Today I'm sharing my top tips and resources for getting started with virtual field trips and showing how I use passports, boarding passes, and travel journals to make the experience come to life. I've also included a great freebie down below (#welovefreebies), so keep reading to download yours. This is the first part of my Virtual Field Trip Blog Series, so be sure to subscribe to get more tips, resources and freebies sent to your inbox! Why virtual field trips? I think it's pretty amazing that my 2nd graders and I manage to fly all over the world without ever leaving the walls of our classroom. Of course, none of this is possible without a little a lot of help from Google Earth, Skype in the Classroom, and other awesome tech tools. With little prep, students are able to experience other cultures, learn important geography skills, and build their natural love for learning and inquiry. I love that there are so many incredible free resources and tools to make traveling across the globe super easy and most importantly, super engaging. Where should we visit? The possibilities are endless! Especially with Google Earth. All you have to do is download it on any device and start traveling for free. We take virtual field trips on a regular basis--some are formally planned along with an itinerary, boarding passes, and passports, and some are on-the-"fly" (see what I did there) where we quickly hop on Google Earth to make visual connections to what we're learning in literacy, math, social studies or science. For example, during our Cinderella Around the World unit, we take mini field trips to each of the countries we read Cinderella stories from. If you get creative, you can connect a virtual field trip to any content area or learning objective. If you haven't already played around with Google Earth, check it out. You can explore pictures, street views (kids think you're actually there), the weather radar, and so much more. A planned field trip may be scheduled through Skype in the Classroom (FREE! More on this awesome resource in an upcoming vlog) or Discovery Education (subscription required). These awesome sites do all the planning for you. It's just as much fun for teachers to participate as it is for students. What should we bring? You can really get creative here! Sometimes I bring in food or souvenirs from the country we're visiting. I prepare ahead of time with an itinerary (including our time for departure/arrival, where we're going, and our schedule for the day) and fill out boarding passes for each student to make the experience more realistic. They each have a passport and travel journal to bring along for the trip. It's literally so adorable to see their excitement. All of these resources are available at my TpT store, individually or in my Ultimate Travel Bundle. Keep reading to see my Virtual Field Trip Itinerary freebie! How else can the Travel Bundle be used in the classroom? Holidays around the world Research projects Mystery Skype Actual "real world" field trips Want to bring the world into YOUR classroom in 3 easy steps? Decide where you want to go and what tool you want to use. Google Earth is a great place to start! Play around with it and get a feel for the awesome features. Later on in this blog series, I'll go more in depth about Skype, Discovery Ed, and NearPod. Subscribe to The Teacher's Passport so you don't miss any updates in my Virtual Field Trip Blog Series. Download my Virtual Field Trip Itinerary Freebie! You may also be interested in the Travel Bundle to make the whole experience much more fun (includes easy-to-assemble print-and-fold passports, boarding passes, and travel journals). FREEBIE ON SALE NOW AT MY TPT STORE Comment below to let me know... Are you excited to try virtual field trips in your classroom? Or do you already do them with your students? Let me know what questions you still have and what you'd like to learn more about! Thanks so much for stopping by!