ARCC Summer Travel Programs for Teens

ARCC Summer Travel Programs for Teens includes a 14-day session where participants explore tidepools, study tide pools at Point Lobos Reserve, and snorkel in California’s kelp forests and at Channel Islands National Park. The program includes activities such as paddling through sea caves of Channel Islands National Park, whale watching in Monterey Bay, learning to surf on northern California’s surf breaks, hiking the cliffs of Big Sur, and touring and interacting with marine life at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Participants visit a marine mammal rescue and rehabilitation facility, including the Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, learn about the care, rescue, and rehabilitation of injured sea lions, seals, other marine mammals, and California elephant seals, and take part in shark research and conservation activities such as a Shark Lab tour at CSU Long Beach with marine biologists. They also engage in conservation and science education programs, including collecting water samples and clearing invasive species using hand tools, and travel together in a 15-passenger van while sleeping in groups of 3–4 in tents supplied by ARCC.

• Ages: 11–18 years old
• Schedule: 14 Days
• Price: $4,588 Tuition

ARCC Summer Travel Programs for Teens is part of a broader set of summer travel and gap year programs for teens that has been operating since its founding in 1983, with over 40 years of facilitating travel programs. ARCC offers 15 unique summer programs (4 domestic and 11 international) and multiple spring and fall gap programs that travel to 22 different countries, with intentionally small groups and programs developed for meaningful educational experiences. ARCC’s mission is to cultivate the next generation of informed, empathetic, and action-oriented global citizens through experiential learning, intentional community partnerships, and responsible travel, with a focus on ethical travel, environmental justice, lifelong learning, fun, and the power of play. ARCC operates alongside its sister program Bold Earth with a unified leadership team and safety protocols, and has spent decades building close relationships with organizations and communities around the world so participants engage in encounters with the people, cultures, and lands they visit. Enrollment for Summer 2026 and Fall Gap programs is open.

Last updated March 16, 2026.