EdOdyssey

You can equate EdOdyssey with top quality student trips and outstanding service. As a Spanish teacher and class moderator at St. Joseph High School in Trumbull, Connecticut, I have taken students on overseas trips in the past. In 2016, I was fortunate enough to be invited on a trip to Peru as a replacement chaperone. This was my first meeting with Peter McGovern and EdOdyssey and it turned into the experience of a lifetime. In addition to the traditional tourist spots, Peter and his Peruvian representative, Luciana Farah, involved us in numerous mission activities which included helping a village build stairs, performing magic tricks for children in a Lima hospital cancer ward and spending a day with students in an incredibly poor town. And through it all, everything ran so smoothly; the accommodations, the transportation and the meals, (We even attended a cooking class and learned how to make several Peruvian dishes!). I found Peter and Luciana to be consummate professionals who put their clients first. I would not hesitate to travel with them again and I would certainly recommend EdOdyssey with no reservations to any group interested in overseas travel.

EdOdyssey did an exceptional job with our high school trip to Peru! As a teacher, it was a rewarding experience to see the students' responses to all of the trips and activities that were planned for us. The balance between educational experiences, community service based days, and opportunities to explore Peruvian culture and history was perfect. A highlight of the trip was dune buggying and sand surfing in the desert, which was followed by a barbeque by a bonfire in the desert. Based on the experiences we had on our trip to Peru, I would absolutely sign up to chaperone another trip with EdOdyssey!

As the faculty chaperone on a trip to Peru, I wasn't sure what to expect from the process. Peter was so helpful during our pre-departure meetings and our guide Patty was absolutely wonderful once we landed in Lima, along with Luciana. EdOdyssey worked with our school to build a custom itinerary that would highlight the themes important to our school. We learned about the history and culture of different areas of Peru, visited some schools to interact with the students, became part of local communities and shared their experiences, and had some thrilling adventures in the deserts. All of my students had so many favorite parts of the trip and couldn't wait to share their experiences with people back home.

My trip to Peru was something I will never forget. From the moment I stepped off the plane in the Lima airport, my mind was blown by the beauty of a place I had only seen in photos. Our host Patty was one of the kindest individuals and the program truly got us involved in Peruvian culture by either having us visit local (usually non-touristy) places or trying traditional foods. Besides wanting to visit Machu Picchu, Peru was not on my radar of places I wanted to visit but, because of EdOdyssey, it is a place that I want to go back to with friends and family to share the wonderful memories that I made and make new ones! This trip pushed me out of my comfort zone and I left the country a different person than when I came in. I hope I have another opportunity like this and I thank EdOdyssey for jumpstarting my global travel experience!

The coordinators of the program were amazing and super helpful during my whole study abroad experience. The program is very well designed with activities for students to immerse in Lima. Through volunteering trips and cultural outings I got a sense of life in Peru and I learned so much about the country and culture. The trips are well coordinated as I never had an issue in any of them, and they are well picked as I got a glimpse of Costa, Sierra, y Selva en Peru. Thank you so much Patty and Luciana for showing me your country and making these past months memorable.