2-4 Week High School Programs Abroad

During this program, I grew as a person, global citizen, and in the French language! The camp was amazing and we got to do so many fun activities like going to the beach and exploring cities around us. I also had a huge improvement in my language skills thanks to the classes we took on campus. I made lifelong friends from around the world as well! It was truly a once in a lifetime experience!

In December of 2025, I had no plans of studying abroad; everything seemed to expensive or out-of-reach. It was half-way through that month that my French teacher approached me with an opportunity to pursue a scholarship that funded the majority of this program. Upon winning that scholarship (on my birthday!) and another financial aid tuition cut—all thanks to the amazing AFS donors who made that possible—I was given the chance to attend this program. Together with 24 other people from the United States, we were thrown into a whole new world. As would be an expectation by anyone who had never experienced an opportunity of such a scale before, the beginning of the program was difficult. It was easy, at this point, to only see what was negative about being in France at that time: the rooms were hot and muggy, I was unsure of my roomates, and I hadn’t slept well because of adrenaline. It was the end of June of 2026, and I had only just began my month-long program; I couldn’t wait for July to come faster. Almost exponentially, in a sense, my experience of the program skyrocketed in a good direction. Simultaneously with all the enjoyment and excitement studying abroad brought me, I learned to enjoy things that were different from what I was used to: we learned work-arounds to cool off the dorms at night, I learned to see the dorm bed as my own and finally be able to rest and process what was going on, the people around me developed too—we were all in it together, and those fellow attendees became some of the best friends I’ve ever made. Come the time of my graduation in 2028, I want to continue what I started this summer and pursue a degree in France at university. I’ll never forget my time in France. To whoever happens to be reading this—either adult or youth—the risk is worth it: the heat, the stress, fear, were all worth it. Life is far too short, and the world is far too divided to never see it all. Take the chance if you have it!

I was hesitant to send my 16-year-old son, Matteo, halfway across the world for a month, but the GAC team was incredibly reassuring from the very first phone call. Any parent knows the anxiety of not being able to just drive over if something goes wrong, but their 24/7 local support genuinely put my mind at ease. Matteo was placed with a host family in Beijing who treated him like their own grandson. He called me every few days completely buzzing—not just about the Great Wall or the Forbidden City, but about the local street food and playing video games with his host brother to practice his Chinese. The morning classes must have been good because he actually came home being able to hold basic conversations, which is way more than he ever learned in his high school language classes here. It was a huge step for his independence, and he came back noticeably more confident and mature. If you are a nervous parent reading this, I can't recommend this program enough.

this was a really fun trip and opens my eyes to new adventures and i believe that if you are i need of a trip of a lifetime and to find new friends and people of similar intrest that you should consider the broad reach trips because they bring life. I LOVED IT. I LOVED IT. I LOVED IT. I LOVED IT. I LOVED IT. I LOVED IT. I LOVED IT. I LOVED IT. I LOVED IT. I LOVED IT. I LOVED IT. I LOVED IT. I LOVED IT. I LOVED IT. I LOVED IT. I LOVED IT. I LOVED IT. I LOVED IT. I LOVED IT. I LOVED IT. I LOVED IT

Going on this trip was something I wish everyone the experience of. Not only did I feel confident in my growth of French I made life long friends and got to experience the French way of living, a pain au chocolat every morning 😜. And see so much beautiful art in museums like the Musée d'Orsay and of course The Louvre. I also got to get some shopping in and as a teen girl that has passion for fashion you know I LOVE my shopping.

Going on this trip was something I wish everyone the experience of. Not only did I feel confident in my growth of French I made life long friends and got to experience the French way of living, a pain au chocolat every morning 😜. And see so much beautiful art in museums like the Musée d'Orsay and of course The Louvre. I also got to get some shopping in and as a teen girl that has passion for fashion you know I LOVE my shopping.

Going on this trip was something I wish everyone the experience of. Not only did I feel confident in my growth of French I made life long friends and got to experience the French way of living, a pain au chocolat every morning 😜. And see so much beautiful art in museums like the Musée d'Orsay and of course The Louvre. I also got to get some shopping in and as a teen girl that has passion for fashion you know I LOVE my shopping.

Going on this trip was something I wish everyone the experience of. Not only did I feel confident in my growth of French I made life long friends and got to experience the French way of living, a pain au chocolat every morning 😜. And see so much beautiful art in museums like the Musée d'Orsay and of course The Louvre. I also got to get some shopping in and as a teen girl that has passion for fashion you know I LOVE my shopping.

