Travel programs are the perfect way for high school students to increase their intellect, confidence, and exposure to the world. Students can learn about new languages, cultural immersion and develop leadership skills through experiential learning. These are things that can impress college admission officers and also come in handy when your child applies for jobs in the future.
Students can do volunteer work to meet the typical capstone project requirements, or simply gain a new insight into the truth about the world around them by stepping out of their comfort zone. If you’re considering sending your child abroad, here are eight of the best travel organizations with spectacular programs for teenagers.
Best Travel Programs For High School Students
#1 – Global Works Travel
Global Works is the perfect place for your kids if you want them to have a transformational and unforgettable educational trip abroad. They have many school programs and summer community service trips for teenagers, giving teens a chance to learn about different communities, cultures, traditions, rich history, and languages.
Global Works Travel was created in 1989 to show middle schoolers and high schoolerse the value of cultural exchange and community service by doing projects abroad. Currently, it has 17 different adventurous program types for students. They include doing all sorts of things like wildlife conservation, language immersion, volunteer work and much more.
The programs are for teenagers that are in 9th to 12th grade. The sessions can last for as little as seven days or as long as a month, depending on the location, focus, and the required service hours. Some programs are also suitable for college students ages 18-22 years old.
#2 – Global Glimpse
Global Glimpse offers a top notch travel program for kids to learn about different cultures and global competence. It’s a nonprofit organization that brings together like minded students from different countries and lets them engage with one another and discover new friendships and essential life skills.
While abroad, the students explore the history, politics, education, business, and local culture of the country they visit. The organization takes students to Ecuador, Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, and Panama. Each of these locations has a different number of programs that allow teens to learn more about the place. The programs do their best to expose your child to developing countries. They do this to enable them to discover their hidden talents and improve their perspective about the world.
The global glimpse programs are two years long. They start with numerous pre-trip workshops that help students understand the basic concepts of globalization, leadership, international relations, and development. In the 16-day summer immersion program, the students participate in several lectures, seminars, field trips, and community action projects.
#3 – Greenheart Travel
Greenheart Travel has the perfect summer travel programs for your child if you want them to gain self-confidence, learn to be independent, and gain a global perspective. Students who spend a semester or year abroad have a better chance of standing out while applying for colleges and careers.
The organization takes children to all types of countries like Australia, Argentina, Costa Rica, Denmark, Norway, New Zealand, England, Japan, Netherlands, Spain, and Sweden. The programs at each place are ideal for teenagers that are 15 to 18 years old. Most of the programs have students live with a host family for an extended period. A few others might require pre-requisites like essential native language experience.
Greenheart Travel received the 2018 Global Youth Travel Award for Best Education Abroad Provider. The programs that Greenheart Travel offers are optimal to let your children become global citizens and learn new cultures, share their individuality with a group of diverse and competent students.
#4 – Rustic Pathways
Founded in 1983, Rustic Pathways has been working to give students an academic, adventurous and cultural experience. It transforms the way they think, act, and perceive things that are around them. The programs are intentionally designed so that students can have virtual tours, learn the language, enjoy the literature and culture of the land they put their foot in.
The organization offers more than 100 programs so you can find the one that matches your child’s interest perfectly. The programs are also categorized into different groups so they’re easy to find.
The service buffs program is closely associated with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Thrill Seekers programs include exciting activities and exposure to new cultures all around the world. Student programs have daily lessons to learn about language and other important topics. Cultural immersion programs allow students to indulge intensely in local cultures by staying with local host families, which helps reduce culture shock. Finally, programs for conservation involve environmental and animal conservation work accompanied by local trust organizations.
All of these programs include a bit of community service projects and thrilling adventures. Students can have a wholesome, fun-filled academic travel experience they can benefit from throughout their lives.
#5 – Where There Be Dragons
Where There Be Dragons is a traveling agency that allows students and adults to cultivate meaningful connections while traveling the world. The organization focuses not only on bus tours, photo ops, and zip lines but also on the history, culture, art, and language immersion.
They have constructed a global community that successfully represents more than 20 countries all around the world. The participants see different realities and communities without any restrictions to help them gain new perspectives of the world.
They offer several different programs that take your child throughout the United States, Latin America, Asia, and Africa. The Summer Travel Abroad Programs admit students between the ages of 15-20 years. The programs dive into local culture and help build friendships with students and the local community. Students between the ages of 17 and 22 can participate in them.
The other independent experience programs are for people between the ages of 17-25. They give the participants a chance to engage outside the group programs, travel independently, and get mentored by Dragons’ experts.
#6 – Bold Earth
If you’re looking for some of the top high school programs, Bold Earth is right up there. Bold Earth offers a fantastic summer program where students travel to countries all across the world and partake in fun outdoor adventures. This includes places within the United States like California, Colorado, and Hawaii and also outside it like Thailand, France, Spain and Switzerland.
While the types of activities depend on the location, they can expect exciting pursuits like surfing, sightseeing, hiking, zip lining, whitewater rafting and much more. Kids also participate in service learning, where they help out the local communities with specific projects.
It’s the perfect summer pre college program for teenagers to get an experience they’ll never forget. Through hands on learning and by making a positive impact on the places they visit, students gain new skills and make lifelong friends along the way.
#7 – Abbey Road Programs
Abbey Road Programs was founded in 2000 by Stanford Alumni. Their goal is to provide students with the sophisticated international experience of a savvy traveler. The academic summer programs are ideal if you want your child to gain cross-cultural understanding, academic enrichment, and personal growth.
The team consists of esteemed professionals and outstanding educators. They belong to institutions like Harvard, Stanford, Yale, Cambridge, and Duke, so you can rest assured your kids will be getting an insightful and educational experience.
Some of the programs offered are Euro Village –Quebec, Canada, California Adventure, Latin Village –Miami, USA, College Experience, and Pre-College Enrichment and Leadership program as well as other programs in Hawaii. These programs are perfect for teens in grades 9th through 12th.
The programs are intricately designed to let teens have an adventurous month in an exotic city abroad as well as gain cultural knowledge, pre-college enrichment, and educational growth. The students get enough time to explore every nook and corner of the community they are visiting.
#8 – Travel for Teens
Travel for Teens aims to provide participants with immersive, engaging, and educational travel experiences. The organization follows a hands-on approach with the students so they can help change the world for the better.
The group sizes are limited to 14-21 students to give instructors the chance to provide students with equal attention. The groups usually include travelers from all over the world, and your teenager will have an opportunity of enhancing their self-confidence, self-esteem, and social skills.
The high school travel programs are suitable for students in 11th and 12th grade, including homeschool students. The Travel For Teens programs travel through Asia, Europe, North America, and Latin America. They currently offer 26 programs. Some of these programs are Australia & New Zealand for Older Teens, Australia for Older Teens, Costa Rica for Older Teens: Adrenaline, Europe for Older Teens: Munich, Swiss Alps & Amsterdam, and Europe for Older Teens: Spain, Portugal & Morocco.
Each program’s duration varies. While some travels last for only 11 days, others last for 25 days or more since it depends on where it’s located and how many countries/cities it will cover. All of the programs focus on cultural exploration and thrilling experiences.