Walking Tree Travel
Walking Tree Travel is a Denver-based, privately held educational travel company founded in 2005 that designs and operates customized international itineraries — Service Adventures, Conservation Expeditions, and Cultural Journeys — for U.S. K-12 teachers and their students across 24+ destinations on five continents, supported by a proprietary Global Leadership Activities curriculum.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2005
- HeadquartersDenver, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Walking Tree Travel does
Walking Tree Travel is a privately held Colorado limited liability company (Walking Tree Travel, LLC) founded in 2005 in Denver by three childhood friends — Gabriel Duncan, Luke Mueller, and Paul Laurie — to deliver customized international educational travel programs for U.S. K-12 teachers and their students. The company's core product is a portfolio of fully-managed international itineraries spanning 24+ destinations across five continents, organized into three program types: Service Adventures (community-based service combined with cultural engagement), Conservation Expeditions (fieldwork with research organizations), and Cultural Journeys (language classes, museums, homestays). Pricing is quote-based and per-traveler, ranging from $1,790 (Costa Rica, Mexico, Puerto Rico) to $4,790 (Greece), excluding separately invoiced international airfare handled by a dedicated flight partner; a $500 deposit reserves a space. The primary customer is the U.S. secondary school teacher who serves as both group leader and buyer, with end participants being middle and high school students.
Underlying the trip product is a proprietary educational curriculum, the Global Leadership Activities (GLA), originally co-developed with the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey (lead co-developer Becca Sheffield) and launched in 2016. GLA runs pre-program, in-country, and post-program and is organized around seven student learning objectives (cultural worldview frameworks, personal and social responsibility, curiosity, empathy, verbal and non-verbal communication, cultural self-awareness, openness). The company has built an in-country operational layer across its destination network via partnerships with locally-operated lodging providers, research stations (e.g., ECOMAR in Belize, Reserva Playa Tortuga in Costa Rica), community-led service organizations (e.g., CAMBU in Puerto Rico, IPODERAC in Mexico, Bring the Elephant Home in Thailand), and sister-city organizations, supported by 24/7 worldwide support. The website is built on WordPress by Smiling Peanut, Ltd., and there is no public API, app, or AI/ML capability.
Revenue is generated through per-traveler program tuition plus separately invoiced airfare, distributed via a sales-led, consultative GTM motion (quote requests, phone/email engagement with [email protected], in-house enrollment and finance workflows through a My Account portal). The company also operates an educator referral program (Refer an Educator) paying $2,500 cash per Custom Program referred or free travel for every 8 participants recruited, and a complementary $1,000 educator-organizer bonus. The company extended its product line in 2018 with a fee-based International Internship Program for alumni/past participants. Walking Tree is self-funded, has never disclosed funding rounds, and operates without external investors or a parent entity.
Walking Tree Travel firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Walking Tree Travel
- Legal name
- Walking Tree Travel, LLC
- Website
- https://walkingtree.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2005
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Walking Tree Travel is a Denver-based, privately held educational travel company founded in 2005 that designs and operates customized international itineraries — Service Adventures, Conservation Expeditions, and Cultural Journeys — for U.S. K-12 teachers and their students across 24+ destinations on five continents, supported by a proprietary Global Leadership Activities curriculum.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Walking Tree Travel industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Educational Travel Services
- NAICS
- Tour Operators (561520), Educational Services (611), Language Schools (611630)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200), Transportation Services (4700)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Student & Youth Educational Tours (THAKAGAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Short-Term & Summer/Winter Multi-Country Study Abroad Programs (EDAIAAAF), On-Ground Orientation, Travel, Transfers & Logistics Support (EDAIAHAL)
Keywords
Where Walking Tree Travel is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Denver
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Walking Tree Travel business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- All-Inclusive Program Tuition: Per-traveler program tuition covering accommodations, three meals/day, drinking water, ground transportation, group activity/entry fees, full-time leadership team, taxes and tips, and estimated airfare. Pricing is quote-based and varies by destination (e.g., $1,790 Costa Rica, $2,990 Belize/China, $3,290 France, $4,790 Greece). Includes a $500 deposit to reserve a space.
