we gained our balance, it was brilliant! After the short but bumpy ride, we got off our camels and walked up the sand dunes to see the sunrise. There were no clouds in the sky and the sun looked beautiful! Afterwards, we rode back to the tents, got our belongings and were driven through the desert in our 4x4's to Ouarzazate. We loaded our things onto the coach and on our way back to the hotel we stopped to walk through an oasis to look at the spring and lush vegetation, very much contrasting our desert surroundings. Day 5 We checked out of the hotel and headed to a local pharmacy to have a talk about Moroccan spices and herbs, learning what they are used for and why. This was a fantastic experience and a great chance to learn something new. We got a last opportunity to visit the Souk to purchase some souvenirs to take home then headed off to the airport to catch our flight back to Gatwick.Blog extract by Claire Rickard, 16Cascades d'Ouzoud © GavinD© DoctorBass