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Human Geography Trips to New York

New York's geography, with its scarce availability of land, is a contributing factor in making it one of the most populated cities in the United States. Environmental problems are chiefly concerned with managing this density, making it a great alternative case-study for geography students looking at how humans adapt and transform their landscape.

Take a walk along the High-Line an innovative way of creating green space in this densely populated, land-strapped city or celebrate the city's vertical skyline at the Skyscraper Museum. Our five and six day trips to New York will give you plenty of time to balance these educational visits with the time to visit the city's famous attractions and landmarks to create a school trip of a lifetime.

 

Curriculum Topics Key Stage 4

  • Urban issues and challenges
  • Urban sustainability 
  • Water and Energy

Curriculum Topics Key Stage 5

  • Contemporary urban processes
  • Urban decline and regeneration
  • Contemporary sustainability issues 

Explore all of our New York City school trips here. 

 

Prices start from£979pp

Popular itinerary

Our sample itinerary provides you with an idea of the visits you can cover during your trip. We can tailor-make an itinerary to support your specific learning outcomes.

Morning Afternoon Evening
1 Check in to UK airport for flight to New York Arrive and transfer to your accommodation Visit to Empire State Building
2 Visit to the Skyscraper Museum Visit to the 9/11 memorial and Museum Tickets to see a Sports Fixture or Broadway Show
3 Visit to New York Transit Museum Guided Tour of Brooklyn Navy Yard Evening meal in a local restaurant
4 Ellis Island and Liberty Ferry Walk the High Line with free time for shopping before transfer to New York airport for return flight Overnight flight back to UK
5 Arrive UK Airport, onward return travel to school
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
Morning Check in to UK airport for flight to New York
Afternoon Arrive and transfer to your accommodation
Evening Visit to Empire State Building
Morning Visit to the Skyscraper Museum
Afternoon Visit to the 9/11 memorial and Museum
Evening Tickets to see a Sports Fixture or Broadway Show
Morning Visit to New York Transit Museum
Afternoon Guided Tour of Brooklyn Navy Yard
Evening Evening meal in a local restaurant
Morning Ellis Island and Liberty Ferry
Afternoon Walk the High Line with free time for shopping before transfer to New York airport for return flight
Evening Overnight flight back to UK
Morning Arrive UK Airport, onward return travel to school
Afternoon
Evening

Price Shown includes

  • Return Air Travel
  • 3 nights Room Only Accommodation on a Bedshare basis
  • Specialist Group Travel Insurance
  • Bespoke itinerary planning service
  • Free Place Ratios
  • Live Trip Tracking
  • Online trip organiser & Travel App
  • 24/7 support whilst you are away

Places to Stay


Reasons to Visit

The Skyscraper Museum

Located in New York City, the world's first and foremost vertical metropolis, The Skyscraper Museum celebrates the City's rich architectural heritage and examines the historical forces and individuals that have shaped its successive skylines. Through exhibitions, programs and publications, the Museum explores tall buildings as objects of design, products of technology, sites of construction, investments in real estate, and places of work and residence.

High Line

This once disused and derelict former freight rail line has been turned into one of the most innovative and inviting public spaces in New York City. Black steel columns that once supported abandoned train tracks now hold up an elevated park offering a unique vantage point to the city. You can sit surrounded by carefully tended plants and take in the Hudson River views, or you can walk the line as it slices through the cityscape un-interrupted by street crossings or traffic lights to wait for.

New York Transit Museum

It’s impossible to imagine New York City without a mass transit system, the city relies on subways, commuter trains, buses, bridges and tunnels to move millions of people around each day. It is one of the largest mass transit systems in the world with 468 stations, 842 miles (1355 km) of track and it runs 24hrs a day. Students will have the opportunity to learn about the intricacies of this network first-hand.

Clay Pit Ponds, State Park Preserve

The site of extensive mining in the 19th century, the Clay Pit Ponds State Park Preserve is a 260 acre nature preserve near the Southwest shore of Staten Island. Explore its variety of unique habitats, such as wetlands, ponds, sand barrens , spring-fed streams and woodlands. The preserve retains its unique ecology and provides educational and recreational opportunities.

The Natural Classroom

An exciting series of programmes providing an unforgettable experience for students. With each programme, your students visit a New York City nature centre and take part in a series of hands-on activities.

The New York Botanical Garden

Explore 50 diverse gardens and plant collections across 250 acres of year round beauty, and enjoy exciting, hands-on activities that connect plants and people.

Empire State Building Observatory

New York’s famous Empire State building soars more than a quarter of a mile above the heart of Manhattan. Located on the 86th floor, the observatory offers panoramic views from within a glass enclosed pavilion.

Top of the Rock Observation Deck

The newly renovated Observation Deck on the 70th floor of 30 Rockefeller Plaza, in the heart of midtown Manhattan at Rockefeller Center. The view itself is unique and astonishing, unobstructed for 360 degrees and stretching for miles in every direction.

Circle Line Tour (Boat Cruise)

This cruise circumnavigates Manhattan Island allowing you to see all its highlights (dependant on length of cruise chosen) 3 rivers, 7 major bridges, 5 boroughs, over 25 world renowned landmarks and, of course, a magnificent close-up of the Statue of Liberty. Beverages, food and souvenirs are available on board.

Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island

The Statue of Liberty is New York's most symbolic structure. The Auguste Bartholdi statue was given as a gift from the people of France and stands at 111 feet 6 inches from the toe to the crown. In the base of the statue there is an interesting museum devoted to the statue's history.

Broadway Theatre & Dinner Packages

Make the most of your stay by rounding off the day with a Broadway show. The best value tickets are available for mid-week performances and can be combined with dinner in a nearby restaurant before the performance.

Watch a Broadway Show

Examples of current shows on offer are: Aladdin, Wicked, Chicago, Mean Girls, The Phantom of the Opera and Beetlejuice. 

There are other shows/plays on offer not featured. All are subject to availability - so book early for your favourite show!

Ice Skating at Wollman Rink

Wollman Rink provides 26,600 square feet of ice for skaters in the winter. Wollman Rink, located near the Parkside Avenue/Ocean Avenue entrance to Central Park, is open for ice skating from late November through March. The Rink features a snack bar, skate shop, skate rental and free lockers.

Ferry ride to the Statue of Liberty

The Circle Line to Staten Island offers impressive panoramas of Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty. The ferry departs from Battery Park every thirty minutes.

Central Park

One of the great pleasures New Yorkers and tourists enjoy is getting away from it all in Central Park. Stretching 51 blocks between 59th and 110th streets, this 843-acre area, green rectangle has served its city well since 1859. From famous statues to castles, there is so much to see within this pastoral landmark.

Times Square

Immerse your students in "the Center of the Entertainment Universe" in Times Square - one of the world's busiest pedestrian areas and the hub of the Broadway Theatre District.

One World Trade Centre Observation Deck

The Freedom Tower is a 104 storey building that stands on the World Trade Center site in Manhattan - giving amazing views of the city.  Interactive exhibitions reveals the transformation of New York City from unsettled lands to today’s remarkable forest of skyscrapers.   Ascend the 102 floors to the observation deck in under 60 seconds in one of five sky pod elevators!

Yankee Stadium Tours

This classic tour of Yankee Stadium allows you to absorb the history of one of the most iconic of American sports teams.    The Yankees are 27-time World Series Champions, the tour will take you to famous locations such as Monument Park, get you up close to historic baseball memorabilia as well teach you more about how the stadium is used and the events hosted here which go beyond baseball.   Each tour is led by an expert guide and culminates in the chance to purchase some of its famous merchandise.

Basketball and Ice Hockey Matches

Tickets to the New York Knicks Basketball and New York Rangers Ice Hockey Games range from $25 and upwards depending upon availability.

RiseNY

RiseNY pairs museum-style galleries with an amusement park-quality ride.

Begin your adventure with an immersive film by an award-winning documentarian that transitions to an interactive self-guided walkthrough tracing tipping points in history that helped shape Music, Fashion, TV, Theater and more in each dedicated gallery:

  • Discover the rise of Wall Street and The New York Stock Exchange in the Finance Gallery.
  • Learn the history of mass media with Telsa’s Coil in the TV/Radio Gallery.
  • Understand the law of physics through the Otis elevator brake in the Skyline Gallery.
  • Visual, language and performing arts come to life in the Fashion, Music, Broadway and Film Galleries.


Then, board an extraordinary elevator experience that transports you to a spectacular virtual soaring ride! Feel the rush of wind in your hair as you “fly” over the world’s most stunning skyline.

Summit OV

Explore three levels of mind-bending multi-sensory immersive experiences. With magnificent views over the Manhattan skyline, Summit takes the concept of an “observation deck” to entirely new heights.

Edge

Edge is the highest outdoor sky deck in the Western Hemisphere, a marvel of architecture, engineering, and technology with panoramic views of New York City. Edge combines the pulse-quickening excitement of leaning out over a 100-story outdoor balcony with the warm welcome of elevated food & beverage service in a unique social space.

There are free downloadable STEM resources to take students on a virtual adventure into NYC’s newest and most forward-thinking neighbourhood. Get students thinking like community builders and changemakers by harnessing the Design Engineering Process, a simple tool you can use to elevate Reach for the Sky resources and ground student explorations in project-based learning.

9/11 Memorial Museum

Opened in 2014, the museum explores the implications of the events of 9/11, documenting the impact of those events and exploring 9/11’s continuing significance. It demonstrates the consequences of terrorism on individual lives and its impact on communities at local, national and international level. The museum is growing a permanent collection of artefacts, stories, photos, video and other materials.


Evening activites

  • Empire State Building
  • Top of the Rock
  • Broadway Show
  • Sports Fixture Tickets - choose from basketball, hockey or baseball

We Make Trip Planning Easy

  • Day to day support and advice from our team of travel experts
  • Easy-to-view online tour quotation
  • Market-leading trip organiser portal, My Tour Manager
  • Free Resources and templates to help launch your trip
  • Email reminders to keep you on track
  • Free and completely personalised Travel App to access your information on the go
  • Locate My Trip designed to provide reassurance to parents and teachers
  • Risk Assessment advice so you can make an informed decision on every tour component
  • Teacher Inspection Visits

What you say

I have now used European study tours 4 times and I personally wouldn't use anyone else...excellent service! 

Darlington College

Thank you for your professionalism, flexibility, time and support which made the trip such a success! 

Cathedral Academy

Really positive and helpful all the way through the booking and planning process - always on hand and really personable. 

Melksham Oak Community School