AIFS Educational Travel

Name

AIFS Educational Travel

Legal name

American Institute for Foreign Study (AIFS)

Website

https://aifs.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1964

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Educational Travel Services

NAICS

Tour Operators (56152), Travel Agencies (56151)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Educational/Student Retail Travel Agencies (THAKABAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

On-Ground Orientation, Travel, Transfers & Logistics Support (EDAIAHAL), In-Country Logistics Coordination & Itinerary Management (EDAIANAE), Adventure & Expedition Travel Agencies (THAKAFAB)

Keywords

• Educational travel programs
• High school exchange
• Study abroad semester
• Au pair placement
• Work and travel

Headquarters

HQ city

Bonn

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Educational Travel Program Fees: One-time fees charged for participation in structured educational travel programs including high school exchanges, study abroad semesters, volunteer projects, work and travel, adventure trips, language courses, farmwork/ranchwork, au pair placements, and summer camps. Program fees typically include placement services, pre-departure preparation, on-site support, accommodation, and in many cases meals. Airfare is included in some programs.
2. Volunteer Project Placement: Fees for volunteer programs that cover personal preparation, support services, project placement, and local partner organization costs including accommodation and meals during the placement period.
3. Farmwork Program Fees: Program fees for farmwork and ranchwork placements covering job placement services, accommodation, and meals. Participants receive room and board in exchange for their work.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

AIFS Educational Travel organizes and delivers structured international educational travel programs for young people, including high school exchanges, study abroad semesters, au pair placements, work and travel, volunteer projects, language courses, surfcamps, farmwork/ranchwork, internships abroad, summer camps, and adventure trips. Programs are sold as all-inclusive packages that bundle placement services, pre-departure preparation, accommodation, on-site partner support, and (in many cases) flights, across 20+ destination countries. The company operates a direct-to-consumer sales model with personal consultation, supported by the proprietary MyAIFS booking and participant management platform.

Product overview

AIFS Educational Travel is a comprehensive educational travel platform offering a diverse portfolio of international exchange and travel programs. The company provides structured programs including High School/Schüleraustausch exchanges, University Study Abroad semesters, Au Pair placements, Work and Travel, Volunteer/Freiwilligenarbeit projects (60+ projects in 20 countries), Adventure Trips, Surfcamps, Language Travel courses, Camp America counselor positions, Farmwork and Ranchwork programs, Internships Abroad, and Gap Year packages. The portfolio also includes supporting platforms like MyAIFS (participant portal) and Tripfinder (program search tool). Programs span over 20 destination countries across six continents, with destinations including USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Japan, South Korea, various European countries, and several Asian and African nations. The company operates as a unified platform where participants can book, manage, and coordinate their international experiences.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Camp America: Summer camp placement program in the USA for counselors aged 18+, operated since 1964
• Au Pair in America
• Globerocker
• AIFS Professional Pathways
• MyAIFS
• WOW! Magazin
• HI! Magazin
• Tripfinder

Products and services

• Schüleraustausch (High School Exchange) High school exchange program allowing students aged 14+ to study abroad for extended periods, living with host families and attending local schools. Available destinations include Australia, England, Ireland, Canada, New Zealand, and USA. Recognized as Germany's most popular high school exchange in the Deutschland-Test 2026.
• Study Abroad Semester (Auslandssemester) University study abroad programs lasting one or two semesters at partner institutions. Destinations include USA, Australia, Costa Rica, England, Ireland, Japan, Canada, New Zealand, Scotland, Spain, South Africa, and South Korea. USA tuition packages can reach up to $30,000 per semester and typically include tuition, flights, accommodation, and insurance.
• Au Pair Live-in childcare programs where participants aged 18+ care for children while experiencing life in a foreign country. Available destinations include USA, Australia, Iceland, Canada, and New Zealand. Operated under the wholly-owned sub-brand Au Pair in America.
• Work and Travel Working holiday programs allowing young people to travel and work abroad temporarily. Destinations include Australia, Japan, Canada, New Zealand, South Korea, and USA. Participants receive job placement assistance and visa guidance.
• Freiwilligenarbeit (Volunteer Work) Volunteering programs in over 60 projects across 20 countries, covering animal welfare, environmental conservation, teaching, and social work. Duration ranges from 1 to 12 weeks with progressive pricing by duration. Example: Wildlife Habitat project in Australia starts from €1,550 for 2 weeks.
• Surfcamps Surf instruction programs at world-class beaches in Australia, Bali, New Zealand, Portugal, South Africa, and Sri Lanka for all skill levels.
• Sprachreise (Language Travel) Language learning programs with courses available in Australia, England, Ireland, Canada, Malta, New Zealand, South Africa, South Korea, and USA for participants aged 16 and above. Includes partnership with Good Hope Studies language school in Cape Town, South Africa.
• Adventure Trips Group travel experiences to destinations including Albania, Australia, Bali, Belize, Botswana, Costa Rica, Greece, Guatemala, India, Eswatini, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Cambodia, Canada, Croatia, Laos, Madagascar, Morocco, Mexico, Namibia, Nepal, New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Scotland, Sri Lanka, South Africa, South Korea, Tanzania/Zanzibar, Thailand, USA, and Vietnam. Includes the wholly-owned Globerocker adventure travel sub-brand.
• Camp America Summer camp counselor programs in the USA for young people aged 18+ seeking summer jobs, placing participants as counselors at American summer camps for children and youth. Operated under the wholly-owned Camp America sub-brand.
• Auslandspraktikum (Internship Abroad) International internship programs in Canada, USA, and Ireland providing professional work experience in foreign countries.
• Farmwork Agricultural work programs in Australia, Costa Rica, Ireland, Japan, Canada, New Zealand, and South Africa where participants work on farms in exchange for accommodation and meals. Example: Urban Farming in South Africa starts from €1,010 for 2 weeks, with options up to 8 weeks.
• Ranchwork Horse ranch work programs in Australia, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, and South Africa for participants aged 18+ who have horse experience. Includes accommodation and meals.
• Summer Schools Short-term study abroad programs for students aged 17 and above, offering academic courses at international universities during summer breaks.
• Gap Year Structured gap year programs combining multiple AIFS offerings (volunteer work, language courses, travel, and cultural experiences) for personal development and exploration. Includes an academic gap year variant focused on academic preparation and orientation.

