• Our study trips are something completely different from a package tour with a charter company. Many of our trips go to places that are not easily accessible on your own.
• We have local contacts who provide better content on the journey and deeper insight into the country and culture we visit.
• We have built up extensive experience over many years, where the trip itineraries are adjusted and improved year by year.

• The trips are set in a context, with a program and content linked to your specific course, giving you the best possible outcome. Depending on which course you choose, we do everything from food distribution in Bulgaria and orphanage visits in Brazil to jungle visits with local Laotians and aid projects in both Kenya and Thailand.
• We prepare for the trips and learn about the countries and cultures we are visiting.
• We focus on genuine human encounters and cultural understanding. On our trips, we want to give you experiences you need for life.

• We have local contacts in the countries who provide unique meetings with the local population and give us better prices on accommodation and experiences than you would get on your own.

We take student safety seriously. That’s why we have:

• Access to vaccinations tailored to your travel destinations. The vaccines are administered at the school by two local doctors we work closely with.
• Our own dedicated freezer container where luggage is frozen after trips, so you avoid getting bedbugs in your room or bringing them home. (Bedbugs are a rapidly growing problem in travel and are very unpleasant. Only freezing kills all bedbugs.)
• We have travel insurance included for all our students.
• It is safer to travel together with others, and your safety is looked after in a completely different way when you travel with us than if you travel alone.

• Sharing the experience with many new friends makes the experience much more powerful, and you have someone to share the memories with afterwards.

• At Hurdal Verk, we dare to claim that we are the folk high school that is best at travel. According to EPSI user surveys, we score at the very top compared to other schools both when it comes to content, experiences, and value for money on our trips.

• Our unique location only 30 minutes from Gardermoen Airport also means we avoid expensive transit travel within Norway when we head out.

• In an increasingly polarized world, we believe that young people need to meet people from other cultures to learn that there are different ways of living, thinking, and acting.
• If we stop traveling, we risk becoming more inward-looking and xenophobic. Experiencing other cultures provides understanding and tolerance, and shapes people who are less suspicious of strangers.
• You get a broader worldview and learn that there are many ways to live life.

• Many prejudices come from ignorance. When young people get first-hand experiences of other cultures, stereotypes and misunderstandings disappear.
• They see the world with their own eyes and gain a more nuanced view of other peoples and traditions.
• By meeting people from different backgrounds, young people learn how to communicate, regardless of language or cultural differences.
• They become better at reading body language and understanding different social codes, and they must communicate across languages and cultures.

• Professional life is becoming increasingly international, and understanding different cultures is a major advantage.
• Many jobs require collaboration with people from all over the world, and cultural competence is becoming more important than ever.

• Traveling provides experience in making your own decisions, solving problems, and handling unforeseen situations.
• You have to navigate unfamiliar surroundings, which builds confidence and independence.
• Our trips often involve meeting new challenges and situations you aren’t used to, and you have to step out of your comfort zone. This builds mental strength and the ability to handle uncertainty.

• When you see how other people live, it can provide a new perspective on how good you have it yourself, making you more grateful for your own country and home.
• Meeting people living in poverty can create social engagement and a desire to help others.
• You learn to appreciate the small things in everyday life more.

Study trips abroad are an important part of the educational program at Hurdal Verk. The purpose of the trips is to promote general education and public enlightenment (cf. Section 1 of the Folk High School Act), and to support the school’s goal of “Equipping for life – Preparing for eternity.”

The courses have different focuses on the trips based on their various subject areas. The courses must have a clear purpose for the study trip and the destination, both academically and socially.

Although the main focus varies across the courses’ trips, we have some common expectations for the content of the trips:

What do we want students to learn and experience on our study trips?

• See how other people live
• See differences and put your own life into perspective
• Break down prejudices

What should a good study trip contain?

• Human encounters – Cultural encounters
• Doing something together with local people
• Good academic content within the student’s field of study that we cannot easily see or experience at home.
• To the extent possible: Giving something back to the local community – Being involved in serving others.
• Room for reflection during and after the trip

What preparations do we expect everyone to have made before the trips?

• Familiarize ourselves with culture, history, religion, governance, and food in advance
• Learn about local customs and ways of doing things to show people and nature the necessary respect wherever we go
• Students should be involved in the planning so they gain ownership of the design and purpose of the trip
• Reflect on the mode of travel and climate footprint in connection with the trip
• Use the Global Travel Rules in the planning of the trips