Foreign exchange trips and the language immersion opportunities that they provide can help a child develop their social, cultural, and language skills. However, sending a child on a language exchange can be a worrying and stressful experience for parents; they are, after all, sending their child hundreds if not thousands miles away from home to live with a family they may never have met. At Lingoo we help families facilitate language exchanges across Europe and beyond. The experiences of those on our language exchanges and our homestay language immersion holidays give us an understanding of the questions and apprehensions that many parents may feel when considering an exchange. Here are three foreign language exchange tips for parents that can help avoid problems before they arise.
Create an Itinerary and Emergency Contact List
Having an itinerary document as well as all the essential travel documents in one place will help your child get through immigration quickly. This will also help keep everyone informed as to what is going on. It is also advisable for the itinerary document to have useful phone numbers and contact information for your child to contact locally in the event of unforeseen issues. Proper planning and preparation will set both the parents and the exchange child on the right path for a successful and stress free trip.
Check the Airline You Book With Accepts Unaccompanied Children
Unfortunately, every airline has different rules about whether unaccompanied children can travel with them. Therefore, it is important to check before booking what the rules are for your preferred airline and plan accordingly.
Pocket Money
The amount of money that your child will need on a language exchange will depend on the planned activities, and whether they will be paid for by the host family, by you directly in advance, or by your child. We recommend using the Lingoo platform to speak with your exchange family to find out what is planned and what amount of local currency they recommend your child brings.