USA, June 28, 2019: We all want our summer vacations to be a memorable one and wish to go to a place that adds to fun and frolic of the vacations. This year, 10 students and one teacher of Apeejay School, Pitampura got the opportunity to visit NASA. The journey began on 16th June 2019 and ended on 28th June 2019.

The first halt was at Orlando, where the students visited the Disney Magic Kingdom. Students enjoyed the parade, rides and exciting show. The day ended with exciting fireworks. The next day, the team visited NASA wherein they had lunch with an astronaut Mr Norm Thakard. He shared his journey in NASA with the students. After this, the team visited Rocket Garden and Apollo building, where they saw Shuttle launch pad and watched a 3D movie based on launching a satellite. It was a great learning experience.

Next day, they visited Universal Studios, where the students enjoyed life scaring rides. In the evening, we took a flight to Niagara. Next morning, they visited Niagara Falls – a natural wonder of the world.

Students also visited New York and got a chance to visit freedom tower, 9/11 memorial and Times Square. They also visited New Jersey, from where they went to visit the Statue of Liberty. On the last day, students went to Boston – the University hub. They visited the world renowned Harvard and MIT Universities.

Uttarakhand, June 2019: The trip started on 4th June 2019; wherein 77 students along with 7 teachers set off on a journey via bus to make memories they would never forget. Delhi - Jim Corbett was quite a long and tiring journey, but good friends ensure good times. So, listening to songs, exchanging stories and nibbling on snacks, they reached their stop: Gajraula, at approximately 4:30pm.

They reached our destination, Hotel Tusker Trail, at around 7:00 in the evening. Some students relaxed while others treated themselves to a friendly game of water polo.

The next morning, they set out for the next destination: the Corbett House. It is the house where Sir Jim Corbett lived and has now been converted into a museum. It is a place where you can know Corbett and his exploits. Once there, a guide enlightened them about Sir Jim Corbett and his house. They then explored the house and clicked some pictures. Also, they shopped for native souvenirs like key chains, fridge magnets, paperweights, etc.

The group was soon ready to embark on the Jungle safari. Travelling in a convoy of jeep s, the students were excited to see the verdant forests all around. The excitement was palpable when the students could observe a herd of deer and a troop of monkeys. Driving through the dense forests, they also observed the footprints of a bear, birds like hornbill and kingfisher in flight over our heads and the majestic elephant with its white tusks wandering amidst the woody trees and a peafowl, flaunting their colourful feathers. Chirping of birds, the scream of peacocks and the stridulating of cricket filled the atmosphere, revitalizing everyone. The safari was for an hour after which everyone returned to the resort.

At night, the students had an amazing time at the DJ. Dancing to various Bollywood numbers injected pleasure amongst the students and the teachers, which was truly magical.

After the visit to the museum and drive into the jungle, the group started return journey for school with a stopover at Haveli, Gajraula. The group reached school at about 6:00 pm and the students were handed back to their guardians, thus, bringing these wondrous three days to a glorious end. It is rightly said that, “Travel creates memories that lasts a lifetime!”

Overall, it was a beautiful excursion which helped the students appreciate nature and the need to preserve our forests and animals living therein. It is hoped that this excursion would create lasting impressions on young minds about the need to conserve our environmental heritage.