It is increasingly common for schools to form partnerships with schools in the countries of languages learned in the classroom. While there has been substantial investigation of language and culture learning in the context of tertiary study abroad, there has been limited research attention to pedagogical interventions which may support learning in young exchange travellers. This study applied the principles of intercultural language learning to the exchange context. The article reports the impact of a three-phase intervention which was designed to extend student intercultural learning, before, during and after two exchange trips to China and Europe. Students' responses to the intervention are assessed through the analysis of students' journals and blog data, using criteria developed from a three-tiered model of descriptive, dialogic, and critical writing. The study shows that the intervention facilitated student observation skills in both groups, but had more limited success in the development of self-reflection in relation to the exchange environment. The study offers strategies for effective design of such teaching interventions, as an important contribution to languages education.