Forging friendships on a study tour abroad

Abstract

Study tours have long been used in tourism and hospitality courses as a form of experiential learning where students gain a number of personal and academic benefits. These benefits are well established in the literature and include personal growth, preparedness for global citizenship and increased confidence. This working paper extends the thinking beyond academic benefits to the social benefits gained through participation in a study tour. The research examined two international study tours and found that students from both groups related the development of friendships to group cohesion and subsequent personal satisfaction with the tour. Implications for study tour design along with the role of student friendships are outlined and areas for advancing this research are discussed.