Travel for Teens - East Coast Explorer and Service

  United States

• Other Cities in United States: 
New York,  Philadelphia,  Washington D.C.

Duration of Program: 1-2 weeks
Dates: July 8 - July 20, 2010

Description: Come see the USA like never before, as you cruise through three of the East Coast's most happening and historically rich cities. Along the way, you'll get to help out the local community as you participate in meaningful service projects and come to see another side of these famous places.

We begin in the greatest city of them all - New York. Here, the action never ceases, the lights never dim, and the energy never stops pulsing through its historic streets. It all converges at Times Square, a confluence of people and culture at the heart of the city where we'll shop and explore before peering back into the city's past, to learn about its cultural heritage as we tour Ellis Island and visit the Statue of Liberty. We'll visit the Met to admire its world-class art collection, and even take in a Broadway show!

Then it's on to Philadelphia, the nation's first capital. We'll look back into the city's role in the early days of the American Republic, and check out the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall and tons of other important historic sites. Then we'll take a closer look at the city today, as we set ourselves to performing valuable service for local communities. You'll choose how to devote your 15 hours of service from among several options - tutoring disadvantaged children, helping out at a local animal clinic, or helping to build a playground.

Once this work is done, we head to Washington, D.C., seat of American government and home to world-famous monuments and museums. We'll tour the White House and the Congress, visit the National Mall, and wander through the vast collections of the Smithsonian museums.

Along the way, we'll eat fantastic local food - including genuine Philly cheesesteaks - head to an amusement park for a day of thrill, and shop in some of the most fashionable districts in the world. Like all TFT trips, our East Coast excursion gives you tons of options to choose from at every turn, so that you can determine how to get the most out of your time. With your TFT counselors there to guide you safely through these three unforgettable cities, you're guaranteed to have the summer of your life!

Highlights:
- Perform 15 hours of important service work to benefit Philadelphia communities.
- Experience the hustle and bustle of New York's Times Square.
- Shop along Fifth Avenue for the latest fashions.
- Visit Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty to re-live the city's history of European immigration.
- Scarf down a genuine Philly cheesesteak ("wiz wit," as they say here).
- Look back at the history of the American Revolution with a trip to Valley Forge.
- Learn about the early days of the United States as you visit Independence Hall.
- Eat a meal at an authentic 18th-century restaurant, where you dine by candlelight.
- Visit the National Mall, home of the Lincoln Memorial and the Vietnam Wall.
- Tour the White House and the U.S. Congress.
- Head into the stratosphere and beyond with a trip to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.

Cost in US$: USD 3,985

Experience Required: no

This Program is open to Asian, Australian, Canadian, European and Worldwide Participants.

Application Process Involves:

• Other

Travel For Teens's Mission Statement: Travel for Teens believes that teen travel should be both fun and enriching. Our programs feature choice in what you do, see, and experience, a dynamic that sets us apart from superficial tours that herd large groups from one site to another. We visit the best of the mainstream attractions while offering the opportunity to explore the culture from a less touristy perspective. We interact with our host cultures, taking cooking and dance lessons, performing valuable service work to help local communities, and conversing with the people who have spent their lives living in the places we journey to. We have crafted our unique programs to engender love for travel, hunger for learning, curiosity about differences, appreciation of similarities across cultures, and an understanding of what it means to be a global citizen.

Year Founded: 2003