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February 5, 2020 by Jenica Pistone-Donahue

Questions to Ask a Teen Travel Organization: Part 1

So you know you’re interested in sending your teen abroad for a period of time this summer. You’ve heard from friends that had good experiences, or maybe your child has a strong interest in travel and you’ve decided it’s time for them to spread their wings; or, perhaps you’re an educator yourself and know first-hand the impact that experiential education can have.

If you’re just starting your quest for the ultimate summer abroad, you may be feeling a bit overwhelmed by the sheer number of providers out there. A Google search of “summer travel teens” will turn up dozens of options that may be undistinguishable at first glance. Many companies offer experiences that appear identical: the same countries, similar themes, same inspirational videos featuring smiling teens. Where to start?!

With so many options out there, how can you tell which organization is the “right” one to travel with? This four-part series will help you formulate the questions that will be most helpful to ask when determining the best fit for your family this summer. Over the coming weeks, we’ll share additional questions that we feel are crucial to explore before committing to a summer abroad experience.


Our advice? Start with the basics! For most families, student safety and the integrity of the company are the most pressing concerns.

At Their Core

Does the organization have clearly-identified mission and values that match your personal philosophy?

Most companies have a mission statement that they can point to, or at the very least a set of values that set the standard for their policies, priorities, and culture. Does their mission resonate with you? If a company hasn’t identified its mission, it may be reason for pause.

GLA is proud of its mission to inspire the next generation to realize their potential to transform the world and their role in it. Our goal is to provide life-changing experiences that will cultivate a global perspective and open-mindedness in students that will ultimately inspire them to become great leaders and global thinkers and seek positive change in their own communities.We believe that leaders are made, not born. Our values guide our interactions with our employees, local partners, students, and the world around us. You can read more about our values here.

Does the organization have a reputable record, founder, and current leadership or management?

The reputation of the person or persons heading a company can say a lot about the integrity of the company itself. Who founded the company, and for what purpose? What is the current CEO or management like? Doing a simple Google search on the key players in the company with which you choose to send your child abroad takes only a moment and is an important part of the vetting process.

GLA’s founders have a stellar record and have accomplished some amazing things both before and after the creation of GLA. Among the ranks of our founders and management staff are a former Peace Corps volunteer and former educators; founder Fred Swaniker was recently honored as one of Time’s 100 most influential people of 2019 for his work with the African Leadership Academy and African Leadership University, among other organizations. You can learn more about our founders here.

 

Legitimacy & Reputation

Does the organization provide references? What do their online reviews say?

Reviews matter! GoOverseas, GoAbroad, and good ol’ Facebook are great places to start and include most companies within the industry. Be wary of organizations that do not have an online presence or do not offer references. We encourage families to do their homework, to reach out to past participants and their parents to hear about their experiences. Ask for references. Hearing about the legitimacy of a company from an employee is all fine and good, but to have a conversation with someone who has experienced their services for themselves can carry much more weight. Global Leadership Adventures can provide a list of over 500 un-coached references from our programs last spring and summer who are happy to answer any of your questions candidly and give their honest take on their time abroad.

Does the organization value and prioritize safety and risk management? When was the last time they had a third party review?

Asking an organization for details on its commitment to safe practices is an absolute must! Third-party reviews are a crucial aspect in maximizing safety practices as they provide an unbiased and objective view. As the safety of our staff and students is our top priority at GLA, last year we solicited a review from the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS), a long-time expert in the field of risk management in the context of outdoor leadership programs. For nearly a year, a team of reviewers examined every part of our organization, from the enrollment and screening process to staff training practices to our activities and policies in the field. They interviewed Headquarters team members, from upper management to interns, as well as summer staff. Suggestions stemming from this review process have been a key component in continuing to uphold GLA’s already high safety standards in an ever-changing world.

 


Learn more about what sets GLA apart on our website, or give our office a call at 858.771.0645. We’re happy to answer the questions above or any others you have for us.

Filed Under: Uncategorized

January 30, 2020 by Jenica Pistone-Donahue

Traveling Responsibly

As we face many climate challenges, is it ethical to venture abroad if it’s not in a vessel powered by renewable energy?’ We would answer, ‘absolutely!’

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Lifestyle, Uncategorized

January 23, 2020 by Jenica Pistone-Donahue

Meet GLA’s Travel Coordinators

If you have ever been on a GLA program or are currently getting ready for your first foray, odds are you’ve spoken to one of our Travel Coordinators. According to annual surveys, over 90% of families say that they found their Travel Coordinator (or “TC” for short) to have been a key part of feeling prepared to embark upon their adventure. With former travel agents, Masters degree holders, teachers, and study abroad aficionados in the ranks, the TC team is as knowledgeable and diverse as they come.