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Cyril Taylor Charitable Foundation (CTCF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAIFS is owned by and affiliated with the Cyril Taylor Charitable Foundation, a British charitable organization founded by AIFS creator Sir Cyril Taylor. All profits from AIFS operations flow to the foundation to support charitable projects worldwide. This non-profit ownership structure is a key differentiator and central to AIFS's brand identity.
• Camp AmericacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCamp America is a specific program brand under the AIFS umbrella, placing counselors from Europe in American summer camps. AIFS handles European recruitment and placement while Camp America coordinates with U.S. camps.
• Au Pair in AmericacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAu Pair in America is a program brand that facilitates au pair placements, primarily European participants with American host families. AIFS handles European recruitment and processing.
• Good Hope StudiesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLanguage school partner in Cape Town, South Africa. AIFS partners with Good Hope Studies for language courses in South Africa, with the school located in the city center and offering regular leisure activities including township tours and city tours.
• Stellenbosch UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner university in South Africa for study abroad programs. Located 50 kilometers from Cape Town, the university enrolls students from over 100 countries and accepts AIFS participants for one or two semesters of study abroad.
• TourCertminorOthersAIFS holds TourCert certification for sustainable travel operators, demonstrating commitment to environmental and social responsibility in tourism operations.
• GloberockerminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAdventure travel brand 'Globerocker - Alles andere ist Urlaub' (Everything else is vacation) shown as partner logo on AIFS website, suggesting co-marketing or partnership for adventure trip offerings.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves2 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Volunteer World: Volunteer World is a digital marketplace for volunteer placements abroad with thousands of projects globally, allowing direct participant-organization matching. Competes with AIFS's Freiwilligenarbeit portfolio via a self-service, lower-cost digital model, primarily targeting the same 18-25 volunteer demographic.

Direct peers

• Kaplan International: Kaplan International operates language schools and study abroad programs in English-speaking destinations (USA, UK, Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand). Comparable on Sprachreise and Auslandssemester product lines with overlapping destinations and a similar B2C consultation-led GTM.
• IES Abroad: IES Abroad is a US-based study abroad provider offering semester and summer programs at international universities, with similar curriculum-integrated academic experiences and university partnerships. Comparable on study-abroad semester offerings, university credit structures, and academic support services.
• EF Education First: EF Education First is the largest global competitor in language travel, study abroad, and educational exchanges, with similar product breadth (language courses, au pair, academic programs) and a comparable 60+ year history. Directly competes with AIFS across multiple program lines including language travel, study abroad semesters, and high school exchange.
• CIEE (Council on International Educational Exchange): CIEE is a major non-profit study abroad and intercultural exchange organization offering semester, summer, and high school programs globally. Operates a comparable non-profit educational mission, multi-destination portfolio, and university-partner model, competing for the same university study abroad cohort.
• G Adventures: G Adventures is a global small-group adventure travel operator offering guided trips across 100+ countries, with similar small-group, multi-country adventure itineraries. Comparable on the Adventure Trips product line and small-group experiential travel, although G Adventures targets a slightly older demographic.
• YFU (Youth for Understanding): YFU is one of the world's largest dedicated high school exchange organizations with operations in 60+ countries and a similar non-profit heritage. Direct competitor in the Schüleraustausch product line that AIFS cites as a flagship, and offers comparable host-family and academic-year exchange structures.
• Experiment e.V. Experiment is a major German non-profit focused exclusively on high school exchange programs in 20+ countries, also non-profit-structured. Directly comparable on Schüleraustausch to Germany/Austria/Switzerland, serving the same DACH customer segment with overlapping destination countries.
• TravelWorks: TravelWorks is a German-based competitor offering work-and-travel, au pair, high school exchange, and volunteer programs targeting the same DACH youth segment. Directly comparable on product mix (W&T, au pair, volunteer) and customer base (German-speaking students aged 18-25), making it the closest domestic peer.

Broad incumbents

• WorldStrides: WorldStrides is a large US-based educational travel provider offering student group travel, performing arts tours, and student exchange programs at scale. A broader incumbent in educational and student travel that competes with AIFS in the group and experiential learning segment but operates at a much larger scale and primarily US-centric.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks2 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/AIFS.JOiNTHEWORLD
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aifs-educational-travel

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries5 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 AIFS Educational Travel