Nine plus hours of flying, 4,289 miles, and the trip of a lifetime. French students have the opportunity this summer of taking the once in a lifetime adventure of traveling through France.

“France is the most visited country in the world, having over 83 million visitors in 2012 alone,” states FactSlides. In mid-June, 22 students will travel along with two teachers stopping at three locations across the country-side, coast and mountain tops of France and ending with a couple days in Paris.

“We are first going to Nice, than going to Southern France to stay with a host family for ten days, then finally to Paris for five days,” senior Margaret Eisenbrandt said.

With a trip this big students need months of preparation, for any scenario that might happen. Especially when the students are alone with their host family and must communicate without the help of teacher assistance.

“We have a meeting every month up until the trip, talking about how to fit in with a French family, how to travel as a group and work together so we are meeting the groups needs as well as meeting everyone’s personal needs,” French teacher Madam Parr said. “We also have homework that we need to complete about French history and what the typical French family is like,” Eisenbrandt added.

The trip lasting just over two weeks will impact the students forever and show them the French culture in real life. Putting all of the years of French they have taken into a real life scenario, talking to strangers and witnessing the differences in culture in person.

“This trip will make me more independant and make me discover my own personality, and to interact with people I haven’t met before, in a society that I am not used to,” Eisenbrandt said.

Students will get the opportunity to kayak in the Mediterranean, stay with a host family, visit museums in Paris, do some sightseeing, and experience the culture of France.

“Their country is more traditional than ours, but they are also more expressive and willing to talk to you even if they don’t know you,” Eisenbrandt said.

While staying with their host family, students will be alone and must communicate with their family without the help of a teacher. They will have the opportunity to do some sight-seeing with their families, visit the Pyrenees mountains, be 20 minutes away from the beach and see the local side of France.

“Going the first night with the family stay is definitely the biggest challenge of the trip, students go from being with the large group to being alone,” French teacher Jacqueline Parr said. “However, students say it was the best experience and their French speaking grows immensely”.

Many students have never traveled out of the country before, and this will be a whole new experience for them. However, Parr is an expert on traveling and living in France.

“I lived in France for three years, and travel back their almost every year since,” Parr said.

With only a few months left before students step onto the plane for France, the excitement is truly building. The trip, planned for the middle of June, is one that students will cherish forever and grow as a person to learn more about themselves and more about the French culture.

“For me, these trips are all made worthwhile watching the kids use their language to discover who they are,” Parr said.