Global Leadership Adventures

What Global Leadership Adventures does

Global Leadership Adventures (GLA) is a privately held experiential education and teen travel company operating as a division of Terra Education, Inc. and headquartered in San Diego, California. Founded in 2005 by Fred Swaniker, Chris Bradford, and Peter Mombaur as an outgrowth of the African Leadership Academy, GLA runs structured 10- to 21-day international programs and internships for middle school and high school students (ages 11-19) across 15+ destinations in 18 countries spanning Africa, Asia & the Pacific, Central America, Europe, North America, South America, and the Caribbean. Curricula combine community service (5-60+ hours depending on program), cultural immersion, adventure excursions, and a proprietary five-pillar leadership framework delivered by Directors, Mentors, and Local Directors under a 6:1 student-to-staff ratio.

GLA's core product platform comprises High School Travel Programs, High School Travel Internships (21-day career-exploration tracks in STEM, Medicine & Health, Business & Sustainability, and International Business/Law with optional Portland State University college credit), and Middle School Travel Programs. Differentiating assets include the trademarked 5-Point Safety System™, the Home Base lodging model, and an internal leadership curriculum. Supporting infrastructure includes a proprietary Enrollment Portal (enroll.experiencegla.com), Flight Portal, and Travel Portal, all operated through a direct-to-consumer go-to-market model with no third-party resellers.

Revenue is generated primarily through one-time program tuition ($4,999-$8,999 per participant), supplemented by non-refundable application fees ($100-$250), a $600 enrollment deposit, and 2.75% credit-card processing fees. A limited pool of need-based scholarships (including the IDEA Scholarship covering full tuition, flights, and passport fees for households under $100,000 USD) supports access. Distribution is direct-to-consumer, relying on the website, a dedicated admissions team reachable at 858-771-0645, email, in-person fairs and expos, webinars, content marketing (blog, YouTube, Pinterest), and a strong alumni referral network of 30,000+ past participants across all 50 U.S. states and 80+ countries. No venture capital or private equity funding has been disclosed.

Name

Global Leadership Adventures

Legal name

Terra Education, Inc.

Website

https://experiencegla.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Global Leadership Adventures is a privately held teen travel and experiential education company (a division of Terra Education, Inc.) running 10- to 21-day service-learning, cultural immersion, and internship programs for middle and high school students across 15+ international destinations, serving individual teen participants and their parents via a direct-to-consumer model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Travel & Experiential Education

NAICS

Sports and Recreation Instruction (611620), Tour Operators (561520)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Overseas Summer School Programs (Secondary) (EDAIAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Short-Term Secondary Immersion & Cultural Exchange Trips (EDAIAHAD), Youth Adventure Camps & Summer Programs (THAAAOAB), Leadership, Debate & Model UN Camps (EDAMALAK), School Group & Curriculum-Led Trips (THAKAGAB)

Keywords

• Teen travel programs
• Service learning trips
• Leadership education
• Cultural immersion programs
• Youth travel experiences

Headquarters

HQ city

San Diego

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Program Tuition: All-inclusive program tuition covering lodging, airport pick-up/drop-off, meals, staff, excursions, educational materials, and secondary medical and evacuation insurance for international programs. Tuition varies by program duration and destination, ranging from approximately $4,999 to $8,999. Revenue is recognized upon program completion.
2. Application Fee: Non-refundable application fee charged at enrollment, ranging from $100-250 depending on time of year. This fee is required to hold a spot on a program alongside the $600 deposit.
3. Credit Card Processing Fees: 2.75% processing fee applied to all credit card payments. Non-refundable under any circumstances including refunds, cancellations, or disputes.
4. Scholarships and Financial Aid: Limited pool of need-based scholarships offered each season. Full-fee scholarships distributed through selected partner organizations. IDEA Scholarship covers full tuition, flights, and passport fees for one student annually.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Global Leadership Adventures (GLA) operates structured international teen travel programs and internships that combine community service, cultural immersion, leadership development, and adventure excursions for students ages 11-19. Programs range from 10 to 21 days and are delivered across 15+ destinations on six continents, with all-inclusive tuition covering lodging, meals, supervision, excursions, and educational materials.

Product overview

Global Leadership Adventures (GLA) operates as a teen travel and experiential education company offering a portfolio of structured programs and internships. The core offerings include High School Travel Programs (7-21 days), High School Travel Internships (21 days), and Middle School Travel Programs (10 days), all focused on service learning, cultural immersion, leadership development, and adventure. Add-on Fellowships (Honors, Arts & Letters, Service) provide additional academic curriculum. The company differentiates through its proprietary 5-Point Safety System, Home Base lodging model, and GLA Leadership Curriculum with five pillars. Support infrastructure includes an Enrollment Portal, Flight Portal, and Travel Portal. Need-based scholarships are available through the IDEA Scholarship program. The company is structured under Terra Education and was founded in 2005.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• GLA Honors Fellowship: Fellowship program for academically driven students with concentrations in Medicine & Public Health and other areas.
• Arts & Letters Fellowship
• Service Fellowship
• IDEA Scholarship

