Where There Be Dragons
Where There Be Dragons is a Boulder-based experiential education company, founded in 1993, that designs immersive summer, gap year, and custom school travel programs for students aged 15-22, schools, and educators across 13+ countries with small groups, tech-free philosophy, and reciprocal community partnerships.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1993
- HeadquartersBoulder, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Where There Be Dragons does
Where There Be Dragons is a Boulder, Colorado-based experiential education company founded in 1993 that designs and delivers immersive travel programs for students aged 15-22. Its core product portfolio includes Summer Programs (multi-week, ages 15-20), Gap Year Semesters (extended multi-month, ages 17-22), Custom School Programs (B2B for institutions), Educator Programming and Faculty Trainings (professional development), Global Speaker Series, and Family + Private Trips. Programs operate across 13+ countries spanning Asia, Africa, Latin America, Europe, and North America, with deliberate capacity caps (maximum 200 students in field at any time, 12-student group sizes, 4:1 student-to-instructor ratio, 7:1 student-to-administrator ratio) and an explicit tech-free, slow-travel pedagogical philosophy.
The company's underlying technology is modest and operationally focused rather than product-led. Supporting infrastructure includes The Yak Board (digital group journal for in-field communication), MyDragons (Salesforce-based participant portal integrating admissions, forms, and flight booking via Flightfox), a Shopify-powered merchandise store, and standard marketing automation (Mailchimp, Constant Contact, Zoho, Salesforce/Pardot) plus Sales IQ live chat. The platform architecture is a portfolio of integrated SaaS tools rather than proprietary AI/ML systems.
The business model is tuition-driven and transactional: customers pay a non-refundable $850 deposit (including a $250 application fee) per program, with full payment due 120 days before departure, plus separate line items for International SOS mandatory evacuation coverage, optional TravMark insurance, and Flightfox-coordinated group airfare. Revenue mechanics combine direct-to-consumer enrollment (website, MyDragons portal) with B2B enterprise sales (dedicated partnerships team, Road Warrior field recruitment, home visits, webinars). The company is privately held with no external funding, certified as a B Corp since 2016, and a member of Gap Year Association, ISEEN, and The Forum on Education Abroad.
Where There Be Dragons firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Where There Be Dragons
- Legal name
- Where There Be Dragons, LLC
- Website
- https://wheretherebedragons.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1993
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Where There Be Dragons is a Boulder-based experiential education company, founded in 1993, that designs immersive summer, gap year, and custom school travel programs for students aged 15-22, schools, and educators across 13+ countries with small groups, tech-free philosophy, and reciprocal community partnerships.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where There Be Dragons industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Experiential Education Travel Services
- NAICS
- Educational Services (611), All Other Schools and Instruction (61169)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Hybrid, Multi-Location & Multi-Country Study Abroad Programs (EDAIAAAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Gap Year + Study Abroad Hybrid Programs (EDAIAAAG), Short-Term & Summer/Winter Multi-Country Study Abroad Programs (EDAIAAAF), Faculty-Led & Custom Group Study Abroad Programs (EDAIAAAA)
Keywords
Where Where There Be Dragons is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Boulder
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Where There Be Dragons business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Program Tuition: Core revenue from tuition payments for summer programs, gap year semesters, custom school programs, educator programs, and family/private trips. Tuition covers accommodation, transportation, instructor fees, equipment rental, but excludes international airfare, insurance, and personal expenses.
- International Airfare: Billed as separate line item on final program invoice for group-coordinated flights through Flightfox travel agency.
- Travel Insurance (Optional): Optional third-party insurance plans through TravMark partners offered as add-on protection for trip cancellation coverage.
- International SOS Evacuation Coverage (Mandatory): Mandatory group evacuation policy through International SOS, billed on final program invoice as separate line item.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Summer Programs (Ages 15-20) |
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Gap Year Semester (Ages 17-22) |
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Educator Programs |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Tuition Assistance Available |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Late Enrollment Premium |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels7 records
Marketing channels10 records
Where There Be Dragons product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Where There Be Dragons designs and runs immersive, tech-free travel and experiential education programs for high school students (ages 15-20) and gap year students (ages 17-22), alongside custom programs for schools and educators and private family trips. Programs feature small group cohorts (12 students with 3 instructors), homestays, wilderness expeditions, language immersion, and independent study projects delivered across Asia, Africa, Latin America, Europe, and North America. The company charges per-program tuition with mandatory International SOS evacuation coverage and optional add-on travel insurance billed through its distribution partners.
Product overview
Where There Be Dragons offers a portfolio of immersive travel programs centered around cultural immersion, experiential learning, and responsible travel. The core offerings include Summer Programs (for ages 15-20) and Gap Year Semesters (for ages 17-22), which feature small groups of 12 students with 3 instructors, homestays, wilderness exploration, and independent study projects. The company also provides Custom School Programs for institutional partners, Educator Programming for professional development, and Family + Private Trips for private groups. Supporting these programs is The Yak Board digital journal platform for in-field communication and the MyDragons online portal for participant management and travel coordination. Programs span multiple global destinations including Asia, Africa, Latin America, Europe, and North America, with a focus on slow travel, reciprocal community relationships, and tech-free experiences.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Summer Programs Immersive multi-week travel programs for ages 15-20 during summer break, offering cultural immersion, wilderness exploration, homestays, and skill development in destinations worldwide across Asia, Africa, Latin America, Europe, and North America.
- Gap Year Semester Extended multi-month immersive travel programs for ages 17-22 providing transformative experiences through cultural immersion, homestays, wilderness expeditions, and independent study projects designed to build confidence and global perspective.
- Custom School Programs Tailored travel programs designed for schools and educational institutions, including custom itineraries for school groups, faculty training, and global speaker series to enhance global education initiatives.
