Hemisphere Educational Travel

What Hemisphere Educational Travel does

Hemisphere Educational Travel is a privately held, family-owned operator of customized educational tours for K-12 school groups and youth organizations, founded in 1970 by former Chicago geography teacher Jack Golen and headquartered in Schaumburg, Illinois. The company organizes end-to-end tour packages — encompassing transportation (air, motorcoach, train, cruise), hotel accommodations, meals, attraction bookings, and guided tours — across U.S. destinations (Washington D.C., New York City, Chicago, San Francisco, Springfield IL, Alabama/Atlanta Civil Rights itineraries) and international destinations (Costa Rica, Britain, Italy). Pricing is quote-based per student, varying by destination, duration, group size, and accommodation tier, with teachers/chaperones traveling free on 1:6, 1:10, or 1:15 ratios and final payments due 60 days before departure. The company monetizes primarily through tour package revenue, with ancillary commission-based income from optional travel protection plans offered through Trip Mate and TravMark.

The go-to-market model is a direct field sales motion led by dedicated account executives, supplemented by inbound quote requests processed through the website, online self-service registration and payment, and active presence at 11+ educator trade shows annually (NCSS, AMLE, ILMEA, and others). Customer segments are primarily K-12 schools and school districts, with secondary demand from youth organizations, sports teams, religious groups, and parent/parent-chaperone stakeholders. Ancillary products include the Group Travel Videos mobile app (photo sharing, geo-mapping safety locator, keepsake videos), fundraising toolkits connecting schools with Double Good and other platforms, and curriculum-aligned specialized itineraries (STEM/STEAM, Civil Rights). Operational technology consists of standard web-based registration/payment tools and PayPal for credit card processing — no proprietary platform or AI/ML capabilities are disclosed. The company is regulated through state seller-of-travel registrations (including California CST# 2073056-40), Chicago Public Schools vendor approval (CPS # 47670), BBB accreditation, and memberships in five industry associations (ABA, SYTA, NTA, IATAN, CLIA).

Name

Hemisphere Educational Travel

Legal name

Hemisphere Travel, Inc.

Website

https://hemispheretravel.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Hemisphere Educational Travel is a family-owned, Schaumburg, Illinois-based tour operator founded in 1970 that designs and sells fully customized educational travel packages for K-12 school groups and youth organizations across U.S. and international destinations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Educational Travel Services

NAICS

Tour Operators (56152), Tour Operators (561520)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYTHAKAGAB

School Group & Curriculum-Led Trips

Travel & Hospitality/Travel Agencies, Tour Operators & OTAs/Group Travel & Educational Travel Operators

SECONDARYTHAKAGAA

Student & Youth Educational Tours

Travel & Hospitality/Travel Agencies, Tour Operators & OTAs/Group Travel & Educational Travel Operators

SECONDARYTHAKADAJ

Educational & Student Multi-Day Tour Operators

Travel & Hospitality/Travel Agencies, Tour Operators & OTAs/Tour Operators (Multi-Day Package Tours)

SECONDARYTHAKAOAF

Group & Small-Group Custom Itinerary Planning

Travel & Hospitality/Travel Agencies, Tour Operators & OTAs/Custom Itinerary Planning Services

Keywords

• Educational tour operator
• Student group travel
• K-12 school trips
• Youth educational travel
• Customized school tours

Headquarters

HQ city

Schaumburg

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Educational Tour Packages: Hemisphere earns revenue by organizing and selling fully customized educational travel packages for student and youth groups. Packages include transportation, accommodations, meals, attractions, and guided tours. Pricing is based on group size, destination, duration, and selected components. No registration fees or sign-up costs are charged.
2. Travel Protection / Trip Insurance: Optional travel protection plans are offered during the registration process through third-party providers (Trip Mate / TravMark). Plans cover trip cancellation, interruption, medical expenses, and emergency evacuations. The company earns a commission or margin on these insurance products as part of the tour package.
3. Consumer Protection and Financial Safeguards: As a member of SYTA, Hemisphere participates in a Consumer Protection Plan that safeguards consumer deposits, providing financial assurance to customers. Revenue from tour bookings is collected and held prior to trip delivery, with refunds governed by cancellation policies and terms.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Hemisphere Educational Travel organizes and sells fully customized educational tour packages for K-12 student groups and youth organizations. Each package bundles transportation (air, motorcoach, train, cruise), hotel accommodations, meals, attraction admissions, and guided tours into a single per-person itinerary tailored to the group's destination, duration, curriculum focus, and budget. The company also offers optional travel protection plans through third-party underwriters (Trip Mate / TravMark) and provides dedicated account executives, fundraising tools, and an online registration portal to support each trip from quote through completion.

