Seeing it on TV is one thing.

Beholding the Louvre in Paris with her own eyes was a totally different experience for 17-year-old Shayla Tyler.

"I couldn't put into words how in awe I was of all the art and the sculptures," the incoming Coeur d'Alene High School senior said Thursday.

“I've never left the states and the farthest place I ever went was New York," she said. "This was my first time very far away."

Shayla was among 13 ninth-through-12th graders and recent high school graduates accompanied by adult chaperones who spent 33 days on a grand tour through 19 cities in 10 countries on two continents. The group — previously Coeur d'Alene Kids Travel now renamed Pacific Northwest Kids Travel — returned stateside July 26.

"It was wild," said trip coordinator and Lakes Middle School history teacher Tanya Lilley. "We started in London and ended in Turkey."

Lilley has organized these globe-trotting excursions since March of 2022. Through Education First Educational Tours, students and recent grads have adventured to locales such as Belgium, Japan, Ireland, Amsterdam, Italy, Scotland and Greece.

“I think one of the main highlights for me on every single trip is when I have a student who leans over and says, 'Isn't that from that lesson when we talked about this?'" Lilley said.

When the group was in Vatican City, they viewed frescos by Italian Renaissance artist Raphael, whom they learned about as part of the "Ninja Turtles" section of the Renaissance unit Lilley teaches, she said.

"We analyze how he used linear perspective," Lilley said. "The kids were pointing things out from our lessons as we actually stood in his rooms. They were making connections and getting really excited they were seeing it in person."

As well as Italy and France, the adventure took young travelers to Salzburg, Austria, where they explored a centuries-old salt mine.

"We were over 400 feet down and somewhere around 2,000 feet into the mountain," Lilley said.

Jordan Cummings, a 2025 Lake City High School grad, went on his first European tour with the group in 2022 and also traveled to Japan in spring 2024.

“It was amazing," he said of the most recent trip. "It was money well spent."

He said he was really impressed with the Vatican, but every stop was memorable.

"Feeding pigeons in Amsterdam was definitely unique," he said. 

While the geographical and historical experiences were eye-opening for the young travelers, they also socially and culturally grew, not to mention the grit they demonstrated through early mornings, late nights and the constant walking during summer heatwaves.

“I think it really tested my understanding of the world because there were so many people from so many backgrounds and ages," Shayla said. "It was a good social experience for me to understand that people experience things differently than I do."

Francesca Drake, 14, an incoming Coeur d'Alene High freshman, the youngest explorer on this trip, didn't know anyone but Lilley before departure.

"I grew to know everyone, and we got super close," she said, "learning to be with them for an entire month — getting to become like a family with this group."

This trip provided countless opportunities to try new things, she said.

"You find the fun in things when you are out there experiencing new cultures in another part of the world,” Francesca said.

Lilley said tour prices depend on the location and length of the trip, but students are given guidance and support for fundraising and payment plans. 

"This is probably a once-in-a lifetime opportunity," Shayla said. "It's not that expensive; I worked for three straight years and I paid for the trip all by myself. I was like, 'This is my trip.'"

The next trip during spring break 2026 will be to Rome and Florence.

See PNW Kids Travel on Facebook or email [email protected] for details.

    Jordan Cummings, a 2025 Lake City High School graduate, makes friends July 1 with the pigeons in Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands, during a recent PNW Kids Travel tour of Europe and Turkey.
  

    The PNW Kids Travel group is seen July 16 in front of St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City, Italy. Standing, back row, from left: Sonja Bodnar, Shayla Tyler, Tania Lilley, Jordan Cummings, Brooke Vig, Andrew Nelson, Francesca Drake, Kaylyn Willis and Danielle Buettner. Front, from left: Kiera Buettner and Isabelle Lilley.
  

    Amanda Sprinkle and her dad, Robert Sprinkle, make a heart with their arms June 29 in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.