ARCC Programs

Community Photos

Tortoise on Prison Island outside Zanzibar

We built and installed a solar panel energy system in this Maasai woman's home! This photo was taken after we finished the installation, and she asked me to take a photo with her.

The women in our rural Nepali village homestay

The view from our second hostel on the trip

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About

ARCC has been offering programs for young adults since 1983. ARCC Gap Semesters are an opportunity to live and learn in some of the greatest classrooms on earth. Our semester programs take students on a journey of discovery of local peoples, places, cultures and ideas through project-based learning, rich cultural immersion, personal reflection and exhilarating adventure.

ARCC Gap Semesters have a vibrant educational foundation complementing each and every destination and highlighting regional topics that are directly linked to global issues. Through delving into these topics ranging from the environment to public health (and more) students have the opportunity to explore future aspirations in a tangible hands-on manner.

ARCC offers semesters in North America, South America, East Africa, Asia, Himalayas, Pacific Islands, and Central America. ARCC Gap Programs focus on personal growth in small groups of 8-12 students in an engaging, goal-driven, and leadership focused environment.

Website

www.adventurescrosscountry.com

Founded

1983

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Reviews

This was the absolute trip of a lifetime. It was incredibly pivotal in my life and my interests. ARCC allowed for me to learn more about the world and myself than I thought possible. I made friendships that will last forever. I will forever cherish everything about my experience and I recommend it to anyone. Being outside this much is good for the soul. We slept, ate, and did almost all of our activities outside. It was so extraordinary and refreshing. The places you see and all the wonderful people you meet along the way are so lovely!

What was the most nerve-racking moment and how did you overcome it?

Rock climbing outside for the first time was definitely frightening, however once I got going I fell in love with it. I surprised myself by how strong I had become throughout the trip.

My experience on the trip changed how i acted around other and i’m proved my leadership skills and roles, everyone in the group bonded pretty well together. If I could do this program again, i would, this was a great experience and at first i didn’t want to go on this trip because i didn’t want to go outside of my comfort zone. But then i tried it and it felt good to try new things and experience all these good memories and moments we shared. It’s definitely worth going, I can promise you i had so much anxiety before the trip and my anxiety only went up a couple of times which is great.

What was your funniest moment?

When we were playing a game called mafia, I would always get so mad when someone accused me of being then mafia, it was just super funny whenever someone would do it.

I would recommend ARCC gap to any of my friends, family or strangers, not only is there a variety of choices of trips but also a variety of activities that ARCC has planned for your semester. In my opinion, ARCC had a perfect balance between educational activities such as the Monteverde Insitute, volunteering activities such as environmental rehabilitation programs and also activities such as surfing and scuba diving and free time to bond with your fellow gap year students. The amount of students and instructors were perfect and was very balanced the only thing I wish about the semester was that it went longer.

If you did this all over again, what's one thing you would change?

I would do two things differently, firstly I would take more pictures of not only the people on the trip but also the places and things we visited and saw so in the future I could look back and remember all the good times and secondly I would hold onto every moment more and would have said yes to more things on the gap semester.

This was a great program. It was really well led by experienced leaders who wanted to both support the students and have a fun time. The locations we visited were all beautiful, and I think we all felt that we learned a lot about the country and ourselves along the way. There was a great balance between adventure, service, sight seeing, and group bonding. By the end of the trip, we were really like a family. My only criticism is that sometimes there seemed to be a disconnect with the office that led to disorganization at times. However, I could not recommend this program more!

What was your funniest moment?

A lot of our funniest moments throughout the trip happened in our van, which we named Verna!

This experience was the best experience I could have had this year. I learned a lot about myself, others, the culture of these countries, and how to live sustainably. We saw the most incredible sights and things that I may never see again in my life. The life skills this program gave me will take me very far into the future. It was a great mix of service work, learning, and fun. We went to 10 different remote locations in Costa Rica, and then drove across the boarder and went to 3 incredible towns in Panama. I am now scuba certified, have friends all throughout the United States, hiked the highest Volcano in Panama, learned a good amount of Spanish, and helped local environmental programs in the most sustainable country in the world. I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to travel with 13 other amazing people in Costa Rica and Panama.

What was your funniest moment?

Indonesia

10.00 •3 reviews

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Alumni Interviews

These are in-depth Q&A sessions with verified alumni.

Why did you choose this program?

I chose to spend my first semester with the ARCC Gap Year Program for many reasons.

From the beginning, ARCC presented an extremely welcoming and engaging opportunity. After talking briefly with other organizations about their programs, where I could go, what a potential itinerary could be, I had no doubt that ARCC was the perfect match for me, they offered everything I was looking for and dreaming of. With a very organized website, stunning reviews, and very friendly staff that responded immediately to my many questions, I knew I could 100% trust this organization.

What did your program provider (or university) assist you with, and what did you have to organize on your own?

ARCC sent out many personal emails and forms out to not only myself but also my parents. We received phone calls, video chats, and emails very frequently. These emails had lots of information, some focused on just describing the beautiful Masai culture we'd be living in or the population food in each culture. Other emails were about the specifics of the trip or scheduling a time to video chat and touch base.

There was also a very informative and helpful pre-departure webinar answering all the questions imaginable.

I had to do a lot of this on my own, of course with the help of ARCC and my family. My high school, however, was not very familiar with this pathway and left me to work my way through it.

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What is one piece of advice you'd give to someone going on your program?

My three months in East Africa with ARCC was the most amazing and incredible time of my life. I cannot begin to describe how much pure love and joy I experienced. There are some tough times, not everything is rainbows and butterflies. But those tougher moments make the other ones that much better.

