Travel For Teens

What Travel For Teens does

Travel For Teens (TFT) is a privately held, family-run travel operator founded in 2003 and headquartered in Wayne, Pennsylvania. The company designs and sells overnight travel programs for students in grades 6-12 (and select college/finishing-grades audiences), offering themed experiences in cultural exploration, community service, language immersion, and outdoor adventure. The product surface comprises 100+ programs across 40+ countries, ranging from 7-day winter break itineraries to 30-day multi-country summer programs, with prices of $3,350 to $13,995+ excluding airfare.

The underlying technology is intentionally lean for a service-led travel business. Core operational systems include a Direct-to-Consumer booking flow on travelforteens.com, the MyTFT participant portal (built on Microsoft Power Apps Portals) for itineraries, flight information, and parent communication, and a toll-free phone/consultation sales line supported by named program consultants. The company holds IATA accreditation (enabling in-house ticketing) and ASTA membership, and maintains long-tenured local partnerships with hotels, activity providers, and conservation nonprofits (e.g., 10+ year relationships in Costa Rica, Coral Reef Restoration Foundation, Maui sea turtle nonprofit).

TFT makes money through a one-time tuition model per program, supplemented by tiered non-refundable application fees ($100 before March 31, 2026; $200 thereafter), optional flight booking services (with a $200 fee plus ancillary charges), required travel insurance, and a 10% travel agent referral commission paid out as a cost. Go-to-market combines DTC website bookings, phone/virtual consultations, a travel agent referral network, and school outreach. Customers are individual families (with 75% of teens traveling solo) plus an emerging School Trips and Custom Tours division serving institutional buyers.

Name

Travel For Teens

Legal name

Travel For Teens, LLC

Website

https://travelforteens.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Travel For Teens is a privately held, family-run teen travel operator offering 100+ cultural, service, language, and adventure programs across 40+ countries for students in grades 6-12, with pricing from $3,350 to $13,995+ per program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Travel Programs

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Language Schools (611630)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Student & Youth Educational Tours (THAKAGAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

School Group & Curriculum-Led Trips (THAKAGAB), Youth Adventure Camps & Summer Programs (THAAAOAB), Short-Term Secondary Immersion & Cultural Exchange Trips (EDAIAHAD), Youth & Teen Language Camps (Summer/Winter) (EDAIAEAF), Educational/Student Retail Travel Agencies (THAKABAK)

Keywords

• Teen travel programs
• Youth tourism services
• Student travel tours
• Educational travel programs
• Summer adventure camps

Headquarters

HQ city

Wayne

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Program Tuition: Core revenue from summer travel program fees. Programs range from 7 to 30+ days, with prices from $3,350 to $13,995+ excluding airfare. Tuition covers ground transportation, accommodation, chaperones, guides, activities, meals, taxes, and tips.
2. Application Fees: Non-refundable application fee of $100-$200 per participant per season. $100 for applications by March 31, 2026; $200 starting April 1, 2026.
3. Flight Services: Optional flight booking service with $200 non-refundable TFT booking fee. Additional fees for flight changes, independent flight surcharges ($100-$1,000), and unaccompanied minor services.
4. Travel Insurance: Required trip protection plan offered through TFT for cancellation, medical coverage, and travel disruption protection.
5. Travel Agent Commissions: 10% referral commission paid to travel agents after summer season completion for students they refer.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Travel For Teens operates supervised overnight teen travel programs for students in grades 6-12 across more than 40 countries. Programs span 7 to 30+ days and are organized around themes including Community Service, Cultural Exploration, Language Immersion, and Outdoor Adventure. Tuition covers ground transportation, accommodation, chaperones, guides, activities, meals, taxes, and tips; airfare, application fees, and required travel protection are additional.

Product overview

Travel For Teens operates a portfolio of over 100 overnight travel programs for middle school and high school students (grades 6-12) across 40+ countries. The core product consists of themed travel programs including Community Service, Cultural Exploration, Language Immersion, Outdoor Adventure, and STEM programs. Programs are differentiated by grade level (Middle School, 9th-10th Grade, 11th-12th Grade, College) and region (Europe, Latin America, North America, Asia, Africa, Oceania). Supporting products include the MyTFT participant portal for document access and communication, School Trips for custom group bookings, and a Travel Agent Partnership Program for referrals. Programs range from 7 to 30 days with prices from $3,350 to $13,995 plus airfare.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Teen Travel Programs Overnight travel programs for middle school and high school students (grades 6-12) offering cultural exploration, community service, language immersion, outdoor adventure, and STEM-focused experiences across 40+ countries. Programs range from 7 to 30+ days and are organized by region (Europe, Latin America, North America, Asia, Africa, Oceania) and theme.
• Costa Rica Winter Break Adventure & Service 7-day Costa Rica winter break program combining up to 20 hours of community service with adventure activities including zip-lining, surfing, sea kayaking, and visits to Arenal Volcano and hot springs in Samara Beach and La Fortuna.
• Florida Keys Marine Conservation 11-day Florida Keys program focused on marine conservation, including hands-on coral reef restoration with a major coral restoration foundation, sea turtle hospital visits, Everglades exploration, and snorkeling excursions.
• Alaska Adventure and Service 11-day Alaska program combining whitewater rafting, kayaking, and glacier hiking with community service at a wildlife conservation center, including visits to Homer, Seward, and Anchorage.
• Costa Rica for Middle School: Adrenaline 11-day adventure travel program for middle school students (7th-8th grade) featuring canyoning, tubing, zip-lining, horseback riding, surfing, and hot springs in Tamarindo and Rincon de la Vieja, Costa Rica.
• Canada for Middle School 11-day program exploring Western Canada including Banff National Park, Revelstoke, Whistler, and Vancouver with hiking, whitewater rafting, mountain biking, zip-lining, and glacier walks.
• Hawaii Sea Turtle Service and Adventure 11-day Hawaii (Oahu and Maui) program partnering with a nonprofit sea turtle conservation organization, including service work, surfing, snorkeling at Molokini Crater, Pearl Harbor visit, and Haleakala Volcano hike.
• School Trips & Custom Tours Customized group travel programs for schools with tailored itineraries designed for educational and cultural exploration, serving student groups, educators, and administrators seeking structured educational travel experiences.
• Travel Agent Partnership Program Referral partnership program for travel agents offering 10% commission on student enrollments, with digital brochures and dedicated agent support; agents refer clients who register directly with Travel For Teens.

