It’s not every day that a student is offered a ten-day trip, including travel days, to a European country that costs only about $1,100-$1,400. 

This year Falcons are beings given an amazing opportunity to live at a Danish Boarding School for a little over a week as part of our sister school exchange program. 

The price seems high but just think about it. A student will pay less than $1,500 for a round trip ticket to Denmark from May 27th to June 5th. That price includes food, board, and activities like sightseeing, transportation, and cultural immersion. 

We’ve done the math.  For a normal tourism trip to Denmark, the cost for the ten-day excursion would come out to around $3,000-$4,000. And you certainly wouldn’t have the “immersive” trip promised by this sister-school visit. 

Basically, the only thing that a student will be paying for is their round trip ticket and travel insurance. 

In late October, six students from Denmark traveled to Bradenton to live with Falcon host families that opened up their homes. The students were immersed in American culture for a week, where they learned all about our lives and got a real taste of what life is like in a different country. 

These six Danish students loved their experience so much that their school, Eisbjerghus Efterskole European International School, has invited us to come join them and become embedded in their culture for a week. All Upper School students are allowed to sign up and see what life’s like in Denmark. 

Sophomore Sanna Lexhed, who hosted one of the Danes, became very close with her buddy.  The Dane had such a great experience in America that she didn’t want to leave. Lexhed said, “I can’t wait to go visit Denmark to get a glimpse of life there. I can’t wait for the food either.” 

Although this experience does not count as an IQ trip, it’s a great way to start off the summer. As of right now, there’s no cap on the number of students, but there may be in the future. 

Those who hosted any of the Danish students are guaranteed a spot to go and everyone else who is interested will go through an application process in order to attend. 

Talk to Mrs. Cotton if you’re interested so she can get your name down or if you have any other questions. 

Correction: January 22, 2020

In the time that this article was created, the dates for the trip were May 31st to June 8th but now the dates have changed to May 27th to June 5th. The trip is now ten days long instead of nine. Also according to Head of School Dr. Pullen and Global Initiatives Director Mrs. Hambrick, seniors are not allowed to attend this trip.