Review of S-Trip!: Canada’s student travel powerhouse

It is estimated that the average Canadian takes one international trip annually. While the majority of trips are to our southern neighbour, the United States, there are plenty of Canadians who venture beyond North America in favour of European destinations or tropical locales. http://www.travelandescape.ca/2013/01/how-often-do-you-travel-every-year/

International travel has steadily grown over the last decade and in fact is currently one of the largest industries globally. According to Statistics Canada, in 2010 the number of international tourists reached 940 million around the world.  To put that number in clearer perspective, that’s roughly 13 percent of the earth’s population. http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/66-201-x/2010000/part-partie1-eng.htm

A 2011 Travel Biz Monitor survey found respondents spent 40 percent of their spare income or savings on traveling to new destinations abroad. http://www.travelbizmonitor.com/Trend-Watch/niche-tourism–opportunities-for-india-14794

As a result of the immense popularity of overseas travel, a variety of niche service providers have sprung up over the last decade. From providers offering singles, couples and seniors trips to companies offering thrill-seekers the trip of a lifetime, there is indeed something for everybody in the travel industry.

Some of the most popular niche travel segments include eco, rural, cruise, sports, adventure and wildlife tourism. However, as Travel Biz Monitor notes, there are also a number of other segments that are growing in popularity, including  ancestral tourism, tribal tourism, volunteer tourism, student travel, lesbian gay bisexual and transgender travel (GLBT), photographic tourism, and gastronomic tourism. http://www.travelbizmonitor.com/Trend-Watch/niche-tourism–opportunities-for-india-14794

One of the fastest growing sectors under the niche umbrella is student tourism. Companies that facilitate student vacations provide tours, trips and exciting excursions that specifically focus on high school, college and university aged students and tailor their programs to fit the priorities of these younger generations. Facilitating group spring break vacations, graduation trips and weekend getaways, student tourism providers offer the high-paced, action-packed adventures that student travelers often look for.

The important thing to realize, however, is that student tourism isn’t all about partying.  In fact, an increasingly significant component of student tourism involves volunteering and providing young travelers the opportunity to give back to the communities they visit.

Consider Canadian-based S-Trip!, an organization that for the past thirty-five years has offered life-changing graduation trips for high school students to destinations like the Yucatan, Cuba and the Bahamas.  As reviews of S-Trip! on its company website (http://www.s-trip.com/#!/Friendship) indicate, their vacations are one-of-a-kind, in part because they are facilitated by former S-Trip! travelers.  http://s-tripreviews.brandyourself.com/

All good and fun, but as S-Trip! has grown, so has the company’s priority in incorporating international volunteer initiatives in their trips. In fact, over the last five years, S-Trip! has helped their travelers spend more than 15,000 hours volunteering in the communities they visit. As a result, these travelers have built things like community centres, houses, and even a computer lab.    http://business.financialpost.com/entrepreneur/youth-travel-agency-s-trip-finds-new-ways-to-thrive-in-tourism-business

These volunteer opportunities expose young adults to indigenous cultures and leave a lasting impact. Volunteer tourism reviews of S-Trip! recount life changing experiences, enduring friendships and enhanced global perspectives.

This year, S-Trip! hopes to offer volunteer tourism experiences to 6,000 student travelers – a goal-oriented initiative that includes making positive ecological changes to the locations S-Trip! travelers visit.  Another word for that is “eco-conservation”, a term that dovetails into a broader and increasingly popular area of tourism: ecotourism.

Similar to volunteer tourism, ecotourism is a burgeoning industry that turns a vacation into a learning experience and is centered around the premise of supporting and conserving natural habitats. Eco-tourists often visit exotic locales like the rainforest or the Indian jungle, and instead of simply touring these destinations, eco-tourists participate in conservation and preservation efforts, while simultaneously learning about the impact of the habitat on the greater ecosystem.

“Offering market-linked long-term solutions, ecotourism provides effective economic incentives for conserving and enhancing bio-cultural diversity and helps protect the natural and cultural heritage of our beautiful planet,” notes the International Ecotourism Society. https://www.ecotourism.org/book/why-ecotourism-important

The emergence and growth of niche volunteer and ecotourism providers truly shows the growing demand for vacations that provide more than just a day at the beach. These companies offer their travelers opportunities to make deep and meaningful impacts on the places they visit.