We're kicking off a new blog post series, Homeschooling the High School Years! For our first entry, we'll highlight a few unique travel opportunities for teens and their families in the US and abroad for the 2021-2022 school year, and the following summer, of 2022.
TRAVEL EXPERIENCES FOR TEENS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR
Looking for a travel program for your teen this school year? Check out these resources.
A+ World Academy - Sail the Atlantic While Earning Your Diploma!
A + World Academy is a high school and gap year program that sails to 20 cities in 14 countries on 4 different continents on the world’s oldest fully rigged tall ship, the Norwegian Sørlandet.
They offer a High School Abroad Program, Language Camps, Summer Camps, and customizable gap years. Be sure and look into their scholarships for First Time Travelers.
Ingenuity Year - by the Forman School.
Programming built for students with diagnosed & undiagnosed learning differences in mind, Ingenuity Year is a gap year program for non-conventional thinkers aged 17-21 to explore global problems on a local level while working on a set of skills for problem-solving that will lay a firm foundation for success in college. They believe all students learn differently, and that all students should embrace their own style of learning.
With 11 schools across the country, Outward Bound offers challenging learning expeditions in remote wilderness settings and shorter courses closer to home. There are various outdoor locations throughout the US. Search by age, location, and travel dates for teen programs.
Students learn a new language, discover another culture, and truly become global citizens in Rotary Youth Exchange programs. Exchanges for students ages 15-19 are sponsored by Rotary clubs in more than 100 countries. Long-term exchanges last a full academic year, and students attend local schools and live with multiple host families. Short-term exchanges last from several days to three months and are often structured as camps, tours, or homestays that take place when school is not in session.
Search for Gap Year Programs on www.gooverseas.com
Go Overseas is a guide to 18,000+ programs that will change how you see the world. Read 50,000+ community reviews to help you choose your next adventure.
UNIQUE TRAVEL PROGRAMS DESIGNED FOR SELF-DIRECTED TEENS
Check out these programs that are designed for independent, self-directed teens.
High Desert Center - Paonia, Colorado.
You don’t want to sign up for an ordinary Gap Year program; you want to co-create adventures. Rules? How about choices and opportunities? Here you can be what matters. Here you'll find your voice will be respected and heard. They believe that choice matters. You'll find a place where part of freedom is having the courage to take ownership of what you choose.
Unschooling Adventures - Big Adventures for Self-Directed Teenagers.
At Unschool Adventures they offer big adventures for self-directed teenagers. Since their first group trip to Argentina in 2008, their mission has remained the same: to help young people build new friendships, unforgettable memories, and the confidence to lead an unconventional life. No matter whether you’re an unschooler, homeschooler, alternative school student, or just someone passionate about travel—you’re welcome at Unschool Adventures. Visit their Free Range Exchange page and take their Homestay survey for US teens who want to do a homestay in Western Europe in 2022.
TRAVEL COMPANIES WITH VOLUNTEER GAP YEAR PROGRAMS
For those looking to combine community service and travel, explore these sites.
International Volunteer HQ welcomes people from all walks of life to make a difference on an adventure of a lifetime. With 50+ destinations and over 300 projects, IVHQ offers the world’s largest range of fully-hosted volunteering programs, from teaching and childcare to wildlife conservation and medical volunteering. Their programs start at just $180 for 1 week, enabling volunteers to immerse themselves in new cultures while giving back. Your fully-hosted experience includes airport pickup, accommodation, meals, and 24/7 in-country support, and with our flexible booking policy, you can make free changes and go abroad with confidence.
Raleigh International is the leading expert in engaging young people to resolve the critical water, sanitation and hygiene challenge our planet is facing. They succeed by empowering young people to lead solutions. From increasing the accountability of WASH projects to changing hygiene behaviors that make communities more resilient to the threat of Covid-19, Raleigh International supports young people to take action on the change they demand. As of 2021, they continue to provide young people with volunteering opportunities through their Expedition program and National Youth programs in Nepal, Costa Rica, and Tanzania.
RSVP Caribbean Volunteers coordinates safe, affordable, high-quality needs-based programs and projects for overseas volunteers from any country who want to give of their time, skills, and resources to their chosen location. The company manages and coordinates all aspects of the volunteer's experience including, but not limited to, providing the necessary information about the programs, projects, and accommodation as well as advice on the culture, travel, and volunteering requirements. Ongoing support before arrival and while volunteers are in-country is an important part of the service provided. RSVP Caribbean accepts volunteers who are as young as 16 years old upon arrival in-country.
