2026-27 Travel

This October, The Pennington Middle School is offering an overnight adventure to camp and climb along the Shawangunk Ridge in beautiful Gardiner, New York. The cool temperatures and changing colors of fall will provide a welcome setting as students practice the basic skills of overnight camping and explore the exposed rock faces of the "Gunks." Rock climbing with local guides, we will be sure to find challenge and adventure in this remarkable landscape, developing a stronger sense of place and strengthening our connections to the natural world along the way.

Middle School students will experience an overnight on Sedge Island, just off Long Beach Island, NJ, where they will deepen their connection to the natural world, explore local marshes and estuaries, and try their hand at clamming and kayaking.

May will find Middle Schoolers taking a three-day visit to Colonial Williamsburg and Jamestown, with an afternoon at Busch Gardens, to build on students’ learning of American history and government.

Grade 8 students will take a culminating academic trip to Washington, D.C., where they will visit the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum as a major part of their English and History Interdisciplinary Unit.

This opportunity will allow 8–10 Pennington students in Grades 9–12 to participate in the 2026 Round Square International Conference in Australia, where they will join more than 1,000 students from over 270 schools around the world. Designed for student leaders who are actively involved in school clubs and embody the Round Square IDEALS, the conference will offer international forums, cultural exchange, collaborative global projects, and experiential learning in the heart of Australia. Students selected for this program will be expected to engage fully in the conference experience and bring new skills, ideas, and perspectives back to the Pennington community.

Estimated Cost: $4,500
Dates: September 28–October 3, 2026
Application Deadline: April 10, 2026
Financial Aid is available

Apply Here!

The goal of this trip is to explore Chile as a nation shaped by resilience, memory, and transformation. Students will examine the legacy of dictatorship and political repression, exploring how these experiences continue to influence Chilean society today. Through the works of artists, musicians, and writers, including Nobel Prize-winning poet Pablo Neruda, students will discover how art, music, poetry, and literature have served as powerful expressions of identity, resistance, and remembrance. The journey will also examine Chile's remarkable economic development alongside the opportunities and challenges created by immigration, offering insight into how these forces have shaped one of Latin America's most dynamic societies. A homestay with students from Craighouse School in Santiago, a fellow Round Square school, will provide an authentic cultural immersion, allowing participants to experience daily life in Chile while building meaningful international friendships and broadening their global perspectives. The experience is especially valuable for students studying Spanish, though no prior knowledge is required, as students will be welcomed by bilingual families and attend a bilingual school. This course will be an immersive experience that demands resilience, adaptability, and a willingness to embrace new cultures, perspectives, and ways of life through international travel.

Faculty: Joselle Lamoutte, Brooke Wilkinson, Matt Mysliwiec

Cost: $3,600

What gives a story the power to inspire, endure, and shape the way we see the world? And how can we build our own story of a place by listening to its people, exploring its history, and experiencing its culture? In Croatia, students will explore historic cities, medieval fortresses, ancient traditions, and legendary landscapes while discovering the universal role of storytelling in shaping cultures and societies. From Croatian folklore, myths, and legends to the stories preserved in its architecture, landscapes, and traditions, students will examine how stories preserve history, express shared values, challenge injustice, and connect people across generations. By blending literature, history, folklore, and local culture, this experience invites students to consider not only how stories help us understand Croatia’s past and make sense of its present, but also how we can piece together and create our own story of Croatia through the places we visit, the people we encounter, and the experiences we share. Through guided explorations and immersive cultural experiences, students will build confidence, curiosity, and a deeper appreciation for the stories that give a place its identity. The class will be a welcoming introduction to travel with guided experiences and opportunities to build confidence.

