Traveling with People to People

My daughter did the australia trip abt 3 y/o she was 15. I think it is a great experience for them. My girlfriend two children each attended trips at different times and had a blast. They came back with great knowledge of the places they went. My kid however claims she had a terrible time but came home with over 300 photos and lots of stories.i have a younger child who is not old enough yet but would definatily send her if given the oppertunity.

Hi K., My oldest has recieved invations from People to People a number of times over the years. It seems like a good program if you can afford it, but we never went any futher than an informational meeting. I hope you can find someone with first hand knowledge of them & their programs here. I personally think that under the age of 16 is too young for international travel without a parent...too many things can go very very wrong. But then again some might say I'm too over protective. Best wishes and good luck!

I know kids who have traveled with People to People, and my daughter also received the invitation for Australia. We are not interested. She has been involved with another international program since she was 11...much, much less expensive than P2P, and much more cultural immersion than P2P. P2P is more of a touring program, although they market themselves otherwise. They also will not give you information upfront...you have to go to the information meeting first.

That being said, I have known kids who have traveled with P2P. Anyone I know who has traveled with P2P has had a wonderful experience.

I traveled when I was your son's age, and I encourage it with my children as well. You have to feel very comfortable with the supervision and the overall program. My kids are involved with an excellent program, as I was.

All the best...

Hi K.,

Go to the meeting and ask as many questions you can come up with (make a list) ... if you think they did not answer them or you do not feel good about the whole thing. Then do not send him!

There is a meeting in Plymouth Meeting on September 12th @ 5pm-6pm (about 1hr) ... Plymouth White Marsh High School.

Go and see for yourself!!

Google it! My husband did and said while they do travel, it has hidden costs that you incur after you've committed. We got an invite for our son who's entering 5th to go to England and France. Kind of interesting that there's more destinations. Be careful!

Hi K.,

Does he want to go? Have you been involved with the
local program?

What about him going with he 15 years old instead of now?

just a thought. Good luck. D.

Hi K.,

I'm a high school special education teacher. I have had two students travel with People to People and have one coworker who works for them as a chaperone teacher. I have written many recommendations. It is a very well organized group and the students come from all over, so it's wonderful. I would say the ONLY drawback is the cost. It's not cheap for the parents, but you can fundraise. It's a wonderful opportunity for your son and quite a compliment that some teacher feels he is a potential leader and recommended him!!!! Congratulations!

Hi K.,
My step-daughter went to Italy and Greece with People to People last summer. she had a great time. The only problem was that her calling cards did not work. We called her. If the oppertunity came again, we would send her.
L.

My niece went when she was 13...same organization, to Australia. I thought my sister was crazy for letting her go at first, but she researched it thoroughly, went to all of the preparatory classes w/ her daughter, got to know the chaperones, and felt comfortable sending her in the end. She knew a 13 year old who had gone a couple of years before her, also. My niece had an amazing experience! You will need to check it out and determine whether your son is ready. My niece also did fundraising in advance for her trip.

We have been receiving the invites for several years. We did not initially allow our son to go because the first invites were for Sports Ambassadors and he was not playing that sport anymore. However, we are looking into the 2010 Austrailia trip (son is 17). We have a friend whose daughter went on 2 trips-1 when she was 12 to Europe and another to Austrailia. Both her and her mother's opinion of the trips was that they were totally worth it and you should take advantage of them. They said boys might prefer Austrailia because the activities are more active. Also, cost was an issue but compared to a school trip (which she also took to Europe) she felt P2P was much more worthwhile because all of your time is scheduled and you do so much more. They said that if your child does not do well with constant activity, P2P trips are not for him. I hope this helps and if you are going to Williamsport in August, I will see you there.

I went to the UK with People to People when I was 12. I wouldn't say it was the best experience of my life. I made some friends on the trip, but overall it was a little lonely at that time in my life to be traveling with more or less strangers.

We did raise funds for the trip, and it was a hardship for my family, but I am very grateful that they gave me that opportunity.

As mentioned, the chaperones are teachers, which in my case meant they did an excellent job keeping a tight reign on everyone as far as safety goes. Throughout the training before the trip it was drilled into us that we were ambassadors for our country, state, county, school, etc, and that we needed to act as such. We also met with a Congressional Rep in DC to add further credence to the idea.

I had the unfortunate experience of getting sick on the trip. Though I imagine that was hard on my parents, one of my chaperones took me to the local hospital and stayed with me the entire time. They were also able to notify my parents immediately.

I was able to talk to my parents at a few different junctures, at least once at one of the home-stay opportunities.

If you do allow your son to go, I would coach him ahead of time on how to be comfortable in new situations, with new people, etc. I would also make sure he has a camera he is comfortable using. I'm not sure about the food in Australia, but I lived off snickers bars in England because I hated fish, and that is a lot of what we were served. I eat it now, but didn't then! So getting him ready for expanding his eating experiences would be good!

