Our founder, Giovanna Holbrook, pioneered one of the first ever educational tours to the Galápagos Islands when she gathered a group of scientists, professors, and natural history enthusiasts to explore the archipelago. Holbrook Travel was formally established a few years later in 1974, and since then we’ve taken thousands of students and educators to the far corners of the world. Today, we continue her mission by offering students the opportunity to learn through experience. Our staff travels regularly to meet with our expert local guides, inspect sites, and evaluate lodgings to ensure that all programs meet our benchmarks for safety, academic standards, and value.

Our hands-on educational programs are designed to foster a deeper understanding and appreciation of science, history, language, and world cultures. Developed with national academic standards in mind, our interdisciplinary and multicultural programs help students develop critical thinking skills and provide a real-world context for concepts learned in the classroom. With extensive experience in multiple regions of world, Holbrook has been building connections in our host countries for over four decades, and can provide the best opportunities for students to learn about the world's cultures and environments.

High Schools

Our K-12 academic trips are designed to provide the most valuable and enjoyable opportunities for true cultural exchange and experiential learning. With guidance from your Holbrook consultant, you can build a custom itinerary with your choice of activities such as language immersion, cultural exchange, scientific research, or service projects just to name a few. We’re experts at coordinating trips designed to immerse students in authentic natural environments and cultural experiences. 

Holbrook supports high school juniors and seniors in obtaining pre-college credits for some travel programs. These credits, offered by Lees-McRae College, are fully transferable, meaning the student can enter university with approved college credits in science. Subjects include tropical conservation, biology, and ecology.

Colleges and Universities

International education does more than broaden a student's perspective of the world; it can be a transformative process that changes beliefs, goals, and the trajectory of entire lives. Holbrook is founded on the idea that the world is our classroom and it naturally extends that focus to developing and implementing education trips and undergraduate and graduate student travel. We provide all of the logistical support, international connections, and safety and security protocols to make your faculty-led short course study program as successful as possible.

Study Abroad Offices

In addition to working with faculty directly, we work with study abroad offices to develop and refine international travel programs that align with course requirements across different disciplines. Our expertise across a wide variety of regions and a broad range of subjects makes us an ideal candidate for study abroad offices seeking to build a long-term partnership with a trusted and reliable travel provider. 

Girl Scouts & Youth Groups

We support the Girl Scout initiative to prepare girls to become active participants in their local and global communities. To meet this goal, itineraries include opportunities for the girls to have fun while learning, engage with in-country Girl Scouts, and take part in the decision-making process along the way.  Our hope is that the experiences the girls have while traveling will be monumental in their transition to becoming mature young women.

Since Holbrook Travel and Girl Scouts joined in partnership in 2007, Girl Scouts have traveled on numerous destinations trips stretching across the globe. Through these programs with us, Girl Scouts have encountered exciting, life-changing international experiences, creating memories that will impact their lives forever.

While traveling, girls will have opportunities to earn various Girl Scouts awards and insignia to add to their uniforms. Through the many hands-on activities, the girls will undergo physical and mental challenges, requiring them to work efficiently together and use critical-thinking skills. Girl Scout Cadettes will be able to earn their LiA (Leadership in Action) Award by assisting the younger Scouts during the journey. Lastly, any Girl Scout who is hoping to earn her Bronze, Silver, or Gold Award will discover and learn about issues in a foreign place, which could later assist her in identifying an issue in her own community to focus on for her project. Above all else, our programs can help the girls to grow as individuals, discover new ways to work together, and gain practical skills while learning about the world around them.