Adventures Cross-Country

What Adventures Cross-Country does

Adventures Cross-Country (ARCC), operating as a registered DBA of Bold Earth Adventures, LLC, is a privately-held experiential education company founded in 1983 and headquartered near Asheville, North Carolina, with a secondary office in Bend, Oregon. The company designs and operates immersive, travel-based programs for adolescents, structured around three core product lines: Summer Programs (15 offerings in 2026, ranging from 14 to 21 days, for students completing grades 6 through 12, priced from $4,588 to $7,688 plus airfare), Gap Semester Programs (70-day programs for ages 17–21, priced $15,988 to $17,888), and Custom Programs tailored for schools and educational groups. Programs run across six continents, with small cohort sizes of 8–13 students, and are built on a six-theme curriculum framework (Environment & Conservation, Literacy & Education, Public Health, Indigenous Rights & Histories, Movement of Peoples, Social Justice) plus structured leadership development and DEIA programming.

The company's revenue model is tuition-based, with one-time fees collected per program enrollment plus non-refundable application deposits ($800 for summer, $200 for gap), supplemented by a smaller Custom Programs B2B channel. Go-to-market is direct-to-consumer: families engage via the ARCC website and HubSpot-backed enrollment portal (enroll.arccprograms.com), phone inquiry support at (415) 332-5075, content marketing through blog and social channels (Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube), webinars, and an interview-based admissions process. Operational tooling relies on off-the-shelf platforms — Camp In Touch for application management and HubSpot for CRM — rather than proprietary technology. ARCC differentiates through 40+ years of in-country partner relationships, established homestay networks, alumni outcomes positioning students at selective universities (Fordham, Stanford, Colorado State, University of Vermont), and Go Overseas Community Choice Awards in 2018 ('Most Fun') and 2023 ('Best Support').

Name

Adventures Cross-Country

Legal name

Bold Earth Adventures, LLC

Website

https://adventurescrosscountry.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Adventures Cross-Country (ARCC) is a privately-held experiential education company founded in 1983 that designs and operates immersive summer and gap-semester travel programs for teens across six continents, serving middle and high school students, gap-year students, and custom school groups.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Experiential Travel Education

NAICS

Tour Operators (561520), Tour Operators (56152), Recreational and Vacation Camps (except Campgrounds) (721214), RV (Recreational Vehicle) Parks and Recreational Camps (7212)

SIC

Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Adventure Camps & Summer Programs (THAAAOAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Adventure & Expedition Travel Agencies (THAKAFAB), Adventure & Active Travel Agencies (THAKABAD), Cultural & Environmental Education Expeditions (Citizen Science, Conservation Volunteering) (THAAAOAH), Adult Skill-Building Expeditions & Courses (Leadership, Survival, Navigation) (THAAAOAC)

Keywords

• Adventure travel programs
• Teen travel experiences
• Experiential education
• Summer youth programs
• Gap year programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Bend

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Summer Program Tuition: One-time tuition fees for summer travel programs ranging from 14-21 days. Tuition covers all food, lodging, transportation, and activities during the program. Airfare is additional.
2. Gap Semester Tuition: One-time tuition fees for 70-day gap semester programs. Tuition covers all program costs including homestays, activities, and ground transportation.
3. Application Deposits: $800 non-refundable deposit for summer programs, $200 non-refundable application fee for gap programs. Deposits secure space and are applied toward full tuition.
4. Custom Program Fees: Tailored programs for schools and groups with custom pricing determined per program. Deposit and payment schedules vary by custom arrangement.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Adventures Cross-Country (ARCC) designs and operates adventure and service travel programs for teenagers, operating three distinct lines: Summer Programs (multi-week teen adventure trips), Gap Programs (semester-long experiential programs for students taking a gap year or gap semester), and Custom Programs (tailored group experiences for schools and organizations). Programs combine travel, community service, and outdoor adventure across multiple destinations.

Product overview

ARCC (Adventures Cross-Country) Programs offers immersive travel programs for teens as a single unified service offering, not a software platform. The company operates three core program types: Summer Programs (15 programs in 2026, for students completing grades 6th-12th), Gap Programs (semester-long gap year programs for students ages 17-21), and Custom Programs (tailored group experiences). Programs combine outdoor adventure, cultural immersion, community service, and educational experiences across global destinations spanning 6 continents. The portfolio includes domestic U.S. programs (Alaska, California, Western U.S.) and international programs (Southeast Asia, Western Mediterranean, East Africa, Pacific Islands, Hawai'i, Central America, South America). Each program type is distinct in duration and target age group but shares common elements of experiential education and cultural exchange.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Summer Programs Multi-week teen adventure and service travel programs offered during the summer season, combining outdoor adventure, community service, and cultural immersion for teen participants.
• Gap Programs Semester-long experiential education programs designed for high school graduates taking a gap year or gap semester, combining travel, service, and personal development across multiple countries.
• Custom Programs Tailored group travel and service experiences designed for schools, organizations, and other institutional clients seeking customized teen travel itineraries.

Quantifiable outcome

• Tens of thousands of students served since founding
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• In-Country Field PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerARCC has developed, nurtured, and maintained relationships with in-country field partners over many years. These partners work with ARCC to create dynamic itineraries that are flexible and uncover impactful projects for students and communities. Partners provide local expertise, logistics support, and community access.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• EF Educational Tours: Large-scale operator of student educational travel globally — overlaps on teen travel but serves primarily school-organized groups rather than ARCC's individual enrollment model.
• Outward Bound: Iconic experiential education nonprofit offering wilderness and leadership programs for youth — overlaps in target demographic and leadership-development value proposition but with a primarily U.S.-based wilderness focus.
• National Geographic Student Expeditions: Brand-backed teen travel programs leveraging National Geographic's global authority — competes in the same experiential category but with stronger media-brand differentiation.

Direct peers

• Where There Be Dragons: Boulder-based experiential education provider running immersive cross-cultural programs for high school and gap year students in Asia, Africa, and the Americas.
• VISIONS Service Adventures: Teen community service and cultural immersion programs in Central/South America, Africa, and the Caribbean — similar duration, pricing, and target demographic as ARCC's summer offerings.
• Global Leadership Adventures: Direct competitor offering service-learning and adventure programs for high school students across multiple international destinations with similar community-immersion model.
• Rustic Pathways: Leading teen travel provider offering community service and adventure programs in dozens of countries, directly overlapping ARCC's portfolio and target demographic.
• Bold Earth: ARCC's sister program under Bold Earth Adventures, LLC, offering teen adventure and service trips worldwide with similar experiential education focus.
• Putney Student Travel: Long-established provider of summer programs for teenagers focused on experiential learning, cultural immersion, and service projects — directly comparable portfolio and customer base.

Emerging players

• Winterline Global Skills Gap Year: Emerging gap year and skills-focused travel program for teens and young adults — partial overlap with ARCC's gap semesters but with a more skills/career-prep orientation.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@ARCCPrograms1983
• Facebookfacebook.com/ARCCPrograms
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/adventures-cross-country
• Instagraminstagram.com/arcc_adventures

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 Adventures Cross-Country