Wallowing in the Blue Lagoon. Climbing to the top of glaciers and volcanoes. These are just some of the locations where 45 Warwick Academy Year 9-11 students found themselves, after being given the opportunity of a lifetime to travel to Iceland.

The trip focused on both the physical and human geography of Iceland, and although this trip was very educational, the chaperones put in their best efforts to make the trip as enjoyable as possible.

On the 5th of July, the students left Bermuda, returning on the 11th. However, even though that may seem like a short time, it did not feel that way because of the huge amount of activities and tourist attractions they visited.

The students visited a total of over 15 different places over the course of this seven-day trip. The main goal by the end of the trip was to help the students get a better understanding of the geography in Iceland, which will then help them in their upcoming GCSE exam. The students were ready for Iceland and ready for all the trip had to offer.

Some of the favourite attractions included climbing Eldfell (which is a volcanic cone on the Island of Heimaey that was formed by an unexpected volcanic eruption in 1973); hiking up glaciers and drinking the water that we all know as Icelandic water; getting close-up looks at waterfalls; and an all-round favourite was Iceland’s number one tourist attraction: the Blue Lagoon.

Another part of their packed schedule was work time which was approximately an hour every evening after dinner. The students were given around ten minutes after being dismissed from dinner to get their work booklets and writing utensils and do anything else they needed to do before heading back to the dining area to do group work.

Of course, the students didn’t always want to do work but by the end didn’t realise how long they were actually working for because of how much fun they were having.

They did table quizzes with a mixture of year groups on each table and sometimes a teacher was added to make things even more interesting.

Some of the days the students were given a break from work time if they had done a lot of work during the day, but no work was missed because the students soon found out that a break one day meant double the work the next.

Overall, this was a very good hands-on, out-of-the-classroom learning experience for the students. It also allowed them to have a clear pathway towards a good outcome in their geography GCSE exam, which will be particularly helpful for those who wish to pursue jobs that have something to do with geography.

The students arrived curious, but departed Iceland inspired.