Program Reviews

My whole life I have wanted to travel the world and experience new things. Once I found Travel for Teens I was so excited to try it out! My first trip was the Italy photography workshop and it changed my life in a great way. At first I was super nervous because I was going to a foreign country with strangers, but I quickly connected with them on our 9 hour group flight. I had the best time with my new friends doing the planned activities as well as the new photography challenges we had each day. The trip really brought out my love for photography and travel. I have traveled with TFT every summer since!

Hawaii is incredibly beautiful with all that it has to offer from mountains to oceans. Being able to travel by myself and do something this cool allowed my to expand my comfort zone when it comes to meeting new people and adventuring to new places. We got to do a lot of the fun touristy things, but we also got to do community service which included learning about the oceans/coral reefs and what we can do to protect them. The other campers on my trip were very fun and out going. Our counselors were amazing and made the trip even better than I could have imagined. This was a trip of a life time and I hope I can do more trips like this in the future. I definitely recommend doing a trip through Travel For Teens because it definitely opens doors to learning about new people, cultures, food, and much more.

Traveling with TFT absolutely changed my life. When I left, I had never set foot outside of the United States; when I returned, I'd added three new countries (and their public transit systems) to my list! The trip gave me a taste of a few cultures so different from my own in the best way possible. Really, TFT opened my eyes to all the world has to offer. It was a whirlwind of once-in-a-lifetime experiences: climbing the Duomo in Florence, cooking lessons and flamenco shows in Barcelona, wandering centuries-old streets in Rome, and tasting authentic French pastries in Paris. I am extremely grateful to have had the opportunity to explore Europe with Travel For Teens—if you get the chance, take it!

During this program, I met some of the best people in one of the most beautiful states in the country, as well as learned so much about the earth and how to take care of it. Throughout the trip, I got closer to my small volunteering group, who at the end was like my family, and also became much more educated about the danger our oceans and marine life are in and what we can do to make a difference. I am so lucky to have gotten to learn about the culture of Hawaii while growing as a person and meeting new people on this trip! This truly was an amazing experience, and I highly recommend it!

I went on a service trip to the Big Island in Hawaii and it was the most fun I have ever had traveling. I was quite stressed going into it, but TFT made the trip an enjoyable and non stressful experience. The activities that we did on the trip are beyond what I would ever do with my family. ATV riding in a coffee farm, snorkeling in a beautiful reef, and going to one of the highest telescopes in the world, is something that I would have never done without TFT. My counselors were absolutely amazing and really did care about what us, the teens wanted to do. They made sure that all our needs were fulfilled and that everyone was getting along and having a great time. They allowed us to really take in the culture and environment surrounding us, and made the trip both fun and educational. I created many friendships on the trip and I still keep in touch with them daily. Without TFT, I would have never had this life-changing experience. If you have the opportunity, I would highly recommend a trip with TFT.

I had the most wonderful experience when I went on the Costa Rica Ultimate Adventure & Service trip last summer.
I was nervous at first, being an international traveler and not having English as my native language.
All my worries disappeared when I met my group and I discovered how nice and welcoming everyone are! As the days passed, I made so many friends and got to know each of my amazing travel peers, we stay in contact to this day.
The staff were amazing as well, they were all very friendly and always made sure that everyone is safe and happy.
Throughout the trip I was grateful enough to have many amazing experiences like Kayaking, Ziplining, tubing, white water rafting, learning how to surf, visiting amazing beaches and volunteering. I also got to try local Costa Rican food which I never tried before!
This was an unforgettable summer and a life changing experience! I can only recommend everyone to go on this kind of trip, I am sure this is not my last travel with TFT!

I attended the Greece and Athens trip last July. I had my doubts, I was nervous because of my young age (14 at the time) and still being in the pandemic is never a guarantee especially with travel. But I was pleasantly surprised with how well TFT had planned this trip. I was met by one of my counselors at the airport and was helped navigate the airport all the way to Athens airport and through customs. We then met the rest of our group and counselors. I was nervous I wouldn't make too many friends as I went by myself and wasn't sure if people already knew each other and if some were going together but throughout the trip I met lifelong friends that to this day I still talk to, and plan to travel again together next summer and so on. My counselors were outstanding and cared for each one of us. They really added a fun element to the trip as they made sure we were safe and stayed out of trouble but as we gained their trust got to have more privileges such as staying out later, going off on your own with friends, and my personal favorite... going to the city every night just for gelato and pastries! We stayed in beautiful hotels that overlooked the most incredible views to wherever we stayed. We ate in upscale restaurants for dinner, and had filling breakfasts in the morning. Lunches we got to find on our own, but sometimes our whole group would eat together, and our counselors always helped us. We got to feel like tourists and locals as one of our counselors was actually from Greece! We took delicious Greek cooking lessons, had a relaxing but at times rowdy boat day traveling to islands, and so many fun shopping experiences in each city. This trip allowed me to be independent, responsible, and helped shape who I am today. TFT is an amazing travel group and I will forever be thanking them for my outstanding trip I am so grateful to have experienced. Thank you TFT!

I participated in three TFT trips while I was in high school, and this repetition shows my love of TFT! I went to South Africa, Peru, and Bali with TFT and I loved how each trip was totally different. I got to experience three completely different cultures and ways of living and partake in insane activities like swimming with great whites (in a safe manner of course). I loved how I got to meet other kids my age who shared the same love of travel and desire to seek discomfort. TFT was an inspiration for me to take a gap year and to continue to fuel my love of travel and push myself out of my comfort zone. I would not be who I am today if I didn’t have TFT!

I took the Italy and Greece trip for Older Teens. Going on this trip changed my entire life to say the least. Being able to meet new people, see new faces, and explore new territory was awe-inspiring. The amount of time to take this trip was the perfect amount of time to pick up on new culture, see new faces, and hear amazing stories. The food was food that you'd never tasted and it will change your life, I promise! The friends that I met were one of a kind and I am even going to the same college as one of them! Overall, this was the best trip ever.

Traveling with Travel for Teens was the best choice I had ever made. This trip emerged me into the culture and the people I met were amazing. The entire trip was beautiful. I had a great time staying with host families and meeting locals in Peru. I also got the chance to go to a local school and meet the children. On the trip, we had delicious food including the option to try alpaca and guinea pig! We also got to learn about and make chocolate at one point! Altogether, the trip was so much fun and I will forever be in love with traveling.