Explore Florence, Italy with World Class Programs

What is your favorite travel memory?

Each summer, we spend a day during the Florence program in the city of Lucca, where we climb a tower in the middle of the city topped with an olive tree garden, have lunch in the open air of the market, and then bike around the city walls. It is the most relaxed day of the entire trip. Luca has a special place in my heart now and forever.

How have you changed/grown since working for your current company?

I loved traveling a great deal before working for World Class Programs, but going on an amazing, intense adventure each summer (sometimes multiple adventures!) with World Class Programs has taught me to live a bit more in the moment. Take in the sites around you even in your day to day, notice something new everyday if you can. It has really developed my already existing love of travel into something much more magical and special, which I absolutely adore!

What is the best story you've heard from a return student?

For me, the best stories I hear from returning students or alumni is never really the stories about their favoirte food they tried or museum we visited, but instead the stories I love hearing the most are always about their friendships with one another, and with the staff after each program. Each year we have students tell us, after their programs end, that they have become like family with the other students on the program. Nothing warms my heart as an educator than to see the lifelong friendships and connections that come from these amazing summer programs.

If you could go on any program that your company offers, which one would you choose and why?

I usually do most of our European programs, which I love! But honestly, the Japan program is one program I haven't been able to go on yet, but I would love to get to participate in, just to be able to go and explore the history/culture of Japan itself. I have heard several student alumni's stories about the Japan program and it sounds like a complete blast!

What makes your company unique? When were you especially proud of your team?

With everything that World Class Programs does or decides to do, it makes sure to put it's students front and center in the decision making process. We do a great job catering our program to the students we have and the program location. We live, eat, and travel like locals to the country we stay in. We get to go to all over the world and visit the well known tourist spots, and find the experiences that you only get by knowing or being a local. Where other organizations simply "say" they care and will provide these experiences, World Class Programs and the my amazingly dedicated co-workers actually deliver on the promise of an amazing, safe, educational adventure abroad!

What do you believe to be the biggest factor in being a successful company?

World Class Programs, is just that, "world class." This is no doubt due to our unique view on student travel. We believe the students should be what comes first on these adventures. Staff take immense care to make sure we support each student day to day, and on an individual basis. Plus, our programs all have the built in flexibility to adapt to most of what students are genuinely interested in while abroad. We are able to switch up our program to suit the student's wants or needs, and make sure they are getting exactly what they want from their time spent with us and abroad.