Teachers Who Travel: Lifelong Learners

There’s something beautifully fitting about teachers who travel. Maybe it’s their infectious curiosity, their knack for turning any moment into a learning opportunity, or simply their genuine excitement about discovering something new. Their stories reveal something fascinating: when you’ve spent your career helping others learn, you never really stop being a student yourself!

Meet Tracy from Saskatoon, SK and Nancy from Bruce Mines, ON – two seasoned travellers whose educational backgrounds have led them to discover the joy of being students again on tour.

Early Travel Adventures

Picture this: Tracy, just 20 years old, boarding a plane for Sri Lanka with almost zero flying experience. “I think I had been on a plane like two months before I went to Sri Lanka,” she laughs. “That was culture shock for me!” That volunteer exchange program through Canadian Crossroads sparked a lifelong love affair with discovery and set the stage for her continued exploration around the world.

Tracy went on to teach elementary school for five years before moving into adult education at the University of Saskatchewan. These days, she’s semi-retired but still can’t resist sharing knowledge, teaching yoga and tutoring school children.

Nancy’s story starts with the best kind of childhood – summers filled with family road trips across Canada. “My dad loved to travel, so we’d get the trailer and the camper or the tent, and he took us across Canada to Los Angeles,” she remembers. With two teacher parents, those weren’t just vacations – they were mobile classrooms!

Armed with a geography degree and a career teaching high school physical education and English across Ontario, Nancy became a serious traveller after retirement. When her children became expats in Malaysia, Nancy also found herself on a cruise down the Mekong in Southeast Asia. “That was the best trip we’ve ever taken,” Nancy says. “The riverboat came so close! You’re so close to the people, the local people. And that’s what I really like.”

Stepping Back from the Planning Role

Despite being seasoned independent travellers, both women made a crucial discovery: sometimes the best way to learn and experience a new destination is to let someone else handle the logistics.

Tracy was ready to step back from coordination after decades of classroom management. “I’ve been at the head of the classroom, I’ve done all the classroom management, I’ve done all the logistics behind the scenes,” she explains. When exploring Italy with her husband two years ago (his first European adventure!), choosing all-inclusive group travel meant “to be able to just sit and be taken care of, tell me where to go and when I need to be there – that was nice!”

Her cousin had “raved about” her Approach Tours experience, making the choice easy. “We’re at a point where I don’t want to plan,” Tracy says.

Nancy’s transformation took a different path. After her husband passed away, she needed to reimagine solo travel from Northern Ontario, where she’d “have to drive seven hours to get anywhere.” Her research led her to discover all-inclusive group tours. “I fell in love with the fact that everything was included,” Nancy says. “I just get on the coach bus and I don’t have to worry about anything.”

The Group Travel Advantage

The group travel format proved perfect for both women, who found themselves naturally comfortable being learners again in an environment that fostered cultural discovery and connection.

Nancy has observed the welcoming dynamics of group travel with a teacher’s eye: “This last trip I did to Morocco, there were five couples, and the rest were all singles.” Despite diverse groups, “both trips, there were people travelling alone, and the group just took them in.” For educators who’ve spent careers fostering inclusive classrooms, they immediately recognize when groups naturally welcome newcomers – essential for meaningful learning.

Tracy experienced the same environment: “You’d be sitting at different tables, but the camaraderie… People were great.” Teachers understand that when people feel comfortable, they’re more open to new experiences.

The genuine connections prove lasting. Nancy now rooms with fellow travellers from previous trips and maintains friendships through WhatsApp. Her enthusiasm even convinced her neighbour to join her upcoming Egypt trip!

Both women have become dedicated repeat travellers with Approach Tours – Nancy with Greece, Morocco, and South Africa under her belt (with Egypt booked!), Tracy and her husband with Portugal planned for 2026 after Italy and Ireland. “We’re already talking about 2027,” Tracy says.

Discovery Highlights & Learnings

These experienced travellers continue discovering new perspectives through expert-led experiences.

Tracy appreciates how local guides let her absorb information as a student: “You can read stuff in a book or check it online, but being there… Like, to see the Vatican – oh, my gosh, the colosseum? The local guide we had at the Leaning Tower of Pisa was so good – hilariously funny.”

Each destination becomes its own curriculum. Tracy found Ireland and Italy offered completely different learning opportunities: “Ireland felt like there was more landscape scenery as opposed to the architecture and the towns and cities. But it was still learning moments, right?”

Nancy particularly loved Greece because of the diversity of experiences: “There were a variety of means of transportation. We took the high-speed ferries, we took the local ferries, we flew, we took a plane, local ferry across to the islands. We saw islands, we saw mountains. We saw all the old ancient ruins, you know, the beginning of the Olympics.”

Her travels continue enriching her learning: “Going to Venice and reading books now and saying, ‘Yeah, I’ve been there,’ and the glassblowers of Murano. I just finished a book about that. And I can picture it… it’s bringing these places alive for me.”

A Perfect Role Reversal

What’s most inspiring about teachers as travellers is their genuine enthusiasm for discovery. They approach each destination with the same curiosity they once brought to their classrooms, but now they get to be the students again.

Tracy offers insight about travel’s transformative power: “For someone who ends up travelling and then coming back, their perspective has shifted. Their mindset, their perspective – they might have thought they were going into this and might end up going into something else.”

Nancy captures the philosophy perfectly: “I would like to be called a lifelong learner. You can sit at home and watch TV and stagnate, or you can get out and do things. So, I like to try and do different things.”

Tracy reflects on what draws educators to travel: “I think teachers and travellers share this interest in learning. Connection is just such a big part – connection with people, connection with the experience, and connection with the culture and the history.” As she beautifully puts it: “When I travel, I step back into the role of a student and the world becomes my teacher.”

This role reversal – from having all the answers to being curious explorers – captures what makes lifelong learners such remarkable travellers. They’ve never lost that fundamental excitement about discovering something new, and they understand that the best learning happens when you remain open to being surprised.