Tips for Developing Extension Study Tours Mary Andrews, MSUE Joe Cousins, IIA Michigan State University

The following guidelines are designed to encourage faculty to take the initiative in creating and leading study tours. At MSU, Extension study tours are institutionally based in the Institute for International Agriculture and The International Programs Office of Michigan State University Extension. As such, tours focus on a variety of topics and should appeal to diverse audiences. Students, faculty, staff, clientele, community leaders, and other professionals within and outside of the University can all benefit from the educational value of travel and the experiential learning that occurs through study tours. Upon return, study tour participants also share information and insights which provide additional learning opportunities to a wide range of friends, neighbors and colleagues. Accordingly, it is in MSUs best interest to encourage and support the development of study tours across multiple topics and areas of interest. Tips for Developing a Study Tour 1. Study Tour Leaders: The ideal leader is a faculty member or MSUE staff member who volunteers to organize a study tour based on his or her own professional experience, interests and contacts. Prior experience as a traveler and a study tour participant is extremely important. But even individuals with limited exposure to a target destination can initiate a study tour if they have good contacts and /or established support systems to rely on. 2. Focus: Identify a topic or theme for the study tour and then put together a set of activities within an itinerary that will expose participants to observations and interactions that will develop that topic or theme. Also identify educational outcomes for the tourexpectations for what participants will do upon return to apply what they learned in their lives and work. 3. Contacts and Support Systems: Spartan Travel, Anderson Travel and other local agencies are excellent sources of assistance in identifying flights and schedules. They are not usually helpful, however, in developing in-country logistics. Two additional sources of help are usually needed for developing in-country logistics a partner with expertise in the topical area and a local travel agency. The topicoriented partner could be a University, agency, group or individual who is familiar with hosting international visitors and is able to assist in creating the educational itinerary (speakers, key institutions/experts, visits, community access, and suggestions for local interest). The second local source of assistance would be a local travel agency in the country to be visited which would be engaged to provide local logistical services (hotel reservations, transfers, local transport, admissions, translators and other guide services). Identifying these trustworthy partners overseas is the first step in developing an itinerary. If you need referrals to find partners, a good place to inquire is on-campus try the International Institute of Agriculture (IIA), Interna tional Studies and Programs Deans Office(ISP), the Area Study Centers, peers, colleagues from professional 1

associations, MSU Alumni, and individuals who have traveled to that destination. A wealth of contacts and information can be acquired with a few well-placed inquiries! 4. Potential Audience: Each study tour needs to be carefully designed with a specific audience in- mind. Multiple audiences can be served simultaneously, but they need to be identified based on the focus of the tour, the rigor of the travel and overall educational goals of the trip. Mailing lists, recruitment and marketing strategies can then be developed to target these audiences. 5. Promotional materials: Multiple communication techniques should be used to announce and market a specific stud y tour. Increasingly websites have provided extensive information to reduce the need to communicate one-on-one with potential participants. An attractive brochure is often the first promotional material developed. Such a brochure can be sent to mailing lists of past participants, made available at events and exhibits, and shared with partner organizations to encourage them to promote the tour to their constituency. A variety of short announcements can be delivered via e- mail to a range of listservs directing interested parties to seek further information from a website. Getting announcements into newsletters and organizational communications is also useful, again directing interested parties to seek further information from a website. The same MSU contacts that are available to identify partners may have mailing lists, listservs or publications for promotional efforts. What to include in a brochure or mailing: A catchy title and visual, the place, date and sponsors of the tour, the purposes or objectives of the tour, an overview of the program, proposed day by day itinerary, names of key tour leaders or resource persons, particulars about eligibility and how to enroll, costs and policies about refunds or cancellations, and references to sources of additiona l information. 6. Budget: As an educational institution, MSUE and IIA want to keep the costs of all study tours to a minimum in order to attract a wide variety of participants. Generally, our rule of thumb is to keep tours within a $3000.00 limit (including airfare). However all actual costs of the tour should be identified and included in the budget along with the costs to cover the expenses of the tour leader(s). Study tours should be self fundedplanned in such a way as to cover all costs associated with the tour. A specific template (see below) is available to use in creating a budget and as a guide to think through potential costs. By being thorough in the budget development process, unexpected expenditures and thus risks can be reduced. A revolving account is available within the IIA. This account can be used to collect fees and disperse monies to cover costs. A small reserve is available to help absorb risks of unexpected expenditures. However, each study tour should be planned in such a way to create small surpluses to develop a reserve to be used to bankroll new programs or provide scholarships to participants. Usually this is done by including a contingency line item that can be used for unexpected expenses, fluctuations in exchange rates, or can be kept as

