Have class. Will travel.

After a few weeks of pencil pushing, hopping from one travel agency to another in search for the best deals, filling out forms, talking to the school administration, badgering and orienting students, and basically running around like a mad man, the Singapore field trip of my Journalism class finally pushed through!

I'm a big believer of travel as a learning tool. I'm blessed to have parents who taught us the value of traveling. As a kid, my Dad would bring me to his Balikbanda roadshows and we'd travel from one province to another in a matter of days. Even though this happened decades ago, I still remember those night bus trips with the SMC crew, including famous personalities like rock icon Sampaguita and the late funny man Bert "Tawa" Marcelo.

That time, we would be in Baguio in the morning, then Ilocos in the evening, then Laguna the next day. It was a thrilling experience, especially for a kid.

From domestic travel, we moved on to international trips. This ignited my interest in different countries and I vowed to see as much of the world as I could. When I started earning my own money, it was something I pursued with a passion.

Suddenly, I found myself backpacking around Thailand, exploring the nooks and crannies of Barcelona and Prague, walking around rustic towns in Mexico, navigating central and rural Japan, and simply discovering countries and cities that I would read about as a kid.

Travel isn't just a fun pursuit. What's important about traveling is the learnings that you get from it. Aside from learning about different cultures, you also learn to appreciate what you have in your own country, and you learn what can be improved. Traveling gives you a wider world view, and have a benchmark on what's good and what's bad.

It's a learning experience, every step of the way. From the airport to the airplane, to the local transport system, to the destination itself. If you keep your eyes and ears open, you'll be amazed at what you'll learn.

And this is the reason why I insist and take pains in ensuring that my classes go out of campus, out of the city, and even out of the country. Because while it looks like a simple junket, it really is an opportunity for students to learn about their world, their capabilities, and themselves.

Traveling is really one of the best ways to learn.