Location
  • Spain
Length
4 - 52 weeks
General grants/scholarships
Health & Safety

Program Details

Timeframe
Academic Year Fall Spring Winter
Housing
Host Family
Language
Spanish
Age Min.
14
Age Max
17

Pricing

Price Details
Program includes:
- Host family accommodations and 3 meals per day
- Medical/Accident insurance
- Support and counseling services from in-country staff
- 24-hour emergency support
- Pre-departure Orientation and Preparation
- 2 Night Arrival Orientation
- Greeting and Transfer from Airport to Orientation Site
- Accommodation at Orientation Site
- Orientation Cultural Tours of Madrid (museums, palaces, plazas, cathedrals, etc)
- Personal assistance from a Greenheart Travel program manager
What's Included
Accommodation Some Activities Meals Travel Insurance
Nov 20, 2024
Mar 13, 2022
30 travelers are looking at this program

About Program

Want the opportunity to live somewhere else, immerse yourself in the culture and pad your college transcript? Why not do a study abroad in Spain? With the option of either a trimester, semester, or full year abroad, you can be a high school exchange student in Spain with Greenheart Travel! Attend high school classes alongside Spanish peers and live with a local host family all the while enjoying everything Spain has to offer!

As a Greenheart Traveler, you will also be matched with a personal program manager to help with the in's and out's of the program before, during and after your travels.

Program at a Glance:
- Host family accommodation provides full language & cultural immersion
- 2 years of Spanish language experience is required
- 2 Night arrival Orientation in Madrid with other students!
- Start dates in the spring or fall
- Placements can be guaranteed in some cities (for additional cost)

Video and Photos

Diversity & Inclusion

We appreciate that everyone has a unique worldview and value everyone regardless of age, race, ethnicity, gender or gender identity, ability, military status, religion, sexual orientation or political view. We are committed to building relationships and ensuring everyone we encounter feels welcomed, respected, and accepted. Greenheart is committed to helping anyone find the best program fit and will go the extra mile to make sure our participants feel safe and supported wherever they end up.
Greenheart Travel welcomes travelers identifying as LGTBQ+, and is committed to helping you find the best program for you. We can provide information on the cultural norms of our destination countries and are prepared to advise you on the best programs based on your needs and interests.
While most of our programs could be a good fit, we also know that certain cultures and countries are more accepting of and prepared to host LGBTQ+ people than others. We are committed to working with LGBTQ+ people to determine which experiences may be the right fit for them. Please reach out if you want to discuss which of our programs might fit you best ahead of applying or set up a phone call with us.
Greenheart works with partners who have varying levels of what is considered "good mental health". While we cannot change their eligibility conditions, we will work with participants to the best of our abilities in order to get them the program placement they want. We encourage you to discuss your specific situation with us directly, before securing these documents.
Greenheart Travel welcomes students of varying ability to explore their study abroad options! While resources and support differ from country to country, Greenheart Travel staff work with individual students as needed to find program options that will set students up for success.

Impact

We believe in supporting our travelers to make a positive impact in their communities. The Greenheart Club provides Greenheart Grant funding to alumni projects all over the world.
As the leading eco-friendly exchange organization, we are passionate about helping travelers explore the globe while respecting the environment and cultural heritage of the destinations they explore.
Greenheart Travel is a branch of Greenheart International, a Chicago-based organization that connects people and planet to create global leaders through personal development, volunteer service, environmentalism, fair trade, and cultural exchange. We provide resources, grants, and experiences to those who want to immerse themselves in another culture and leave it better than when they arrived. Through volunteering, creating relationships and more.

Program Highlights

  • Live with a Host Family (meals included), for full cultural immersion
  • Choose a program length that fits your school schedule starting in the Fall or Spring
  • 2-night arrival orientation (pending travel restrictions)
  • Make new friends while exploring a new country
  • Can only study for 1 or 2 months? Inquire about our short-term program options!

