News & Blog

Welcome to the Summer Program and Teen Travel Blog !
Let me live, love and say it well in good sentences.
SYLVIA PLATH, THE BELL JAR

It is our wish to provide you, our valued readers, with engaging and interesting information about the spectacular world around us, and, hopefully, the words you find here will also inspire you to get out, to learn, to live, and above all else, to travel!

Goodbye, Barcelona!

On Wednesday, we had group salsa class in the morning. Afterward, we went to an amazing amusement park designed by Gaudí. The view from the amusement park was incredible and the views from the ...

d'Orsay, Les Invalides, and the Arc de Triomphe

After a hearty breakfast of croissants and coffee, we traveled along the Seine’s left bank until we reached the Musée d’Orsay. Housed in a beautifully converted train station, the ...

Leaving Already?!

Having just arrived in Rome on Sunday, I’m ready to settle down for a couple of weeks here. Yet, after dinner, the staff reminded us to pack up all our stuff tomorrow. I really wish I could ...

Mesmerized in Rome

Today was another exciting day; we were completely exhausted by the end but felt like we had learned a lot and widened our knowledge of Rome’s various delights. In the morning we walked to ...

Goodbye, Rome!

Unfortunately, last night was my last in Italy with this unbelievable group of people… Today we went to a beautiful museum that houses many of Bernini’s sculptures, which are utterly ...

Roman Holiday (NOT starring Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck)

Well as you can probably tell from the title, I have both watched the referenced movie and safely arrived in Roma Sunday afternoon. As we got off the bus and began our short trek to the hotel, ...

Goodbye to Aix

Aix is over! It is with beautiful images, memories, and new friendship that our students went back home. Our last moments together were again a blast. We had a talent show where everyone made a ...

Water Experiment

Today I had an amazing time at my environmental water class with Camille Jones. Our project was to bring a liquid and solid to class; then we contaminate the water and try to make it as clean as ...

Exploring San Francisco

So far, the other Leadership Academy kids and I have been enjoying the three day break we’ve had from classes. For our last day this weekend, we went to San Francisco on Caltrain. Once we ...

The Amazing Bay City

San Francisco on Sunday was amazing! John and I ate at In ‘N’ Out with the rest of the group, and for many it was their first time eating there — crazy right? I have ...

Last Day in Florence

Today was our last day in Florence. I had an amazing time in Florence. It is a city of art and food! Probably one of my favorite cities so far on this trip. Here’s a view of the ...

Cinque Terre

A heat wave has rolled into Europe, and we sure felt it here in Florence. On Sunday, we had a change of plans and headed out to the west coast of Italy. More specifically, Cinque Terre, which ...