Read on to get to know the women who can answer any question thrown their way, from “Where is my waiver?” to “Are these shorts too short?” to “How will this service project impact the community in the future?”

Ros Galati – Travel Coordinator & Admissions Officer

Ros gazing in wonder at the Alps in South Tyrol

Years with GLA: 5
Based in: GLA San Diego HQ office
Hometown: Melbourne, Australia
Fun facts: Ros has traveled to over 50 countries and is a bona fide travel agent in her free time.
GLA programs visited or staffed: Tanzania, Ghana, South Africa, Guatemala, various Costa Rica, and Bali

Educational background: A jack of all trades, Ros holds a Bachelor of Arts in both Linguistics & Italian, as well as Post Graduate studies in Health & Human Movement and Construction Management.

Q. What’s the best part of your job?
A. I love hearing how the students’ experience traveling has affected them. Primarily, the reason why I work in travel is to encourage others to go out and see the world, step outside of their comfort zone and work their way back to it as they become familiar with the unfamiliar.

Brittany Raab – Senior Travel Coordinator

Brittany marking Machu Picchu off her bucket list

Years with GLA: 4
Based in: Washington State
Hometown: Sammamish, Washington
Fun Fact: Brittany and her now-husband (and former GLA Travel Coordinator) were part the first cohort of EGI interns in Costa Rica in 2016.
GLA programs visited or staffed: Costa Rica: Beachside Service Adventure, Peru: Foundations of Global Health, various Dominican Republic sites, and GLA Belize (no longer offered in 2020)

Educational background: Britt has a Bachelors degree in Managerial & Organizational Communication (aka leadership) from Point Loma Nazarene University; while there, she took the opportunity to study abroad in Thailand for four months.

Q. If you were in high school, which GLA program would you be DYING to visit and why?
A. High School Brittany was fascinated by leadership and culture. I would have loved to visit the Morocco: Cultural Kaleidoscope program to explore Northern Africa, ride camels, shop through the incredible markets and take in a culture so completely different from my own.

Heather Hargas – Travel Coordinator

Heather in her natural habitat

Years with GLA: 2
Based in: GLA Costa Rica office
Hometown: San Diego, California
Fun Fact: Heather LOVES the ocean–so much so that she lived on a 33-foot sailboat for two years.
GLA programs visited or staffed: Spain: Spanish In The Land Of Don Quixote, Costa Rica: Beachside Service Adventure, Sea Turtle Initiative, The Initiative For Children.

Educational background: Heather earned a Bachelors degree in Elementary Education at Northern Arizona University, where she also minored in Spanish. She also studied abroad, falling in love with Costa Rica & completing her TEFL certification and then completing a Masters of Education in TESOL. Prior to joining GLA, Heather taught at the English Language Institute at UC San Diego.

Q. Outside of work, where are we most likely to find you? 
A. Surfing is my favorite hobby–I’ve traveled all over the world to surf (Indonesia, Peru, Brazil, Mexico, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, South Africa, Portugal, and Hawaii, just to name a few!) The best thing about surfing is that no matter where you are in the world, or where you are from, surfing connects you to an ocean-minded community.

Rachel Bistodeau – Travel Coordinator

Rachel living it up in Morocco

Years with GLA: 2
Based in: GLA Costa Rica office
Hometown: Wickenburg, Arizona
Fun fact: Rachel worked at summer camps for multiple summers and in 2011 she was the cabin counselor for Malia Obama!
GLA programs visited or staffed: Costa Rica: Beachside Service Adventure, Sea Turtle Initiative, Surf & Ocean Stewardship, Guadeloupe: French Caribbean Adventure

Educational background: Rachel holds three degrees: An Associates of Arts from from Cottey College, a Bachelors of Arts from the University of Minnesota Duluth and a Masters in International Education from Instituto Franklin in Alcala de Henares, Spain.

Q. When you were in high school, what did you want to be when you grew up & why?
A. When I was growing up I wanted to be a teacher or high school counselor. I got pretty close as I worked as an English teacher and now I’m a Coordinator for high schoolers! So it makes sense that if I could go to ANY program I would probably want to go to Ghana or Tanzania (These are teaching programs). I have traveled so much but have not explored Africa enough.

Lauren Jaffe-O’Malley – Travel Coordinator

Years with GLA: 2
Based in: GLA Costa Rica office
Hometown: Oakland, California
Fun Fact: She’s had a Netflix account since Netflix meant renting DVDs through the mail.
GLA programs visited or staffed: Costa Rica: Beachside Service Adventure & Dominican Republic: Global Health Initiative

Educational background: Always a lover of languages, Lauren majored in Language Studies, earning a Bachelors of Arts at UC Santa Cruz in 2015. During her time there she studied Spanish, French, and Yiddish. She also spent two years living with international students at her campus’ International Living Center. Lauren also spent her junior year abroad in Granada, Spain.

