What GoAbroad does

GoAbroad.com is a Fort Collins, Colorado-based digital marketplace and search engine for international experiential travel programs, founded in 1998 and operating with 51-100 employees as a privately held company. The platform aggregates listings from hundreds of third-party program providers across 11 vertical directories, including Study Abroad, Volunteer Abroad, Intern Abroad, Teach Abroad, TEFL Courses, Gap Year, Degrees Abroad, High School Abroad, Language Schools, Adventure Travel, and Jobs Abroad. On the consumer side, travelers use the site free of charge to search, compare, and review programs, supplemented by the AI Program Finder and Online Advisor (with 350,847+ reported matches), a MyGoAbroad account dashboard for bookmarks and scholarship applications, and content modules including alumni interviews, expert articles, and user-generated reviews.

The platform is built as a web-based marketplace with responsive mobile web delivery, integrating user-generated reviews, alumni/staff interviews, and an extensive articles directory as core SEO assets. Programmatic monetization flows through two B2B streams: (1) provider advertising and listing fees, including featured home-page placements and category features, and (2) referral and affiliate fees tracked when travelers click through to provider websites and apply. The provider base spans established names such as International TEFL Academy, International Volunteer HQ (IVHQ), MAXIMO NIVEL, EF Education First, AIFS Abroad, WorldStrides, USAC, Go Abroad China, and myTEFL, alongside long-tail providers.

GoAbroad's go-to-market combines product-led growth on the traveler side (self-serve search, AI matching, account-based scholarships) with marketplace listing on the provider side (featured placements, paid directory placements, ad referrals). Geographic reach covers North America, Western Europe, Asia Pacific, and Latin America, with a Spanish-language extension via Travolucion.com. Additional monetization modules include a Travel Resources add-on encompassing eSIM, insurance, flight and accommodation referrals, and visa/embassy assistance. The Innovation Awards program runs annually to recognize top providers and reinforce the platform's curation role.

Name

GoAbroad

Legal name

GoAbroad.com

Website

https://goabroad.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

International Education Marketplace

NAICS

Web Search Portals and All Other Information Services (519290)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Local Tours, Activities & Attractions Metasearch (THALAEAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Virtual Recruitment Events, Fairs & Webinar Platforms (EDAIACAF)

Keywords

• International education marketplace
• Study abroad programs
• Volunteer travel directory
• TEFL certification search
• Travel program listings

Headquarters

HQ city

Fort Collins

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Operations

Revenue model

1. Provider Advertising and Listing Fees: Program providers pay for featured listings, premium placements, and advertising on the GoAbroad platform. Featured providers receive prominent homepage placement and category features. The platform operates as a lead generation marketplace connecting providers with prospective travelers.
2. Referral and Affiliate Revenue: GoAbroad earns referral fees when travelers click through to provider websites or apply to programs listed on the platform. The platform tracks user journeys and attributes conversions to its traffic generation efforts.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

GoAbroad.com operates as a free online search engine and marketplace that aggregates thousands of international travel programs from third-party providers across 11 directories including study abroad, volunteer abroad, intern abroad, teach abroad, TEFL courses, gap year, degrees abroad, high school abroad, language schools, adventure travel, and jobs abroad. Travelers use the platform to discover, compare, and review programs, while program providers pay for featured listings, premium placements, and advertising to reach prospective participants.

Product overview

GoAbroad operates as a search engine and marketplace platform for international travel experiences, featuring 11 program directories (Study Abroad, Volunteer Abroad, Intern Abroad, Teach Abroad, TEFL Courses, Gap Year, Degrees Abroad, High School Abroad, Language Schools, Adventure Travel, and Jobs Abroad). The platform connects travelers with program providers through its core search engine (GoAbroad.com), supplemented by an AI Program Finder for intelligent matching, a MyGoAbroad user dashboard for program comparison and scholarship applications, and an Online Advisor that has matched over 350,847 travelers. Additional services include travel resources (eSIM, insurance, flights, accommodations), a scholarships and deals application system, and an article directory with expert travel guides and program reviews/interviews.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• GoAbroad.com (Core Platform) The primary online search engine and directory for international travel programs, featuring 11 program directories including study abroad, volunteer abroad, intern abroad, teach abroad, TEFL courses, gap year, degrees abroad, high school abroad, language schools, adventure travel, and jobs abroad. Free for travelers to use.
• AI Program Finder AI-powered tool that helps travelers find and match with programs based on their interests and preferences, providing personalized program recommendations.
• MyGoAbroad User dashboard that allows travelers to create accounts, bookmark programs, compare programs side-by-side, and apply for scholarships and deals.
• Online Advisor

