After reaching out to the community for support this January, Central Collegiate student Austin Kretsch was able to raise enough funds to join an educational trip to Europe offered by EF (Education First) Tours and has now returned home just a little bit wiser.
The request for assistance was initially made on or around Jan. 12, and with $4,000 raised out of a total goal of $3,500, Kretsch flew out from Regina on March 29 and returned from Barcelona, Spain on April 7.
The trip was “Really good,” he said. “Busy, but really good!”
His first stop in Europe was Zurich, Switzerland on March 30. From there, the tour worked its way into northern Italy, southern France along the Mediterranean coast, and finally into Barcelona, Spain.
The stop in Switzerland included a gondola trip up Mt. Pilatus, which was also the first time the Saskatchewan-born student experienced mountains in person.
“Honestly, that was one of my highlights, due to the fact it was different,” he said.
His first lesson was a first-hand experience of jet lag, as the European destination was seven hours ahead of local Saskatchewan time, and with daylight savings factored in, this advanced to an eight-hour difference.
The group’s tour guide narrated the trip’s focal points and shared a rich history of each European region to enhance the educational purpose of the excursion. Of note, Kretsch recalls details about the French Revolution’s impact and the wide influence of the Roman Empire.
The immersion into different cultures provided another educational angle to the trip.
One detail that stood out was the markedly different focus on walkable spaces, and he found a lot more to do outside. This contrasts with city planning in North America which is based around the accommodation of automotive traffic.
“One thing that will really feel different (to a new traveller) is their buildings are a whole lot bigger than ours. I think a lot of their buildings were the size of Moose Jaw’s City Hall, just in height,” he said. “Almost all their buildings made you feel really small.”
One aspect of the trip Kretsch was looking forward to was sampling new foods.
“(The gelato) is not quite as thick as our (ice cream), and really focuses more on the flavour in a sense – like, a lot of the fruit flavours stood out a lot more than ours do,” he recalled.
His least favourite food item was the escargot. “Some of my friends enjoyed it, but I wasn’t a fan.”
The trip to Europe sparked a new love of travel for Kretsch, and he said he now plans to explore more of the world in the years to come. Two items on his wishlist include a trip to Thailand to attend a lantern festival similar to scenery from Disney’s “Tangled,” and he’d love to expand his knowledge of Classical antiquity with a trip to Greece.
“Yeah, I would definitely recommend (this program),” he said. “If this trip ever does come up, I would definitely take it. This has really made me want to travel that much more.”
One piece of advice he offered to is to keep a travel journal. This helps recall lessons learned during the trip and is a great way to remember noteworthy highlights along the way.
The opportunity provided by EF Tours gave Kretsch and a few other students a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to enhance their educational journey, and for Kretsch – who hasn’t left the province prior to this – the opportunity provided insight into numerous career and life opportunities after graduation.
“I would love to thank everyone who has helped me in some way,” he said.
“No matter what (each individual) donated, each and every bit of it helped me immensely. I don’t think I could have gone on this trip without them, so I would really love to thank everyone in Moose Jaw that was willing to help and who did everything they could.”
