‘Incredible’ trip abroad worth 
the investment for students

By Gracie Bonds Staples

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

It didn’t take Greta Stewart long to buy into the benefits of her daughter traveling abroad.

The Sandy Springs mother, who made the decision at a meeting last year about the People to People Ambassador Programs, said the programs were a way to both invest in her daughter’s future and help prepare her for success in an increasingly globalized world.

It was a vision apparently shared by thousands of other parents here and across the country, said Jeff Thomas, president and CEO of Ambassadors Group Inc., of which People to People is a subsidiary.

Despite the economic downturn, an estimated 30,000 students and teachers traveled to 46 different countries this year, Thomas said.

The numbers are in keeping with the U.S. Travel Association’s prediction that consumers would take on average two trips this summer, stay approximately seven nights away from home and spend more than $900 on the longest trip.

People to People programs range from five to 12 days and, depending on the length of stay and destination, cost $3,000 to $7,000.

Greta and Bob Stewart plopped down $7,000 for their daughter Kensley.

“We travel a lot and thought this was a wonderful educational opportunity not only for the cultural exchange but for the education,” Greta Stewart said.

And swine flu notwithstanding, Stewart said she was convinced the trip would be safe.

“They were very on top of the swine flu situation,” she said. “We got constant updates on that.”

People to People has operated programs through some of the most historic and challenging times, including the current economic recession, the Chinese crackdown of protesters at Tiananmen Square, the Persian Gulf War, Sept. 11, the war in Iraq and the London bombings.

“Parents trust us to provide a safe travel experience for their children,” Thomas said. “People to People is the only student travel program that maintains a 24-hour presence in its program office during all travel periods and has established incident response teams on call 365 days a year.”

Although Greta Stewart said the $7,000 price tag was “a pretty big sacrifice” to the family, it included meals, lodging and flight.

It was up to Kensley, however, to raise funds for spending money.

Forty local students were originally scheduled to participate in the “Australia Adventure,” but the numbers had dwindled to 28 by their June 10 departure date, said Kensley, a rising senior at Marist School.

Although the cost was a problem for some, Thomas said many factors come into play when students drop out, including other summer vacations, and family and sports commitments.

Thomas said that participants generally rate their experiences greater than 90 percent in overall satisfaction and often return as alumni to travel on additional People to People programs.

Before departure, Kensley spent nearly six months learning about Australia and its culture.

Once there, she said, students spent time in Cairns, then traveled 1,400 miles to Sydney, where for the next three weeks they were immersed in the Australian culture, performing service projects, meeting government officials and spending time with host families.

“It was incredible,” Kensley said of the trip. “There’s really no way to describe it.”

That may be true, but Greta Stewart said the experience is already looking good on Kensley’s college applications.