Our Cultural Expeditions program continues to grow! This trip is an optional summertime excursion for PDS boys, providing the opportunity to travel internationally with parents and siblings. Parent or legal guardian required.
As a capstone experience to a PDS education, we think giving boys the opportunity to explore and grow in their understanding of another culture is a unique educational experience.
International travel enhances students’ global awareness and appreciation for cultural differences and diversity. Seminal experiences like these broaden a boy’s future perspective. Travel to England presents our boys with the ease of speaking their mother tongue but the noticeable differences of its culture, history, and institutions. Experiencing the United Kingdom before a PDS boy embarks on a new educational journey is the perfect starter for international travel in a global world and the perfect destination for enhancing his historical knowledge of his country’s roots.
June 1-7, 2023
$2,900 per person
5th & 6th Grade Boys and Families
Informational Meeting:
September 9
Registration Deadline:
September 23
The London and Oxford trip is open to 5th and 6th grade families including parents and siblings (Grades 5–12) both boys and girls such as other PDS summer options. The trip is an optional summertime excursion for PDS boys, providing the opportunity to travel internationally with parents and siblings. Parent or legal guardian required.
We will visit famous historical landmarks such as St. Paul’s Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, Tower of London, Buckingham Palace, Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, the Houses of Parliament, British Museum, the London Eye, and Oxford University.
The cost is $2,900 covering:
A $1500 deposit is due at registration. The balance of your registration fee is due 30 days prior to the trip date.
Arrive at London Heathrow
London Historical Tour:
Big Ben / Houses of Parliament / Buckingham Palace / Parliament Square / 10 Downing Street
Visit to Houses of Parliament
Visit Covent Garden
British Museum
Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre
Tower of London
London Eye
Dinner St. Pancras International – Optional Visit Platform 9 3/4
Changing of the Guard near Buckingham Palace
Horse Guards Parade
Tour St. Paul’s Cathedral
Attend a West End Theatre Production (example Wicked or Le Misérables)
Tour Westminster Abbey
Lunch near Trafalgar Square and Optional National or Portrait Gallery Visits
Tour Cabinet War Rooms and Churchill Museum
The Blitz Tour (WWII)
Evensong at St. Paul’s Cathedral (Optional)
London Historical Walking Tour
Travel to Oxford
Tour of the Bodleian Library
The “Great Hall” Christ Church College & Guided Walk
Visit St. John’s College
Tour University Church at St. Mary’s (Spires View)
Free Time in Oxford
The London & Oxford Trip is held biannually after Memorial Day. We plan to leave June 1st and return June 7th. This allows five full days of exploring London and Oxford. Families desiring to stay longer in Europe after the trip should contact Mr. Sewell about alternative arrangements for a later return date.
We plan to stay at the Imperial, Presidential, or Royal National Hotel near Russell Square in London, centrally located to tourist attractions.
The cost of the trip is $2,900 per person.
Cost includes a full English breakfast every morning. The cost of lunch and dinner will be each individual’s responsibility.
The cost includes:
Each year we typically visit the same places, although this may vary to some degree due to the availability of certain attractions. Take a glance at the sample itinerary and you will have a good idea of the sites we typically visit. We try to make each day of the trip thematic. For example, WWII day will usually include visits to the Imperial War Museum, War Cabinet Rooms, Churchill Museum, and the London Blitz walk guided by a Blue Badge Guide. Other themes include Royal Britain, Palaces and Cathedrals, and Modern Britain. We also find time to enjoy a musical in the evening such as “Lion King,” “Les Misérables,” or “Wicked.”
You can exchange money at several locations. Check first with your bank about exchanging money for the best exchange rate or simply use your credit card. Enter your zip code at the following websites and you can find your nearest currency exchange.
No ID is required other than your passport. We provide a Student ID. We give everyone a lanyard to hold their Student IDs and tube ticket throughout the trip. Student IDs will be handed out once we are on the bus and traveling to the hotel in London.
PDS boys (grades 5th & 6th), parents, and siblings (grades 5th-12th) are allowed to join the London & Oxford excursion each year.
Mr. Sewell will lead the London & Oxford Trip and will be the point of reference for all communication.
If you do not have a passport you need to apply for one immediately as the process can take as long as six to eight weeks. You will not be able to travel if you do not have a valid passport.
For instructions on obtaining a passport, please read this website.
If you have a passport, please check the expiration date as you are required to have a minimum 6 months of validity upon entry to the United Kingdom. Your passport should expire no earlier than November 2023.
Presbyterian Day School (PDS) is a private, Christian preschool and elementary school serving boys from 2-years-old through 6th grade for almost 75 years.
With our mission of striving to glorify God by developing boys in wisdom and stature and favor with God and man, we take a holistic approach to education, nurturing the heart, soul, mind, and body of each boy.