Study Abroad.com (www.studyabroad.com) 610-499-9200 Many opportunities for students but they must first check with their school to see if they can get college credits for the trips.
Road Scholar (www.roadscholar.org) Road Scholar takes you behind the scenes to experience firsthand the world’s most fascinating cultures and habitats.
National Outdoors Leadership School (www.nols.edu) 800-710-6657 NOLS founder Paul Petzoldt's idea was simple: take people into the wilderness for an extended period of time, teach them the right things, feed them well and when they walk out of the mountains, they will be skilled leaders. Expedition, from two weeks to twelve. Undergrads at more than 400 colleges can receive college credit for semester courses.
Lingua Service Worldwide (www.linguaserviceworldwide.com) 800-394- 5327 Lingua Service Worldwide, Ltd., an independent foreign language program agency, represents private foreign language schools all over the world that specialize in offering “full immersion” language program opportunities. These foreign language study abroad programs have been developed with the purpose of teaching a new language within its own setting in a short period of time.
Shaw Guides (www.shawguides.com) 212-799-6464 Established in 1988 as a publisher of comprehensive worldwide guides to educational travel and creative career programs, ShawGuides has offered free online access to the unabridged, continually updated content of each guide since 1995.
You can search the database of more than 5,300 career and recreational cooking schools, wine courses, golf & tennis schools & camps, high performance programs, writers conferences, photography, film & video workshops & schools, art & craft workshops, language vacations, cultural travel programs, and artists' and writers' residencies & retreats.
Smithsonian Journeys (www.smithsonianjourneys.org) 877-338-8687 Smithosonian includes Top-Notch Study Leaders, One-of-a-Kind Itineraries, Unique Access to People and Places.
Family Travel
Mister Spiffy (www.family-reunion.com) Reunion Resources Family reunion planning software - Family Reunion Organizer helps you track families, finances, assignments, schedule, and more. Numerous printouts, and it can even create a family reunion web page! Download a FREE newsletter, full of ideas on how to plan the perfect family reunion! Here's a list of great spots to hold a reunion, submitted by visitors like you. Resource Guide list everything you need to help plan your family reunion
FamilyFun.com (www.family.com/travel) Disney-produced Web site Since 1996, Get tips on travel with kids, advice on planning last-minute vacations, travel games for kids, and a trip planner tool to select the best family vacations.
Family Travel Files (www.thefamilytravelfiles.com) The Travel Phases page
of this site reviews age-appropriate destinations; list of special events and festivals organized by state; many useful links.
Family Travel Forum (www.familytravelforum.com) 212-665-6124, Membership-based online newsletter that lists family-friendly travel
agents and tips, with links to its other Web sites. $38 annual membership.
Family Travel Network (www.familytravelnetwork.com) 703-905-9858, The Family Travel Network is the nation's oldest and largest free online site devoted exclusively to family vacations. The website provides objective family travel information, tips and resources to parents, grandparents, kids, travel professionals, and others. We are not a travel agency, and we do not sell travel on this site.
The Family Travel Network serves as an unbiased source of family travel advice, reviews, bargains, and articles by travel industry experts.
Special Needs and Disabled
Access-Able Travel (www.access-able.com) 303-232-2979, Comprehensive site where you can access informaiton and resrouces on travel agencies, tours, cruises and travel tips for mature travelers and those with special needs.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (www.cdc.gov/travel) 877-394-8747, A goverment site with indispensable site for travel info on diseases and prevention from the U.S. Department of Health.
Emerging Horizons (www.emerginghorizons.com) 209-599-9409, Emerging Horizons is a consumer oriented magazine about accessible travel. Emerging Horizons' primary focus is travel for people with mobility disabilities. Lots of access information, resources, news and travel tips. All with no advertising! Available in print and online. Annual subscriptions are $14.95.
Global Dialysis (www.globaldialysis.com) Global Dialysis has been created as a resource for dialysis patients who want to travel nationally and internationally. Our aim is to collect and provide as much travel information as possible for dialysis patients; Currently have just over 10,240 dialysis centers in 115 countries; Accommodation, travel agents, tours and cruises and travel insurance companies that cater for dialysis patients; Directory of kidney patient associations around the world as a source of independent advice; Free newsletter for the most up-to-date info.
International Association for Medical Assistance to Travellers (www.iamat.org) 716-754-4883, IAMAT is a non-profit organization that aims to advise travellers about health risks, the geographical distribution of diseases worldwide, immunization requirements for all countries, and to make competent medical care available to travellers by western-trained doctors who speak English.
Medical Travel Inc. (www.medicaltravel.org) 800-778-7953, This site is a travel agency that sets up vacations for dialysis and oxygen patients and families of the terminally ill. Arranges for rental equipment such as golf carts and oxygen tanks.