- Educator Programming Professional development programs for teachers and educators in destinations such as Bolivia, Nepal, and Lake Superior, designed to build capacity for global education and experiential learning.
- Faculty Trainings Custom training programs for faculty members to develop skills and knowledge for leading global education initiatives and experiential learning programs at their institutions.
- Global Speaker Series Virtual and in-person speaking engagements featuring experts and alumni on global education, travel, and cultural immersion topics for schools and educators.
- Family + Private Trips Personalized private travel experiences for families and individuals seeking immersive travel experiences similar to Dragons group programs but tailored to private groups.
Quantifiable outcome
- Industry best 4:1 student-to-instructor ratio
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Where There Be Dragons
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Where There Be Dragons technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration9 records
Feature3 records
Where There Be Dragons partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- TravMarkcorePreferred travel insurance partner providing optional trip cancellation insurance plans (Activity Insurance and Worldwide Trip Protector) for program participants. Also provides SafeTrip travel insurance for non-US residents through United Healthcare.
- International SOScoreMandatory group evacuation policy and emergency support provider. All participants are enrolled in this coverage, billed as separate line item on program invoices.
- FlightfoxcoreTravel agency partner coordinating group flight itineraries for all program participants. Provides 24/7 support for flight booking, changes, and travel issues. Program invoice includes flight fees through this partner.
- Gap Year Association (GYA)coreProgram provider member and seal holder. Aligns with industry standards for ethical gap year programming and practices.
- ISEENminorMember of International Student Exchange Programs network for international education collaboration and standards.
- The Forum on Education AbroadminorMember organization promoting quality standards and best practices in education abroad.
- PEP (Empowering Youth)minorCambodian education organization that collaborates with Dragons on community projects and learning experiences for students in Cambodia.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Where There Be Dragons competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Pacific Discovery: Pacific Discovery runs multi-country gap year semesters and summer programs focused on cultural immersion and experiential education, targeting similar high-school-aged demographics with small-group, instructor-led itineraries parallel to Dragons.
- Rustic Pathways: Rustic Pathways operates immersive high school and gap year travel programs across multiple countries with a service-learning and homestay model that closely mirrors Dragons' experiential approach — they are the closest direct competitor in scale and philosophy.
- Global Routes: Global Routes operates immersive gap year and experiential education programs for students, focused on community engagement and homestay-based travel — directly comparable mission and program structure.
- Thinking Beyond Borders: Thinking Beyond Borders ran immersive gap year and summer experiential education programs for high school students, with a mission-driven, community-engagement model closely aligned with Dragons' cultural immersion philosophy.
- Carpe Diem Education: Carpe Diem Education provides gap year semesters and summer programs emphasizing personal growth, cultural immersion, and experiential learning, competing for the same demographic with similar small-group, instructor-led programming.
Broad incumbents
- Smithsonian Student Travel: Smithsonian Student Travel provides educational student travel programs leveraging the Smithsonian brand — operates in the same premium experiential travel market as Dragons but as part of a much larger institutional portfolio.
- WorldStrides: WorldStrides is one of the largest US educational student travel companies, offering school group travel, summer programs, and performance tours — a broad incumbent that competes especially for the custom school B2B segment.
- EF Education First (EF Gap Year): EF Education First is a global education conglomerate operating EF Gap Year and study abroad programs alongside language training — a broad incumbent with much wider geographic reach and brand scale than Dragons.
- CIEE (Council on International Educational Exchange): CIEE is one of the largest US-based study abroad organizations offering a broad portfolio of high school, college, and gap year programs worldwide — a broader incumbent with overlapping program types but much larger scale and institutional focus.
- National Geographic Student Expeditions: National Geographic Student Expeditions offers premium educational travel for high school students leveraging the NatGeo brand — competes in the same premium experiential segment from a media-backed broad incumbent position.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Where There Be Dragons social profiles
Digital presenceWhere There Be Dragons compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Where There Be Dragons financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Where There Be Dragons leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Where There Be Dragons funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Where There Be Dragons 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 Where There Be Dragons
What does Where There Be Dragons do?
Where There Be Dragons designs and runs immersive, tech-free travel and experiential education programs for high school students (ages 15-20) and gap year students (ages 17-22), alongside custom programs for schools and educators and private family trips. Programs feature small group cohorts (12 students with 3 instructors), homestays, wilderness expeditions, language immersion, and independent study projects delivered across Asia, Africa, Latin America, Europe, and North America. The company charges per-program tuition with mandatory International SOS evacuation coverage and optional add-on travel insurance billed through its distribution partners.
Is Where There Be Dragons a public or private company?
Where There Be Dragons is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Where There Be Dragons founded?
Where There Be Dragons was founded in 1993. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Where There Be Dragons based?
Where There Be Dragons is headquartered in Boulder, United States, in the North America region.
How does Where There Be Dragons make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Program Tuition is the primary driver. The others are international Airfare, travel Insurance (Optional) and international SOS Evacuation Coverage (Mandatory).
Who are Where There Be Dragons's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Pacific Discovery, Rustic Pathways, Global Routes, Thinking Beyond Borders and Carpe Diem Education. Broad incumbents are Smithsonian Student Travel, WorldStrides, EF Education First (EF Gap Year), CIEE (Council on International Educational Exchange) and National Geographic Student Expeditions.
Does Where There Be Dragons have an API?
No public API is recorded for Where There Be Dragons.
What industry is Where There Be Dragons in?
Where There Be Dragons's product category is Experiential Education Travel Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAIAAAE, Hybrid, Multi-Location & Multi-Country Study Abroad Programs, with a secondary code of EDAIAAAG, Gap Year + Study Abroad Hybrid Programs. Its NAICS code is 611 and its SIC code is 8200.