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Travel For Teens

Why choose Travel For Teens?

Travel For Teens is a program provider that believes that teen travel should be both enriching and fun. TFT offers a full range of travel experiences that teens can choose from to create their own ideal international experience.

TFT's motto is "Teaching teens to be travelers, not tourists," and their itineraries are designed to reflect this. While participants have the opportunity to visit mainstream attractions, TFT also provides insider opportunities and experiences, giving participants the ability to explore the culture far beyond the tourist perspective.

If you are looking for a summer travel program that goes beyond the typical tourist path, then Travel For Teens is the perfect fit!

Reviews

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Madison
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Once-In-A-Lifetime Experience

Visiting Fiji was something I never thought I would be able to do without Travel for Teens, especially at only 15 years old! The counselors felt like close friends, which made our group even more special and close. I was able to not only see the extraordinary islands of Fiji and do thrilling and fun activities, I was also able to go good for the community while I was there as well. Interacting with the amazing students and natives of Fiji was truly my favorite part and I will remember those moments forever! I left the trip with multiple things checked off my bucket list, new lasting friendships, cherished memories and an even better version of myself! I had such an amazing time!

Pros
  • Culture
  • Beautiful Islands
  • New friendships
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Mackenzie
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Europe for older teens- Greece Island Hopping

Going to Greece has always been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember. This trip is filled with rich history and culture, amazing food and hotels. While on this trip I got to experience an authentic greek cooking class, scuba diving in Santorini and many other wonderful experiences while making lifelong memories and friendships. Going with travel for teens I got to experience things i never would've know about if I was to go on my own. I would recommend this trip to anyone wanting to learn about the history of Greece or living out their Mamma Mia dreams. I will be forever grateful to TFT for providing this experience for me and other teens.

Default avatar
Payton
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

The most amazing experience!

This was my second year attending a travel for teens trip and I have loved every moment of it. This past trip to Barcelona and Paris was truly an incredible experience that I will never forget. Not only did I love the friendships I made with people who I still talk to to this day but I also just love the opportunities that I was able to have because of this trip. These were two places that I had never been to before and after this trip, I want to go back immediately. I loved how we got to immerse ourselves in the culture of both places while still being able to have fun and experience life away from home. This trip was the perfect balance of learning and gaining new knowledge along with enjoying a relaxing summer and a beautiful country. My favorite thing that we did in Barcelona was the Bike Tour because I loved being able to see a lot of the city at once and learn from a local about the incredible history of the area. While in Paris my favorite thing was visiting the Eiffel Tower and trying all of the incredible food pastries and desserts. The staff was amazing and truly helped make this experience one of a kind, Not only were they light-hearted and funny and kind but they were also intelligent and knew a lot about travel and about different areas, therefore They were able to teach me lots of new great information.

Pros
  • New friendships to last a lifetime.
  • Experiences with new cultures.
  • Incredible food and housing.
Cons
  • Wish I would have never had to leave.
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Maren
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Wonderful trip

It was very beautiful in Ireland, and we got to explore very popular places but we also were able to go to less known places. Everywhere we went we were able to choose what activities we wanted to do. We went to achill island which was the highlight of the trip and got to swim in a bog, surf paddle board and hang out with friends we made on the trip. We got to go on hikes with locals that would tell us what the history of whatever place we were in, and hear stories from many people. We also were able to try all of the local foods, which were homemade and very scrumptious. It was a wonderful experience.

Pros
  • All the friends I made
  • The views that we saw
  • The activities we did
Cons
  • Only the showers were kinda cold
  • Just the showers
  • Probably the chilly showers
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Adriana
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Best 8 days of my life!

I traveled with Travel for Teens on the Barcelona and Paris Explorer trip for 8 days. This was the best 8 days of my life, it was my second time ever visiting Europe and my first time traveling all by myself. Upon arriving in the airport and meeting with my group, everyone was super friendly and the counselors were super inviting. When we got into the cities it was initially a shock about the authenticity of of our travels. It felt like I was living like a local, being allowed to walk around my my new friends and choose where we want to go, from walking everywhere and taking the public transit it felt like I was authentically experiencing the cultures of these cities. What I took home from this trip was a newfound confidence in myself and my independence. I have also made a lot of lifelong bonds with my peers on the trip.

Pros
  • Independence
  • Cultural immersion
Cons
  • Can be overwhelming for someone who is not good on their own.

Jobs

Programs

Displaying 1 - 9 of 45

Alumni Interviews

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

Ivania Salinas

Ivania Salinas

Why did you choose this program?

I chose this program because I wanted to travel to a place and continent I had never been before that offered similar experiences like the ones I usually do each summer, such as going to the beach. I also wanted to experience a different culture and see a different lifestyle from the one I’m accustomed to.

When looking through the various trips, the beauty of Thailand one can witness captured all of my attention. I knew I needed to witness the beauty of the country through my own eyes, and all of the wonderful activities the country has to offer.