VISIONS Service Adventures - Gap Year & Summer Programs.
VISIONS Gap Year Programs are deeply rooted in place, outdoor adventure and experiential learning focused on sustainability, nature connection, food production, social connection, and life skills. Connect with the land and its people in Montana’s sweeping Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Here, between the wild and urban, participants dig in on the front lines to learn about ecosystems and ways of life that are under threat, like rural farming and ranching. They have a limited financial aid reserve for qualifying families. Their Summer Programs can accommodate teens aged 12 through high school graduation.
UNIQUE FAMILY TRAVEL OPPORTUNITIES
For those who want to travel together, consider these resources.
Autodidactic Radical Gathering of Homeschoolers - Join the ARGH FB Group for more info.
ARGH (Autodidactic Radical Gathering of Homeschoolers) is a secular family gathering by and for unschoolers of all ages which takes place in Spruce Pine, North Carolina. This organic event relies on participants to host activities, making each gathering unique, helps keep costs low, and creates a feeling of community. Connecting with others interested in unschooling and the whole-wide-world helps build community, enrich our learning experiences, develop new friendships and encourages a lot of FUN!
Discover Corps is a travel company created by a former Peace Corps volunteer as a way to show the world to his kids in a meaningful way and share experiences they will never forget. They specialize in small group travel.
Envisioned by a homeschool mom to connect people, inspire learning, and help family and friends collect adventures together. They provide student field trips, individual or group tours, and travel opportunities for all kinds of interests.
Traveling Homeschoolers was created by a South Carolina homeschool mom who was planning trips for her group and expanded her business to offer group homeschool trips across the US. Although they still offer local/regional trips for families in South Carolina, the trips featured on their website are open to families throughout the United States and beyond.
SUMMER CAMPS FOR TEENS -ALL ACROSS THE COUNTRY
If your teen can't travel during the school year, check out these summer camps for 2022.
Camp Stomping Ground, near Saratoga, New York offers Teen Programs.
Re-imagining a more perfect world at camp. Summer camp should be a place where we can create the world we want our kids to live in and help inspire them to re-imagine what is possible when they leave. At Stomping Ground that means creating a culture based on authentic friendships, treating people the way they want to be treated, dreaming enormous dreams, singing by the campfire, playing gaga, and so much more.
East Tennessee Unschooled Summer Camp - Join the ETUSC FB Group for more info.
East Tennessee Unschooled Summer Camp is a 7 night secular camp for approximately 80 unschooling teens (13-19) from all over the country. There are many activities, camper & staff run workshops, jam sessions, a hammock haven, bonfires, swimming, a climbing tower & ropes course challenge, mentoring, dancing, making friends, and so much more. They believe all children should be treated with respect and given opportunities for growth and connection without arbitrary boundaries that limit and confine their reaching, and that they should have a safe and loving environment to do so. It is their hope that campers will learn more about themselves, make lifelong friendships, and discover new interests...all while having an amazing time in a beautiful setting.
Not Back to School Camp, NBTSC - Summer 2022 - Oregon and Vermont.
NBTSC is primarily composed of unschooling and homeschooling teens. NBTSC is not as tightly structured as most other youth camps. For example, people choose their own bedtimes and sleeping locations. They have clear agreements which they firmly expect campers to keep, but the teens nevertheless have a great deal of freedom. Most of their campers are already accustomed to taking a lot of responsibility for themselves, so this works well overall, but some people feel a bit challenged by the open schedule. They encourage you to reach out and talk with NBTSC staff if you’re not sure whether NBTSC is a good match for your family (You’ll also see on their registration portal that they need you to read a lot of fine print on these and related matters.).
VISIONS Service Adventures, based in Montana, offers Summer Camps for teens aged 12 yrs through graduation (see their entry up above for more info on their gap year program).
LOOKING FOR MORE TRAVEL IDEAS? CONNECT WITH OTHER TRAVELING FAMILIES!
Free Range Exchange Facebook Group (by Blake Boles, founder of Unschooling Adventures)
Do you have a teen travel resource that you'd like to share with us? We love hearing from our readers! Please email us at info@homeschoolconcierge.com.