Whether it’s because Covid is forcing your school to run “closed loop” trips where your group travel by bus and stay in your own bubble, or simply that you’d rather avoid the expense (and carbon footprint) of flying, we have good news for you – there are no shortage of fantastic school trip options within a stone’s throw from your school in Shanghai, Hangzhou, Suzhou or Wuxi.
Service Trips at Wild Homestay
The Learning Adventure has recently bolstered its service learning options and now offers projects based around social entrepreneurship set in a peaceful mountain village next to a nature reserve on the Anhui-Zhejiang border about 4 hours’ drive from Shanghai.
Experience Qing-dynasty life first-hand at the Linden Centre’s new site on Lake Tai
This deeply historical and cultural program takes place in a villa first build by a wealthy Qing dynasty trader. The many rooms of the painstakingly restored complex provide a stimulating backdrop for a number of creative workshops such as box-fan making and lacquer restoration. It’s a great choice for a school seeking a more creative experience.
City Cultural Exploration:
For schools wanting a city based cultural experience then Hangzhou, Suzhou are Nanjing are options where The Learning Adventure can provide our classic mix of seeing the unmissable sites, like boating on West Lake in Hangzhou, which are combined with off-the-beaten-track, deeply interactive and fun workshops and experiences, such as tea processing in the Longjing Tea Fields to the south side of the lake.
Experience outdoor action and adventure at a purpose-built nature park
The last few years has seen the emergence of a number of parks which have world class facilities offering rock-climbing, kayaking, high ropes courses, obstacle courses, camping and so on. Two of our favourites are Deqing Outdoor Mix, with very fun sleeping pods which students love and Discovery Adventures Park with a huge climbing wall set on the bamboo forested slopes which is sure to challenge even the most intrepid young adventurer. We often combine a day or two at one of these parks with a day of cultural exploration in nearby Hangzhou or Suzhou.
Music camps in the ancient village theatre of Yingchuan
Need to kick start rehearsals for an up-coming show, or want to bring your school’s orchestra together for a few days of rehearsal interspersed with other team building and fun activities, then Yingchuan village is a great spot. Your group has use of the ancient theatre for large group rehearsals and there are plenty of breakout rooms for smaller groups. Other activities between rehearsals include cozy activities around the evening fire, board game nights, tofu making, copper making, outdoor movie nights, hiking and bike rides.
Finance and tech trips in economic mega-hubs
Whether you are a school in Hangzhou coming to Shanghai, or the other way around, there is so much on offer for finance and tech trips in the region. All our trips are tailor made, but in the past excursions for such trips have included visiting the CanNature water factory which filters all the drinking water at Disney Land, a walk around the Ikea factory, a visit to the Alibaba offices, a visit to a hedge fund with a presentation from a stock analyst and a visit to a We Work co-working space. Just let us know your learning objectives and we’ll be happy to build a unique itinerary for you.
Water sports and hiking within Shanghai city limits
If your age group is too young to venture too far, or Covid limits are keeping you within city limits, there is still so much you can choose from. We love a paddle boarding activity in Songjiang in one of the cities cleanest lakes, or perhaps consider kayaking in Qingpu or Chongming. These can be combined with other excursions such as workshops at the Glass Museum, scavenger hunts at ancient water villages, guided tours through the Natural History Museum or hiking at beautiful county parks.
You really are spoiled for choice when it comes to school trip options near Shanghai, Hangzhou, Suzhou and Wuxi, so we hope that whether it’s a service, culture, history, music or any other kind of trip your planning that the above list may provide some useful ideas.
If you would like some more suggestions tailored specifically around your requirements then don’t hesitate to reach out to us. Our knowledgeable team of China experts is waiting to assist!
Organizing a school trip during Covid can be a daunting task, but if you work with The Learning Adventure we are here to guide you through each step, and do remember that all of our domestic trips in China are fully refundable right up until day of departure. If you are considering a trip to the above regions, or anywhere else, then please don’t hesitate to reach out to us so that we can prepare some itinerary options