Popular Programs

Teen Summer Language Camp Spain with Greenheart!

Live with a host family and learn Spanish with Greenheart Travel’s teen summer language camp in either Salamanca or Alicante, Spain! Immerse yourself in Spain’s rich history and culture with our two, unique placement options! Learn Spanish in the morning and go on cultural excursions in the afternoon!

Program Reviews

4.38 Rating
based on 8 reviews
  • 5 rating 75%
  • 4 rating 12.5%
  • 3 rating 0%
  • 2 rating 0%
  • 1 rating 12.5%
  • Growth 4.65
  • Support 4.4
  • Fun 4.9
  • Housing 4.25
  • Safety 4.4
Showing 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
Default avatar
Sandra
1/5
No, I don't recommend this program

Bad Experience with Greenheart

Many people use Greenheart and have good experiences. Had everything gone smoothly with our child’s host family placement during her high school semester in Spain, that might have been true for us. However, if there is a need to move host families, you might not be able to count on Greenheart. Our daughter had to move due to domestic violence. Greenheart and their in-country partner CCI bungled just about every decision from the moment they were informed of the emergency up until our child’s last day with the program. After moving her to a new family and location, the local coordinator was a particular problem. She was strangely critical with our child and made statements that interfered with her relationship with the new host family.

Throughout the ordeal neither Greenheart nor CCI were proactive about ensuring our daughter’s well-being. Many organizations are suffering now with such low participation during the pandemic. But nothing can explain their insensitivity and poor judgment. Greenheart was having staff turnover so perhaps if they get their house back in order they can provide kind, attentive service. I wrote to the Greenheart CEO after our child was safely back in the country and was told that the problem was our daughter’s inability to adapt and make a success of her situation – they accepted no responsibility.

398 people found this review helpful.
Response from Greenheart

We are sorry to hear about the challenges your daughter experienced on Greenheart’s High School Abroad program in Spain. While we are not able to guarantee that all will go as planned on a cultural exchange program, Greenheart is committed to always providing a safe environment and reliable structure to our participants, host families, and schools.

When students participate in cultural exchange programs, they must be prepared to work with others to overcome unexpected obstacles. Individuals handle things differently, and some situations can feel more stressful to some teens versus others. When a student moves to a new host family, it takes time to build rapport and to feel comfortable in a new environment. It is our experience however that as programs unfold, exchange students become better equipped to deal with life’s changes and challenges. We wish nothing but the best for you and your daughter.

Default avatar
Jolie-Anne
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

High School Abroad in Spain with GreenHeart Travel

I recently have returned from a trimester abroad in Spain and I could not be more happy with how my exchange went! From the beginning, GreenHeart Travel stood out to me when I was searching for study abroad programs because of their communication skills and adaptability to my needs. They have a great team and always keep you updated before, during, and after your program. I feel this program prioritized my family and location program, trying to match my likes and interests with a potential host family. One of the best parts of my exchange was my host family! I am a volleyball player, so GreenHeart's team placed me in a city called Albacete, an area with many endorphin-burning activities, and with an active host family. It was perfect because we would run together and sometimes participate in marathons! I definitely recommend this program and my parents and I could not be more happy with my time in Spain!

If you did this all over again, what's one thing you would change?
Get off your phone! Phone addiction is not just an American thing, Spaniards are addicted too! It may be nerve wracking to start the conversation, but it is 100% worth it! I wish I had the courage earlier in my exchange to begin conversations rather than shying away on my phone or avoiding an interaction.
395 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Benjamin
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Parent of a High School Sophomore Studying in Spain

Our daughter is spending the first semester of her sophomore year of High School studying in Spain. She has completed her first three months and is having an incredible experience. Her family is wonderful and school experience has been both challenging and incredibly rewarding. Her Spanish has improved tremendously. She began the program with only one year of High School Spanish and has been able to participate in succeed in all of her classes. She has joined the volleyball team, which has been both fun and a great way to learn Spanish. She has made many friends and is learning how to navigate life on her own in Spain. We could not be happier with the experience she is having and the support we have gotten from Green Heart Travel. They were very helpful and responsive from the beginning and helped my daughter complete her application in a relatively short time.