Q. What do you like best about working with GLA families?
A. I love when I get to talk to a student during the welcome call and hearing why they’ve chosen their program. I love getting to hear what clubs or organizations they are a part of at home, and what aspects of their programs they are most looking forward to.

Jenny Hamilton – Travel Coordinator

Jenny enjoying the sunset in Portugal

Years with GLA: 3
Based in: GLA Costa Rica office
Hometown: Grand Haven, Michigan
Fun Fact: She has gone “volcano boarding” down an active volcano–not for the faint of heart!
GLA programs visited or staffed: GLA Brazil, GLA Belize (no longer offered in 2020)

Educational background: Jenny majored in Spanish Language & Literature and minored in Latin American Studies & International Business at Grand Valley State University in Michigan. As a lover of travel, she took the opportunity to study abroad in Spain, Costa Rica and Brazil.

If you were in high school, which GLA program would you be DYING to visit and why?
I would have been dying to go on Spain: Spanish In The Land Of Don Quixote. In high school I had never traveled abroad before and really wanted to go to Spain to practice my Spanish and see the variety of cultures Spain has to offer! This program offers many highlights and you get to see a variety of Spanish cities and try so many delicious regional foods.

Filed Under: Uncategorized

January 22, 2020 by Jenica Pistone-Donahue

Awesome Ambassadors: Service Doesn’t Stop After Summer!

A successful Ambassador completes a community service project of his or her choosing during the year.  Read on to hear about some of the projects that our stellar Ambassadors are engaged in.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Gamechangers, Uncategorized

January 13, 2020 by Jenica Pistone-Donahue

A Family Affair: Caring for the Environment with the Radulescus

Names: Anna and Andrei Radulescu
Grades: 10 and 11 (respectively)
Hometown: Glastonbury, CT
Transformational Experience: Galápagos: Preserving Nature’s Wonders™ 2019
Making An Impact: Revived their school’s Environmental Club
Passion: Recycling, outdoors, wildlife

Andrei and Anna Radulescu, siblings from Glastonbury, Connecticut, returned from their summer in the Galápagos islands with a strong sense of purpose. After spending two weeks in the remote islands off the coast of mainland Ecuador working on projects like invasive species removal and creating sustainable habitat for the unique and threatened creatures that inhabit the islands.

“I always knew I had a passion for environmental conservation, but my GLA trip inspired me to take more initiative and gave me more motivation to act. I fell in love with the islands and I couldn’t imagine not doing everything in my power to preserve its beauty….My GLA trip to the Galapagos intensified my love of the environment, and sparked my motivation to fight for what I love,” Anna says.

As for Andrei, his experience in the Galapagos ignited a new sense of urgency. “As soon as my trip ended I knew that I would look forward to helping lead the green clubs at school. Prior to going on my trip the environment was not an aspect of life I had given much thought to. After seeing the rural and few communities of people that live on the exotic islands, I realized my position as a next generation kid who would one day contribute to society in some small way. I became determined to value the health of my planet as it would be something I would pass down to my children and those after them,” he says.

While Anna had previously been involved in her school’s Environmental Club, the group was small and not particularly active; with only four members, initiatives were slow in coming together. In the fall, Andrei also joined and the two led the group’s efforts to expand and make real change. “At the start of this school year, we worked harder to make our club known. We made a poster and set up at booth about Environmental Club at freshman orientation. We also decided we would not only plan events that entail service work, but also fun trips in nature, such as hiking, so that members could enjoy the environment we are working to protect,” Anna says.

As it grew, the club has become more structured, complete with elected positions. Anna was elected Vice President and takes her role seriously. Their main objective for the coming year: Reinstate the school’s recycling program, which in recent years has been ineffective due to a lack of education about what types of materials are actually recyclable. Currently, all of the school’s waste ends up in the landfill. They are aiming to launch a recycling education campaign that will hopefully allow their school to resume its participation in recycling programs.

Other projects in the works include a fundraiser for Earth Alliance, a non-profit that works to address urgent threats to the planet’s life support systems; they are partnering with their school’s Art Club to create stickers to sell.

What does the future hold for the Radulescus? They are both looking at pursing careers in the medical field. Andrei has been completing work with antimicrobial peptides at the University of Connecticut; while he’s not 100% sure what his future holds,  he says that being active in solving community issues is key for him regardless of where his path takes him. This summer, both siblings will be participating on the Fiji: Marine Conservation Expedition™ program, where they will continue to work with threatened island ecosystems and communities affected by climate change.

Filed Under: Gamechangers, Uncategorized

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