High School Study Abroad in Cairns, Australia

Starting off, I would recommend any TFT trip. They are a very experienced company with staff that are very organized and familiar with the countries that you are visiting. This Australia and New Zealand trip had the perfect amount of volunteering time as well as excursions to have fun with. We had about 20 hours of volunteer service where we helped at a non-profit animal center. Aside from these hours, we would take trips to waterfalls and beaches to relax, but also immerse ourselves into the culture. We were able to visit small markets and farms as well as iconic sights such as the Sydney Oprah House. Travel for Teens has given me new experiences worldwide that I definitely would not have been able to plan or do by myself.

In the Summer of 2018, I had the amazing opportunity of traveling to Australia and New Zealand. It was absolutely amazing. I got to do once-in-a-lifetime activities such as scuba diving at the Great Barrier Reef and the Sydney Bridge Climb. These are memories that I will never forgot. I had the most amazing counselors and met friends that I still keep in touch with. There was not a day that I did not love. If you have the opportunity to do this, you should, I can guarantee that you will not regret it.

From paragliding in New Zealand to snorkeling at the Great Barrier Reef of the coast of Australia, I had the best 21 days of my life with Travel for Teens. I will never forget looking out the window on Air New Zealand as we flew through the snow-capped mountains to land in Queenstown. The beauty of this foreshadowed the once-in-a-life time experiences I had the privilege of doing on this amazing adventure. The counselors made me feel so at home in places I’ve never been, and the friends I made gave me memories I will cherish forever. I recommend this trip to anyone who loves adventure and lives for the moment.

I wanted to do something different the summer before my junior year. I was looking at teen service trips all around the world, but I was sold the moment I found ARCC's Australia/Fiji trip. It was specifically for teens, so it allowed me to make an impact while staying safe and protected. The ARCC office staff was communicative and had an answer to my many questions. They knew just what to bring, told us up front exactly how much it would cost, and had recommendations on health and medical concerns to ensure my safety. The trip leaders I had the honor of working with were AMAZING. They connected with us instantly and handled every challenge with ease and grace. They were organized, loving, adventurous, open, and qualified. I honestly cannot imagine more perfect people to lead a trip like this. My group had the opportunity to do our service work in Nawaisomo on the island of Beqa in Fiji before our adventure time in Australia and on the Great Barrier Reef (which is gorgeous, by the way), and so we grew close to each other as we learned more about ourselves. The service work, building a footpath and working with the kids, was so much fun, and it was nice to see our hard work visibly progress. We really felt like we were making a difference. When we stayed in the village, we got to stay (in pairs) with host families, and I got really close to my host siblings. I learned so much about Fijian culture by getting to fry fish, shave coconuts, and help unload fishing boats with them in my free time. Overall, The Australia/Fiji trip was a life changing experience that taught me so much about myself, the world, and the importance of loving and take care of your community and everyone in it. There is no better way that I could've spent my summer.