Going on this trip was something I wish everyone the experience of. Not only did I feel confident in my growth of French I made life long friends and got to experience the French way of living, a pain au chocolat every morning 😜. And see so much beautiful art in museums like the Musée d'Orsay and of course The Louvre. I also got to get some shopping in and as a teen girl that has passion for fashion you know I LOVE my shopping.

Going on this trip was something I wish everyone the experience of. Not only did I feel confident in my growth of French I made life long friends and got to experience the French way of living, a pain au chocolat every morning 😜. And see so much beautiful art in museums like the Musée d'Orsay and of course The Louvre. I also got to get some shopping in and as a teen girl that has passion for fashion you know I LOVE my shopping.

This program made 2026 the best summer of my life. London is my favorite city and this program couldn’t have been more perfect. A perfect mixture of education (classes were so much fun, and I also loved our workshops too where we learned about British culture) and free time to explore the city. We also did so much fun things as a group in the city, but you get a lot of free time with your friends. I learned so much in the creative writing classes and all the lessons were fun rather than boring. I really felt like I got to see London inside and out and get a real Londoner experience rather than as a tourist. I also loved our trips to Oxford and Stratford-upon-Avon as well. I made so many friends and many great memories. The staff are also very caring and awesome. Overall, everything about it was perfect and I miss it everyday. Thank you CIEE for this trip of a lifetime!

My son participated in this progam in 2026 and had an amazing experience in France. He lived with a volunteer host family and i think that makes the difference. More and more families are paid but with Oui-COnnect they find only volunteers that open their hearts and homes . They Actually care!

I thought that the teachers were all very friendly and made me feel included and welcome. The activities were perfect for my age group and all very fun. The accommodation was very nice, however the only negative thing was the food wasn’t very good.

Expanish responded to this reviewOctober 07, 2026

¡Hola, James! Thank you so much for your lovely feedback! We’re delighted to hear that you felt welcome and included by our teachers and enjoyed the activities. We’re also glad you liked the accommodation, and we’re sorry that the food didn’t meet your expectations. We really appreciate your feedback and will take it into account as we continue improving the programme. We hope you had a wonderful time in Málaga and took home some great memories! ¡Un abrazo!

I made lots of great friends, the accommodation was really nice. Food was very good and we did a good variety of activities. All the staff were lovely and supportive. Spanish teachers were very good.

Expanish responded to this reviewSeptember 05, 2026

¡Hola Nyrie! Thank you so much for your comments :) We're so glad you made lots of great friends during your time with us — those connections are often what people remember most! It's wonderful to hear the accommodation and food were a hit, and that you enjoyed the variety of activities we put together. We're also really pleased that our staff came across as lovely and supportive, and that our Spanish teachers made such a positive impression — we'll be sure to pass along your kind words to the team! Thank you again for sharing your experience! We hope to see you back at Expanish again soon! ¡Un abrazo!

first off i wanted to thank everyone that has acompanied me during my time on the malaga expanish camp. ive met dozents of new friends from all over the world and i couldnt have imagined my summer without them however there were some things that could be improved to a higher standard to make my and other future goers experience even better. the most crutial of these and the one im gonna start my critique with has to be the food. OMG the food was horendous(with some exaptions i must admit) that i barely ever ate it. IN FACT, although it could be argued that it is inaproriete to speak of I engaged in a ritual of release every 3 DAYSSS. The only other annoyance i have been aware of during my stay was the "suite" i was inhibiting. although it wasnt a complete dissaster it didnt live up to my expectations i expected more but maybe thats my fault. however i dont want anyone to think porly of this experience because of this review the bottom line is that i think very highly of this camp and everyone involved in it and i have to say that i remember every moment of it with joy in my heart.

Expanish responded to this reviewOctober 07, 2026

Dear Henryk, thank you so much for sharing such an honest and heartfelt review! We’re really happy to hear that you had such a fun and memorable four weeks. That’s exactly what we hope our students take away from their experience! We’re sorry that the food didn’t live up to your expectations. We know how important food is when you’re spending several weeks away from home, so we really appreciate your honest feedback. We’ll definitely take your comments into account when looking at how we can improve the programme and the overall student experience. Most importantly, we’re delighted that you look back on your time in Málaga with joy. Thank you for being part of our camp — it was a pleasure having you with us!

