Global Works

What Global Works does

Global Works is a privately held, B Corporation-certified student travel organization founded in 1989 and headquartered in Louisville, Colorado. The company designs and operates two principal product lines: open-enrollment Teen Summer Trips for high school (grades 9-12) and middle school (grades 6-8) students, and customized School Group Travel programs for K-12 schools, colleges, and universities. Trips span seven international destinations — Costa Rica, Ecuador, Fiji, France, Spain, Peru, and Puerto Rico — plus domestic United States and Dominican Republic itineraries for school groups, and combine community service, homestays, language immersion, and adventure activities with themes such as Pre-Med & Public Health, Wildlife & Sustainability, Building Initiatives, and Working With Kids.

The operating stack is service-led rather than technology-led. Enrollment and participant management run on third-party Camp in Touch (campintouch.com); flights are coordinated via Fly My Group with United, Delta, American, Air France, and Fiji Airways; travel medical insurance is provided through battleface; visa support through CIBT Visas; and optional post-trip content through Circle of Writers. A signature operating policy is Tech-Free Programs, in which student devices are collected at arrival and family communication occurs through trip journals and scheduled calls.

Global Works monetizes primarily through tuition ($3,195-$6,995 per teen program participant, 8-21 days) plus a $95 application fee and $700 deposit, with payment plans available. Secondary revenue comes from group flight markups, insurance referral arrangements, and alumni discounts (15%), sibling discounts (5%), and educator discounts (10%). School Group Travel revenue is generated through dedicated sales directors working with educators to produce customized itineraries and quotes. Customer concentration is intentionally distributed across individual families and a long tail of school partners (named references include Montgomery College, Glen Urquhart School, Ross School, Graland Country Day School, and others), with 18,912 lifetime alumni, 147 annual community service projects, and an 80% returning staff rate underscoring the depth of the operational footprint across the 51-100 employee base.

Name

Global Works

Legal name

Global Works

Website

https://globalworkstravel.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Global Works is a privately held, B-Corp-certified student travel organization founded in 1989 that runs teen summer trips and customized school group travel combining community service, language immersion, homestays, and adventure across destinations in Latin America, Europe, the Caribbean, and the Pacific.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Educational Student Travel Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Overseas Summer School Programs (Secondary) (EDAIAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Student & Youth Educational Tours (THAKAGAA), School Group & Curriculum-Led Trips (THAKAGAB), Short-Term Secondary Immersion & Cultural Exchange Trips (EDAIAHAD), On-Ground Orientation, Travel, Transfers & Logistics Support (EDAIAHAL)

Keywords

• Student travel programs
• Language immersion trips
• Community service travel
• School group travel
• Teen summer programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Lafayette

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Teen Summer Trip Tuition: Primary revenue stream from 15-21 day immersive travel programs for high school and middle school students. Programs include community service, language immersion, adventure activities, homestays, and cultural exchange. Tuition ranges from $3,195 to $6,995 depending on destination and program duration. Enrollment requires $700 deposit plus $95 application fee.
2. Group Flight Services: Chaperoned group flights for international programs through partnered airlines (United, Fiji Airways, Air France, Delta, American). Flight costs range from $848 to $2,030 depending on destination. Flight cost is separate from tuition and added to participant statements upon reservation.
3. Travel Insurance (battleface partnership): Required travel medical insurance for all participants offered through battleface partnership. Global Works recommends but does not require travel cancellation/interruption insurance. Commission or partnership fee likely generated through referred sales.
4. Writing Program Add-Ons: Circle of Writers partnership offers Travel Writing 101 course ($395) and 1-on-1 College Essay Support (starting at $250). Separate registration and payment directly to Circle of Writers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Global Works organizes and runs educator-led international travel programs for high school and middle school students, combining community service, language immersion, cultural exchange, and adventure activities. It operates two core lines: open-enrollment Teen Summer Trips (8-21 day programs, tuition $3,195-$6,995) and customized School Group Travel for K-12 and higher education institutions. Programs span 7+ destination countries and are supported by chaperoned group flights, travel insurance partnerships, and a tech-free device policy.

