🚌 From Supervised to Self-Reliant: What Class Trips Reveal About Cultural Values 🌎

This morning I dropped off my daughter for her 6th grade class trip in Germany. As she finished last school year in the USA with a class trip, I couldn’t help but reflect on the cultural differences.

🇺🇸 In the USA, the trip was to a nearby outdoor center for two nights. The students stayed on the grounds in small groups, with set activities and close supervision. Mobile devices were strictly forbidden, and students slept in one large dormitory under the constant watch of teachers and chaperones. Parents were even asked to come in on certain days to help prepare food for the group.

🇩🇪 In Germany, the class trip lasts four nights at a typical German Jugendherberge (youth hostel). The schedule includes excursions to different places in the low mountain range Harz. Students are allowed to explore in small groups of at least five- as long as one person carries a mobile phone. Instead of one big dormitory, they share rooms of four, with noticeably more freedom and responsibility. Parents, however, are not allowed to supervise students at all, let alone prepare food, as you need to hold a special health certificate when preparing food for students.

What stands out is how differently independence, trust, and responsibility are approached in both countries. While the U.S. model prioritizes structure, safety, and community involvement from parents, the German approach emphasizes autonomy, trust in young people, and clear professional boundaries between school and family roles.

Both approaches mirror broader cultural values: the U.S. often integrates parents into school life and emphasizes oversight, while Germany fosters early independence and responsibility in students within well-defined institutional frameworks.

These differences remind us that culture shapes not just how we work and lead as adults, but how we first learn to navigate independence and responsibility as children.

💡 How were your class trips organized growing up and what do you think they taught you about independence and responsibility?