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!

The Last Days

The weekend has just ended, and moving into this week, the most prevalent thing on my mind is wondering when nostalgia will set in. Today, a couple of students from the group departed with their ...

Aix-treme Sadness: The Final Days

The last weekend has passed us! Saturday was, in my opinion, the best day of the trip! We went to Cassis, a beautiful beach town not far from Aix. It was just breathtaking! The first thing we did ...

Every First Has a Last

There have been so many firsts in my month in Aix-en-Provence; so many moments that made me feel as if I was infinite; so many places and songs and experiences that made my heart and my soul ...

NorCal Done Right: Monterey, Santa Cruz, and San Francisco

Leadership Academy students got a break from their academic pursuits to visit the coastal town of Monterey. While the weather did not cooperate and relaxing on the beach was not an option, ...

An American Girl in Rome

Rubbing my eyes, awakening myself from the four-hour bus ride, I glance out the window of the bus and, to my surprise, I see what look like Roman ruins! But they aren’t like Roman ...

Duomo Arigato...

Located near the Piazza Veccio, the Uffizi Gallery is Florence’s most eminent art museum. It boasts an impressive collection of works by Michaelangelo, Raphael, Botticelli, and Leonardo Da ...

Last Day in Firenze

Today is definitely a bittersweet one. All of us are completely fulfilled with what we’ve gained from the city of Florence, but at the same time, we don’t want to leave. We spent the ...

Our First Adventure in Rome

After an early start on Sunday morning and a three-hour bus ride, we finally arrived in the mesmerizing city of Rome. We checked in, had a quick rest, and then eagerly set off to explore the ...

When in Rome

Yesterday we arrived in Rome, and I love it! Rome is the polar opposite of Florence, so it’s very cool and interesting to see the difference between two major cities in Italy. Last night, we ...

Allons! A Call to All Travelers

As I write this entry, we are heading down the Tuscan highway to Roma. As I glance out through the windows at the endless countryside, I am reminded of a poem that became the driving force for my ...

Parasailing and Tubing in Nice

Here are some pictures of the group from Thursday when we went parasailing and tubing in Nice! In the evening we went to an electronic concert on a private beach in Nice. The next day, ...

Last Days in Nice

Our last week in Nice has been packed with activities and unfortunately gone by far too quickly. We visited 3 art museums this week and saw quite a range of works. We took a guided visit of the ...