Pam Smith and her daughter Charlotte share a great deal, including a passion for educational travel, and sharing that passion with others. Pam and Charlotte’s unique story includes a lot of travel, and two careers that demonstrate the importance of experiential education.
Pam, a high school art teacher, grew up an Army brat knowing the value of travel and the importance of educating future generations, something her father was a strong believer in. This passion was thus instilled in Pam. Raising their own family in a small town in Alabama, Pam and her husband (also an educator) travelled with their children across the United States and some key destinations in Europe. As her kids got older, Pam began looking for a travel company that shared her passion for education while also offering the best deals. This led Pam to Explorica. Pam also wanted to be able to share travel experiences with her students, the majority of whom were on free or reduced lunch programs and had never traveled outside the state of Alabama. In 2002, Pam officially began her relationship with Explorica by traveling to Europe during the school’s spring break so her students would not miss any school days. “I wanted to show them that there was an amazing world full of art and culture out there,” said Pam.
“I believe travel sparks the mind; the new sounds, smells, tastes, sensations, and sights spark the brain and has the power to revitalize brainpower! It is important to take people on a journey of discovery and enlightenment through the history, art and culture of the world no matter the age.”
From the very first trip in 2002, Pam took her daughters on her Explorica tours with her. They were 17 and 11 at the time, Charlotte being the younger one. “My first Explorica Trip was ‘Paris City of Lights’. We traveled after the attack of 9/11 and at Christmas before the trip, Richard Reid – The Shoe Bomber – tried to detonate his shoe bomb on a flight to the US from France. But, my mom always said, ‘you can’t let the terrorists win’, and it inspired me to never be afraid of the world outside of my small town. My mom also felt good about Explorica’s safety and security protocols, so I know that played a role in which company she chose to travel with,” remarked Charlotte.
At the time of her college graduation, Charlotte had already visited 23 countries(!) and had developed a serious passion for travel. “My love for travel inspired me to pursue a master’s degree in international relations, and my travels with Explorica gave me the confidence to do so abroad at the University of Glasgow, in Scotland,” said Charlotte. Cut to after Charlotte completed her education, she and her new husband, who she met in Glascow, decided to look for jobs in Boston because Charlotte knew that’s where the main Explorica office was located. “It had been my dream to work at Explorica since I was a little girl looking out over Paris form the Eiffel tower in 2002, so I was ecstatic when I was offered the opportunity to start my professional career with Explorica at their headquarters there in Boston,” Charlotte recalled.
After 35 years of teaching, Pam retired in 2015. However, that didn’t stop her from continuing to share her love of educational travel! She still runs Explorica trips with her new group, the “Troy Travelers” – an adult/family group instead of her previous student groups. Many of her current travelers are alumni who are now exploring the world with their families! The love and appreciation these families have for Pam is clear. In fact, most of her travelers have gone on 5 or more tours. “I believe travel sparks the mind; the new sounds, smells, tastes, sensations, and sights spark the brain and has the power to revitalize brainpower! It is important to take people on a journey of discovery and enlightenment through the history, art and culture of the world no matter the age.”
After working her way up in the Boston office, Charlotte is now on to her latest adventure – working in the Explorica Toronto office as a Senior Product Coordinator to develop new and exciting activities for teachers and students – even the Troy Travelers! Talk about things coming full circle!