Faculty: Samantha Stern-Leaphart, Shawn Nicosia

Cost: $3,600

Living Wild is a backpacking adventure trip that invites students to practice self-reliance, build community, and learn about the natural world. The field course includes multi-day backpacking as well as pre- and post-trip experiences on campus and in the local area. We will focus our attention on the idea of wilderness as a land management strategy, a site, and a philosophy for exploring themes of responsibility, affection, and gratitude. Leading up to the departure, students will learn and practice skills related to backcountry travel, food preparation, packing, cooking and cleaning, first aid, and Leave No Trace principles. In the field, students will be responsible for leading in various ways: group discussions, itinerary planning, navigation, and the logistics of camp life (setting up, breaking down, cooking, and cleaning, etc.). Upon returning to The Pennington School, students will organize a project that reflects on their wilderness experience.

Faculty: Nate Van Yperen, Stephanie Cohen, Adisa Phillips 

Cost: $500 (includes transportation, equipment, meals, and activities)

Students will apply STEM skills to develop community-focused solutions in Malawi. This year’s projects include: 1) designing a solar power phone charger and developing a process for the chargers to be made locally at a refugee camp; 2) implementing an educational program and production process for women to make and sell soybean milk; 3) formatting, self-producing, and marketing a children’s book that was co-authored last year by Pennington and Dzaleka students; and 4) designing furniture and learning materials for a community library at the Dzaleka refugee camp. All projects will require collaboration with our Malawian partners, creative design and problem-solving, budgeting, and resource collection. The trip combines hands-on project work with cultural and educational experiences and is open to students who participate in at least one Malawi project during the academic year. This course is an immersive experience that demands resilience, adaptability, and a willingness to embrace the unfamiliar.

Faculty: Sue Wirsig and Gabbi Chwae

Cost: $3,500-$3,800

Discover Morocco, where Africa, Europe, and the Middle East have converged for centuries, creating a rich blend of cultures, languages, and traditions. Through the lens of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, students will explore the connections between history, religion, sustainability, and global citizenship while experiencing Morocco's historic cities and vibrant medinas. Students will spend two days living with families in the Medina of Rabat, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, sharing meals, experiencing daily life, and building meaningful cross-cultural connections. Visits to mosques and historic religious sites will deepen their understanding of Islam and its influence on Moroccan society. The experience is especially valuable for students studying French, as everyday interactions will provide opportunities to hear and practice French, one of Morocco's widely spoken languages, though no prior knowledge of the language is required. Students should be open to trying new foods, embracing unfamiliar customs, and engaging with different cultures with curiosity, respect, and an adventurous spirit. The class will be an immersive experience that demands resilience, adaptability, and a willingness to embrace the unfamiliar.

Faculty: Kendra Sisserson, David Hallgren, Lauran Hocquaux

Cost: $4,300

Explore the rich musical traditions and cultural history of Nashville, one of the world's most influential music cities. Through visits to historic churches, live performances, recording studios, museums, and cultural landmarks, students will examine how music has shaped and been shaped by ​the city's history, faith, traditions, and social movements. They will explore the influence of the Methodist Church and sacred music alongside the profound contributions of Black musicians and communities, tracing how the legacy of slavery, the Civil Rights Movement, and the blending of gospel, blues, folk, and country music have shaped Nashville's identity and the sound of America. Upon returning to Pennington, students will complete a choice-based project that reflects on the connections between music, history, culture, social change, and their own experiences. This course provides a welcoming introduction to travel with guided experiences and opportunities to build confidence.

Faculty: Don Dolan and Tyhesha Elmore

Cost: $3,600

Olympic National Park in Port Angeles, WA, offers students an opportunity to step away from the distractions of modern life and fully immerse themselves in one of the most diverse ecosystems in the country. Students will hike through ancient temperate rainforests, explore the rugged Pacific coastline, kayak on pristine lakes, and spend a night under the stars. If weather permits, the journey will also include a visit to nearby Mt. Rainier, where towering glaciers and subalpine meadows add another striking landscape to the experience. Along the way, they will learn basic outdoor and survival skills, adapt to unfamiliar environments, build resilience, and reconnect with nature and one another through shared experiences free of technology. Upon returning to Pennington, students will complete a choice-based project that reflects on their experiences, personal growth, and key takeaways from their time in Olympic National Park. This course provides an immersive experience that demands resilience, adaptability, and a willingness to embrace the unfamiliar.

