Smithsonian Adds Educational Travel Program

The Smithsonian Institution has partnered with student travel provider Walking Tree Travel to launch a collection of educational travel programs for high school student groups.

April 6, 2018

Smithsonian Adds Educational Travel Program

Partnership will allow high school students to participate in conservation projects, homestays and more.

The initiative, titled Smithsonian Student Adventures, will offer international educational immersion travel to various destinations spanning 17 countries across Central and South America, Europe, Asia and Africa.

The program will launch with a host of travel options such as wildlife conservation projects, service learning, cultural immersion and homestays. Examples include sea turtle conservation in Costa Rica, language learning in France, elephant conservation in Thailand and more. Each program will also aim to engage students academically while introducing them to sites that will bring education to life and inspire future learning.

“We are excited to expand Smithsonian Journeys’ global travel program to high school students and their teachers,” says Carol LeBlanc, senior vice president, Smithsonian Enterprises. “This

program, developed with Walking Tree Travel will provide enriching experiences that will educate and inspire a younger audience.”

Additionally, Smithsonian Student Adventures will include two ways to travel: custom group or open enrollment travel programs. Custom group travel will allow educators to develop the programming, destination and trip duration, while open enrollment programs will be for individual high school students interested in traveling with student peers who have similar interests.

“The Smithsonian’s dedication to learning is well-known, and its sense of wonder and creativity is inspirational,” says Paul Laurie, co-founder, Walking Tree Travel. “We are thrilled to be working with it to offer these distinctive travel experiences.”