Costs and Fundraising

Even priceless experiences come with a cost. As a nonprofit organization, we constantly strive to balance our goal of providing the most comprehensive educational experience possible with an affordable price. Please visit our destination pages for specific prices.

Our nonprofit mission is to make our program available to students of all backgrounds. We invest a lot of energy, staff, Board and volunteer hours and money to make tools that help you raise funds for your life-changing travel experience. We have worked with schools large and small, rural and urban, public and private. With a modest amount of effort, you can expect your group to raise roughly 30% of the costs of travel through the tools that we provide. You can afford the trip of a lifetime! Check out our fundraising pages for our extensive online fundraising guide.

When comparing costs between travel organizations, it is important to consider what the price DOES and DOES NOT include. Many companies offer low prices up front but hide costs that you have to pay for later on such as tips, travel insurance and even some meals. Some companies combine groups with other students from different places to decrease costs. None offer the comprehensive preparatory and follow-up services that we provide. Here’s a list of what the Global Explorers price DOES include:

• 100% of the in-country costs for your destination. All transportation, in-country flights, meals, guides, lodging and tips are covered in full by your program fee.
• A bilingual Global Explorers Field Workshop Coordinator who travels with you and coordinates logistics and educational content while traveling
• Bilingual local guides and other experts who help deepen the educational experience.
• Preparatory Curriculum (9-11 lessons that prepare students for their travel experience).
• Travel Essentials Guidebooks (important information on everything from passports to packing lists to fundraising).
• Personalized online fundraising page and toolbox to help you raise funds for your program.
• Online log-in section where you can find all the information you, your group or your family needs to prepare for your journey.
• One Global Explorers staff person assigned to your group from the moment you sign up to help you prepare for travel and facilitates your return.
• Basic emergency travel insurance.
• Resource books for travelers (travelers receive either a compilation of resource books for their group or one book per student).
• Two Global Explorers t-shirts per traveler.
• Your own unique experience! You will never be paired with another group unless you request it.
• For GROUP travel, one chaperone/educator travels free (not including international airfare) for the first 10 paying participants, and one for every 5 paying participants thereafter.
• For GROUP Travel, full Global Explorers support with program promotion and organization including personal school visits and promotional materials (e.g. posters, brochures).

The Global Explorers Price DOES NOT include:

• International airfare between your home city and your destination
• Immunizations (if required)
• Visas (if required)
• Passport fees
• Spending cash for souvenirs
• Cash for any trip equipment/clothing (though few programs require any specialty equipment)
• Meals while in transit between your home city and your destination.