A Teacher Preview trip is a familiarisation trip with a difference. You’re part teacher, part traveller and, deep down, always learning.
From 6–10 August 2026, we brought together a group of teachers in Orlando, Florida, for a Teacher Preview trip designed to give them a first-hand look at some of the experiences, venues and educational opportunities available to their students.
Everyone arrived with a slightly different purpose; some were already planning future trips and working through the practicalities of risk assessments and itineraries. Others were exploring workshops and curriculum connections. A few were keen to gather plenty of photos and videos to take back to school and get their students excited about the possibilities.
The one thing everyone had in common? They were prepared to brave Florida's humid summer weather in the name of educational travel.
And, thankfully, they left with plenty of ideas to take home.
So, what actually happens on a Teacher Preview trip?
A Teacher Preview gives teachers the opportunity to experience destinations and educational venues themselves on a fully refunded trip before bringing a group of students.
That first-hand experience can be incredibly useful. Rather than simply reading about a venue or looking at a programme online, teachers can walk through the spaces, meet the people delivering workshops, ask questions about logistics and get a much better feel for what their students could actually experience.
It also gives us the chance to look at the trip from a teacher's perspective: what works well, where groups can stay, how long transfers take, which experiences complement one another and, importantly, where the fun fits in.
Because school trips should have plenty of that too.
Day 1: Arriving in Orlando
Everyone arrived through Orlando International Airport, giving us the chance to put one of the most important parts of any school trip into practice straight away: getting everyone from the airport to their accommodation.
Orlando International is a substantial airport, with its terminals connected by the complimentary automated SkyLink. And because we were travelling during Florida's wet season, we knew that a little flexibility might be required.
Once everyone was settled into their accommodation, there was time to explore International Drive – or I-Drive, as the locals call it – before dinner.
We had a few restaurant suggestions ready based on previous group feedback, although some teachers decided to make the most of being in Orlando and crossed the road for a film on the IMAX screen instead.
A very sensible first-night activity after a day of travelling.
Day 2: Limbitless Solutions, UCF and the Space Coast
Day two was where the educational side of the trip really came to life.
Our first stop was Limbitless Solutions at the University of Central Florida (UCF), a non-profit organisation that designs and manufactures personalised prosthetic arms for children and young people.
The organisation works with UCF students and combines engineering, design, robotics and digital technology to create prosthetic devices, while also exploring ways to make the technology more accessible.
For our teachers, the visit provided an opportunity to see the facility, meet the team and explore the workshops available to school groups.
There are some fascinating curriculum connections here. Students can investigate the wiring of a robotic arm, explore how biological ligaments have influenced robotic design and even look at how game design and digital technology can be used to help young people learn to control a prosthetic limb.
It is exactly the kind of experience that can turn a STEM concept from something on a classroom screen into something tangible.
From UCF, we headed east towards Kennedy Space centre, where the scale of the experience changes rather dramatically.
Standing beside the enormous Saturn V rocket is a good reminder that some learning experiences are difficult to replicate in a classroom.
Teachers had the chance to explore the space centre, see historic spacecraft and learn more about the people and technology behind human spaceflight. One of the highlights was getting up close to an astronaut – the sort of encounter that tends to make a school trip considerably easier to sell back at school!
For schools planning a visit to Kennedy Space centre, it can also make good logistical sense to spend a night on the Space Coast rather than travelling back and forth to Orlando.
Our hotel partner, the Best Western in Cocoa Beach, showed the teachers around the accommodation and talked through the options available for school groups. Afterwards, we took a short walk down to the famous Westgate Cocoa Beach Pier before heading back towards Orlando.
It was a long day, but a pretty spectacular one. Back on I-Drive, we headed to JoJo's Shake BAR at Pointe Orlando for dinner.
For students, the enormous Biggie Shakes would probably have been the main attraction.
For this particular group of teachers, however, the Frozen Espresso Martinis proved slightly more popular!
