Italy Photography was the best trip I have ever taken!! Not only did we learn so much about how to professionally capture photos, but we also were emerged in the culture. We had a fabulous National Geographic photographer, Simon Bond, who tagged along and he taught us all about the structure and settings of our cameras along with certain photography techniques. Marguax was the other counselor on the trip who was AMAZING. She taught us all the historical background on each city we visited and she showed us how to eat some gelatto!:) If you love pasta and pizza, then you sure are in for a treat! Although we had a full itinerary, the trip was very laid back and the schedule was very flexible. Italy was a breath taking place to visit and being able to really capture moments from the trip was the coolest thing. I HIGHLY recommend Italy Photography.

I cannot say enough good things about this trip!!! At the start of this trip, I had very little knowledge about my camera or the basic mechanics of how it worked. But with our daily photo lessons (about 15-25 minutes) I quickly became comfortable changing the settings and knowing what angles would give me the best lighting. Our photo teacher, Simon Bond, who has been featured in National Geographics would also give us "mini projects" such as street photography, portraits, the rule of thirds, framing, lighting, etc. I absolutely loved the hustle and bustle of Florence and climbing to the top of the Duomo, although a little tiring, was totally worth it because of the breathtaking views of the city! Wondering the streets of Venice was an excellent way to end our trip. I loved when we spent the afternoon exploring the side streets of Venice, snapping pictures of the beautiful canals, bridges, and architecture! I am so grateful that I found TFT, and am already planning what trip to go on next year!

The Cinque Terre Community Service trip was one of the best experiences of my life. As cheesy as it sounds, it's true! I cannot express how much this trip, the people and places I connected with have impacted my life for the better. Having been to Italy before my trip with TFT, I expected the same type of experience, fortunately I turned out to be mistaken. Regardless of having a great time going to Italy with my mom, I had the best time of my life travelling with my TFT family. Although, the Cinque Terre trip is only thirteen days long it feels like you have known the people in your group for years.
So if you are concerned about making friends or having a good time, don’t be! We were all admittedly nervous at first, but at the end you do not want to go home. We all tried to convince our parents to let us stay an extra month, unfortunately we had no luck. It was everyone’s first time in my group travelling with TFT, except for the counselors, Emma and Federico. Travelling to a foreign country, unable to say anything besides “ciao” or my gelato order, I felt so incredibly lucky to have these two as my mentors/guides. Not only do they know all the cool underground places hidden in each city, they make you feel at home even though you are miles away from it.
All the people from my group still talk almost everyday, reminiscing about our times eating gelato from small stands in Cinque Terre (pistachio being my personal favorite), exploring the streets of Rome at night, relaxing on a beautiful boat ride from all the different coast of Italy, and visiting a monastery at the very top of a stone hill greeted with bowls of the best pesto pasta you will ever taste. Which reminds me, I highly recommend packing hiking shoes because the walk to the top is long but the view is worth it! There are so many more memories I will carry with me but I don't think I could ever put into words how incredible this trip is. I guess there is only way you will know just how fun and fulfilling it was … you have to go check it out yourself. You will be glad you did, trust me!
I highly recommend this trip to everyone! Not only are you doing something to give back to others, but you are doing yourself a favor by immersing yourself into a different culture and exploring the world. Travelling with new people really takes you outside your comfort zone and allows you to grow and experience the culture and places around you in an entirely different way. I am so grateful I had the chance to participate in this memorable opportunity! This was my first trip with TFT but definitely not my last!

Fantastic trip. Got to visit some of the most beautiful place in Europe. Hiking in Cinque Terre was one the most memorable and inspiring things I have ever done. Learn so much about the Italian history and culture. Got to try some of the best food of my life. Counselor and trip director went out of their way to make the trip fun, safe, and that everyone hand a awesome time. A great way to travel as a teenager and meet new people. Would definitely recommend to anybody looking to experience new culture and exploring different countries.

Classic Italy was my first travel for teen trip I ever went on and i’m so glad it was. During your trip to italy you get to see all the iconic places and things there. Every place you went was like a new experience mostly when your traveling with friends. The trip had everything in it from seeing the colosseum to hiking. Every place we went the consolers knew everything about it. The consolers also did such a great job of getting us everywhere mostly in such big places. Italy is know for great pasta so we got to learn how to make pasta. We even got to went to a amazing winery where the view was phenomenal and pasta was delicious. Classic Italy made me realize my love for traveling and after this trip I knew I wanted to do more!

This trip was one of a kind and I truly loved exploring Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast. There was amazing culture at every stop we went to. We had a non stop itinerary but I never felt busy or that I was rushing anything. The leaders were astonishingly good at their jobs where we never needed to have tour guides because they already knew the information. I would definitely recommend this to any teenage traveller at any level of travel experience. It was a wonderful first experience of Italy!

From beginning to end, this was the trip of a lifetime. Everyday was a new adventure: a new sight to see, a new story to hear, a new scene to photograph. Being a photography trip, we had a different photography assignment every day, from portraits to street photography, to only being able to shoot vertical shots. Constantly having my camera in my hand as we wandered the beautiful cities made me look at them from a different perspective, always on the lookout for the perfect shot. I left this trip with an abundance of amazing photographs, but I also left with the knowledge of how to look at things with different perspectives before judging its worth. One of our assignments in Venice was to shoot whatever we wanted, but after we took that picture, we had to turn around 180 degrees and take a picture of whatever was there. Sometimes it was just the bricks of a wall. But other times, the scene behind you was just as beautiful, if not more, than the one in the original shot. Many of my best pictures were from this day, and many of them were of the scene behind me. This assignment made me think about all the moments that happen right behind me everyday and if I take a minute look around, I will see so many new perspectives. So thank you TFT for opening my eyes, advancing my photography skills, introducing me to amazing friends, and creating memories that will last a lifetime.

Throughout my 13 days in Italy, I was constantly feeling rewarded by our service. The locals were so kind and grateful, and the service only made them more enthusiastic to connect with us! Though working was fun, my favorite part of this trip was 'Boat Day'. We spent the day sailing the Amalfi Coast, jumping out and swimming along the way. I am so glad I had this overseas experience, and I'm so glad I spent my time with TFT!!