Thursday, October 1, 2026
A group of 25 students from Lynbrook Public Schools spent their spring break traveling through Switzerland, Italy, France, Monaco and Spain, experiencing a variety of cultures, historic landmarks and local traditions while building lasting friendships along the way.
The educational tour in April, organized by EF Educational Tours, gave students the opportunity to connect lessons from the classroom to real-world experiences as they explored countries from the Alps to the Mediterranean coast.
For many students, the trip became much more than sightseeing. Junior Joseph Wolk said that traveling alongside classmates made the experience especially memorable.
“I definitely got a lot closer with new people I wouldn’t normally have been close with,” Wolk said. “Senior graduates said I had to go because you build friendships and a new community, and they were right.”
Some of his favorite moments, Wolk said, came when the group toured Lake Como, in Italy, and Nice, France. He was especially struck by the architecture and culture, and enjoyed the chance to independently roam new cities with his friends.
“It was so nice to walk around and explore everything on our own,” he said. “I had a really fun time, and I can’t wait to go back there someday.”
Senior Ella Carroll said that one of the most meaningful parts of the trip was visiting Cinque Terre, in Italy, where students learned about the history connecting the region’s five villages — including the Love Bridge, once used by residents of neighboring villages to secretly communicate during times of conflict.
“It was pretty educational,” Carroll said. “Learning the history behind it while actually being there made it so much more interesting.”
Carroll added that visiting a small farming village in Switzerland gave her a new perspective on life outside the United States. “Being from Lynbrook, which to us is a small town, it was cool to see a village where only about 200 people live,” she said.
The experience also piqued her interest in studying abroad in college, and showed her how valuable international experiences can be.
Junior Iman Aboud said that seeing places she had previously only learned about in school made the trip especially impactful. One highlight for her was a boat tour through the Calanques region of southern France, where students learned about the area’s geography and history.
“It’s super cool to finally see it in person after hearing about these places in school,” Aboud said. “It’s a totally different experience.”
Aboud added that traveling without their families taught students independence and adaptability. “We had to use a lot of buses and trains and navigate airports without our families,” she said. “I gained a lot of experience with traveling and transportation in another country.”
For junior Reid Linzer, the people on the trip were what made the experience stand out most. Although Linzer had been outside the United States before, the friends he made on the trip made it uniquely memorable.
“The people you’re with can make or break the trip, and these people were amazing,” he said. “Even if we were in an empty area, it was still fun to be there with those around us.”
Linzer said he especially enjoyed learning about the history and architecture in southern France and former Roman regions. “It’s very interesting to learn about it in person versus in a classroom,” he said.
Italian teacher Antonella Tranchina, a member of the district’s World Languages Department and one of the trip’s advisers, said the experience was designed to immerse students in different cultures while helping them grow personally and academically.
Tranchina said that students embraced opportunities to try authentic foods, visit historic sites and navigate unfamiliar environments independently.
“For some students, this was their first time traveling on a plane or visiting another country without their families,” she wrote in an email. “That experience alone requires a great deal of courage and adaptability.”
“If I had to identify the most meaningful outcome,” Tranchina added, “it would be the tremendous personal growth we witnessed in such a short period of time. Watching students step outside of their comfort zones, gain confidence, and grow both academically and personally was incredibly rewarding.”