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

My program provider assisted us with everything, from the daily meals to the information about our flight home. Travel For Teens did everything for us, they booked all of our hotels and flights, were in charge of our meals and made sure that whatever we order was suitable for us. They also told us what to pack, how much money to bring, and the type of weather we would be dealing with based on the place we were visiting. All we, the travelers, had to do was packed our suitcases, bring money for souvenirs and board a plane taking us to our final destination.

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

My one piece of advice is to enjoy the trip as much as possible and make every second there memorable. Before you know it you will be sitting on the plane back home wishing you could have one more week, or wishing you would have done something better, or at least that's what happened to me. Even though you can't change how much time you will be going, don’t sit on that plane wishing you would have done something better, or enjoyed it more, instead do everything you can while you are over there, because, at the end of the day, those actions will become splendor memories that will live with you for the rest of your life.

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

The average day in Thailand depends on the place you are in. For example, the average day in Chiang Mai consisted of learning about the culture of helping out the community, while the average day in the Phi Phi Islands was spent going snorkeling or scuba diving in the morning, visiting the beach in the afternoon and going on an adventure at night. Every day was spent doing something out of the ordinary, that any tourist visiting the area would not have the opportunity to do as easily.

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

My biggest fear of traveling so far away and alone was that I would not have many friends, or that I would struggle to make friends. I overcame this fear the second I met everyone at the airport. At first, I was a little shy, but then I started talking to people from my group and making small talk, and before I knew it, I had made a bond with everyone there, including counselors, who were also extremely nice and welcoming. All of us became a family with whom we managed to share wonderful memories.

If you had to choose one thing that you either learned or experienced during the trip that will mark your life forever, what will it be? Explain why.

Witnessing the presence of bioluminescence lights during the night is an experience that will remain with me for the rest of my life. This experience is something that I didn’t know even existed, and it's so impactful to know the power that nature has, that it even manages to create tiny algae particles that create natural light, not only in full darkness but also in the water.

Staff Interviews

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

Sam Rae Roy

Job Title
Sales & Marketing Manager
Sam is an adventure enthusiast who has spent time living in both New England and Colorado. She has road tripped extensively around the continent, from Canada to Central America, which has aided in her development of our North America programs. In addition to her home continent, Sam has traveled all over Europe, Oceania, Asia, and Latin America. After numerous summers leading trips with TFT, she became a member of our Sales and Marketing team!

What is your favorite travel memory?

My favorite travel memory is the last night I spent in the backcountry on a 9-day trek in the Andean mountains of Peru. I had wanted to complete this trek for years but knew it involved an immense amount of preparation and planning. At our final campsite, not only was I overwhelmed with the feeling of accomplishment, but the beauty of my surroundings took my breath away.

A man who had lived in the area where I camped with my companion offered to cook us trout caught from the pristine alpine lake we were set up by and we took him up on the offer! We had a delicious meal in an incredible place knowing we had completed something we had longed to for years.

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

I started as an ambitious counselor who wanted to make Travel For Teens her full-time career. Over the course of the last nine years that I have been with this company, I have grown and learned so much about how travel positively influences today's youth and myself as well. Travel For Teens fosters growth in everyone it touches and spreads a love for authentic travel around the world.

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

The best story I've ever heard from a returning student is that, after traveling on our Hawaii Sea Turtle Service program, he had started an environmental awareness club at his school--and he was the president! It was really special to me that this student had felt so strongly about what he learned about recycling and sustainability in Hawaii that he wanted to share it with others.

To me, that is what Travel For Teens is all about: exposing today's youth to the world and all of its different cultures, beauty, needs, and teaching them to respect these cultures, maintain this beauty, and help our world's needs.

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

I would go on the Hawaii program over and over again because I feel passionate about our planet and sharing my love for sustainability with them. You have the opportunity not only to work with an endangered species while on the beautiful island of Maui but you see a beach on the North Shore that is infamous for collecting hundreds of thousands of tons of micro pieces of plastics that have traveled from the beautiful beaches of Hawaii from California and Asia. It really paints a picture of where the plastic fork you leave on the beach in LA ends up.

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

We are unique because we allow our students to feel like a local instead of a member of a tour group. We don't travel in huge groups of 30 to chain restaurants and ride massive tour buses. We take local transportation and make food a part of our itinerary. It's important to us that our students feel like they've learned how to be a traveler at the end of their trip.

I was especially proud to be a part of this team when I was off in a small group visiting a museum a group of kids had wanted to see while a different group was at a market with a different leader. We ran into a different company who were all wearing matching backpacks following a leader with a giant pink sign in a straight line. They stuck out like a sore thumb and myself and my small group looked like a traveling family which, by that point, we were.

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

I think being honest and passionate about what you are selling makes all the difference in a successful company. The people that run TFT truly love what they do and believe in the product they are endorsing. This is enhanced by the natural honest the comes with truly believing in what you are giving and that leads to happy customers.