The Hall of the Hundred Columns

Right from the entrance, you’re captured by the colors that zig-zag across 42 acres of chiseled vegetation and stone. As you sit on the famous Serpentine Bench—with its row of concave seats said to be formed by the park laborers taking a break in wet clay—you hear the pitch-perfect notes of a flamenco guitar. Following the music, you find a young man casually dressed, hunched Read More …

Lunch on tour is on you

Business Development Manager Phil Todisco recently went on a Group Leader Training tour to Italy and shared some insights from his time abroad: Lunch on tour with Explorica is on you, and here’s why! Student travel is quickly becoming an affordable extension of today’s classroom. The opportunity to see new cities, cultures and countries is Read More …

Group Leader Spotlight: Christian

Christian never dreamed she’d be able to travel with her students. “I work at a special needs school,” she explains. “Our students are high functioning, but not everything in a standard catalog tour makes sense for us.” She researched a number of different companies and became frustrated that their itineraries were completely set. “Many of our kids are severely ADHD or on the Read More …

Bringing Harry Potter to life

Move over, Disney World. Hogwarts is the new most magical place on earth. As you walk through the Great Hall for the first time, you see Dumbledore standing at the podium, flanked by the Hogwarts staff dressed in their best robes. The table is set for dinner, and you suspect that somewhere freshly baked pumpkin pasties are waiting to be consumed. Welcome to Hogwarts. Since Read More …

Group Leader Spotlight: Perry

Perry is a lawyer by trade, but history and travel are his true passions. “If I could make a living as a historian, I would do it,” he jests. Perry has walked in the footsteps of famous historic figures all across Europe, and has designed more than a dozen history-specific tours. But Perry wasn’t always so worldly. “I was 41 before I visited Read More …

The City of Brotherly Love is ranked #1

Lonely Planet recently named Philadelphia, Pennsylvania the best city to visit in the United States in 2016. So what makes Philadelphia the best? Philly had a banner year in 2015 and was crowned as the US’s first and only World Heritage City.  From the history of Independence Hall to the beauty in the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Read More …

Group Leader Spotlight: Kerry

Kerry is no stranger to international travel. “It started in the 1970s when I backpacked around Europe during college,” he explains. “I was hooked.” Kerry took frequent trips abroad during his time in the corporate world, and even lived in the UK while serving as the Dean of a summer program at Cambridge University. So when he started teaching high school social Read More …

Group Leader Spotlight: Jana

Jana had a specific vision for the kind of trip she wanted to lead. “I went to New York City when I was in junior high and it changed my life,” she explains. “If just one of my students had an experience like that, it would be worth it.” Jana began researching student tours, but was quickly disillusioned. “Every company had almost Read More …

Group Leader Spotlight: Vivian

Vivian’s enthusiasm for travel is contagious. “I love to travel,” she says. “My husband and I do home exchanges, so when I started working at a high school I wanted to help my students see the world, too.” At the recommendation of a coworker, she reached out to Explorica. Vivian was thrilled by the support and the ability to change her student-chaperone ratio, Read More …

Q&A: Update on the Zika virus

Last updated: 3/30/2017 Some travelers have expressed concern over the spread of the Zika virus. Together with our partners at WorldStrides, we sat down with WorldStrides Medical Director Dr. Christopher Lang when the concerns started in 2016 and have been providing updates since to answer some commonly-asked questions: Q: Zika is getting extensive media coverage, with more Read More …