Educational Travel: Much More Than a Trip

As overseas travel has grown generally more accessible over the past decade, one question we are sometimes asked boils down to “why choose educational travel when we can go somewhere as a family?”

Our answer is, it’s just a different type of experience. On a educational tour, you’re going abroad specifically to participate in immersive cultural activities. You’re gaining critical life skills like independence and language fluency. The topics you’ve learned recently in the classroom are being put into real-time context. There’s fun along the way, of course, but it is not the primary objective. In fact, we like to think of educational travel as an investment in the future, whether that’s in emotional growth, college preparation or career opportunity development.

Emphasis on Educational Content

Beach vacations have their place but on an educational tour, you’re traveling to learn. After every tour, we ask the group leader to evaluate the educational content of the trip. Here are just a few snippets of the feedback received from our spring 2026 trips:

“14/10. Everything was presented in manageable chunks for my students who were mostly novices to this area and the history. For those who were more experienced Latin students they shared with me that this trip brought a lot of ideas they had in their heads into reality.” – ACIS Group Leader Sara P.

“All of my students were so proud to practice their French “in the wild.”  They delighted in trying new foods and in having new experiences.” – ACIS Group Leader Rebecca S.

“Kids have a renewed interest in the environment and their language classes!” – ACIS Group Leader Jane D.

“Very educational and historical. Got to see and learn about things I have taught in class.” – ACIS Group Leader Michelle C.

And it’s worth shouting out the note from ACIS Group Leader Amaranta:

“Everyone learned so much in each country. They want to go back to learn more!”

For her students, the educational tour was the spark that encouraged even more travel, which will certainly influence family trip decisions down the road. Who says you can’t have your cake and eat it too?

Recent Parent Reviews

We feel comfortable saying “travel changes lives” because we see it happening time and time again, not just from our own perceptions but through the feedback we get from parents whose children return from ACIS tours with new outlooks on the world.

Long-time ACIS group leader Genevieve reached out to let us know that she had recently received a kind follow up letter from a parent whose daughter traveled to Spain with us in 2026:

Good afternoon, 

I wanted to take a minute of your time to let you know what an amazing experience my daughter had a few weeks ago as they traveled through Spain and Portugal. My daughter Mackenzie is an introverted student/athlete who is happy on a field or a bookstore, and is rarely out in social settings. When she came home and presented us with the information for this trip, we were of course hesitant but we knew it was an opportunity of a lifetime! 

My mind was immediately set at ease after the trip meeting. All information was laid out for us from payment timelines to itineraries to what to pack and activities. The constant communication before and during the trip was just what nervous parents needed! Genevieve utilized Whatsapp for the parents and we received daily messages with activities, pictures and videos of our kids having the time of their lives! This included being in Spain when Spain defeated Germany in the Euro Cup! These kids jumped right in and celebrated with everyone and it was a moment they will never forget! 

I felt it was important for you to hear from a parent that the dedication and guidance of the educators made a lasting impression on these students. I know it was a life changing trip for my upcoming Senior that hopefully carries right into the best year of high school yet! 

Thank you for supporting this excursion and hope it continues for years to come!! Enjoy the rest of your summer!

An Investment in the Future

We conducted a survey of 930 past ACIS travelers to find out how their educational tour had impacted their futures. Some of the findings?

• 67% went on to study a foreign language in college 
• 94% reported feeling more independent after their tour abroad
• 57% were motivated to study abroad in college

And perhaps even more importantly, the research showed students experiencing personal growth across the board. The life-skills learned while traveling abroad, from independence to problem solving to appreciation of other cultures, are integral to the educational travel experience.

“I watched my kids lose the fear of trying something they had never tried before. They will never be afraid of the unknown again.” – Jeanne L., Parent of an ACIS Traveler

From past traveler stats to parent testimonials, the evidence is there to support educational travel as a life-changing experience, a doorway to opportunity and self-discovery that is so much more than a trip.

Get more examples of the life-changing power of educational travel in our free ebook “A World of Possibilities.”