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Travolucion.comminorGTM or Marketing PartnerGoAbroad has a Spanish-language version of its platform through Travolucion.com, expanding reach to Spanish-speaking audiences interested in travel abroad experiences.
• International TEFL AcademycoreGTM or Marketing PartnerFeatured Provider of the Month on GoAbroad's homepage, offering TEFL certification programs. ITA is one of the most prominently featured education providers on the platform with 50,000+ alumni and multiple featured program listings.
• International Volunteer HQ (IVHQ)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerFeatured as a top volunteer program provider with 40+ countries and programs starting from $20/day. Listed as 'Worlds #1 Volunteer Programs' with 2,153 reviews on the platform.
• MAXIMO NIVELcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerLeading educational travel and study abroad provider featured prominently on GoAbroad since 2003, offering volunteer, TEFL, Spanish language, and internship programs in Costa Rica, Guatemala, and Peru with 3,102 reviews.
• EF Education FirstcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerMajor language education provider featured on GoAbroad offering language year abroad programs in locations like Nice, France, with operations since 1965.
• AIFS AbroadcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerEstablished study abroad provider featured on GoAbroad since 1964, serving more than 1.5 million students with programs across the Americas, South Africa, Europe, Australia, and Asia.
• WorldStridescoreGTM or Marketing PartnerFeatured study abroad provider offering research programs including partnerships with University of Geneva and study abroad programs across multiple global destinations.
• University Studies Abroad Consortium (USAC)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerUniversity-based study abroad consortium featured on GoAbroad with programs since 1982, offering courses across 25+ countries with strong review presence.
• Go Abroad China Ltd.coreGTM or Marketing PartnerFeatured provider of Chinese language immersion programs since 2003, offering programs at elite universities including Peking University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and BLCU. Has connected 4,000+ international students with programs.
• myTEFLcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerFeatured TEFL certification provider offering 120-hour professional courses online since 2013 with 186 reviews on the platform.
• Intern Abroad HQminorGTM or Marketing PartnerInternship abroad provider featured on GoAbroad offering affordable internship programs from just 2 weeks with 1,093 reviews.
• Seamester Study Abroad at SeaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerGap year and study abroad at sea program featured as Featured Provider of the Month, offering voyages combining academic coursework with sailing adventures.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• EF Education First: Global language and study abroad incumbent (since 1965) and current GoAbroad partner — broadly comparable for language year and cultural immersion categories.
• WorldStrides: Large education and study abroad provider and current GoAbroad partner — comparable as a broad incumbent across multiple program verticals GoAbroad indexes.
• AIFS Abroad: Large incumbent study abroad provider (since 1964, 1.5M+ students) — both a GoAbroad partner and a category giant that could pursue more direct discovery channels.

Others

• GetYourGuide: Large travel activities and experiences marketplace — not a direct competitor but adjacently relevant as a scale aggregator of experiential travel offerings.

Direct peers

• GoOverseas.com: Closest direct competitor — also a marketplace/directory aggregating study abroad, volunteer, teach abroad, and TEFL programs from third-party providers, with a similar ad-and-revenue model and reviews.
• StudyAbroad.com: Direct competitor in the study abroad directory/marketplace space, aggregating programs from multiple providers and competing for the same North American student search traffic.
• Abroad101: Reviews-first platform for study abroad programs; comparable offering around program reviews, rankings, and comparison across providers.
• Volunteer Forever: Niche aggregator for volunteer abroad programs with directory, comparison, and reviews functionality — directly competes with GoAbroad's Volunteer Abroad directory.

Emerging players

• Intern Abroad HQ: Affordable internship abroad provider with a direct-to-consumer platform that also lists and markets programs via GoAbroad; partial overlap on the intern abroad vertical.
• Idealist: Broader volunteer and nonprofit opportunities platform with significant overlap on volunteer abroad listings, though it spans more general volunteering and nonprofit roles.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/GoAbroad
• Facebookfacebook.com/GoAbroadCom
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/goabroad

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 GoAbroad