Teacher Preview trips are, after all, allowed to have the occasional perk.
Day 3 & 4: Exploring Orlando & Universal Orlando Resort
One of the useful things about including free time in a Teacher Preview is that teachers can use it in different ways.
Some may want to meet educators or explore specialist visits that could form part of a future itinerary. Others might simply want to slow down, explore Orlando independently and recover from the previous few days.
We also had the opportunity to explore Universal Orlando Resort, including Universal Studios Florida, Universal's Islands of Adventure and the newly opened Epic Universe.
Epic Universe opened in 2025 and adds another huge dimension to Orlando's theme park offering, with immersive worlds inspired by Nintendo, How to Train Your Dragon and Universal's classic monsters, among others.
For school groups, however, the educational opportunities currently sit primarily within Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure.
One of the highlights for our teachers was experiencing the Behind-the-Adventure/SFX-style programming, which offered a different perspective on what goes on behind the attractions and gave them priority access to a few rides.
There is far more to these parks than rollercoasters, though, students can explore areas such as special effects, storytelling, engineering, design, production and the technology involved in creating immersive experiences. Then, of course, there are the rides, stunt shows and stage productions that make Universal such an enjoyable place to spend a day.
We finished the evening at CityWalk, where Margaritaville hosted us for our final dinner together.
There was live music, plenty of laughter and a rather unexpected reaction to the volcanic eruptions that happen throughout the evening.
We won't spoil that one.
Our final day: Alligators, airboats and indoor skydiving
Our final morning started with checkout before we headed south of Orlando to Lake Tohopekaliga – usually shortened to simply Lake Toho. From there, we took to the water with Boggy Creek Airboat Adventures.
This was one of those experiences that manages to be educational without feeling remotely like a lesson.
We saw alligator mums guarding their nests, learned about the behaviour of the dominant males and heard how the animals adapt to their environment throughout the year.
The airboat itself was a highlight too. Gliding across the headwaters towards the Florida Everglades while listening to the commentary from our captain, John, was a brilliant way to experience a side of Florida that is very different from the theme parks.
Then came one final burst of adrenaline. Our final activity was a visit to iFLY, where teachers experienced indoor skydiving in a controlled wind tunnel.
There is a surprisingly strong science lesson hiding inside the fun.
In their specialist workshops, students can explore concepts such as gravity, air resistance, forces and terminal velocity before testing the theory for themselves. Rather than simply calculating an answer on paper, they get to experience what happens when the forces involved are put into practice.
It is a fitting example of what makes educational travel so powerful: the learning doesn't have to feel separate from the experience.
Sometimes the best classroom is the one where everyone is laughing while trying to keep themselves balanced in a giant column of air.
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What makes a Teacher Preview trip valuable?
By the end of the trip, our teachers had experienced a very broad slice of what an educational trip to Orlando could look like.
There was STEM and engineering at UCF, space science at Kennedy Space Center, technology and production at Universal, environmental learning around Lake Toho and physics at iFLY.
But just as importantly, teachers had seen the practical side of travelling between these experiences, staying on the Space Coast, navigating Orlando and understanding how different activities could work within a school itinerary.
That first-hand knowledge matters.
When teachers return to school and start talking to students about a future trip, they're not relying on a brochure. They've stood in the spaces, spoken to the educators and experienced the activities themselves.
And hopefully, they now have plenty of stories to tell as well.
The adventure doesn't stop here
It was a fantastic few days, and a great opportunity for our team to experience Orlando alongside the teachers who may one day bring their students here.
We aim to run Teacher Preview trips regularly, giving educators the chance to experience destinations and educational programmes first-hand.
Our next Teacher Preview is set to head to Japan, where we'll be exploring some of the educational experiences, cultural opportunities and specialist visits available for school groups.
If you'd like to hear more about the next Teacher Preview opportunity, get in touch about our Japan itineraries and keep an eye out for the next invitation.
After all, the best way to understand an educational trip is sometimes to go on one yourself.
