A Time for an adventure?

Are you a bit bored with your nine-to-five routine? Have a look at our exciting range of holidays and decide what type of adventure you'd like.

Our activity holidays are for everyone, people who love danger or who just like sports. We have a huge variety of water, snow or desert holidays. We'll take you SCUBA diving in the Red Sea or kayaking and white water rafting in Canada. If you prefer snow, you can try skiing or snowboarding in the Alps. For those who like warmer weather, we also have sandboarding-he desert version of skateboarding.

Take a cruise to the Antarctic or the Arctic; explore a land of white natural beauty and wonderful wildlife. Our experts will explain everything about the two poles as you watch the penguins in the Antarctic or whales and polar bears in the Arctic.

Our cultural journeys will help you discover ancient civilizations: India, Thailand, Egypt and many more. Visit temples, palaces and ancient ruins-just remember to bring your camera! Get to know local ways of life by exploring markets, trying foreign foods and meeting local people.

We have trekking holidays to famous places such as Machu Picchu or the Everest Base Camp Trek, as well as some nearer to home in the Highlands of Scotland. You don't need to be very sporty, just fairly fit. You'll have a great time enjoying nature with a group of new friends. Some of the holidays include camping, but we'll transport the tents for you!

“What is the biggest challenge of graduate school?” an undergraduate asked the group of graduate students at an event I helped organize last summer. “Not letting the support from my community turn into pressure,” one member responded. That answer might have surprised some, who probably expected to hear about experiments that didn't work or trudging through academic materials. But I understood exactly what she meant.

Throughout my education, friends and family have expected me to take advantage of every opportunity I come across because I may not get the same chance again. They expect me to give outstanding performances everywhere I go because I represent them and our culture. Mentors(导师) expect that I will never give up. This has been a great source of motivation, but also of pressure.

I remembered a conversation with a mentor. At the end of my first year of graduate school, I struggled with a strong desire to leave the program with a master's degree. I was accustomed to hearing “Don't give up” and “You have to finish”-words that were meant to be motivational. Instead, they made me feel I would be a disappointment if I left. After I discussed the pros and cons of leaving with my mentor, she responded completely different from what I expected. “I support any decision you make,” she said. “I will always be proud of you and your achievements.” Hearing this simple, direct statement of support, I felt every muscle of my body loosen.

My mentor knew the right thing to say, but we can't expect the same from everyone. Sometimes, friends and family ask me, “How long until you get your degree?” As many graduate students will agree, this question is a stress starter. Now, when people in my community-always with the best intentions-say something that creates pressure and makes me feel bad, I tell them and we talk about it. I tell them that I prefer to hear, “Do you need someone to talk to? How can I help you through this rough time?” This was a bit awkward at first. But I've started to notice a change. These days, I get fewer stress-inducing(引起压力的) questions and comments.

A new study finds that the average performance of students from the lowest income families in the US lags(滞后) about three to four years behind that of the highest income students-an achievement gap that has remained constant for decades. An analysis of standardized tests given to more than 2. 7 million middle and high school students over 40 years suggests that federal education programs aimed at closing the gap are falling short.

Researchers looked at results from four different programs conducted nationwide at various intervals from 1971 to 2015 to test teenagers in math, reading and science. A total of 98 exams were used in the programs, testing students aged 13-15 as well as 17-year-olds. Test scores for 17-year-old students in the bottom 10th income percentile(百分位) were far lower than those in the top 10th percentile.

Meanwhile, the overall test scores didn't shift for 17-year-olds during the study period. They did improve slightly for 13-to 15-year-olds, which suggests that federal programs for younger students have been helpful. But the lowest income students still score much lower than the highest income students. “Programs for older students are badly needed,” says study coauthor Eric Hanushek, an education economist at Stanford University. “Lower achievement in high school leads to lower earning potential throughout adulthood. The next generation is going to look a lot like this generation. Kids from poor families will become poor themselves.”

Whether the problem is worsening, however, is up for debate. A 2011 study, conducted by Stanford education sociologist Sean Reardon, looked at 12 exams administered from 1960 to 2007, and found that the gap in test scores between the poorest and the wealthiest students grew by 40 percent. It shows the poorest students lag about three to six years behind their wealthier peers in learning. Reardon suggested parents of means were increasingly investing in their children's education, sharpening the divide.

The different results between the new study and that conducted in 2011 come down to the fact that the researchers analyzed results from different tests and how they categorized(分类) family income level, says education sociologist Anna Chmielewski. Hanushek and Reardon agree that the income-related achievement gap is alarming.

Some people say that dogs are human’s best friend-good companions, loyal and lovable. Of course, they can be more than just a pet as some are excellent working dogs. More recently, a new role has been found for the animals-working as therapy dogs in universities.

Research, conducted by Washington State University, has found that spending time with dogs can help stressed-out students. Patricia Pendry from the university said that a study of 300 undergraduates had found weekly hour-long sessions with dogs brought to the university by professional handlers (训狗师) had made stressed students who were at “high risk of academic failure” or dropping out, “feel relaxed and accepted”. The dogs helped them to concentrate, learn and remember information.

Other research has shown that petting animals like dogs can reduce stress hormone levels and anxiety. Around 1,000 campuses in the US already use therapy pets and it’s becoming more common in the UK. For example, The University of Middlesex has employed some dogs to help stop lonely students dropping out. Fiona Suthers, head of clinical skills at the university, says that five Labradors had a “stringent assessment” to ensure they had the right temperament (性情). But she adds, “It’s hard to describe the impact of just having a dog lying down in the corner of a class.”

Using dogs for therapy can also help the dogs themselves. In Wales, Swansea University Students’ Union has used rescued Greyhounds to help students unwind between exams. Sessions allow mistreated and abandoned dogs to interact with humans and begin to trust them again. Student Union education officer Chloe Hutchinson said, “A lot of students have dogs at home and might be a bit homesick, especially around exam time when it is stressful and you just want your home comforts.”

So if you’re a student who’s been working like a dog, but you still feel like you haven’t a dog’s chance in passing your exams, maybe introducing a four-legged friend into your life might be the help you need.