Teachers' Perspective

How One Teacher Uses Travel to Inspire Her Students for Life

Erin P. | May 8, 2025

For over 30 years, Sharon Docherty has been a dedicated high school teacher in Ingersoll, Ontario, just outside of London. Starting her career in physical education, she eventually found her calling in geography, where she now leads as the department head.

Sharon’s passion for education doesn’t end in the classroom—it spans the globe. With nearly 40 student tours under her belt, she’s helped countless students learn through experience, not just textbooks.

A lifelong traveller herself (she’s been to 178 countries), Sharon was born in Scotland and explored parts of Europe from a young age before immigrating to Canada in 1978. A twist of fate after being waitlisted for teacher’s college twice led her to spend nearly two years travelling the world.

It especially became the most formative education of her life when she travelled abroad to developing countries:

“When I saw how people really wanted to go to school, but just couldn't afford that $8 a year, it was a rude awakening for me. It burned a passion for me inside.

If I got lucky enough to get into teacher’s college, which I did, I wanted to travel with students and get them outside of their usual environment to experience what travel is instead of just reading about it.”

“It has radically changed how I teach. I don’t use a textbook to teach out of anymore. I use the experiences on tour to teach my kids about those countries.”

With a strong belief that seeing the world builds empathy, awareness, and curiosity, Sharon has made it her mission to give her students the same life-changing opportunity.

Read on for more about Sharon’s approach to educational travel and what makes her so popular with her students and community.

In your experience, how do educational tours help teachers teach better?

Sharon: It brings travel to life in your classroom. It brings your books to life. It brings your subject area to life. My big thing is experiential learning—I learn by doing. I want to live it, I want to enjoy it, and I wanted to bring that to my classroom.

[On my first tour], I couldn’t believe what the students got to experience in a 10-day tour that would’ve probably taken me 30 days [on my own]. It was so well scheduled and incredibly organized. I thought, this is the way to travel, so kids can maximize their time in a country or countries and get a bang for their buck.

Looking back on your career, how has going on tour changed you and the way you teach?

It has radically changed how I teach. I don’t use a textbook to teach out of anymore. I use the experiences on tour to teach my kids about those countries. When I teach the Travel and Tourism course, it’s easy to bring in my knowledge and [the students’] experience.

Before I started travelling, I was very naïve as a young person. Travel has opened up my eyes to what's out there in the world and just how incredible our globe is. I want to bring that into my classroom because I teach in a very small rural school; they’re in a little town of 13,000 that is very white and insulated. Going to Toronto is a big deal. Then throw them into the middle of Spain and Barcelona and say okay, go. It has definitely impacted my kids.

How does educational travel impact your students? What are the biggest changes you see?

It impacts them because they are so insulated in a small community. We are seeing a little bit more diversity now, but not enough for me. I thought it was important for them to see what was outside of their normal community.

What I will tell you is that the students who have travelled with me have come back a whole different kid. They’re very independent. They're much more confident. They're more aware of what's out there in the world.

I’ve seen a lot of my kids who’ve continued travel outside of high school. They’ve done their European trips. Some of them have travelled and worked in other countries, which is very common now. Some of them have married outside of the country and are living in different countries. A lot of them have gone to school overseas now, too.

How do these tours help you and your students reset? Are they more energized or engaged?

They’re much more engaged in their academics, their friends, and their family. They’re always looking to see what the next trip is. You see that kids become more focused on what they want to do as they leave school.

My kids who’ve never travelled are going through the motions—going to school, getting a job. EF kids who have travelled are like, yeah, I’m going to do this, but I’m going to travel and maybe go to school here. It’s a very different kid. You can put them side by side and you know which kid’s done an EF tour.

I’ve got a kid who’s going to Scotland to go to school. She went with me two years ago and now she’s going to university in Aberdeen to be an engineer. She goes, “I really love Scotland, I want to go back and immerse myself in it.”

How did you successfully turn your early trips into a repeat program?

It comes down to trust. Your school community has to trust the person running [the tour]. I run a very tight ship and am extremely organized. You have to be transparent. I’m always that person who’s pushing the limits of where I take my kids. I’ve taken groups to Kenya, Australia, and New Zealand. I’m not just doing Europe.

Many of my parents have not travelled like their kids have. They trust me to take their kids places and I had to build that right away. That sense of community was fostered quickly. Them knowing my background, that I had travelled a lot, made them feel more secure with me taking their kids. I am also very well known as being fair but firm as a teacher. They know that the kids will be in good hands, that I’m going to protect their kids and keep them safe.

Safety is my number one priority, as I know with EF it’s their number one priority. For parents, once they know that their kid's safe and that they can trust you, they will send them again—and I have had many repeat customers, many.

Do you have any tips that you regularly use to get people to go on your trips?

Social media is your greatest asset. I have my own website. Anytime I travel, I will send pictures while I’m on tour and say, look, this is what you could do if you really wanted to.

Word of mouth is huge in your community, and loyalty is a biggie as well. Some of their parents have travelled with me as a student. Now they’re sending their kids.

Get involved in your school, so kids see you outside the classroom. They need to see you in clubs, coaching, or being involved. The more you’re seen, the more kids will see you and be attracted to the fact that you run things.

Is there anything else you want to say?

The best education is through travel. If you’ve got any new young teachers who are thinking about it, it’s important they have a mentor to help them because it’s daunting at first. EF’s Global Ambassador program is great and really makes a difference. To do your first tour is incredibly scary for some people, especially if you’re navigating school boards. Doing it on your own is a little bit easier [as a community tour], but still, all that responsibility is on your shoulders.

I was lucky enough that I had good mentors. I’ve seen the benefits of me being a Global Ambassador over the last 20 years—helping young teachers get off the ground and experience what EF is all about and making them feel comfortable travelling with a company that has been around for a long time.

There’s always an opportunity for someone to travel.

The more we open it up, the more EF tries to look for opportunities that are cost effective, the more we’ll get kids on board. The limits are endless.

This interview has been edited and condensed.