My 15 year old son did this program for only a week and had an overall good experience. He had a lot of good things to say about the people and the program. His only negative comment was about the food. He said the food wasn't very good and a lot of the kids would supplement the food with snacks from the store. He also got food sick near the end which wasn't a lot of fun for the last few days. Overall a good experience, but it sounds like there could be some improvement in the food quality.

Expanish responded to this reviewOctober 07, 2026

Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We’re really glad to hear that your son had an overall positive experience and enjoyed the programme and the people he met. We’re sorry to hear that he wasn’t happy with the food and, especially, that he felt unwell towards the end of his stay. We understand how disappointing that must have been, particularly during his last few days. We take our students’ feedback about meals seriously and will certainly share your comments with our catering team as we look for ways to improve the quality and variety of the food. Thank you again for your honest feedback and for trusting us with your son’s experience in Málaga!

Our 3 kids joined the 4 weeks Expanish summercamp 2026. We were worried at first and later on were very relaxed as everything were very organized and easy for them. They travel alone from the USA to Madrid. They tell us many fun stories but the thing jump out are the new friendship they have build with so many international camper from Germany, Italy, Russian, England etc. And if anybody ask them about the camp, the answer is "they love it and had the best summer ever!!!".

Expanish responded to this reviewSeptember 05, 2026

¡Hola, familia Pham! Thank you so much for sharing this — it truly warms our hearts! We know how big a step it is to send your kids all the way from the USA to Madrid on their own, so hearing that your initial worries turned into peace of mind because everything felt organized and easy means so much to us. We're so happy they've come home with so many fun stories, and especially that they built such special friendships with campers from all over the world — that international connection is really at the heart of what we hope every camper experiences at Expanish. And knowing they'd tell anyone it was "the best summer ever" is the best compliment we could ask for! Thank you for trusting us with your kids for these 4 weeks. We hope to welcome Mya, Maia, and Nam Hoang back for another unforgettable summer soon! ¡Un fuerte abrazo!

My daughter Ayla really enjoyed the experience - however there were a few aspects which she mentioned that could be improved. 1. I think more emphasis on speaking Spanish between the young people would be appreciated - they often conversed in English. 2. As a vegetarian she struggled to eat nice meals during the day - on various occasions the restaurants selected were shwarma places etc which had a poor vegetarian offer so she just had salad and chips. 3. As an additional payment, we paid 30 euros for a textbook - however when I asked her about this, she said she wasn't given any textbooks to supplement her learning. In summary, she had a good time and made friends, but I don't think her Spanish improved greatly and she wasn't given support materials to track her progress.

Expanish responded to this reviewOctober 07, 2026

Thank you so much for taking the time to share such thoughtful feedback about Ayla’s experience. We’re really happy to hear that she had a good time, made new friends and enjoyed her stay with us in Málaga. We really appreciate you highlighting these points. We agree that encouraging students to speak more Spanish with each other is an important part of the experience, and we’ll look at ways to reinforce this. We’re also sorry that Ayla found the vegetarian options limited on some occasions. We’ll definitely share this with our team so we can make sure there are more varied and enjoyable choices for vegetarian students. We’re also sorry about the confusion regarding the textbook. We’ll look into what happened, as the materials should have been provided as part of the programme. Thanks again for your honest feedback. It’s genuinely helpful to us, and we’ll take your comments on board as we continue working to make the experience even better for our students.

My daughter of 13 did her first language camp in foreign country, of course, as parent, I was very much worried whether all would go well, especially her safety. So I booked one week for her. I am very glad that everything was well-arranged, and very safe. My daughter would like to stay longer , she learned new friends , the language and the culture there. Her classmates were from different countries and they had wonderful time together.

All of the staff were so kind and generous. The activities were super fun to do and the Spanish classes were really helpful and enjoyable. Everyone at the camp was so kind and helpful. The entire process was really easy.

Expanish responded to this reviewSeptember 05, 2026

¡Hola Sofía! ¡Qué lindo leer esto! Thank you so much for such a warm review — we're thrilled to hear you had the best time with us! :) It means a lot to know our staff's kindness and generosity really came through, and that you enjoyed the activities and found the Spanish classes both helpful and fun. Hearing that everyone at camp made you feel welcome, and that the whole process felt easy from start to finish, is exactly what we hope for every student. Thank you again for sharing your experience! We'd love to have you back with us again soon! ¡Un fuerte abrazo!