profit, if not needed. A 4% administrative fee should be included in all budgets to offset the administration costs of handling the paperwork. 7. Orientation: Although attendance at an orientation program on a weekend day or evening is ideal, increasingly groups are meeting via conference phone and not actually meeting each other until the ir departure at the airport. Regardless of which type of orientation is scheduled, advance print material should be developed and sent before hand to answer major questions about the travel experience and to lead the participants to potential resources about the sites and topics to be observed. A simple tour packet might include: the itinerary, a list of participants and addresses, information about group travel, expectations of tour participants when they return home, bios of key hosts/experts, maps, background about the country, health and safety precautions, suggestions for what to take, advice about being a considerate traveler and visitor, cultural briefings, reading lists or links to other resources or websites and a form for emergency contact information. 8. Management: Just as the itinerary of a program is planned to encourage learning, the management of the people should encourage leadership and participatory ownership of the program. An ideal way to involve everyone in the leadership or management function is ask each participant to volunteer as hosts/hostesses for the day. By having two persons in this role each day (and involving everyone during the course of the tour), the group grows to respect each other and develops discipline concerning punctuality and hospitality. Typical roles for the hosts/hostesses to play includekeeping to the schedule, interacting with the guides and drivers to alert the group to the itinerary, arranging for the comfort of the group, introducing the group to hosts and thanking hosts on behalf of the group, distributing gifts, taking names and addresses and writing thank you notes to speakers and hosts, arranging for note-taking if appropriate and contributing to any reports, as determined in advance. In most groups, some individuals at one time or another may need extra attentioneither they fail to listen to directions, are forgetful or have their own agendas. Such situations should be addressed quickly to prevent problems from developing. At times, a buddy system can work well. Often group discussions where the group sets the rules can help. But if all else fails, addressing the issue directly but privately might be necessary to ensure the good of the order. Creating a comfortable, relaxed and flexible ambiance is important so that individuals can enjoy themselves while at the same time are being responsive to each other. Participants are also more likely to take advantage of unanticipated learning opportunities as they arise in this type of atmosphere. Be aware however that everything takes longer than you would ever anticipateso build flexibility into your schedule and leave some space for private wondering or relaxation. Details that cant be missed: Make sure that all participants have passports and visas if needed, or have access to relevant information to get them.

Make sure you ask if any participants have special needs: special diet, handicaps, and medical problems, etc., and counsel them if these conditions could become a problem in the visited country. Inform the participants about the required immunizations and health precautions for the visited country. Make sure that all participants receive their travel tickets on time and that they confirm receipt of their tickets. Use secure mails and ask for receipts to trace the tickets if they become lost. Emergency Contacts inform participants and your office and the IIA of emergency contact number(s) in-country. These could be the hotel(s) where you are staying or a person or persons who knows how to reach you in-country at all times. You also need a list of eme rgency contact numbers for the participants in case of changes in plans or emergencies and the University needs to make a contact. MEDEX - The MEDEX Plus Program is available to MSU employees, students, or anyone else traveling overseas on official University business (international travel on an authorized MSU travel form and or account number). MEDEX Plus is a service organization providing medical and personal services to international travelers. Services range from referrals to English-speaking physicians to medical evacuations worldwide. The program does not provide any type of health or accident insurance. Contact the MSU Travel Office to request a membership card, or the MSU Office of Risk Management for details of the program. The staff of the IIA can do this and also send whatever information is needed to the administrative offices. 9. Group meetings: A formal time set aside periodically for participants to share what they are learning, reflect upon their experiences and discuss any problematic situations as they arise should also be planned as part of the itinerary. If participants have a particular project they are working on or outcome they are working towards they can also share their progress with each other. 10. Balancing educational vs tourist activities: While the main focus of a study tour is educational, for many participants the study tour is also their vacation! So do take advantage of special tourist facilities and opportunities. Create opportunities for shopping and site seeing. In fact, inquire with your hosts and build such occasions into the itinerary. A free evening every other day or a free afternoon or weekend is a must for people to relax, have time to themselves, and reflect on their experiences . Too much togetherness can become overwhelming to some people and they will need time to process all the new information to which they are being exposed. Depending on the setting, two or more alternative activities may be available at times so participants have options. All forms of flexibility will be appreciated and help the participants maintain their focus when involved in educational interactions. 11. Follow- up activities: Talk with the participants about the possibility of issuing a report about the tour. This can be done in the form of a press release, a written group report or compilation of individual reports, a Powerpoint presentation or a website.

After the trip, organize a post-trip debriefing meeting for participants to get together to discuss their impressions of the study tour, what they learned from it and how they are applying what they learned. A good way to do this is to plan an informal evening during which the members can also exchange pictures taken during the trip and show slides.

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