School trips and v*!!

[suze]

My son has just got back from a school trip to Belgium. Around 56 kids went and my son told me that around 14 v*. I was too scared to ask too much, but it seems around 5 v* on the journey home (12 hours, hot weather) but some were ill when they were there. None it seems had anything so bad that they couldn't go on all the trips etc., so a sv or fp seems unlikely, but it still seems an awful lot of v*! He says people were just tired, running around too much, eating junk etc., but I can't stop thinking that it's something contagious.


My memory of school trips has faded, is this level of v* reasonable to expect? I was so looking forward to him getting back, but now I'm very worried that he's going to be ill.

[hippychick]

yeah whenever there was a school trip kids always used to V*. There are always a few that just get travel sick. Then there are those who can't cope with the food or the weather or depending on how old your son is, got drunk lol. I never went on a school trip thanks to this!

[suze]

Thanks Hippychick, my son's 9 tho, so I doubt alcohol was involved!! I'm hoping it's nothing more than travel, food, heat etc., as it's a shame that his return is tarnished by me worrying. I've missed him so much but when you hear stories like this it's tempting to run!!


Thanks again!

[csjones]

Sounds like motion sickness or stress or tiredness. I doubt it was any sort of bug. When I was on 1st grade field trips (age 6 or 7) EVERYONE always v*ed on buses. Ah, my early days of emet memories [img]smileys/smilies_12.gif[/img]. Granted, we were a little younger, but still, I think quite a lot of kids get travel sickness.

Edited by: csjones

[hippychick]

Ah 9? Definately gonna be a lot of kids V* at that age. Teenagers tend to get sick less unless they are getting pissed when the teacher isn't around haha See this as a challenge honey, your first instinct is to run but force yourself not to and to do lil things that scare you. When you make it through you'll be so proud. Hope it all goes ok

[wing]

Yea, I remember when I was 9 (since that was just 7-8 years ago), and a lot of kids do get sick. I stopped going on school trips because of that. Freaked me out to no end. It was like one after another and I was literally dying where I was and that was only 2-3 hours long. If the trip was 12 hours,that seemsvery likely.

[dreamer]

Totally agree with everything above. I used to go on school trips, and they are an emet nightmare! It's usually due to travel sickness (long coach jorneys, ferry crossings) or the change in food. They probably ate more junk food too. I don't know if drinking the water would upset them, but that could be it. It's unlikely to be an sv*, so try not to worry.

[suze]

Thanks everyone, I really appreciate you sharing your school trip experiences! Dreamer, I never thought about the water...that could upset some kids for sure. Well, my son has got through the night OK, in fact the poor little thing is still fast asleep at 10am - he never sleeps this late so must have been very tired. I guess tiredness will have affected some of the kids too as I know I always feel icky if I haven't had enough sleep.


I'm going to stay positive about this! Thanks again!

[chicajojobe]

I remember one school trip when I was little where someone got sick. Probably motion sickness. Most of the other ones were okay, no one was sick.
There was one in 8th grade where I actually got motion sick. I didn't v* but I came close. I didn't understand why because there were car trips before then where I would read while the car was moving and not feel sick. Weird.

I didn't go on any of the high school trips but it's more rare for people to get sick on those. When they do it's usually caused by something else. For example some friends of mine who went on a trip to Egypt said that everyone on that trip got sick on the same day because they were served some fruit that was washed with the local water, and well...I think you know where this is going. And some other people who went on a trip to Germany say that some people get sick on that trip because the drinking age is much younger there so, like idiots, they get wasted on the plane as soon as it leaves American airspace.

[wing]

I'm in high school and I've had quite a lot of trips this year (I really haven't had any trips since 9/11/01) but yea like Chicajojobe said, High School students don't get sick so often on trips, compared to junior high and elementary, so I wouldn't worry. :]

[happyteacher]

Suze let me tell you, I am a middle school teacher and field trips are my worst nightmare! In fact, I have now develped an aversion to trips on busses!


The last 4 trips I went on, I had at least 1 student sick. They get motion sick, eat too much crap or, my personal favourite, they see other kids sick and vomit because they are grossed out! I'm sure your son also exagerated the number a little too!


Take it from a teacher, the kids on your sons trip were sick for the reasons I mentioned, not from an sv. I know from experience.


Please try not to worry!


happyteacher

[suze]

Thanks Chica, Wing and Happyteacher....all has gone ok with my son so I think it was something and nothing. Happyteacher, I'm not suprised you avoid school trips - yuk! It seems that although a few v* on the trip back, quite a few were ill on the last night, but they were apparently all up late eating sweets and chocolate, so I'm sure that played a part, and the chain reaction effect.


It all just sounds too horrible! Thanks again though for all your help.

[pianolover]

Wow, that's so cool that you can just go to Belgium for a school trip from the UK! Haha! That amazes me - I think I'll just head over to _____ for a few days...it seems to me from spread-out Canada that everything is so close together over there, but I guess it's not really like I imagine, hehe.


Good luck with your son, I'm sure it's just like happyteacher said

[suze]

Thanks PianoLover...I guess we take it for granted over here - the 'popping' across to Europe! Now we have the Channel Tunnel, it's only half an hour over to France! I'm sure it sounds weird, but my son took the ferry to France, then had an hour's coach trip to Belgium, and one day he took anther hour long trip over to Holland! 3 countries in 5 days!


Saying that, he was in Canada in January and the whole journey by plane took about the same time as the trip to Belgium, as he travelled by coach and boat, so depending on where you are in the UK and how you travel, some places can still seem a long way away!