1-877-877-8759

About Our Trips

Explore. Engage. Create.

Whether discovering Inca ruins in the Andes, hiking along China's Great Wall, snorkeling the reefs of Belize, or riding a camel through the desert in India, encounter incredible places close up, in the company of dynamic trip leaders and a National Geographic expert. Our expeditions go beyond just exploring great destinations. You'll get involved with local communities — playing soccer with kids in Ecuador, helping build schools in the Caribbean, and teaching English to children in Tanzania.

Eligibility

Students completing 9th through 12th grades are eligible to participate in National Geographic Student Expeditions.

Our Experience in Exploration

With more than a century of exploration behind us, we've developed a vast network of resources across the globe. We tap into these resources when crafting our itineraries, working with experts and contacts to create unique and exciting opportunities for students.

In Peru, for example, visit the lab of National Geographic grantee and archaeologist Guillermo Cock and hear an account of his ground-breaking discovery of thousands of Inca mummies. Get to know a Maasai elder in Tanzania, and climb a glacier with a local scientist in Iceland. In Beijing, meet with editors of the recently launched Chinese-language edition of National Geographic magazine.

To make these innovative trips possible, we have partnered with Putney Student Travel — a highly respected student travel organization that has offered quality student expeditions for more than 50 years. Putney is a leader in its field, delivering students successful, safe, innovative, and fun expeditions all around the world.  

A Blend of Education and Adventure

We've combined education and adventure to create well-rounded expeditions. Enjoy outdoor activities like hiking, snorkeling, rafting, or horseback riding, and immerse yourself in the local culture, playing soccer with school children, interacting with fishermen, or visiting the homes of artisans and farmers. On many trips, you will have an opportunity to give back to the communities you visit by participating in community-service projects such as helping build a house, clearing forest trails, or tutoring students in English. In addition, our National Geographic On Assignment projects provide an opportunity to delve into an area of interest — photography, writing, culture and arts, and many more. Our itineraries allow you the flexibility to take advantage of spontaneous events while still providing full and structured days.

National Geographic On Assignment Projects

On each of our expeditions, you'll have an opportunity to choose from one of three On Assignment projects offered on the trip. Throughout the expedition, you'll break into smaller exploration teams to pursue your On Assignment project. With the guidance of trip leaders and our National Geographic expert, you'll brainstorm ideas, choose a focus, and develop your project during the course of the trip. Dig deeper into a country's landscape and culture to develop your own story through writing, photography, or hands-on research. As you explore ancient Maya caves in Belize, spot lions on the Tanzanian plains, or trek across glaciers in Iceland, you'll experience your surroundings through the personalized lens of your project.

Click here to see our ten On Assignment projects and the destinations in which they're offered.

Our Dynamic Travel Groups

STUDENTS. There's nothing quite like traveling with peers. Imagine trekking in the foothills of the Himalayas in India or watching wildlife in the Galápagos Islands with new friends. Seeing a place through their eyes as well as your own brings a whole new dimension to your experience. Our groups will generally range between 16 and 26 students, except for the Costa Rica, Caribbean, and Spain expeditions, which can accommodate up to 40 students.

TRIP LEADERS. Our trip leaders are dynamic college graduates who are pursuing careers in journalism, photography, writing, filmmaking, and science, as well as other fields. They are fun, energetic, creative, safety conscious, and knowledgeable. And they are explorers in their own right. They know the destination well and seek to share their love of travel with high school students. Our student-to-trip-leader ratio is usually between six and eight to one, and never more than nine to one, allowing students to break into smaller exploration teams throughout the trip. Click here to see a few of the trip leaders who may accompany you.

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC EXPERTS. On each trip, a National Geographic photographer, writer, researcher, or explorer will join us for a portion of the trip (generally three to seven days). Whether it's archaeologist Peter Frost in Peru, geographer David Scott Silverberg in the Galápagos Islands, or photographer Tino Soriano in Spain, our experts are leaders in their field who will enrich the trip with their stories, knowledge, enthusiasm, and insiders' perspectives. Click here to see some of the National Geographic experts who will join our expeditions.

Our Accommodations

On all of our expeditions, we use accommodations that are well located, clean, and safe. On most programs, we stay in small, family-run inns and hostels; student centers; university housing; or scientific research stations. Sometimes our accommodations are part of the adventure. For instance, we'll settle into safari camps in Tanzania, pitch tents in the rain forests of Belize during a jungle survival course, sleep in bunks on board a sailboat in the Caribbean, and stay beside the Great Wall at the rural home of a Chinese family.

Community Service

We believe that participating in community service is a great way to become more engaged with the place you're exploring while making a useful contribution. On most of our expeditions, if you choose this activity, you will have an opportunity to give back to the community by participating for a few hours or as much as several days in a service project. Depending on the location and the community's needs, this could involve helping with small-scale construction, clearing forest trails, tutoring students in English, or another short-term project. At the end of the expedition, if you have participated in community service work, you will receive a certificate stating the number of hours you have logged. Below are estimated community service hours for each trip. Please note that these are estimates and cannot be guaranteed, and hours may vary depending on the options the student chooses. You will need to check with your school to determine if community service hours on our expeditions will qualify toward your school's community service requirement.

Estimated Community Service Hours on each Expedition*:

*There is not a community service component on our expeditions to Spain, Ireland, Iceland or Belize.

Our Sustainable Travel Philosophy

As an organization that seeks to inspire others to care about the planet, National Geographic is committed to sustaining the character and integrity of each place we visit — its environment, culture, heritage, and the well-being of its residents. In providing authentic travel experiences for students, we strive to protect the sites we visit and to support local economies in our choice of accommodations and services.

Our Scholarship Program

The National Geographic Student Expeditions Scholarship Program provides financial support for students seeking educational summer experiences who could otherwise not afford them. Diverse student groups enhance group dynamics and learning opportunities for all involved.

Click here for more information about our scholarship program. If you are interested in making a contribution, please contact us via or phone at 1-877-877-8759.

Transportation To and From Expeditions

All expeditions begin and end at a meeting point at a U.S. airport—generally New York (JFK), Newark, Miami, or Los Angeles. We have arranged for international group flights and special group airfare for each expedition. We have also arranged for an escort to accompany students on all international group flights. International airfare is not included in the cost of the tuition and should be booked through our office. All participants must join these escorted international group flights unless we receive written authorization from a parent for alternate transportation plans to the starting point or from the ending point of the expedition. Parents are responsible for making arrangements for participants to arrive at and return from the domestic departure/return meeting points.

Preparing For Your Expedition

In the months leading up to your adventure, we will send you a variety of materials to help you prepare for your trip, including books, magazines, maps, or DVDs produced by National Geographic, as well as a complimentary one-year subscription to a National Geographic magazine of your choice. Not only will these provide background information about your destination, they'll also get you thinking about the kind of On Assignment project you'd like to pursue.