Carman Travel Club takes 52 students and parents abroad for spring break trip.
Lisa Pinkerton-Baschuk (left) and her daughter Nora in Italy
After nearly three years of fundraising, a group of Carman-area students finally got the opportunity to experience Europe firsthand this spring.
The Carman Travel Club, a parent-led community group founded in 2023, took 52 students and parents to Greece and Italy over spring break, giving many local students their first opportunity to travel internationally.
The club was founded in 2023 by Carman residents Carly Cox and Michelle Froese.
“We wanted to provide an educational travel experience for our families,” Froese said. “I had the opportunity to travel in high school, and it was the best experience.”
The group travelled from March 26 to April 4, visiting Athens, several Greek islands, Rome and Pompeii.
According to Froese, Greece and Italy were chosen because of their strong historical and cultural appeal.
“This was an easy decision,” she said. “We knew the history and culture in Greece and Italy would appeal to a wide variety of students.”
For 16-year-old high school student Nora Baschuk, the trip marked both her first time overseas and her first visit to Europe.
“I really liked the cultures and the architecture in the different communities that we went to,” Baschuk said. “It was really interesting to see, even within different countries in Europe, how distinct the communities and some of the cities we went to were, especially the islands.”
The group began the trip in Greece, where they explored Athens before taking a day cruise to several Greek islands. After Greece, the group travelled overnight by ferry to Italy, where they toured Rome and Pompeii.
Baschuk’s mother, Lisa Pinkerton-Baschuk, who was also part of the 52-person travel group, said several landmarks stood out to students and parents alike.
“A lot of us enjoyed seeing Pompeii because it was something a lot of us had learned about in school,” she said. “And with the Colosseum, a lot of people were familiar with it from the Gladiator movies.”
The group also made a quick stop in Vatican City, the smallest country in the world, visiting on Good Friday.
“It was really special for a lot of the students and parents,” Pinkerton-Baschuk said. “Just being at Vatican City on Good Friday was a neat experience. The crowds were absolutely insane.”
Beyond sightseeing, students and parents participated in cultural activities, including learning how to make pasta and gelato from scratch, while also enjoying authentic Greek and Italian cuisine.
“The food was absolutely amazing,” Pinkerton-Baschuk said.
A major highlight of the trip, particularly for the students, was the abundance of friendly stray cats in Greece that often sought attention.
Pinkerton-Baschuk also said the exposure to new cultures and languages helped broaden students’ perspectives.
The trip was made possible through community fundraising efforts. According to Froese, students raised $55,712 through various initiatives and activities over three years.
One of the Carman Travel Club’s biggest fundraisers was A Night of Laughs, a Christmas dinner and entertainment evening held in both 2024 and 2025.
Students also volunteered at Kinsmen Connect booths during the Carman Fair and participated in additional fundraising initiatives, including gift card sales, cash calendars and movie nights.
“I know they’d all like to thank everyone who supported their fundraisers to help them have this opportunity,” Pinkerton-Baschuk said.
While the Carman Travel Club is not officially affiliated with any local schools, all participating students were in Grades 10 to 12 from the Carman area.
For many students, the experience also provided a new sense of independence, particularly because it was the first time many had travelled internationally without parents guiding them through every step.
“They had to answer questions from customs and security on their own, scan passports and do a lot of things independently for the first time,” Pinkerton-Baschuk said.
Baschuk believes travel opportunities like this help students build confidence while preparing for future international travel, post-secondary education and careers.
“From the perspective of a high school student who would like to go to post-secondary education, I think travelling and meeting people from all these different places is so valuable for communication and understanding of different cultures,” she said.
Just days after returning home from Europe, Baschuk travelled to Ottawa on her own to attend a Canadian citizenship conference through 4-H, something her mother said reflected the confidence and independence students gained through the Carman Travel Club spring break trip.
As for future trips, Froese said another Carman Travel Club excursion is being discussed, although details about the next destination remain limited.