- International Airfare (Invoiced Separately): Estimated airfare is broken out from program tuition; families are invoiced for the flight once best airfare is secured for the group through a flight partner with access to special fares.
- International Internship Program: Walking Tree Travel is accepting applications for an International Internship Program ('the adventure of a lifetime. A lifetime of adventure'), a fee-based extension beyond the core student travel product.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Belize - All-Inclusive Program Tuition: $2,990 + international flight |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Canada - Starts at $2,790 + international flight |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Chile - Starts at $2,150 + international flight |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | China - Starts at $2,990 + international flight |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Costa Rica - Starts at $1,790 + international flight |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Colombia - Starts at $2,745 + international flight |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Ecuador - Starts at $2,290 + international flight |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | France - Starts at $3,290 + international flight |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Germany - Starts at $2,690 + international flight |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Galapagos - Starts at $3,990 + international flight |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Greece - Starts at $4,790 + international flight |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Guatemala - Starts at $2,390 + international flight |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Japan - Starts at $3,790 + international flight |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Mexico - Starts at $1,990 + international flight |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Morocco - Starts at $2,590 + international flight |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Peru - Starts at $2,890 + international flight |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Puerto Rico - Starts at $1,990 + flight |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | $500 deposit required to reserve a space on a program |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Refer an Educator referral bonus: $2,500 cash or free travel |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels8 records
Walking Tree Travel product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Walking Tree Travel designs and operates customized international educational travel programs for U.S. K-12 teachers and their student groups across 24+ destinations on five continents, delivered through locally-operated lodging, in-country partner organizations, and full-time program leaders. The core tuition covers accommodations, three meals per day, ground transportation, group activities and entry fees, a leadership team, taxes/tips, and estimated airfare, while a proprietary Global Leadership Activities (GLA) curriculum runs before, during, and after each trip.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Custom International Adventure Programs Walking Tree Travel's flagship offering: customized international educational travel itineraries designed for U.S. K-12 teachers and their student groups across 24+ destinations on five continents. Programs are delivered through in-country expert teams and span three principal program models — Service Adventures, Conservation Expeditions, and Cultural Journeys. Per-traveler tuition covers accommodations, three meals per day, ground transportation, group activities and entry fees, a full-time leadership team, taxes and tips, and estimated airfare.
- Global Leadership Activities (GLA) Curriculum An educational curriculum that helps travelers mature as global leaders before, during, and after their travel program. Activities are divided into Pre-Program, In-Country, and Post-Program sections and target seven student learning objectives: Cultural Worldview Frameworks, Personal and Social Responsibility, Curiosity, Empathy, Verbal and Non-Verbal Communication, Cultural Self-Awareness, and Openness. Co-developed with the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey.
- International Internship Program A long-term, fee-based support offering that extends Walking Tree's programming beyond the core student travel product, positioned as 'the adventure of a lifetime, a lifetime of adventure.' Marketed as an extension of the company's beyond-trip programming for past participants and other applicants.
Quantifiable outcome
- 27 students served on a single Colombia program (Ian, Spanish Teacher, Washington)
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Walking Tree Travel
Customer profileNamed customers19 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Walking Tree Travel technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Walking Tree Travel partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core (flagship in-country partner for belize), core (flagship in-country partner for costa rica), core (in-country partner for costa rica), core (flagship in-country partner for puerto rico), core (flagship in-country partner for thailand), major (in-country partner for china), major (in-country partner for colombia), major (in-country partner for japan), core (flagship in-country partner for mexico) and major (academic co-developer of core curriculum).
