Educational Travel Adventures

What Educational Travel Adventures does

Educational Travel Adventures (ETA), founded in 1991 and headquartered in Millstone Township, New Jersey, is a privately held B2B educational travel agency that designs and operates fully customized group trips for K-12 schools, higher education faculty, TRIO program directors, and performing arts ensembles across the United States. The company books to 28+ countries across six global regions, with named partnerships enabling access to Walt Disney World and Disneyland (Disney Imagination Campus), Universal Studios Florida and Hollywood (STEAM and STARS programs), Dollywood, and Broadway performance venues, as well as a co-developed civil rights pilgrimage program with the Living Legacy Project. Every trip is private and built around a specific educator's goals rather than a fixed template, supported by a dedicated team of Travel Specialists and on-tour tour managers.

The core technology layer is the ETA Trip Portal — a web-based planning, registration, payment, and communication platform accessed via customer.etadventures.com, with Google Sign-In SSO and SMS/MMS/RCS messaging for traveler outreach. Supporting infrastructure includes a public website with destination and curriculum-aligned landing pages, an online quote-request form, and a customer reviews/marketing surface. No AI/ML capabilities, APIs, or third-party platform integrations beyond Google SSO are disclosed. The company carries industry accreditations (IATA, SYTA, NTA, ABA) and has been featured in mainstream media including NBC, CBS Sunday Morning, HuffPost, Broadway World, Playbill, BuzzFeed, and Mashable.

Commercially, ETA operates a per-trip/package model: pricing is custom-quoted based on destination, duration, traveler count (minimum 20), and included services (transport, lodging, meals, admissions, tour management), with complimentary chaperone places, a price-lock guarantee, and flexible installment payments. Add-on revenue comes from trip cancellation insurance and the ETA Scholarship Program. GTM is sales-led and relationship-driven — direct outreach via toll-free phone, web forms, and the customer portal — with strong word-of-mouth referral mechanics evidenced by 15+ year customer tenures. Ownership rests with founder Michael Hozler; the company has no disclosed institutional capital, M&A activity, or leadership transitions.

Name

Educational Travel Adventures

Legal name

Educational Travel Adventures

Website

https://etadventures.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Educational Travel Adventures is a privately held U.S. B2B travel agency, founded in 1991, that designs and operates fully customized private educational group trips for K-12 schools, higher education faculty, TRIO programs, and performing arts ensembles across 28+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Educational Travel Services

NAICS

Tour Operators (56152), Tour Operators (561520)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

School Group & Curriculum-Led Trips (THAKAGAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Student & Youth Educational Tours (THAKAGAA), Educational & Student Multi-Day Tour Operators (THAKADAJ), School, University & NGO Outdoor Programs (Curriculum/Program Delivery) (THAAAOAD), University & College Study Tours (THAKAGAC)

Keywords

• Educational travel services
• Student group tours
• Custom school trips
• Curriculum-aligned tours
• Performance tour packages

Headquarters

HQ city

Freehold

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Educational Group Travel Services: Educational Travel Adventures generates revenue by organizing and coordinating comprehensive educational travel programs for student groups. Services include itinerary design, transportation coordination, accommodations, tour management, meals, attraction admissions, and travel insurance. Pricing is customized per group based on destination, duration, number of travelers, and included services. The company operates on a per-trip/package basis with revenue derived from the total package price charged to groups, which is distributed across multiple service components including transportation, lodging, admissions, meals, and professional tour management services.
2. Trip Insurance: The company offers trip cancellation insurance as an add-on, allowing travelers who purchase insurance to cancel for any reason up to 48 hours prior to departure and receive a 70% refund (with certain exceptions for New York state residents). Medical-related cancellations may qualify for full refunds through insurance claims.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Educational Travel Adventures is a private tour operator that designs and operates fully customized, curriculum-aligned educational travel programs for K-12 schools, higher education faculty-led groups, and TRIO/Upward Bound programs. It also books separate performance tours (choir, band, orchestra) and manages all trip components including air, motorcoach, hotels, meals, attractions, and on-tour support through a proprietary Trip Portal.

Product overview

Educational Travel Adventures (ETA) operates a student educational travel platform consisting of the ETA Trip Portal as the core digital platform, complemented by a portfolio of travel program products. The main offerings include Custom Student Trips (fully tailored travel programs), Educational Tours (curriculum-aligned trips covering STEM, history, civics, language immersion, art, literature, architecture, environmental science, NASA, civil rights, film/media, and government), and Performance Tours (specialized programs for bands, choirs, orchestras, dance, and theatre groups). Additional branded travel products include Disney Educational Tours, Universal Studios Educational Tours, Dollywood Educational Tours, the Living Legacy Project (civil rights pilgrimages), and Your Broadway Debut (Broadway performance programs). Supporting services include the ETA Scholarship Program and Trip Cancellation Insurance. All trips are custom-built around educator goals with professional tour management and 24/7 support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Custom Student Trips Fully customized K-12 student trip packages built to a school's curriculum objectives and chosen destinations, including flights, motorcoach, hotels, meals, attractions, and on-tour staff, delivered to teachers and schools as the contracting party.
• Educational Tours Curriculum-aligned educational tour itineraries for K-12 schools, higher-education faculty-led groups, and TRIO/Upward Bound programs, offered as fully customizable packages covering transportation, lodging, attractions, meals, and trip leadership support.
• Performance Tours Custom performance tour packages for school and community choirs, bands, and orchestras, structured around festivals, competitions, clinics, and showcase performances, with bundled transportation, lodging, and on-tour coordination.
• Trip Portal (ETA Trip Portal) Proprietary online portal that consolidates itinerary information, online registration, and SMS/MMS/RCS trip communications so trip leaders, parents, and travelers can manage the trip from a single interface.

