PEOPLE TO PEOPLE AMBASSADOR PROGRAM
 

I saw another posting on school travel program which reminded me to make a posting about this particular program which is not quite a school program, but a nationwide organized school age program that travel to different destinations. They hire teachers to lead the different groups going to several countries European countries & Australia.

My 13 year old daughter just went on this program to Holland on their soccer program in July. The organization offers an array of different programs and all sound great in their presentations. My daughter had the best trip ever despite the fact that she often went to sleep hungry due to dinner food rationing, terrible hotel with broken AC in the 94 degree temperature, 3 girls had to share a small room with 2 twin beds. All this cost $ 5000 for the 10 day trip.

We didn't blink at the price because they promised coaching from the Dutch coaches. It turned out that they only got one day of very basic coaching that my daughter said was their inside joke. Every lunch these 13 year old girls had to hunt for their own lunches in strange towns. Sure it's good that they learn to fend for themselves and a little "roughing it" is good for character building but I was expecting more out of this expensive premiere organization headed by President Roosevelt's granddaughter. I'm just glad my daughter at least had a great time even though they didn't deliver what they promised.

As a teacher I have been approached by EF and looked into their programs- both by literature and word of mouth. It is far too expensive for what they offer. Some of the other postings here reveal much more on the horror stories of EF and Explorica. (I have one of those, but also a good one.) Parents, do your homework VERY carefully...using these companies is a crap shoot....

So I am one of the people who is searching for a GOOD way to improve our current exchange program... what I wonder about this "People to People" Ambassador Program is what role the teachers have in it? Were the teachers a part of the initial presentation? Did the students travel with any familiar adult supervision?

DAX- I am sorry to hear about this trip, but as a middle school teacher myself, I am impressed with your daughter's positive attitude. I hope that someday, she can see what these tours SHOULD be like!

More and more, I think I have to start my own company! Anyone have some venture capital to put up? :)

%%-

My daughter's name was selected for this program.

After hearing the costs, I applied the $5K+ and took the entire family to Europe for just a bit more than that figure. Having friends to stay with certainly kept the lodging costs way down and a really great airfare.

MvK


MvK

The teachers are hired only to bring groups of twelve students per teacher across the Atlantic. Some of them were involved in the presentation, interview & pre-trip meetings, others only communicate by email with the kids that they are supposed to lead.

Once in Holland, the teachers transferred their responsibility to a group of young American coaches who flew into Amsterdam separately without the kids. The kids didn't see the teachers again until they flew back to the US.

We travel to Europe twice a year, so the novelty of this trip for my daughter is to travel on her own and to get superior soccer training. She felt rather fortunate due to the fact that not all of her "division one" team players were invited. She had to turn in a recommendation/skill evaluation from her coach and be interviewed by the commitee. To her surprise, she was grouped into a team with kids from all divisions including a couple of non-competetive house players who could barely play. They lost 6-0 & 12-0 when they played against the European teams.

They did some touring combined with 2 other American teams & their coaches plus one tour leader when they are not playing soccer. The 40+ kids from the 3 teams were often dropped in a pizzeria, restaurant or supermarket to buy their own lunch/sandwich materials with at least one coach present somewhere in the facility.

My daughter would go again in a flash if we let her because she gained so many close friendships during the trip. I like the idea of this trip as well if it were not so expensive, I told her that for the same price, she could have stayed at the Ritz for the entire trip. They stayed in a secluded NH hotel near Noordwijk which charges 40-50 euro a night for a double room. Apparently the hotel guests who shared the same floors with these teenagers were complaining about noise level everyday.