Faculty: Kristin Maynard, Luke Sferra, Jackie Kephart, Scott Vogel 

Cost: $1,500 - $3700 

Join a tight-knit field-studies team on a multi-day, 184.5-mile flat cycling journey along the historic C&O Canal towpath from Cumberland, MD, to Georgetown, D.C. After mastering trail-side bike repair and field first aid while still on campus, students will take turns leading daily route legs on a traditional multi-gear hybrid or trail bike. Students can bring their own bikes or arrange a local rental for the trip (no e-bikes permitted). The group will explore as engineers, field scientists, and historians: navigating hand-carved tunnels, studying 19th-century locks, observing living "witness trees" at Antietam, and scrambling across Potomac gorge boulder fields. Along the way, students will roll into mountain gap towns like Harpers Ferry, complete a hands-on conservation project with National Park Rangers, and discover how human ingenuity transformed a river corridor into a living laboratory. At night, comfortable accommodations along the route will allow the students to recharge. Beyond mastering practical field skills and earning verified service hours, students will return home as confident trail leaders, ready to co-host a public campus gallery exhibition, sharing their discoveries and media with the larger School community!

Faculty: Holly Jones and Peter Walsh

Cost: $750-$1,000 (includes transportation, lodging, equipment needs, and meals)

Application Link for Exchange Programs

Pennington offers a four-week international exchange opportunity for students in Grades 9 and 10. Travel dates are flexible, with the exact timing of the exchange determined by the destination and each student’s academic schedule. Interested students should consult with Mr. Peeler, their academic advisor, and Dr. Castro to identify the most suitable window for participation. Most exchanges are based on host family arrangements and require reciprocal hosting: Pennington students stay with a family abroad and, in turn, their families will host a student from the partner institution when they visit Pennington.

During the exchange, students are expected to remain fully engaged with their coursework and meet all academic responsibilities at Pennington. All partner schools are accredited international institutions with instruction in English; some also offer additional language immersion opportunities in Spanish, French, or German.

Admission to the program is selective and determined through an application and interview process conducted by a faculty committee. Applications are due by September 30. For more information, check the FAQ.

Estimated Cost: Round-trip ticket to destination plus incidental expenses
Tentative Dates: Four weeks

Application Link for Exchange Programs

During the school year, juniors may participate in a one-week exchange program, with the option to extend their stay to up to three weeks by coordinating with Thanksgiving or spring break. As part of the exchange, students are expected to host a visiting student from the partner school during the other student's return visit to Pennington.

In the summer, rising juniors and rising seniors may take part in Pennington’s four-week cultural immersion program at one of our Round Square international partner schools in Chile, Australia, South Africa, or Japan. These experiences are designed to deepen global understanding and foster meaningful cross-cultural connections.

Admission to the program is selective and determined through an application and interview process conducted by a faculty committee. Applications are due by September 30. For more information, check the FAQ.

Estimated Cost: Round-trip ticket to destination plus incidental expenses
Tentative Dates: June- July

Partner Schools

Barcelona, Spain: St. Paul’s School
Bogotá, Colombia: Gimnasio Campestre (boys school) Colegio Anglo Colombiano (coed)
Reykjavik, Iceland: Verzlo School
Prague, Czech Republic: New Porg
São Paulo, Brazil: Aubrick School  (open to exchanges during the months of June, July, and August)
Santiago, Chile: Craighouse School (open to exchanges during the months of June, July, and August)
Johannesburg, South Africa: St Sithians College (open to exchanges during the months of June, July, and August)
Cape Town, South Africa: St Cyprian’s School (girls school; open to exchanges during the months of June, July, and August)
Loches, France: St Denis International School (French students only)
Mortefontaine, France: St Dominique School (French Students only)
Schondorf am Ammersee, Germany: Landheim Schondorf (German students only)
Madrid, Spain: Jesus Maria School (Spanish students only)