Quantifiable outcome

• Teachers reportedly return year after year for over 15 years with some clients
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Living Legacy ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational Travel Adventures partners with the Living Legacy Project to manage registration and travel logistics for their pilgrimages. The Living Legacy Project provides experiential education about the American Civil Rights Movement through pilgrimages visiting historic sites, meeting movement veterans, and exploring contemporary issues of racism and equality. ETA handles all travel coordination for these specialized educational programs.
• Believe NYC (Arts for Autism)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerETA partners with Believe NYC to produce the Arts for Autism Broadway benefit concert, an exclusive opportunity for performing arts students to perform alongside Broadway stars at a premiere NYC theatre. Each year, 100% of funds raised are distributed as grants to organizations improving lives of people impacted by autism.
• The Broadway ProjectcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerETA partners with The Broadway Project, an organization open by audition to dance, choir, and musical theatre groups. Groups participate in NYC masterclasses, workshops, studio rehearsals, sightseeing, and culminate with a performance at a premiere NYC theatre hosted by a headlining performer with Broadway guest appearances.
• Walt Disney World ResortminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerETA organizes educational tours to Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida, including access to Disney Imagination Campus workshops in STEM, leadership, performing arts, and arts & humanities. Provides customized student travel programs combining park visits with curriculum-aligned educational experiences.
• Disneyland ResortminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerETA organizes educational tours to Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California, including Disney Imagination Campus workshops, Disney California Adventure physics programs, and connections to nearby cultural destinations.
• Universal Studios OrlandominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerETA organizes educational tours to Universal Studios Florida, Islands of Adventure, Volcano Bay, and Epic Universe. Offers STEAM learning workshops, behind-the-scenes programs, and STARS Performance Program for student groups.
• Universal Studios HollywoodminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerETA organizes educational tours to Universal Studios Hollywood including the Student Backlot Tour Program, STEAM App Series, ride design workshops, and special effects education experiences.
• DollywoodminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerETA organizes educational tours to Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, offering STEM learning through rides and roller coasters, Appalachian cultural heritage programs, craft demonstrations, and performance opportunities for music groups.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Putney Student Travel: Boutique educational travel program provider for middle and high school students with community-service and experiential-learning focus. Directly comparable in scale, customization emphasis, and target customer as ETA.
• WorldStrides: Large-scale K-12 educational and performance tour operator offering curriculum-linked, performing-arts, and college-credit student travel. Competes head-to-head with ETA on both educational tours and performance tours (band, choir, orchestra) at a much larger scale.
• ACIS (American Council for International Studies): Long-standing educational tour operator focused on K-12 student travel to global destinations, often with curriculum and language-immersion emphasis. Similar niche to ETA with comparable school-district buyers and educational focus.
• EF Educational Tours: The dominant K-12 educational tour operator serving U.S. schools with curriculum-linked itineraries globally. Directly competes with ETA on the same target buyer (teachers/administrators) for student travel programs and is the named 'big-box' incumbent in ETA customer testimonials.
• Smithsonian Student Adventures: Educational student travel programs tied to Smithsonian Institution curriculum, museums, and experts. Comparable to ETA as a destination-anchored, expert-led educational-tour provider for school groups.
• Explorica: Specializes in custom K-12 educational travel with teacher-friendly planning tools and curriculum alignment. Closely comparable to ETA's customization-first positioning and shared customer base of middle and high school teachers.
• Encore Tours (Performing Arts Tours): Specialist operator of performance tours for school ensembles (band, choir, orchestra, theatre). Directly competes with ETAs Performance Tours product line across venues like Disney and Broadway.
• National Geographic Student Expeditions: Premium-branded student travel programs for high-schoolers, leveraging National Geographic's curriculum and storytelling. Overlaps with ETA on curriculum-led, destination-anchored student tours but competes from a higher price point.

Broad incumbents

• Road Scholar: Large not-for-profit operator of educational travel for adults and intergenerational programs. Adjacent rather than directly competitive — shares curriculum-led educational-tour DNA but serves older learners, useful proxy for potential family/adult expansion.

Emerging players

• Travel For Teens: Operator focused on teen group travel with a slightly different demographic skew (teen-premium, less teacher-curated). Useful adjacency benchmark for ETA's evolution into more teen-direct offerings.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/myetatrip
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/vagabond-tours

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 Educational Travel Adventures