Products and services

• High School Travel Programs

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 30,000 students have completed GLA programs in two decades
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Terra EducationcoreOthersParent company of Global Leadership Adventures. Terra Education is the legal entity that owns and operates GLA. GLA is a division of Terra Education Inc., headquartered in San Diego, CA. Terra Education also operates related brands including Summer Springboard, CEPA Study Abroad, Discover Corps, and The Good Life Abroad.
• NOLS (National Outdoor Leadership School)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThird-party professional consultancy that conducted a year-long comprehensive review of GLA's risk management practices including enrollment/screening processes, staff training practices, and field policies. NOLS is a leader in outdoor education and risk management. Their assessment ensures GLA's systems align with or exceed global industry standards.
• Cornerstone Safety GroupmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of medical directors, mental health professionals, and field safety specialists providing ongoing consultation and real-time support to GLA's global staff teams. CSC is a Risk Management Group meeting monthly during off-peak season to discuss best practices and set industry standards for service-learning programs. They consult on escalated mental health, medical, or safety cases during program operations.
• AskRos, She TravelsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPreferred travel agency partner for GLA. Assists families with flight booking to ensure itineraries meet airline and GLA policies, especially for unaccompanied minor programs. Service fee of $30 USD for booking assistance. Available during Pacific Time business hours.
• StudentUniverseminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPreferred flight booking partner for student airfare. Scholarship recipients book flights through StudentUniverse with GLA covering costs. Available for all enrolled families seeking flight arrangements.
• BattlefaceminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRecommended travel insurance provider with vetted policies and strong customer reviews. Partner.battleface.com/gla provides access to coverage options including Cancel for Any Reason add-on. Available for non-US residents through battleface.com.
• Arch RoamRightminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAlternative recommended travel insurance provider. Available through partner.roamright.com with agency code GlobalLeadershipAdventures.
• UnitedHealthcare Global SafeTripminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRecommended travel insurance option for non-US residents outside the United States. Available through uhcsafetrip.com/partner/tm with agent code TRA26.
• MedLifeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNon-profit organization that sets up pop-up clinics in rural communities. GLA Peru program students volunteer with MedLife, assisting with healthcare clinics in Quechua villages in the Andes. Students gain hands-on experience in triage, hygiene talks, education sessions, general medicine, dentistry, and pharmacy.
• Portland State UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAccrediting institution for optional college credit available on 21-day internship programs. Students can earn college credit through Portland State University as part of their internship experience.
• G3visasminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorVisa services partner providing information and assistance for international travel requirements. Referenced at www.g3visas.com/GLA.html for destination-specific visa requirements.
• TravelInsurance.comminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOptional additional travel protection plan administered by Travelinsured. Available for purchase through GLA Dashboard when paying final tuition. Coverage helps with unforeseen circumstances like baggage loss or plan changes.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Putney Student Travel: Putney Student Travel offers small-group teen travel programs abroad with service, cultural immersion, and adventure components for high school students. Comparable model in terms of age range, program duration, and family-driven D2C sales motion.
• VISIONS Service Adventures: VISIONS operates teen volunteer and service-learning summer programs in Latin America, Africa, Asia, and the Pacific. Direct overlap with GLA on age range, service-hour focus, and community-based program model.
• Where There Be Dragons: Where There Be Dragons runs high school and middle school experiential education programs in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and Europe, focusing on cultural immersion, service learning, and leadership. Direct overlap with GLA's age range, length (typically 2-4 weeks), and themes like community engagement and language exposure.
• ARCC Programs: ARCC runs teen summer programs with service learning, cultural immersion, and adventure across multiple international destinations. Similar age range, program length, and structured group-experiential model to GLA.
• Rustic Pathways: Rustic Pathways is one of the closest direct competitors to GLA, operating teen service-learning travel programs across multiple international destinations with community impact and leadership development positioning. Overlapping customer base of high school students and families, similar length programs, and similar D2C/inspiration-led marketing approach.
• Broadreach: Broadreach provides teen summer programs with a heavier emphasis on adventure, scuba, sailing, and academic exploration. Overlapping teen demographic and multi-week international program structure, though more adventure-skewed than GLA's service-learning focus.

Broad incumbents

• EF Education First (EF Tours): EF Education First is a global education and travel conglomerate operating EF Tours for student group travel, language immersion, and exchange programs. Massive scale and geographic reach make it a broad incumbent rather than a focused competitor, but it competes for the same family and school-driven travel spend.
• World Strides: World Strides is a large education-travel provider focused primarily on K-12 school group travel, including international trips. Overlaps with GLA's School Group Travel segment and on educational travel positioning, though its core customers are school administrators rather than individual families.
• National Geographic Student Expeditions: National Geographic Student Expeditions runs high school travel programs tied to the National Geographic brand, with focus on exploration, photography, and conservation. Differentiation is brand-led rather than service-learning-led; comparable teen demographic and premium pricing tier.

Emerging players

• Sol Education Abroad: Sol Education Abroad operates teen and high-school study abroad and volunteer programs in Latin America and Africa, with partial overlap with GLA on age range, themes (service, language, culture), and summer format. A smaller, more regional competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@Experiencegla/videos
• Pinterestpinterest.com/glatweets

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Leadership Adventures