High school trips become more exotic

Thousands of teenagers are seeing more far-flung corners of the world, and at younger ages, than any previous generation of Americans. High schools now routinely organize student trips that require passports. Middle-schoolers hike the rain forest in Costa Rica instead of attending summer camp. And older teenagers use the community service they did in Africa as fodder for college essays.

A recent survey of 75 tour operator members of the Student Youth Travel Association (syta.org) found that the top 10 international destinations for youth travel include China, Peru, Brazil, Australia, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Spain, Germany and Greece. More than half the survey respondents identified middle school as the biggest segment for growth.

"We still have the traditional tours - an eighth-grade trip to Washington or a high-school trip to New York," said SYTA spokeswoman Debbie Gibb. "But we're seeing growth in places like China that you never would have thought of 10 or 15 years ago. The world is shrinking, and the students who take these trips are getting younger." Gibb added that there are no reliable statistics on how many teens travel abroad compared to the past.

Typically these trips cost thousands of dollars. But the price tags seem more palatable now that many U.S. sleep-away camps charge $4,000 for three weeks in a bunkhouse. A 32-day trip to Europe offered by Westcoast Connection/360 Student Travel (west coastconnection.com) is $9,399. A six-week program in Senegal sponsored by Where There Be Dragons (wheretherebedragons.com) runs $7,300.

Westcoast Connection sends 1,500 teenagers each summer on a variety of tours, from language immersion to specialty sports like snowboarding. But company spokesman Ira Solomon said, "There's definitely been a trend of more substantial summer programming. With colleges becoming so competitive, kids are trying to build their resumes." So Westcoast also offers community service, such as working in day-care centers in shantytowns in Costa Rica.

Where There Be Dragons offers unusually intense six-week trips to several developing countries. As part of its Senegal trip, students live in a thatched-hut village for two weeks. "They thresh grain, draw water from the wells, they might do weaving or go out in the fields," said Chris Yager, founder of Where There Be Dragons. For a service project, one group brought in avocado and mango trees, then worked with villagers to figure out where to plant them and how to distribute the produce.

Sometimes, it's just the pure fun of travel that makes the biggest impact. Shana Jordan, 17, is spending spring break this year in Italy with friends from her high school in Princeton. But she expects to write her college essay not on Italian art and culture but on two summer trips she took with ThrillCoaster Tours - thrillcoaster tours.com - visiting amusement parks.

"It's being able to do what every kid loves - but parents don't want to take them to do," she said. "You come for the coasters, but you love it for the friends who turn out to be like family."

How do you find the right program for your teenager? Some groups have long track records and work with thousands of kids. People to People, founded in 1956, sends more than 30,000 students and teachers abroad annually. It is one of SYTA's four largest member organizations, along with EF, WorldStrides and ACIS. But many smaller, less well-known organizations offer programming that may be a perfect fit.

Gibb advised checking the company's reputation with the Better Business Bureau; ask about the ratio of adults to students (8-to-1 is typical for eighth grade, 10-to-1 for older kids); and find out how the program helps kids get to know each other.

In addition, ask how emergencies are handled. What happens when someone needs medical care or an accident happens? And how do you stay in touch with your child? Are there regular opportunities to e-mail or call? Just don't expect to hear from your teenager too often.