- ECOMAR Field Station (St. George's Caye)core (flagship in-country partner for belize)Hosts Walking Tree student groups on Belize Conservation Expeditions. Provides researchers, staff, orientation on biological fieldwork, and access to marine reserves (Swallow Caye, Drowned Cayes, Caye Caulker Marine Reserve, Hol Chan Marine Reserve). Walking Tree students conduct manatee, dolphin, sea turtle, and conch surveys, coral reef monitoring, and night lectures on marine and barrier island ecology.
- Reserva Playa Tortuga (Osa, Costa Rica)core (flagship in-country partner for costa rica)Walking Tree's primary Costa Rica Conservation partner. Hosts Walking Tree student groups at a turtle reserve field station, coordinates mammal surveys (monkeys, river otters, kinkajous, sloths), and runs yearlong environmental education campaigns with local schools that Walking Tree students join for nature walks and beach cleanups.
- Pura Suerte Ecological Farmcore (in-country partner for costa rica)Family-run ecological farm in the Costa Rican rainforest where Walking Tree groups stay at the start of their Costa Rica program. Provides organic farm tours, coffee plantation visits, and farm-to-table meals, plus serves as the trailhead for the Nauyaca waterfall hike.
- CAMBU (Centro de Apoyo Mutuo Bucarabones Unidos)core (flagship in-country partner for puerto rico)Walking Tree's primary Puerto Rico service-learning partner. Community-led organization formed in the wake of Hurricane Maria in the barrio of Bucarabones (~700 residents) in Las Marías. Walking Tree student groups work alongside CAMBU on service projects tied to community recovery and resilience, in addition to excursions to El Yunque, Balneario La Monserrate (Luquillo), Laguna de Condado, and Bioluminescent Bay in Fajardo.
- Bring the Elephant Homecore (flagship in-country partner for thailand)Walking Tree's stated Thailand partner for wild elephant conservation programming in Kanchanaburi Province. Walking Tree student groups learn about the farmer/elephant conflict, contribute via tree planting, check-dam and beehive-fence building at a wildlife sanctuary, and visit a tree nursery sustaining elephant habitat.
- UUFL (Zhengzhou, China)major (in-country partner for china)Chinese partner school with which Walking Tree runs a three-day Global Citizenship Collaborative Project for China itineraries. Activities include the Henan Provincial Museum, exploring the Erqi Night Market, and structured solo time in People's Park.
- Casa Kolacho / Comuna 13 community guidesmajor (in-country partner for colombia)Walking Tree partners with Casa Kolacho community-center guides for its Comuna 13 graffiti street-art tour in Medellín. The guide is a Casa Kolacho member responsible for 90% of the graffiti art in Comuna 13 and explains the transformation of the neighborhood and the role of graffiti and hip-hop.
- Yoshikawa Sister City Organization (Lake Oswego sister city)major (in-country partner for japan)Walking Tree leverages the sister-city relationship between Yoshikawa (Japan) and Lake Oswego (Oregon) to organize multi-day homestays and community-led activities (welcome party, local high school visit, tea ceremony, city hall visit) for Japan program participants.
- IPODERAC (Hogar para niños huérfanos y desamparados, Cholula, Mexico)core (flagship in-country partner for mexico)Walking Tree's primary Mexico service-learning host. The home for abandoned boys hosts Walking Tree student groups for six nights of service projects, joint activities with the 'chavos', and a celebratory visit to a local waterpark.
- Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Montereymajor (academic co-developer of core curriculum)Academic institution where Becca Sheffield originally designed Walking Tree's Global Leadership Activities during her graduate studies. The resulting GLA framework, launched in 2016, integrates concepts from youth engagement, cultural competence, and curriculum development and forms the core of Walking Tree's pre-, in-, and post-program activities.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Walking Tree Travel competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- EF Educational Tours: EF Education First's school-group division is the dominant U.S. operator of international student travel, offering teacher-led tours across multiple continents with a similar consultative sales motion to schools. Directly competes with Walking Tree for the same teacher-organizer buyer in K-12 educational travel.
