The ACIS Story

Once upon a time at the University of Sussex, a friend of mine suggested I interview for a Tour Manager job. It was with an American educational travel company based out of Worcester, Massachusetts. They were doing the rounds of English universities, looking for bright-eyed post grads to bring bright-eyed Americans across Europe. I was 22, living in Brighton, and from a young age, I’d had a fascination with travel. As a kid I would go to Heathrow just to watch the planes take off, always wondering what it would be like to explore the places we studied in geography textbooks.

Here was my opportunity to turn that curiosity into reality – and the beginning of something much bigger.

On paper, my job was to accompany and organize 5 weeks of travel, doing in-depth sightseeing tours and figuring out how to best optimize each day. In the early days of educational travel, before guiding permits were required in places like Paris and Rome, I was responsible for guiding in the cities and taking care of the days’ activities. These were also the days before we had access to technology, so we carried around bags of papers and had no cell phones – Imagine the chaos! Every day was different. Things popped up. My history and political skills were tested. And I learned all about being on a team.

My tour manager life was inspired by a curiosity to share my passion for travel with others. That involved discovering new things about places that piqued my interest. Sharing that knowledge with my groups was a highlight and led to many interesting stories. And isn’t that a huge part of the magic of travel? The stories, the memories that make you smile and reflect on the passing of information from one generation to another. That’s a huge responsibility – and to me was an absolute delight.

I had bags of enthusiasm and a great series of groups. I felt like I got to meet America on those trips, and after several seasons of bringing Americans to Europe, I found myself drawn to the States.

In the fall of 1978, we started ACIS. I knew I wanted to bring that same joy I had seen in my years as a tour manager, especially those lightbulb moments when everything clicks and you’re suddenly seeing the world in a new way.

We started small: Our first season, we had 1,700 passengers. We faced those same challenges of previous group travels (no cellphones, quick turnarounds, busy itineraries), and for every obstacle, there was the reward of seeing the ripple effect travel was having on students’ when they returned home.

Since those early days, ACIS has carried more than 500,000 students and teachers on educational programs across the world, and ACIS has grown into the finest educational travel organization in its field. So many students have passed through our doors. Journeys started, curiosity created, lives changed. It is a beautiful thing, and I am so proud of what we have achieved.

Thanks to all the teachers and students who have been part of this journey. You helped create the culture of ACIS. We are here today because of you. And thanks to my lovely friend who suggested I try for a Tour Manager job way back then. We’re still close to this day. You never know who is going to become part of your story.

Peter Jones

ACIS President & Founder