MedicAlert (www.medicalert.org) 888-633-4298, Members wear a special bracelet or necklace engraved with an ID number that is linked to medical history. Membership is $35 for the first year, $20 annual renewal fee. Provide your emergency medical information only to authorized medical professionals. MedicAlert Foundation protects the privacy and confidentiality of our members by never releasing information to unauthorized personnel or organizations.
Mobility International USA (www.miusa.org) 541- 343-1284, Empowering people with disabilities around the world through international exchange and international development to achieve their human rights. MI's mission is to include the disabled in global exchange programs.
Society for Accessible Travel and Hospitality (www.sath.org) 212-447-7284, The Society for Accessible Travel & Hospitality (SATH) is a non-profit educational organization that actively represents travelers with disabilities.
Travel O2 (www.travelo2.com) 888-467-3563, Specializes in info and rentals for travelers who depend on special oxygen supplies. Good resource for info on regulations on traveling with O2.
Travel With Pets
Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (www.aphis.usda.gov/travel) 866-723-4827, A site from The U.S. Department of
Agriculture on what you can and cannot do when traveling with pets.
Hike With Your Dog.com (www.hikewithyourdog.com) This site has
direct links to more than 2000 dog friendly parks,
dog regulations for national parks in the US and Canada. There is a place where you can
share a favorite hike with your dog with others. The "Park of the Month"
archives detail the doggy life in a particular U.S. park each month (with
links), and you can search for dog-friendly hikes by state. Also offers
"Hike With Your Dog" tours of the mid-Atlantic region.
Pet Friendly Travel.com (www.petfriendlytravel.com) Find pet friendly hotels and lodging so you can travel with your pet. PetFriendlyTravel.com gives you easy access to pet friendly accommodations, including pet friendly hotels, vacation rentals, motels, inns, bed and breakfasts, resorts and lodges in the US and Canada.
Pet Travel Inc. (www.pettravel.com) 954-684-9535, Worldwide lodging info with 19,128 listings. Search by city, state,/province, region or country. Comprehensive info on immigration laws, airline policies and pet-friendly restaurants.
Pets on the Go (www.petsonthego.com) 781-934-7202 Pets on the Go™ is a guide for information on pet friendly B&Bs, inns, hotels, resorts and private rentals. Membership ($15 annually) allows you to customize your search and access premium content.
Pets Welcome.com, (www.petswelcome.com) 845-297-5150, Over 25,000 hotels, B&Bs, ski resorts, campgrounds, and beaches that are pet-friendly. Travel Tips section tells how to take your pet anywhere. The "Search by Route" feature helps you plan your trip from the moment you leave home until you return.
Dietary Concerns
Green Earth Travel (www.vegtravel.com) 888-246-8343 Green Earth Travel,LLC was founded in 1991, and is a vegetarian/vegan/eco travel agency.
Happy Cow's Global Guide to Vegetarian Restaurants (www.happycow.net) HappyCow's Vegetarian Guide to Restaurants and Health Food Stores is a world guide created to assist travelers and locals find vegetarian and healthy foods.
Shamash: The Jewish Network (www.shamash.org/kosher) This is the Web's most complete and accurate database of kosher restaurants around the world. Here are listings of over 1800 restaurants in over 40 countries updated weekly with the input of thousands of volunteers around the world.
Vegetarian Resource Group (www.vrg.org) 410- 366-8343 Resrouce for travel among otherlinks.
VegDining.com (www.vegdining.com) lists veggie restaurants worldwide.
Volunteering Vacations
Sierra Club (www.sierraclub.org/outings) 415-977-5522 The environmental group offers more than 350 volunteer-led trips worldwide, including 90 volunteer vacations in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.
American Hiking Society,(www.americanhiking.org) 800-972- 8608, www.americanhiking.org. For about $100 you can spend one to two weeks, working six to eight hours a day, cleaning and help preserve U.S. trails while you are camping. Try the map interface.
Amizade (www.amizade.org) 888-973-4443,
Amizade encourages intercultural exploration and understanding through community-driving service-learning courses and volunteer programs.
Fees and schedule listed on site.
Cross Cultural Solutions (www.crossculturalsolutions.org)
800-380- 4777, Opportunity for participants to work side-by-side with local people, on locally designed and driven projects. Two- to 12-week humanitarian trips in 10 countries that are tailored to your skills and interest. Fees ($2,279 to $4,873) include all
in-country expenses.
Earthwatch Institute (www.earthwatch.org) 800- 776-0188, Earthwatch Institute engages people worldwide in scientific field research and education to promote the understanding and action necessary for a sustainable environment. Collect data alongside scientists on archaeological digs and wildlife studies. All levels of expertise
welcome. Trips usually range from one to two weeks, $700-$4,000.
