A lifelong passion for Iceland: Tom Sawyer’s 20 years of school trips

Where it all began

Tom’s relationship with Iceland began during the early part of his teaching career. After joining his first school in 1996, he became involved with an Iceland trip that had been developed by colleagues in the Geography department. The trip was organised through Rayburn Tours, and although Tom did not join the very first visit, he went on the second.

After that, he says, he “never missed one”! When Tom moved to another school in 2006, he set up an Iceland trip there too. It was during these early visits that his fascination with the country really developed.

As a Geography teacher, the opportunity to see the processes and landscapes he had spent years teaching about was particularly special. One of the moments that stayed with him was walking through the Rift Valley after previously studying it from textbooks. The more Tom visited Iceland, the more he wanted his students to experience it for themselves.

Bringing Geography to life

For Tom, the real value of school travel has always been what happens when students step outside the classroom. He remembers teaching pupils who lived only around an hour from the coast but had never actually been to a beach. Experiences that might seem ordinary to some young people can therefore become hugely significant when they are encountered for the first time.

Tom believes overseas trips give students the chance to experience things they simply cannot replicate in a classroom. Seeing a landscape they have studied, travelling somewhere completely unfamiliar or experiencing another culture can make learning feel much more real.

He also sees travel as an important way of developing what he describes as “cultural capital”.

The Iceland trip grew into a flagship experience at one of his schools, eventually becoming a joint trip with another local high school. At one point, Tom was taking 73 students to Iceland. When he later moved to Brymore Academy in Somerset, he once again made Iceland part of the school’s regular travel programme.

Taking ownership of every trip

Tom has always liked to be closely involved in the organisation of his trips. Rather than simply handing everything over, he preferred to work directly with Rayburn Tours and understand exactly how each trip was going to work.

That sense of ownership became increasingly important as Tom gained experience. He took responsibility for the school paperwork and planning, while working with Rayburn Tours on the practical elements of putting the trip together.

He found that knowing the destination and understanding the detail of the itinerary gave him confidence when travelling with students. Over time, he also became increasingly comfortable creating his own itineraries and tailoring trips around what he wanted his students to experience.

A lifetime of Icelandic memories

After so many visits, Tom estimates that he has explored more than 50 different locations across Iceland.

There are certain places and experiences that remain particularly vivid. He remembers visiting Heimaey and standing on Eldfell, the volcano formed during the 1973 eruption, where the ground was still warm beneath his feet.

He remembers travelling to Sólheimajökull Glacier and heading into Þórsmörk by Super Jeep. There were trips to Landmannalaugar, visits to Strokkur and Gullfoss, and countless moments when the Icelandic landscape simply stopped him in his tracks.

At Gullfoss, he recalls seeing the spray frozen in the cold, describing it as being like crystal shards. At Skógafoss, rainbows appeared through the falling water. He has even had the rare experience of seeing an Arctic fox.

He describes the experience of being there as “looking at life in high definition”, particularly when the weather is clear and the low October sun brings out the detail in the landscape.

Sharing the experience

Tom has always wanted the trips to be memorable for the staff who travel with him as well as the students. Over the years, he has rotated staff so that new colleagues have had the opportunity to experience Iceland.

He has also continued to build on his own knowledge, researching the places he visits and adding to his notes so that he can give students a greater understanding of what they are seeing.

That desire to share the country is at the heart of Tom’s relationship with Iceland.

When asked what he will miss when the school trips come to an end, his answer is simple: “Absolutely everything.”

A partnership built over more than 20 years

Tom has now worked with Rayburn Tours for more than 20 years, and during that time he has developed close relationships with members of the team.

One of the things he values most is the personal nature of that relationship. When he begins planning another trip with Richard, Operations Supervisor at Rayburn Tours, Tom says it can feel as though no time has passed, even if they have not spoken for a year.

That familiarity has meant Rayburn Tours understands how Tom likes to travel and what he wants his students to get from the experience. He also appreciates being able to discuss an itinerary with someone who understands Iceland rather than simply relying on information he could find online.

For Tom, that knowledge makes a real difference when planning a school trip.

One last journey

Tom’s upcoming trip with Brymore Academy will be his final school trip to Iceland, bringing a remarkable chapter of his teaching career to a close. There is understandably a sense of emotion around that final journey, but Tom is determined to make the most of it. After so many years of taking students to Iceland, he is looking forward to experiencing the country once more with them and creating one final set of memories.

And although this will be his last trip as a teacher, Tom does not intend to leave Iceland behind!