Product overview

Global Works is a student and youth travel organization offering two primary product lines: Teen Summer Trips (open enrollment programs for high school and middle school students) and School Group Travel (customized programs for educational institutions). The portfolio spans seven destination countries (Costa Rica, Ecuador, Fiji, France, Peru, Puerto Rico, Spain, and Dominican Republic for school groups) with thematic product lines including Spanish and French Immersion, Pre-Med and Public Health, Wildlife and Sustainability, Building Initiatives, and Working With Kids programs. Middle School-specific programs serve younger students with age-appropriate activities. Add-on services include Tech-Free Programs (device-free experiences), the Travel Writing Program through Circle of Writers, and Group Flight Services. School Group Travel extends to the United States and Dominican Republic with additional themes including Civil Rights and Social Justice.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Teen Summer Trips

Quantifiable outcome

• 18,912 students have completed Global Works programs
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• battlefacecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerRecommended travel insurance provider for all Global Works participants. Offers travel medical insurance (required) and travel cancellation/interruption coverage (recommended). Participants receive access to customized protection plans. Global Works receives referral placement and partnership benefits.
• CIBT VisasminorGTM or Marketing PartnerVisa services partner offering student discounts for Global Works participants. Helps non-US citizens determine visa requirements and obtain necessary paperwork for entry. Partners provide discounted rates for program participants.
• Circle of WritersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounded by Mary Cinadr, former Global Works leader. Offers Travel Writing 101 (10-day online course, $395) and 1-on-1 College Essay Support (starting $250) as optional add-ons for participants. Course available post-trip, requires separate registration and payment.
• Fly My GroupcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTravel agency partner coordinating group flight quotes and reservations for school group travel programs. Works with Global Works to provide competitive airfare within program itinerary framework.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Global Leadership Adventures: Global Leadership Adventures runs high school service-learning and adventure programs in multiple international destinations with homestays and cultural exchange. Closely mirrors Global Works' teen summer trip model and school group custom itineraries.
• Where There Be Dragons: Where There Be Dragons offers experiential teen summer and gap year programs emphasizing cultural immersion, homestays, and service learning in Asia, Africa, and the Americas. Closely aligned with Global Works on experiential, service-led teen programming.
• Adventures Cross-Country (ARC): ARC runs teen summer adventure and community service programs domestically and abroad for high school students. Comparable teen-focused summer travel model with a similar mix of community service and adventure activities.
• Walking Tree Travel: Walking Tree Travel designs middle and high school student travel programs with service learning, language immersion, and adventure across Latin America, Europe, Africa, and Asia. Directly comparable product mix, customer base, and destination portfolio.
• VISIONS Service Adventures: VISIONS operates teen summer service programs in the Caribbean, Central America, and the U.S., combining construction work, cultural exchange, and adventure. Closely comparable niche positioning around service-led teen travel.
• Travel For Teens: Travel For Teens offers summer travel programs for high school students across multiple countries with community service, language immersion, and adventure components. Directly comparable DTC teen travel offering with overlapping destinations.
• Rustic Pathways: Rustic Pathways operates teen summer and school group travel programs combining community service, cultural immersion, and adventure across 20+ countries. Most direct comparable to Global Works in mission, age group, program structure, and pricing band.

Broad incumbents

• National Geographic Student Expeditions: National Geographic Student Expeditions offers high school summer travel combining field research, photography, and cultural immersion. Comparable premium-priced teen summer product leveraging the National Geographic brand, though broader in scope and higher in price point.
• Putney Student Travel (WorldStrives): Putney Student Travel was acquired by WorldStrides, the largest U.S. educational travel provider. WorldStrides runs middle and high school summer and school group travel at much greater scale, overlapping Global Works on teen summer and custom school programs but across a much broader portfolio.
• EF Educational Tours: EF Educational Tours is a leading global provider of student group travel for middle and high school students, often working through schools. Overlaps with Global Works' school group travel segment at much larger scale and broader geographic footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/globalworkstrav
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/globalworkstravel
• Facebookfacebook.com/GlobalWorks
• Instagraminstagram.com/goglobalworks
• TikToktiktok.com/@globalworkstravel
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/global-works-travel-with-purpose

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Global Works