Teacher and world traveler are two things that people do not normally relate to one another but describe Allison Bias perfectly. Bias is an English Language teacher at Longfellow Middle School in Norman who in recent years became a frequent jetsetter thanks to the Global Exploration for Educators Organization (GEEO).
Most teachers have received at least one mailer or one pamphlet in their mailbox advertising special trips for educators, but many do not take up the offer. Bias was one who did not consider it until she heard first-hand experience from a trusted source.
“A friend went with GEEO to Jordan and loved it,” Bias remembered. “She convinced me to look around for a trip and we booked one for Iceland for the next summer.”
With that first trip, Bias was hooked. In the last five years, the bulk of her trips have been with GEEO.
“I was still in Iceland in June and I saw that they had a grant open for a Greece trip, so I kind of applied for it on a whim and I got it,” Bias shared.
Bias went from a two-week trip in Iceland to another one in Greece in the same summer. She had traveled to the United Kingdom and Europe before but was intrigued by the variety of countries that GEEO offered trips for and the resources they provided. Through the organization, she has been able to visit places that she knew nothing about such as Portugal, South Africa, and Turkey.
“All the big trips I’ve taken have been with GEEO because it’s so easy, especially for places that I wouldn’t want to make my own itinerary for like Turkey,” Bias shared. “I probably wouldn’t have just decided, ‘Hey, I wanna go to Turkey in the middle of nowhere and travel from Istanbul all the way down the Mediterranean coast and all the way back up.’”
Although travelers must cover their own airfare, GEEO helps make traveling to different countries more affordable through different partnerships with other organizations and businesses.
“They plan everything, and you go in small groups,” Bias explained. “I believe the cap for the group was about 16 and you just get to know one another. Plus everyone is either a teacher or a retired teacher.”
GEEO helps to book your lodgings, transportation, a local guide, and anything else you might need on your fifteen-day trip. The cost varies depending on which countries you visit, but they provide something that is difficult to put a price on: peace of mind.
“They are very conscientious of making you feel safe, and all of the accommodations are pretty nice,” Bias shared. “Excluding airfare, my fifteen-day trip to Turkey was less than $1,500”.
In comparison, the average trip to Turkey for fifteen days is approximately $2,400. Additionally, GEEO provides hundreds of professional development hours for going on the trips, grant opportunities, special discounts, and even partners with some universities for graduate credit hours.
Beyond all the benefits, Bias believes the most important part of traveling with GEEO was the community of traveling teachers she met. Through the program, she has connected with teachers from all over the nation.
For more information on GEEO, visit: https://geeo.org/