409 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Louise
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Year in Spain

I studied abroad through Greenheart Travel this past year. They found me the best host family who is now like an actual family to me who I will be in contact with forever. I made friends who really will last a life time and I learned so much. The staff was 100% always willing to help out and really helped prepare us at orientation. This experience actually changed me and impacted my life in ways I am still discovering. Its a growing experience, being away from everything familiar for an entire year. I went in not really having a deep understanding of Spanish but now I would consider myself a level of fluent. The most important part now that I'm home is to keep practicing Spanish. It feels funny to not be speaking Spanish constantly and not eating dinner at the normal Spanish hour 10:30 pm. All in all this was the experience of a life time and I can't wait to go back to Spain!

What would you improve about this program?
None.
412 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Naomi
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Spanish Exchange

I loved my experience with Greenheart Travel in Spain. I had a great host family and learned a lot about Spanish culture. Greenheart provides the perfect amount of support and guidance throughout my time abroad and my parents were informed and had constants access to my coordinators. Everyone was really welcoming and I had countless fun experiences. Now I have memories upon memories that I will never forget.

401 people found this review helpful.
Claire
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Perfect Pair

Going abroad to Spain was an incredible experience which I will never forget. Greenheart truly takes the time to carefully match you with a family and location they see best fit for you. My host mother and I spent countless hours cooking and baking, which is a hobby I truly enjoy. Not only did this provide me with an opportunity to improve my Spanish, it provided me the opportunity to create a bond with my host mother.
In addition, Greenheart provides 4 private Spanish lessons for you once you arrive and are about halfway through the program. These lessons with my Spanish teacher were some of my favorite memories from the program. Our lessons consisted of us driving to neighboring towns and speaking of their rich culture and history. While we discussed what he was showing me, which ranged from statues of conquerors to castles ruins, he gentle corrected me on what he noticed to be habitual mistakes with my Spanish. This provided a comfortable environment for me to get the feedback I needed all while learning about the history of my surroundings.

What would you improve about this program?
I would have enjoyed taking occasional weekend trips with the other students abroad in order to visit some of Spain's well known sites and monuments.
401 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Paige
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

My family

I was placed in a family with 3 sisters all around my age. One day we decided to make brownies so I searched a recipe on the Internet in English and told them all the ingredients that went in. Well, I forgot about the difference between celcius and ferinhiet, and told her to set the oven to 350 degrees. My sister thought this was a little odd but did it anyway. After about 7 minutes of the brownies being in the oven, my other sister comes running over screaming that the brownies were on fire! We turned the oven down and the brownies surprisingly still tasted delisious! For the rest of my time in Spain when ever something bad happened our saying was don't worry eat brownies!

What would you improve about this program?
It would be good if there were planned visits to popular cities throughout Spain to be able to see a lot more of the country!
403 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Eleanor
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Amazing Study Abroad Program

In high school I traveled to Spain and lived with a host family for 4 months. This was such an amazing experience and it really changed my life. I had to learn how to be very independent and live somewhere I did not know anyone and barely spoke the language. Studying abroad broadened my perspective and allowed me to experience a whole new culture. I loved my host family, they were so friendly and really helped me learn Spanish and adapt to Spanish life. They also took me traveling with them around Spain, which was incredible. I still speak to them today and would love to go back and visit soon. This program really helped me become a better student and has inspired me to travel more and experience even more cultures. I totally recommend it to all high school students!

What would you improve about this program?
This program was very great however I would have liked to interact with the other foreign students studying abroad in Spain more. You meet them at the beginning of the program but that is it. I suggest having a middle of program meet up with all the other foreign abroad students. I think this would be very beneficial.
396 people found this review helpful.

Questions & Answers