Embrace the uncomfortable, the weird, the different. You will never regret taking a chance like this. I never once felt homesick, but now being back home, I am flooded with that feeling, wishing I was back with my ARCC family.

What does an average day/week look like as a participant of this program?

It's hard to pinpoint exactly what an average day/week looks like in an ARCC program.

For my trip, we had about 50 days of camping, where we would wake up around 7:00 to prepare breakfast, get ready, and head off to whatever activity we were doing that day. We traveled around in a huge truck that held all our bags and food, so some days were spent traveling to a new location and singing throwbacks at the top of your lungs.

Without fail, however, every night before dinner, we would do a "chow circle" where we would come together, make announcements, give shoutouts, and "pass the pulse". P the P was a silent hand squeeze to the person next to you until it went all the way around the circle, a reassuring feeling that we are all there for each other.

Going into your experience abroad, what was your biggest fear, and how did you overcome it? How did your views on the issue change?

Having struggled with anxiety and depression throughout high school, I was extremely nervous I couldn't do it. I wouldn't make friends, I'd be homesick, I'd be left behind and forgotten by my friends now in college. I got into my own head and started making up scenarios to scare myself. I thought I wasn't brave or strong enough.

What I learned, however, was that stepping out of your comfort zone and facing these fears head-on is sometimes the only way to understand what you're capable of.

Is there any other advice for prospective travelers?

Meredith Burke

2014 Alum

Staff Interviews

These are in-depth Q&A sessions with program leaders.

Graham Phelps

Program

ARCC Gap: Centro-Caribbean - Cuba, Panama, Costa Rica & Belize

Job Title

International Program Instructor

Graham grew up in Durham, New Hampshire in a beautiful house tucked away in the woods. He spent most of his childhood playing all kinds of sports and exploring in the woods. He has four sisters with whom he is very close. In his down time he loves to cook, spend time with friends, snowboard, surf, watch/read Game of Thrones, and participate in just about any kind of sport outside.

Tell us more about your educational, international, and professional experience:

I attended the University of Vermont where I was in the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources. My four years at UVM were the catalyst to my appreciation for the environment and how important it is that we all contribute to preserving the beauty we find in the natural world. I also pursued a variety of opportunities working with developing youth in my jobs as sports coordinator for a local YMCA and as a snowboard instructor for children with autism through Vermont Adaptive Sports.

While at UVM I developed my passion for exploring the world and discovering new cultural experiences. I studied abroad in Perth, Australia and organized a service trip to Peru to the small town of Lobitos. The latter was a life-changing experience for me that sparked my interest in “Voluntourism” and the cultural richness of Latin America, eventually leading me to live in Ecuador for four months.

I have been leading programs for ARCC for four years now in many amazing places such as Costa Rica, Ecuador, Cuba, Vietnam, China, Cambodia, Thailand, including two gap semesters in Asia and Latin America. No matter if on a two week trip or a 3 month long gap program, I have watched these trips transform students. ARCC has provided me with an incredible platform to broaden horizons and spread love to all corners of the world which I can't wait to continue this Spring on the Patagonia/Cuba Gap Program.

What is your favorite travel memory?

My favorite memory traveling with ARCC is from a backpacking trip I led in California. My group was camping for the night in the Lake Tahoe Basin. We all decided that we were not going to set up our tents and all slept together under the stars outside.

That morning we all woke up at 4am to see the sun rise over the lake from a beautiful outlook on the ridge. We all watched the sun rise in silence and as I looked around I noticed a lot of the kids were crying. I was really confused so I went and asked one of the girls if she was ok? And she whispered to me "we are all from the city and have not seen anything this pretty before, the tears aren't because we are sad, this is amazing".

I went back to my rock in silence and felt so humbled to see how powerful that morning was for those students.

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

The last four years working with ARCC has created so many incredible learning opportunities. I have discovered a lot about the world and about myself on these amazing trips. I have gained an appreciation for cultural exchange and the sentiment of love that can be spread person to person no matter what cultural differences exist.

I have grown a lot as a leader and have learned the true meaning of empathizing, both with the students on my trips and with the different cultures I have come across.

It is amazing how far a smile can go, and I have found that no matter where you are in the world they seem to always be contagious.

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

Wow, this is a hard question. So many of the programs offer lots of different experiences so it would not be easy to choose just one. Nevertheless I would choose the Patagonia and Cuba Gap Program, which I am actually going to be leading this spring!

This program visits some of the most magnificent nature preserves in the world while in Patagonia and offers perspective to the importance of continuing the protection of these places. The Cuba section is also extremely enlightening but more on the side of cultural exchange and the power of peace through meaningful human to human interactions as we start to heal our country's relationship with this amazing country.

This trip has a healthy balance of experience in both urban, rural, and completely natural areas. The culture in the Andes and the Caribbean are both completely different and equally amazing!

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

The biggest reason ARCC has had so much success leading trips all over the world is because of how intentional we are with every aspect of the trips. Nothing we do with ARCC is done carelessly, there is a reason for everything we do.

As a leader I always adopt this philosophy, from how I debrief group initiatives, to the traditions I bring to my trips. The office staff also echo's this sentiment and they are very intentional with the service and educational opportunities they pursue and aim to make the experiences as enriching as possible for their students.

Community Awards

Website

Founded

Connect with us

Alumni Interviews

Sophia Brigante

Why did you choose this program?

What did your program provider (or university) assist you with, and what did you have to organize on your own?

What is one piece of advice you'd give to someone going on your program?

What does an average day/week look like as a participant of this program?

Going into your experience abroad, what was your biggest fear, and how did you overcome it? How did your views on the issue change?

Is there any other advice for prospective travelers?

Staff Interviews

Graham Phelps

Tell us more about your educational, international, and professional experience:

What is your favorite travel memory?

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

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

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