Let travel change your life. When you open up to new experiences, you learn great things about yourself and about the world around you. Ever had a moment when you realized there’s more to life than work and money? Ever traveled thousands of miles from friends and family and instantly felt at home in Paris? If you’ve ever made a small or momentous change in your life because of your journey abroad…
that’s a travel epiphany.
It turns out our trip from 2002 isn't over for a lot of us.
I'm amazed when students who traveled with me years ago write to tell me they're teaching English at a rural school in Ecuador or working for the Peace Corps, setting up a computer network for a village in Kenya.
It's always important to me that the trips my students take are not just vacations. Since 2000, I have customized my trips, bringing medical supplies, toys, and clothes, to orphanages in Ecuador, Costa Rica, and Uruguay, and monetary donations to schools in Spain and Ecuador. This way my students not only learn about the world; they also do something to improve it.
Amy Nocton - Teacher & ACIS Group Leader since 2000
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Of all the amazing things in Ecuador, a 10-year-old kid in Quito was the most inspiring. I had always wanted to see the Galápagos. It was part of my dream to get into zoology. But I think meeting this 10-year-old kid in the city of Quito had a bigger effect on me. He just came right up to us—he had confidence and showed no fear. Speaking with him and learning a little about his life turned out to be the highlight of my trip. I'm now in college becoming a filmmaker. |
Sean Hanley - ACIS student traveler since 2005
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People always bring things back from their trips. I brought back confidence. Before I realized I wasn't going to know anybody on the trip, I said yes to going to Italy. Just a sophomore on a trip with seniors. They were practically strangers then, but now they've become friends. Between that, speaking Italian, and traveling on my own, I came back more comfortable. More comfortable with people I don't know and places I've never been. I start college in the fall in Chicago—850 miles away. I can say going to Italy helped with my decision. |
Mariah Chitouras - ACIS student traveler