The views were amazing. The touring was amazing. I would agree that they keep you very busy. It's not like there's every really a moment in the day that you are just sitting around doing nothing.

Overall, it was a great experience. I hope I've given you an inside view to my experiences.

It's good you're asking about this, although I've never heard of this group.
I have heard numerous news stories of groups like this, though, that invite children to go somewhere internationally and then quite a few of them never come back, and here's why: they are usually the youngest and/or best looking kids in the group, and the whole thing was a facade to get good picks of children for pedophile sex-trafficking rings. Some of the children get recovered after an investigation, but many of them die in their slavery.
So like I said, it's good that you're checking this out to be sure, before you let him go.

My daughter has received invitations to go on these trips, but we have never sent her. We could not afford it, and were worried if there would be enough supervision.

My kids were not mature enough at 13 to travel to another country without their parents, but now that they are older, I would consider it, if we could afford it.

I know one family whose child went, and they did fund raisers so she could go on the trip. She sold stuff and they sent letters to all their friends and relatives soliciting money. I would not feel comfortable doing that.

When we received the first invitation, I googled People to People, and found good and bad responses.

Why don't you attend the informational meeting, see what it's all about. If you feel your child is mature enough and you can afford it, it sounds like a great opportunity.

HI K.,
My mom is actually a leader with People to People and has been for 7 years now. I have been to a few meetings with her and I know some other leaders from various locations as well. Any trip that the P2P organization takes is an experience of a lifetime! The students get to go to and see places that other tourists do not since it is run by the government. For example, when my mom went to Australia, the P2P group was able to tour Aboriginal lands which are considered sacred and not open to the public. The kids learn alot about the cultures and the way natives live. Sometimes, the leaders will arrange a "field trip" during the year before they go (they always go in the summer)that pertains to the country they will be visiting. For example, before they went to Russia, my mom and the other leaders arranged a day at a Russian tea room somewhere in Bucks county. They also visited a japanese restaurant where they learned to eat with chopsticks and learned different phrases and customs/traditions before their trip to Japan. Your child is safe!! Usually there is one leader per every 10 children. Originally, the leaders had to be teachers or nurses in order to get the job. My mom is a teacher and the ladies she chaperones with are a teacher, a school administrator and a nurse. It really is an amazing opportunity. it is not all fun and games, though. it is a learning experience. Your child will do some kind of community service in each country. My mom went to greece, france and Italy this summer. In Greece they painted curbs in some village (sounds strange, but I guess it was for a good cause) and in Italy they visited a home for handicapped and mentally challenged children, many of whom were abandoned by their parents. Sometimes the trips include a home stay, where carefully screened and sometimes repeat couples with children play host to your child and other P2P students. There is an interview process that your child must go through...the leaders are looking for all around good natured and well rounded kids and are curious what they would do in certain situations. Like, what would you do if food you were not familiar with was placed in front of you or how do you feel about climbing a mountain or how do you react if your luggage gets lost?? The trips are expensive, but completely worth every penny. Many kids fundraise, but others have parents that will pay for it themselves. the trips are very organized and once the group arrives at it's destination, they are met by a P2P appointed leader who is from that country. This person follows the itinerary that has been developed for this group. There is a phone chain that informs parents of the arrivals and departures of your child, as well. Your child should probably pack light b/c as I recall, Austalia is a 3 week trip and whatever baggage he brings, he will be resposible for carrying. Usually not as big of a problem as it is for girls (hair products, makeup and clothes for the high school girls!). My mom has done the Australia tirp 2X and possibly a 3rd summer 2010. It is awesome and i am so jealous that she gets to go. They have done hot air ballooning, snorkeled the great barrier reef, and basically covered the entire country. What county do you live in? That is how the groups are arranged. I'm trying to think of everything, but I think you to get the idea...it's great! I really wish my parents had not thrown my invitations to P2P trips in the trash when I was a teenager...they thought it was fake! How funny that my mom is now involved in the organization! If you want to talk to my mom, she would be more than happy to talk to you, I'm sure. Just email me and I will get you in contact with her. Hope I helped!

A teacher friend of mine was a chaperone. It is chaperoned by teachers and professions. She also held mandatory classes all year to educate the students about Australian culture. It was a rewarding experience for her and the students.

Hi!
My best friend went to Australia with People to People when we young teenagers, probably 13 or 14. She absolutely loved the trip and still talks about it and has pictures from the trip in her house. Her parents were some of the strictest and most over protective that I have encountered in my lifetime, so if they let her go, I know it must have been safe! Good luck with the decsion, but I am sure it is an experience that will make lifetime of memories!