During the summer of 2025, Mr. Miguel Herrera and Mr. Joshua Smith had the opportunity to travel and chaperone 11 students on a trip to Italy. 

They traveled with EF, which is also known as Educational Tours. EF covers the cost for the plane ride there, hotel, food, and the transportation they took to get to different sights.

“Italy was amazing, the trip to Italy was really fun. It was an amazing experience, I got to see a lot of cool things, it was a little hot but probably one of the best times of my life,” said Smith.

“Italy was super fun, chaperoning was tiring, but definitely worth it. I like discovering and learning about new places,” said Herrera.

The group explored some of Italy’s most iconic landmarks, including Venice, Florence, Assisi, and Rome.

“Hands down, Florence was my favorite place,” said Herrera.

The trip was more than just travelling. Herrera and Smith both explained how the students made the experience more meaningful.

“Even though the flight was super long, the travelers who went on the trip made the experience a million times better. A lot of laughs were shared on the trip,” said Herrera

One thing they both spoke about was the food. Every meal to them became a chance to experience the heart of Italian culture.   

“Their food is really natural and has less preservatives so I lost weight and I ate way more than I did over there than I would here,” said Smith.

“The food was delicious. The pizza and pasta were everything we imagined. The food has a freshness to it that is hard to find in the U.S.,” said Herrera.

Looking back, Herrera and Smith said the experience left them very satisfied, and they can not wait to travel again and hope to go back to Italy.

The main thing that stood out to both Herrera and Smith that was different from the U.S. was the transportation. They walked almost everywhere. Not many people use cars since everything is within walking distance.