Earth Island Institute's Global Service Corps (www.globalservicecorps.org) 415-788-3666, Ext. 128, Global Service Corps (GSC) is a nonprofit international volunteer organization.The GSC program offers opportunities for participants from developed countries to work together with citizens of developing countries on village-based sustainable development community service projects. Costs start at about $2,075 for two weeks.
Explorations in Travel (www.volunteertravel.com) 802-257- 0152, Short-term
individual placements with ecological, conservation and wildlife projects in Ecuador, Costa Rica and Puerto Rico. $775-$975 for the placement; volunteers responsible for their expenses.
Global Volunteers ( www.globalvolunteers.org) 800-487-1074,(NGO) in special consultative status with the United Nations, Global Volunteers mobilizes some 150 service-learning teams year-around to work in 18 countries on six continents, and is the internationally recognized leader in this field of work.
Volunteers work in the United States and abroad (19 countries, including Ghana and the Cook Islands) on projects determined by locals to be most important, such as job skills or health care. Most volunteers for the one- to three-week programs are 50 to 80 years old. Costs $750-$2,900.
Habitat for Humanity's Global Village Program (www.habitat.org/GV) 800-422-4828, Team members work alongside members of the host community, raising awareness of the burden of poverty housing and building decent, affordable housing worldwide. Costs $1,200-$4,000.
Health Volunteers Overseas (www.hvousa.org) 202- 296-0928,
Health Volunteers Overseas (HVO) is a private, non-profit, non-sectarian voluntary organization headquartered in the United States. HVO is dedicated to improving the availability and quality of health care in developing countries through training and education.
Programs vary according to the needs of the countries in which they are located. However, there are certain principles that apply across all programs:
Average assignment is one month.
Volunteers cover their expenses, usually around $2,400.
International Volunteer Programs Association (www.volunteerinternational.org) 212-807-8686, The International Volunteer Programs Association (IVPA) is an alliance of nonprofit, non-governmental organizations based in the Americas, that are involved in international volunteer and internship exchanges.
Links to organizations with volunteer
exchange programs that suit your interest or destination.
Passport in Time (www.passportintime.com) 800-281-9176,
Passport in Time (PIT) is a volunteer archaeology and historic preservation program of the USDA Forest Service (FS). We invite you to work with professional archaeologists and historians on projects including archaeological excavation, rock art restoration, survey, archival research, historic structure restoration, gathering oral histories, or writing interpretive brochures. Archaeological and historic preservation programs by the U.S. Forest Service. No fee to participate, but you often must provide your own transportation, food and lodging.
Wilderness Volunteers (www.wildernessvolunteers.org) 928-556- 0038, Wilderness Volunteers is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization created in 1997 to organize and promote volunteer service to America's wild lands. We work with public land agencies including the National Park Service, the Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management and the US Fish and Wildlife Service. We don't charge the agencies for our work, but they supply tools and supervision for the projects. It's incredible how much work a group of hearty volunteers can do in a week's time! All trips are led by volunteer leaders. Trips are one week long and are limited to 12 or fewer participants. Meals are included in the trip price. Participants share camp chores. Most trips include extra time to explore and enjoy the area in which they are based. Participants provide their own camping gear (a list specific to each trip will be mailed with registration confirmation), a sense of adventure, and a willingness to contribute time and energy to worthy projects. Most trips are less than $200 a week. Camping gear is not
supplied. We use the Body Mass Index (BMI) when looking at height/weight ratios. You can find your BMI here. If you have a BMI over 28, you will probably be turned down for most of the trips.
Misc.
Hostelling International USA (www.hiusa.org) 202-783- 6161 We are the American affiliate of the Hostelling International network (low-cost lodging) of more than 5,000 hostels in over 60 countries. As a nonprofit organization, we have nearly 70 years of experience serving young travelers.
National Association of Retired Federal Employees (www.narfe.org) 800-627-3394 Membership for those 55 and over is $18 a year (normally $28 a year) and includes international travel insurance coverage and discounts on Greyhound. You need to be a member to access the travel info.
Gay Friendly
Damron ( www.damron.com) 800-462-6654 Listing of many gay-owned establishments for accomodations and travel.
GayRes.com (www.gayres.com) GayRes.com the largest gay travel service specializing in discount accommodations worldwide. Offer savings of up to 69% off hotel prices. Provide discount accommodations in hotels.
GayTravel.com (www.gaytravel.com) 800-429-8728 Get advice from industry experts as well as fellow lesbigay travelers, book all your travel arrangements and receive special pricing and upgrades .
International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association (www.iglta.com) 800-448-8550 IGLTA is the world's leading travel trade association committed to growing and enhancing its members gay and lesbian tourism business through education, promotion and networking.
Out and About (www.outandabout.com) 800-929-2268 OUT & ABOUT is the acclaimed newsletter for gay and lesbian travelers and for travel agents who serve the gay/lesbian market.
Cruises