The company’s Field Trip collection launches this week and has been designed to offer “classes around the world” in a bid to “harness education through travel”.
With modules covering eight different school subjects, Black Tomato said the experiences would act as “educational hits” and could be incorporated into existing trips or form new itineraries.
“Fully bespoke and scalable”, the lessons range from half-day to multi-day programming, allowing children aged 12 and above to explore their favourite topics in more depth and discover new passions and viewpoints.
Each trip is themed and focuses on an area of the school syllabus – from anthropology and cultural studies to economics “with sustainability and generating positive social impact” an important part of each.
They include a religious studies lesson in the Indian city of Jaipur, learning about the different faiths that have shaped its history with a local Hindu priest, a tour of its sacred sites and a private blessing ceremony at a 300-year-old temple.
Children can also learn about the arts and filmmaking in the Cuban capital Havana. The class features workshops at the Escuela Internacional de Cine y TV, Cuba’s International Film and TV School, offering guests “insider’s knowledge” on the industry and the chance to try a range of roles.
In Colombia, languages and cultural preservation form the focus, as guests experience the Llanero herder way of life and pupils immerse themselves in the day-to-day life of the semi-nomadic Colombian cowboys. From taming horses with traditional melodies and caring for cattle, to helping create joropo harp and guitar music, pupils will become a part of the community.
Other trips include a social studies lesson in Jaffa meeting an Israeli businesswoman “defying stereotypes”, while guests can “uncover the secrets” of Saqqara – Egypt’s “city of the dead” – as they take part in an excavation and learn techniques needed for modern archaeological research.
Sustainability will also be a focus of Field Trip, with children heading to Copenhagen to meet Soren Wiuff, “one of Denmark’s most forward-thinking farmers”, and explore his chemical-free philosophy of modern agriculture, while they can also dive into an earth sciences class at Scotland’s Loch Ness on a private boat cruise learning how the area is studied by geologists.
For children looking to explore their passions for science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) subjects, a trip to Cern in Switzerland, home to the Large Hadron Collider, is also on offer. The experience claims to gives future physicists and engineers “unheard of access” to the site as they take part in a guided audio-visual tour.
Black Tomato co-founder Tom Marchant said the company had seen “a significant surge” in demand the UK and US family markets seeking to enhance children’s personal and academic development.
He said Field Trip had been created to meet those needs and “inspire potential future careers” or simply “spark joy from learning” and support burgeoning interests.
“Far beyond the blackboard, being able to transport children outside of the classroom and away from their screens, to build their skills and interests in situ, has been incredibly gratifying, especially as a father myself,” he said. “It feels like a privilege to know that we can help to shape experiences, expand knowledge and develop dreams for the next generation of entrepreneurs, innovators, leaders, policy makers and activists.
“We believe these trips will not only provide an engaging, experiential platform for education, but also inspire a profound appreciation for travel to be insightful and sustainable.”
