Lynn and I and our two daughters led 40 college students on a Semester Abroad in Britain in 1974. We stayed in London for 6 weeks and then toured Europe for 2 weeks. I was not experienced at travel outside the US and I was not experienced in being in charge of a co-ed group. One afternoon, in Innsbruck, we looked out our 4th floor window, over a parking lot, to see one of our group hanging by his fingers from a window ledge. We opened the window and yelled at him.
Later, he stated he had been attempting to go out one window and in through a window of his room. Some girls had locked him out. He did manage to scramble in to safety.
Today, I met the same fellow, now 45 years older, on campus. He has been married for more than 2 decades and the couple has taught art in many American schools around the world.
Seeing that man reminded me of the panic I felt as a train with the students on it pulled out of the Amsterdam station. Three of the students, a girl and two guys, had left their packs and passports to go to a money changer. The train to the coast pulled in and was ready to pull out. I was very hesitant to leave the three behind. We were to go to the coast and take a boat across the channel to England. My wife was yelling that I had the tickets for the whole group and that I should jump on the train. I did and the car doors slammed shut. An enraged conductor slammed me up against the wall of the car, yelling that had I been injured, he would have been fired.
"We won't eat your children!", he yelled. He told me that he would put their packs (their only luggage) off at the next station and arrange for them to get the belongings and for their crossing the channel to England. He did arrange exactly that.
I advise all faculty to lead such a trip if they get a chance. There will be surprises and most will be unpleasant, but with good managers at home and the use of brains and whatever calm available, it will be fun and enriching.
