Summer Trips Built Around Cultural Immersion
This week’s we were planning to highlight our cultural immersion trips. And honestly, the timing feels more important than ever.
At RLT, we know that real growth comes from expanding our view of the world. Not just learning about other cultures, but learning with them. Our families and teens already lead with curiosity, empathy, and the desire to connect across differences. That mindset matters. But finding the right opportunities to put it into practice can be hard.
That’s where these trips come in.
Our cultural immersion trips are built to create those moments. Sharing meals. Hearing stories. Building relationships with people whose lives look different from our own.
There’s so much beauty, strength, and wisdom in the communities we partner with. These trips remind teens, and all of us, that the world is bigger than our own experience. And that finding your place in it starts with understanding someone else’s.
Below you’ll find part one of our cultural immersion trips. Part two is coming soon ✨
In Peru, teens travel through the Sacred Valley and high into the Andes Mountains. They partner with a local education nonprofit, visit traditional weaving cooperatives, and support a rural water project through hands-on service.
Along the way, they explore Cusco, hike to Machu Picchu, paddleboard on a high-altitude lake, and spend time in remote mountain communities. Living and working in these environments gives teens a deeper understanding of daily life in the region and the challenges many families face. This trip is also part of our Spanish Immersion category.
Morocco blends village life, language learning, and service in the High Atlas Mountains with time in historic cities and the Sahara Desert.
Teens begin their days with language lessons, work on community-designed projects, and share meals with local hosts. They explore ancient kasbahs, visit cooperatives, ride camels into the desert, and spend nights under the stars. Cultural immersion happens through daily conversations, shared work, and living alongside community members.
🌿 Costa Rica: Coast to Canopy (High School)
In Costa Rica, teens live and work in rural communities while partnering on local service projects. Days include time with host families, hiking, playing soccer, and traveling from the mountains to the Caribbean coast.
Spanish and cultural learning are woven into daily life, from navigating towns to working alongside local partners. This trip gives teens consistent opportunities to build relationships and better understand life in Costa Rican communities. It is also part of our Spanish Immersion category.
🦜 Costa Rica: Journey Through the Jungle (Middle School)
Designed for younger teens, this program offers a supportive introduction to cultural immersion and international travel.
Teens work with local communities, explore rainforests and waterfalls, and spend time with Costa Rican hosts. Through shared meals, service work, and daily routines, teens learn what life looks like beyond their own experience. This trip is also part of our Spanish Immersion category.
🌴 Thailand: Elephants & Education
Thailand combines education, service, and conservation in a thoughtful and intentional way.
Teens spend time teaching English in local elementary schools, creating their own lessons and building relationships with students. They explore Bangkok and Chiang Mai, relax on Koh Samet island, and learn from caretakers at an ethical elephant conservation center.
There is no riding and no performances. Instead, teens help feed, bathe, and care for the elephants while learning about responsible conservation and tourism.
New to RLT in 2026, this trip introduces teens to both historic and contemporary Japan.
Participants explore Tokyo, visit temples and mountain villages, take part in cooking classes, connect with local students in schools, and learn from artisans and community leaders. From bullet train rides to overnight stays in traditional lodges, teens experience daily life through hands-on cultural learning.
Along the Costa Brava and in Barcelona, teens partner with a local community center with community members of all ages on service projects while exploring coastal towns and city neighborhoods.
They navigate public transportation, work alongside community partners, and spend time in everyday local spaces. Cultural immersion happens through shared work, travel, and daily interactions. This trip is also part of our Spanish Immersion category.