"Going abroad should be a requirement.  It is a priceless experience."
             -Janice, Mexico Parent

Preparing for Life in a Global Community
Student travel dollars should be spent wisely. Summer travel is an investment in your child’s future. SPI does not provide exhausting whirlwind tours.  Our programs are designed to truly immerse students into the language and culture by placing them in safe and easy to manage cities with caring homestay families.  Students gain self confidence, independence, and maturity as well as increase their fluency in a foreign language - an intangible skill they take with them for the rest of their lives.

The Intangible Benefits
The cultural exchange of living with a homestay family, the experience of living with a roommate, and studying and traveling in a foreign country help students build life long skills. Your child will expose themselves to a world of opportunity one step ahead of their peers in a fast growing international business world.  They will experience the possibility of earning college credit and increased fluency in a foreign language.

Safety & Guidance
SPI directors are educators and serve as mom and dad for the entire length of each program. Directors actively participate on a daily basis in your child’s success in all aspects of the program. While most companies recruit teachers by solely giving them a free trip, SPI hires and pays all of our highly-trained directors.

SPI directors enjoy their jobs, not their free vacations, and understand their role is crucial to the enjoyment and success of each student and program. Most importantly, they are professional educators and are committed to ensuring the safety and education of your child while abroad. Small group sizes guarantee personalized attention to your child’s success every step of the way. To ensure complete immersion, directors commit to exclusively using the language of study during throughout the program.

What are SPI programs like?
SPI programs are designed for both students who have never left the country with little travel experience and the experienced young world traveler alike. Our on-site directors guide students from pre-departure to post-arrival back home.  For information on what is included in programs, information on academic credits, and more information on program structure please visit our Programs Page.

What is a Typical Day Like?
8:30 Breakfast with homestay family
9:30-1:30 Language & Cultural Classes
2:00-5:00 Lunch with homestay family and relax time
5:30-8:00 Fun afternoon activity or excursion -focused on using your language skills
9:00-11:00 Dinner at home followed by time with your homestay family and off to bed!

Parent References
We encourage you to contact families who have traveled with SPI in the past!  Please download the Information Packet Above for contact information of previous participants and their parents.

Click Here to Learn More About Us
Meet our program directors, office staff, and our academic advisory board.

Do I need to renew my passport? How do we get a debit card? Click Here for Answers to Frequently Asked Questions.

YOUR CHILD'S SUMMER JOB:  STUDY ABROAD
A summer job you can't afford to refuse...

How Should Young Adults Spend Their Travel Dollars?
Think of your child's summer plans as an investment in their future.  Developing fluency in a foreign language, gaining international college level experience, and potentially earning college credits makes the investment pay for itself!

Consider the cost of 4 years of college...
Univ. of Texas - Austin ('06-07)
$5,314 Tuition
$748 Books & Supplies
$744 Transportation
$7,088 Room & Board
$2,024 Living Expenses
$15,918  TOTAL COST 1 year of college

By earning passing scores on your AP/IB exams and studying abroad, you could potentially earn...
8 Hours - AP Language Exam
8 Hours - AP Literature Exam
3 Hours - Credit from foreign transcript
*19 Hours of College Credit before you ever take your first college class!

*College credit granting policies are unique for each university. Because of this credit cannot be guaranteed by SPI.

You have 2 jobs...
1.  Take all the foreign language you can in high school.  Participate Actively.
2.  Give SPI 3-4 weeks of your summer.  STUDY ABROAD.

The study abroad investment more than pays for itself...it pays you back for the rest of your life!

My friend's daughter went on a People-to-People tour of London, Paris and Rome at the same time as the Tarragona trip, so I was able to compare some things. People-to-People didn't prepare their kids with proper information about what clothes to take, how much things would cost, etc. They let the drop off at the airport turn into a giant crying fest for parents and students. I really liked how you kept it very light hearted—we felt very comfortable sending him.

My friend's daughter called home and complained every single day...about the food, the bus, the places they didn't get to see because the bus driver got lost...everything. And they were not prepared for complaints like we were with the orientation information for parents you gave us (not that Andy complained about anything!) We heard from Andy just enough to be comfortable that he was okay, but not so much that we were a distraction.

My husband & I both feel this was the best experience that he has ever had and your company is responsible for how smoothly it all went!

Cece Grimes

Spain Parent, Houston, TX

Another Letter to SPI...

Dear SPI,

My daughter has benefited from your program in so many ways. Just a few that come to mind are:

Traveling: negotiating the airports, transit systems, money exchange. Also, making new friends from all over the world, learning tolerance and acceptance.

Independence: making your own decisions and being totally responsible for the outcome.

Culture: seeing a different way of life, different foods, customs and lifestyles.

Preparation for College: spending five weeks away from home really helped mom and dad acclimate to the idea of our little girl not living at home…and visa versa for her!

Maturing: it catapulted her into the next phase of maturity.

I think that going back a second time gave her an extra comfort level to really immerse herself into the language. This has truly been an enriching & life-changing experience for my daughter and I would HIGHLY recommend it for all high school students.

Betty Wangler

Spain Parent, Austin, TX

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