Teen Travel Programs That Stick — In College, Career, and Beyond
“My daughter wrote about her RLT trip in her college common app essay — it was life-changing and gave her clarity about her future.” — Benedetta V., RLT Parent
Travel That Goes Beyond the Moment
The most meaningful teen travel experiences don’t end when the trip does. They show up again — in college essays, in interviews, in the kinds of questions teens start asking about their future.
We’ve seen it for decades: teens come home from an RLT trip with more confidence, new perspective, and real stories to tell. And those stories don’t just help them grow — they help them stand out.
This is what it looks like when travel sticks.
They Don’t Just Talk About the Trip — They Use It
When it comes time to apply for college or a summer internship, teens are often asked to reflect on a meaningful experience. With the right kind of trip, they don’t have to search for something to say — they already have it.
RLT alumni have written about rebuilding hiking trails in Maine, conducting environmental research in Greece, and working with wolves in Colorado. These aren’t surface-level stories. They’re reflections on responsibility, leadership, and growth.
And in interviews, teens who’ve traveled with RLT speak with real confidence — because they’ve been in unfamiliar places, solved problems with a team, and had to think on their feet. They don’t just talk about what they did. They talk about who they became.
Travel That Opens Up What’s Possible
Teens don’t have to know exactly what they want to do — that’s the point of exploring. But through hands-on experience, they often start to discover what excites them.
After planting native crops and restoring coastlines in Hawaii, some go on to study environmental science. After learning about animal care in Colorado, others pursue pre-vet tracks. The work is real — and it unlocks something.
Whether they end up in science, global studies, sustainability, education, or something else entirely, many teens say their RLT trip helped them figure out what direction to head in.
It’s clarity they carry forward.
Confidence That Doesn’t Come From a Classroom
It’s one thing to learn about culture, teamwork, or resilience in school. It’s another thing to live it — navigating a group through the streets of Barcelona, managing logistics during a service project in Costa Rica, or learning to communicate across language barriers.
These are real-world situations that stretch teens in ways a classroom can’t. And when they succeed — even in the small moments — they start to see themselves differently.
That shift in confidence is what parents notice most: teens who are more grounded, more open, and more capable of handling what’s next.
The Experiences That Set Them Apart
RLT trips aren’t designed to be resume boosters — but they often become just that. Teens aren’t shadowing or watching from the sidelines. They’re in it.
They’re contributing to meaningful service, navigating unfamiliar places, and working with people who’ve dedicated their lives to making change. These experiences speak volumes, even in a single paragraph on a college app.
And they resonate with admissions officers, employers, and mentors — because they’re real.
Give Your Teen a Summer That Stays With Them
A lot of things look good on paper. But not everything sticks. RLT teen travel programs give kids the kind of experience that doesn’t just fill a summer — it shapes who they become.
Spots for Summer 2025 are filling quickly.
