In this interview with The Mercury, Mr. Pollard discusses the upcoming Europe trip, which will take place in the summer of 2027, and reflects back on last year’s trip. The 2027 trip will be an expansion of the one in February 2025, with the destinations being Rome, Paris, and London. The trip will cost around $5,800 per student, and will cover 8 days.
Q: What made you choose England as the destination?
A: I lived in London when I was a child, and I think it’s a really interesting city with a lot of history. It’s very dynamic, very fast-paced. It attracts a lot of young professionals, and there’s no language barrier, which is good.
Q: What was the most surprising or unexpected part of last year’s trip?
A: The most surprising part was how much the students liked Normandy, where we visited some of the beaches and saw some of the concrete bunkers.
Q: Do you have a favorite city or landmark that you visited?
A: I really liked driving through the fields of Normandy, and the beaches there.
Q: What was your favorite dish that you tried?
A: I had a meat pie in London that I really enjoyed.
Q: What were the accommodations like?
A: We stayed at different hotels, and there were 2 kids to a room, sometimes even 3 or 4 kids to a room, depending on the hotel. The rooming can be different in every hotel that we visit. They’re always clean and safe, and we have breakfast there, which is usually good.
Q: Is there anything you hope to do differently this time around?
A: I hope to take the students out in the country more.
Q: What are you looking forward to most about this upcoming trip?
Going to Rome, because I have only been there once. It’s full of history. I would like to see what the students think of Rome because I’ve never taken them there before.
Below is a breakdown of what the trip will look like:
Day 1: Fly overnight to France
Day 2: Paris
Day 3: Paris
Day 4: Paris and Normandy
Day 5: Normandy
Day 6: Normandy, Bayeux, and London
Day 7: London
Day 8: Depart for home
To close, Mr. Pollard said, “It’s a good opportunity for students to learn a language, try new foods, and experience a new culture.”