Product overview

Hemisphere Educational Travel is a family-owned educational travel company offering customized student and youth group tours. The core product is its Student Tours service, supplemented by dedicated Educator and Parent Services that provide planning, safety, fundraising, and support resources. The company offers add-on modules including the Group Travel Videos App (for photo sharing, geo-mapping, and keepsake videos), Travel Protection Plans (through Trip Mate/TravMark), and Fundraising Tools (letter templates and company connections). Specialized itineraries include STEM/STEAM-focused tours and Civil Rights Tours. The company has been operating since 1970 and handles all logistics including transportation, accommodations, meals, and attractions booking.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Student Tours Fully customized multi-day educational tours for K-12 student and youth groups, covering destinations including Washington D.C., New York City, Chicago, Springfield IL, the Alabama and Atlanta Civil Rights route, U.S. tours generally, and international destinations such as Britain, Costa Rica, and Italy. Each tour bundles transportation, accommodations, meals, attraction admissions, and guided tours into one per-person package, sold on a quote basis.
• Group Travel Videos App Mobile app for iPhone and Android that lets tour groups privately share photos, access trip documents such as itineraries and destination information, send group messages, use a geo-mapping locator for safety, and produce keepsake videos after tours. Family members can virtually follow trips using a unique login code that does not require an email or phone number.
• Travel Protection Plans Optional trip protection plans sold during registration with Standard/Basic and Enhanced tiers; the Enhanced tier includes Cancel For Any Reason (CFAR) coverage. Plans cover trip cancellation, interruption, medical expenses, and emergency evacuation and are issued through third-party underwriters Trip Mate and TravMark.

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

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered notable and minor.

• SYTA Youth Foundation (SYF) Silver Lining ProgramnotableStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Hemisphere collaborated with the SYTA Youth Foundation's Silver Lining Program to provide civil rights educational tours for deserving students nominated for demonstrating a desire to expand their awareness and create positive life changes. The program recognizes students who have shown exceptional initiative or faced challenging circumstances.
• SYTA Youth Foundation (SYF)notableStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2017Hemisphere Educational Travel participates in SYTA Youth Foundation initiatives, including the Rock 'n' Roll Nashville Marathon fundraising event in April 2017 where team members Jennifer and Brad Rosenbaum helped raise over $32,000 for SYF. SYF provides scholarships to students in need of financial assistance for educational travel.
• Trip Mate (Travel Insurance Provider)minorOthersHemisphere offers optional travel protection plans through Trip Mate for Standard and Enhanced protection coverage, including trip cancellation, interruption, medical, and emergency evacuation benefits. Customers who purchased Trip Mate plans are directed to Trip Mate's website for plan details and claims.
• TravMark (Travel Insurance Provider)minorOthersHemisphere offers optional Enhanced travel protection plans through TravMark as an alternative insurance provider, with customers directed to TravMark's website for coverage details and claims processing.
• Global Doing GoodminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThrough Brad Rosenbaum's network within the Student & Youth Travel Association (SYTA), Hemisphere facilitated a connection between the Kick It Forward soccer apparel donation program and Global Doing Good, a nonprofit providing service learning and student travel opportunities in Costa Rica. Global Doing Good's local representative helped deliver donated soccer uniforms to schools in Costa Rica.
• Global Travel Alliance / Fly My GroupminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBrad Rosenbaum of Hemisphere connected the Kick It Forward program with Roy Peterson of Fly My Group and Steve Maehl and Daniel Granados of Global Travel Alliance to facilitate international logistics for a Costa Rica community service initiative involving soccer apparel donations.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• SYTA (Student & Youth Travel Association): SYTA is the industry trade association for student and youth travel operators, of which Hemisphere is a member. Relevant ecosystem participant — SYTA sets industry standards, consumer protection plans, and the Youth Foundation that Hemisphere actively supports.
• National Tour Association (NTA): NTA is a leading travel trade association whose membership Hemisphere holds. Relevant industry ecosystem participant that provides networking, supplier relationships, and consumer protection standards applicable to student tour operators.
• Global Travel Alliance / Fly My Group: Fly My Group is a group airfare booking partner mentioned in Hemisphere's partnership ecosystem. Operates in adjacent airfare coordination space and serves as a technology/infrastructure partner to student tour operators like Hemisphere.

Direct peers

• EF Educational Tours: EF Educational Tours is the largest operator of student group travel in the U.S., offering curriculum-aligned tours for K-12 schools with significant marketing scale and proprietary technology. Direct competitor to Hemisphere in the school group travel category with overlapping destinations and customer base.
• Explorica: Explorica specializes in customized student group tours for middle and high schools, with strong online self-service tools for teachers. Operates as a direct competitor in the K-12 student tour market with overlapping destinations and curriculum-tied offerings.
• WorldStrides: WorldStrides provides K-12 educational travel programs including curriculum-based, performance, sports, and college-credit tours domestically and internationally. Major direct competitor serving the same school decision-makers and curriculum-aligned travel use cases as Hemisphere.
• Holbrook Travel: Holbrook Travel designs educational and conservation-focused student trips for K-12 and university groups with strong itinerary customization. Comparable niche operator serving school groups with curriculum-aligned educational travel.
• ACIS (American Council for International Studies): ACIS organizes educational student tours domestically and internationally, with a focus on curriculum-linked itineraries and teacher support. Comparable mid-sized competitor serving K-12 groups with customized international and domestic tours similar to Hemisphere's offering.
• Brightspark Travel: Brightspark Travel (formerly Student Group Travel) provides customized student tours for K-12 schools with strong presence in the Midwest and East Coast. Direct comparable competitor with similar school-decision-maker focus and tour package model.

Emerging players

• Travel For Education: Travel For Education (TFE) organizes customized student group tours for K-12 schools, with a focus on competitive pricing and educator-friendly tools. Comparable niche operator in the K-12 student travel market with overlapping target customers.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/HemEdTravel
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCUR7O0RPcIg16DL2AsAwzYA
• Facebookfacebook.com/HemisphereEducationalTravel
• Instagraminstagram.com/hemedtravel
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hemisphere-educational-travel

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Hemisphere Educational Travel