- WorldStrides: One of the largest U.S. K-12 educational travel and experiential-learning companies, running international student trips across dozens of destinations with a sales-led motion to teachers and school districts. Operates at materially larger scale than Walking Tree but serves the same core buyer.
- ACIS (American Council for International Studies): Long-standing U.S. operator of teacher-led international student travel programs across Europe, the Americas, and beyond. Directly comparable to Walking Tree in product, buyer, and motion — both sell customized international itineraries to U.S. secondary school teachers.
- Rustic Pathways: Community-service-focused student travel company running high school programs across the Americas, Africa, and Asia. Closely comparable to Walking Tree's Service Adventures and Conservation Expeditions lines, including homestays and locally-operated partners.
- Putney Student Travel: Operates small-group, community-immersed summer programs for high school students across dozens of international destinations. Comparable buyer (U.S. high school students/parents), comparable program types, and comparable community-service orientation.
- National Geographic Student Expeditions: High-end, brand-led student travel programs marketed to high-achieving high school students with themes around conservation, culture, and photography. Competes with Walking Tree in the premium international K-12 travel segment using a similar multi-destination footprint.
- Where There Be Dragons: Experiential education company running small-group, community-based high school and gap-year programs in Asia, Africa, and Latin America with strong curriculum and homestay elements. Directly comparable to Walking Tree on pedagogy, learner profile, and product philosophy.
Emerging players
- Global Leadership Adventures: Operates community-service-oriented teen travel programs across multiple continents for high school students. Overlaps with Walking Tree's Service Adventures product line but with a smaller destination footprint and a younger traveler profile.
- Loop Abroad: Specializes in veterinary and animal-welfare-focused student travel programs for high school and college-aged participants. Adjacent to Walking Tree's Conservation Expeditions but narrower in product focus and participant age range.
Broad incumbents
- G Adventures: Global small-group adventure-travel operator with a wide portfolio of community-based itineraries across all continents. While primarily an adult operator, its product philosophy (locally-operated lodging, community immersion, service learning) overlaps with Walking Tree's differentiation.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Walking Tree Travel social profiles
Digital presenceWalking Tree Travel compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Walking Tree Travel financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Walking Tree Travel leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Walking Tree Travel funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Walking Tree Travel M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Walking Tree Travel
What does Walking Tree Travel do?
Walking Tree Travel designs and operates customized international educational travel programs for U.S. K-12 teachers and their student groups across 24+ destinations on five continents, delivered through locally-operated lodging, in-country partner organizations, and full-time program leaders. The core tuition covers accommodations, three meals per day, ground transportation, group activities and entry fees, a leadership team, taxes/tips, and estimated airfare, while a proprietary Global Leadership Activities (GLA) curriculum runs before, during, and after each trip.
Is Walking Tree Travel a public or private company?
Walking Tree Travel is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Walking Tree Travel founded?
Walking Tree Travel was founded in 2005. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Walking Tree Travel based?
Walking Tree Travel is headquartered in Denver, United States, in the North America region.
How does Walking Tree Travel make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. All-Inclusive Program Tuition is the primary driver. The others are international Airfare (Invoiced Separately) and international Internship Program.
Who are Walking Tree Travel's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are EF Educational Tours, WorldStrides, ACIS (American Council for International Studies), Rustic Pathways, Putney Student Travel, National Geographic Student Expeditions and Where There Be Dragons. Emerging players are Global Leadership Adventures and Loop Abroad. G Adventures is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Walking Tree Travel have an API?
No public API is recorded for Walking Tree Travel.
What industry is Walking Tree Travel in?
Walking Tree Travel's product category is Educational Travel Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAKAGAA, Student & Youth Educational Tours, with a secondary code of EDAIAAAF, Short-Term & Summer/Winter Multi-Country Study Abroad Programs. Its NAICS code is 561520 and its SIC code is 8200.