Excursion

A short journey usually made for pleasure, often by a group of people. An excursion is a trip by a group of people, usually made for leisure, education, or physical purposes. It is often an adjunct to a longer journey or visit a place, sometimes for other purposes. Short excursions for education or for observations of natural phenomena are called field trips. One-day educational field studies are often made by classes as extracurricular exercises, e.g. to visit a natural or geographical feature.

Why are excursions important?

Excursions are must, especially for students. They have a great educational value That is why schools often organize excursions for students. Apart from educating students and exposing them to various experiences, it is a great time of recreation. It is the day all students wait for eagerly. An excursion is not just pleasure trip. It is an extension of the classrooms. So, most schools organise excursions to famous places every year. Educational tours are part and parcel of life of students. Students need rest and entertainment after working hard for many days. Excursions can provide them with this much-needed leisure. They refresh their tired brains and add charms to their lives. When students leave their surrounding and stay out for a few days with their friends and teachers, they develop qualities like self-confidence, responsibility, punctuality, self-reliance, tolerance and above all general knowledge. The students get first-hand knowledge of people and place while participating in an excursion. They can eat different kinds of food. When they have to eat a food which they don’t like, it is training for them to face the adversities in life later. A good part of the organising and conduct to tour is done by the students. Thus it will help to bring leadership qualities. An excursion also gives them practical lessons in service.

Educational aspects of Excursion

Educational tours give the students practical experience of the world. They acquaint themselves with the style of living, habits, customs, clothing and traditions of people. Excursions broaden their outlook and they become cosmopolitan. They also learn to develop a spirit of tolerance. The students visit educational and historical centres, big cities and places noted for their scenic beauty. They see for themselves what they have only heard or read out. No classroom can teach as much as the students learn while they are on an educational tour. Thus excursions have great educational value. From Kashmir to Kanyakumari, and from the Rann of Kutch to Arunachal Pradesh, our country provides hundreds of places known for architecture, scenic beauty, history, flora and fauna. Simply reading books on them produces only book-worms. For having enlightened citizens for a better world–order, we should encourage educational tours in schools and colleges and thus develop the personalities of our future generations. It provide direct source of knowledge and acquaint the student with first hand information. It also provides an opportunity to the student for development of his aesthetic sense.