Quantifiable outcome

• 75% of teens join without a friend and make new friends
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• Local Costa Rica AssociationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term partnerships with local organizations in Costa Rica, including educational associations in Sámara Beach providing supplemental programs for youth with limited resources. TFT has partnered with these organizations for 10+ years on service projects including academic education, environmental consciousness, and socio-cultural development.
• Coral Reef Restoration FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with the largest coral restoration foundation in the world for Florida Keys Marine Conservation program. Foundation has restored 130,000+ corals and 17,500 acres of reef since 2007. TFT students participate in hands-on reef restoration and marine conservation activities.
• Sea Turtle Conservation OrganizationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnerships with organizations dedicated to protecting sea turtles and coral reefs in Hawaii (Maui) and Greece. Students participate in turtle monitoring, beach cleanups, reef surveying, and conservation education programs.
• Maui Sea Turtle NonprofitcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting Maui's sea turtles and coral reefs through marine conservation, education, and outreach. Serves as main rescue team for injured or stranded turtles.
• Travel AgentssecondaryChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor10% commission referral partnership with travel agents. Agents refer clients who register directly on TFT website. Commission paid after summer season completion.
• Local Hotels and AccommodationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRelationships with family-run hotels, haciendas, yurts, and boutique accommodations. TFT establishes personal relationships with owners and avoids large chain hotels to maintain authentic experience. Accommodations selected for safety, supervision capability, and proximity to attractions.
• Local Activity ProviderscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnerships with local activity providers including surf instructors, zipline operators, whitewater rafting companies, wildlife conservation centers, and adventure tour operators in each destination.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Smithsonian Student Travel: Smithsonian Student Travel offers educational summer programs for middle and high school students focused on cultural exploration and STEM, targeting the same family demographic with a similar itinerary structure and adult-led group model.
• Putney Student Travel: Putney Student Travel runs pre-college summer programs with community service, cultural immersion, and adventure components for high school students in similar destinations and price tiers as TFT.
• Rustic Pathways: Rustic Pathways operates teen service-learning and adventure travel programs across dozens of countries for middle and high school students, with similar community-service and cultural-immersion themes, small group sizes, and premium pricing model that closely mirror TFT's positioning.
• Global Leadership Adventures: Global Leadership Adventures runs teen volunteer and adventure programs in 20+ countries with comparable service-hour content, group sizing, and safety oversight, serving the same high school demographic seeking meaningful international experiences.
• Walking Tree Travel: Walking Tree Travel operates teen service-learning and adventure programs to 30+ countries for middle and high school students with comparable program lengths, chaperone ratios, and community-partnership framing used by TFT.
• Where There Be Dragons: Where There Be Dragons designs experiential education programs for high school and college students focused on cultural immersion and service, with similar itineraries in Latin America, Asia, and Africa and a comparable premium-pricing model.

Emerging players

• Loop Abroad: Loop Abroad operates teen veterinary service and conservation programs in Thailand, South Africa, and Costa Rica, overlapping with TFT's service-learning positioning but focused on a more specialized animal-care niche.
• Sol Trips: Sol Trips is a newer teen travel operator focused on community service and authentic local experiences in Latin America, overlapping with TFT's Costa Rica, Belize, Peru, and Ecuador programs but with a smaller destination footprint.

Broad incumbents

• EF Education First / EF Ultimate Break: EF's youth travel division offers 18-29 year-old small-group trips across Europe, Latin America, and Asia with similar group tour dynamics, though skewing to a slightly older demographic and backed by one of the world's largest private education companies.
• National Geographic Student Expeditions: National Geographic Student Expeditions is the teen-focused arm of a major global travel brand offering high school summer programs with similar adventure, cultural, and photography themes, leveraging a much larger parent brand for trust and reach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/travel-for-teens
• Xx.com/TravelForTeens
• Facebookfacebook.com/travelforteens

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Travel For Teens