Study Tour Program Details
Our Travel Mission and Commitment |
Where We Travel Why travel with EI Sample Itineraries |
Where We Travel
- United States: West Coast, Upper mid West and Florida.
- Central & Latin America: Costa Rica, Ecuador, Chile, Brazil, Bolivia & Argentina.
- Central & Western Europe: Romania, Spain, France, Holland, Switzerland & Denmark
- Other Countries: Willing to explore depending on the group's request.
Where We Focus
- Agriculture & horticulture including dairy and wine industries Forestry and fisheries
- Natural resource management and conservation including parks and public lands
- Environmental education, interpretation and ecotourism
- Rural and sustainable development
- Rural youth and community development
- Other related fields on request
Our Travel Mission and Commitment
- Experience International was founded in the belief that international cultural and technical exchange programs play a key role in food security, conservation, appropriate management of natural resource, and increased cultural understanding within our world community.
- In addition to running international training programs since 1989, EI works with groups to organize customized study tours that broaden participants' understanding of the planet and the economic, technical, and environmental challenges faced by the many diverse cultures of our world.
- It is our belief that quality study tours are a unique way to help people see the world, broaden their horizons, and gain an understanding of other cultures in a safe, fun, and educational manner.
- Our commitment is to respect human dignity, tread lightly on the environment, and to provide a high quality, safe, and unique “experience of a lifetime”!
What We Provide
First and foremost, we make traveling easy, exciting, and safe for you! In addition to a customized itinerary, we provide:
- Scheduled visits based on the group's requests and interests.
- Cultural exchanges (home stays, visits to native communities, etc).
- Volunteer opportunities with local water projects, orphanages, school groups, etc.
- Sightseeing (jungle trips, scenic mountain tours, historic sites) all off the beaten track.
- Pre-trip cultural information.
- Pre-trip travel logistics (health, money, climate, etc.).
- All meals and lodging.
- All in-country travel.
- Arrival orientation to the country and people.
- Experienced and knowledgeable guides.
- Flexibility to stop en-route & “smell the flowers” – such as running into a street market, listening to a surprise ethnic music festival, or watching a potato harvest on 60% slopes in the Andes.
Group Size
- We are not a “tour-company”, rather an educational non-profit that provides groups with quality international cultural and technical exchange. Therefore, we do not offer or promote pre-packaged trips then hope that individuals sign-up to fill the available seats.
- Our approach is different. We establish one-time and/or ongoing relationships with a school/university or a professional group that seeks to “travel with a purpose”. We then, apply our international and experiential education expertise and country knowledge and contacts to design a study tour that provides participants with unique & diverse opportunities that will help them meet their trip objectives or organizational mission.
- Although group size generally ranges from 15-35 participants, we do not have a minimum or maximum number. Much depends on the group itself, its reasons for travel, and the logistics of working with them to organize a quality experience.
- Our smallest group was 12 High School students on an evolutionary biology trip to the Ecuadorian Amazon and Galapagos Islands; we've had groups of 20-50 agricultural students to the States; and groups of 30-50 farmers to both the USA and Ecuador.
What it Costs
- Our tours are customized for each group and the price varies with the group size and what it seeks to see and do.
- Past trips vary from USD$1500 for a 14 days farm tour to Ecuador for a group of 21 agricultural students to $3500 for a high school group of 12 in Ecuador for 16 days that included a week on a motor yacht in the Galapagos Islands.
Why travel with EI?
Experience International staff has worked in a number of agricultural and natural resource projects around the world. The professional contacts and intimate knowledge of each country gained through these projects, is the base of what we offer on a study tour. Through our International Training Program we also have over 2000 alumni in 20+ countries who we can also call on to help design and implement quality study tours. It is this unique combination of professional experience and in-country networks that we call on when designing a study tour.
| -Strong in-country networks and relationships with local communities | -Small, intimate group size |
| -Personal attention from start to finish | -Local in-country bi-lingual guides |
| -Flexible programs customized to the group's interests | -Programs that respect and protect the natural environment |
| -Emphasis on supporting local communities visited | -Inclusion of cultural activities |
| -An opportunity to learn and grow | -Under-riding respect for cultural diversity and the belief that... |
-Special inclusion of volunteer and service learning projects, home stays, and hands-on activities |
Sample Itineraries
Available upon request, contact Experience International directly - info@expint.org or 360-966-3876