A Trip Down Memory Lane: The Nostalgia for School Trips

• 91% of adults miss field trips, with 67% missing hanging out with friends and 61% longing to visit new places.
• 62% of adults would prefer a school trip with friends over bottomless brunch, with zoos (67%), museums (56%), theatre shows (53%), and historic sites (50%) considered good date destinations.
• Seeking escape from everyday life, 41% have booked activities to take a break from their phones, and 53% have planned ‘adult’ field trips with their friends.

School can feel like such a drag when you’re living it, but once you grow up, spending every day with your closest friends, free from responsibilities and without a care in the world, sounds like the absolute dream.

Some school days were better than others, however. Especially those that involved venturing beyond the classroom and out into the world. School trips meant shared adventures, new experiences, and hands-on learning.

To find out just how much adults miss them, Nibble surveyed 1,000 adults on their nostalgia for field trips, the adventures they long for today, and how they’re reliving their school days in adulthood.

Juggling deadlines, chores, and responsibilities, many adults wish they could turn back the clock – with 38% jealous of the exciting school trips and activities today’s children experience.

Some 91% of adults miss school trips, with 61% longing for somewhere or something new. Yet, what we’re most nostalgic for isn’t far-flung destinations or fascinating discoveries, but company.Some 67% say they miss hanging out with friends, 30% messing around, and 25% spending time with their childhood crush.

Offered the chance to grab their backpacks and jump on the school bus once again? Most adults wouldn’t think twice. Some 68% would gladly tag along on a school trip – and it’s not just parents doing their duty. While 18% don’t have kids of their own, that wouldn’t stop them from signing up for a school outing.

Pancakes, pastries, and endless mimosas sound nice and all. But for most, a big adventure is much more appealing than typical grown-up pastimes – 62% insist that, given the choice, they would rather spend Saturdays on field trips with friends.

Many daters would swap fine dining for dinosaur bones, while historic sites and animal-filled habitats are certain to get hearts racing.

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According to 67% of adults, a trip to the zoo or aquarium would make the perfect date. Likewise, museums (56%), theatre shows (53%), planetariums (45%), farms (38%), factories (27%), and archaeological sites (26%) all make for a memorable alternative to dinner and drinks.

That’s the good thing about being an adult – you don’t need anyone’s permission to head out on your own adventures. Whether it’s getting lost in a museum or touring a town you’ve never explored before, the world is your oyster.And plenty of grown-ups are taking advantage of that freedom, with 53%  having organized their own field trips with friends.

Is adulthood more demanding? Sure. But you might be surprised how much free time you can claw back if you stop scrolling on social media. In fact, 41% of adults have booked an activity specifically to take a break from their screens, putting that time towards discovering unfamiliar places, novel experiences, and gaining knowledge instead.Whether you want to learn something new, explore somewhere unfamiliar, or spend quality time with loved ones, you don’t have to long for it. Many adults are creating their own adventures – proving that you’re never too old to take a field trip.