A very special congratulations to our own Joni Anderson for winning first prize in the 2011 Electronet Photographic Competition! Below is her award winning photo, taken at the Cobden tip on the South Island of New Zealand.

Check out our Podcasts! Listen to the Teen Travel Experts discuss tips on travel and why it's so important for kids today to participate in group travel abroad. Click here to listen.

We have a winner for our Video Contest. Click here to see who won a free trip to Ireland/Scotland!

Feedback from our latest class trip to London

Hey Ned,

I'm just writing you this email to tell you how much I truly appreciated the trip to London that I got to experience this past week. Honestly, with all truthfulness, as the date of the departure was nearing closer and closer I began to feel the complete opposite of all the other girls; as they were becoming more and more excited and elated for the trip, secretly I was becoming more and more scared, nervous, and unsure about everything that had to do with traveling to London and at some points all I wanted to do was get a refund and forget the trip was even an option. If you could imagine everything was just soooo new to me, like never flying, never being anywhere outside of the US, I've been away from my family for a longer period of time but never me being in one country and them in another, and I never stepped foot into an airport until the 15th. I'm somewhat of a worrier and I worried so much about everything like flying to worrying about being homesick, that I had myself so stressed out that I was unable to imagine the unbelievable times that were awaiting me in London.

When I finally did arrive in London though, by the time I was feeling better and I was experiencing my first London lunch, I could hardly believe how comfortable I was already feeling. I had such an amazing time in London and every part of the itinerary allowed us to experience such a diverse amount of things which many of them I most likely would not have ever experienced without this trip. I also found it fascinating that by the end of the trip I began to feel like a "Londoner" after journeying upon the streets of London and having you teach us how to travel upon the tube and read the maps in the station. I now feel confident that I can get around on the tube with success when I do get an opportunity to go back to London later in my life. :)

This trip was not only a wonderful learning experience but it was also a great way to take a break from all of my stresses and just enjoy the places, people, and experiences around me. I truly surprised myself with how comfortable I became and how much happiness I found in the things that we did. I learned not only about London but more importantly about myself and now have confidence for the next time I get to go abroad and travel.

When I got home, my family was sooo thrilled to hear about all of the experiences and journeys I took in England and I was super excited to tell them about EVERYTHING! I got some extremely unfortunate news this morning though, that my family had been keeping from me so that i could have an absolutely wonderful time in England and a happy return home. This morning they told me that my grandfather had passed away Friday while I was in England with you guys and its pretty hard for me to deal with because I never had a close family member die in my life before. Up until now I was happy to say that I still had all four of my grandparents and had never been to a viewing or funeral, but now I'm experiencing another first. The countless, unbelievable memories that I was blessed to experience in London will definitely be able to assist me through this difficult time, because these memories always seem to bring a smile to my face.

I just wanted to thank you so much for the positive, joyous, fun trip you allowed me to experience in England! I thank you for being patient with me when I was feeling sick, when I had trouble with my visa debit card, and when I had the mishap with my converter. This trip was a huge step in my life that I was able to accomplish with a smile upon my face the whole time and I can now look back upon the trip with complete joy and bliss! I will always remember the memories that I formed on this trip from the furious, older man on the tube to having you "choking my chain" about my grammar (now I say "May I?" instead of "Can I?") :-) to seeing London beautifully lit up the first night (my favorite) to being at the House of Parliament. Like I said earlier in the email, before the trip even began I wanted a refund and I wanted to back out but I am soooo glad that I didn't because by the end of the trip I honestly wanted to stay for a week longer! If I had the opportunity I would do it again in a heartbeat and I wish that all of the same individuals that went this time could go back in a couple years and make even more delightful memories with each other! This trip to London was a fabulous step in my life and I just truly want to thank you so much for making my first trip abroad sooo special! :-)

Sincerely,

Lexi

Boston Area Open House - Click for Details

If you live in the Boston area and are thinking about Travel for Teens this summer, swing by Winchester on Saturday, Feb. 5th to have a chat and refreshments with Italy Trip Director Nic Emery. Nic will be available to answer your questions about Travel for Teens and any of our trips, and you can also pick up a copy of our 2011 brochure.

Here's the info --

What: TFT Open House

When: February 5, 2011

Where: 9 Central St., Winchester, MA

Time: 5:00pm - 6:30pm

RSVP: Please let us know if you plan to come!
Email: nic@travelforteens.com
Phone: 888-457-4534

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Travel for Teens traveler Kyle Morales on FOX!
Learn about Kyle how made a difference in the lives of children during his community service trip to South Africa.
Click to Watch

NEW: TFT Passport Winner on NBC news!  Watch Travelforteens.com Silver Passport Winner Sarah Bond Warner share her story of giving... then winning!  A remarkable story of the rewards of generosity and hard work.
Click to Watch