Overview
California from north to south in two weeks. The trip opens in San Francisco — Alcatraz, cable cars, Pier 39 and the Golden Gate Bridge — and climbs into the mountains to Lake Tahoe for waterskiing and an afternoon of sailing, before following the coast down to Santa Barbara for sea kayaking and a beach day.
The second week is Southern California: five days in Los Angeles with Universal Studios, Disneyland, Hollywood, Venice Beach, a comedy club, a cooking class and a baseball game, then surf school, the zoo and the beachfront amusement park in San Diego, where the trip ends.
It follows the same route as the first two weeks of California & the Canyons (21 days), which carries on to Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon. Groups of 28 to 48 teens travel by private coach; there's a departure for grades 7–8 and a later one at the end of July.
What's included
The itinerary
- Days 1–2 San Francisco, California — Arrival and the first icebreakers. A cable-car ride, the ferry to Alcatraz, Pier 39 and its sea lions, seafood at Fisherman's Wharf, chocolate at Ghirardelli Square, the bends of Lombard Street and the Golden Gate Bridge.
- Days 3–4 Lake Tahoe, California — Beach volleyball and frisbee by the lake, waterskiing lessons with professional instructors (or tubing), and an afternoon on a private sailboat.
- Days 5–6 Santa Barbara, California — Sea kayaking on the Pacific, Stearns Wharf and State Street, and a proper beach day.
- Days 7–11 Los Angeles, California — Universal Studios — Super Nintendo World, the Fast & Furious coaster, the Harry Potter area and the studio backlot tour — and a day at Disneyland. The Hollywood Walk of Fame and the handprints outside the TCL Chinese Theatre, Rodeo Drive, Venice Beach, a night at the Improv comedy club, the Original Farmers Market, Santa Monica Pier and its Ferris wheel, a class with professional chefs at a cooking school and a Dodgers or Angels baseball game.
- Days 12–14 San Diego, California — Surf school with professional instructors, a guided visit to the San Diego Zoo, Seaport Village on the bay and an evening at Belmont Park, the beachfront amusement park with its wooden roller coaster. Farewells and flights home from San Diego on day 14.
Where teens stay
Hotels and resorts throughout, in rooms for two or three teens with a bed each: an all-suite hotel on San Francisco Bay; a mountain lodge or modern hotel near Truckee for Lake Tahoe; a hotel with an outdoor pool in the Santa Barbara area; a hotel near Los Angeles airport; and an all-suite hotel in San Diego. The exact hotel at each stop is confirmed before departure.
Meals
Breakfast and dinner are included every day, at restaurants the operator picks for teen groups — anything from hibachi grills, barbecue and Italian places to food halls and the occasional famous chain, with a dessert stop now and then. Lunch is not included: teens eat in small groups at local cafés and restaurants, so plan for it in their spending money. Vegetarian, kosher-style, gluten-free (coeliac) and lactose-free diets and most allergies can be catered for if you tell us in advance.
More photos
Frequently asked questions
Which departure is right for my child?
Groups are put together by US school grade, so each departure has teens of a similar age. Grades 9–11 (roughly ages 14–17): Jun 26–Jul 9, Jun 28–Jul 11, Jun 30–Jul 13. Grades 7–8 (roughly ages 12–14, a middle-school departure): Jul 2–15. Grades 8–10 (roughly ages 13–16, the later departure): Jul 27–Aug 9. The grade is the one your child is in during the 2026–27 school year — we'll help you match it to your school system. Dates are the operator's official start and end dates.
How do flights and arrival work?
The trip starts in San Francisco and ends in San Diego, so you book a flight into San Francisco and a flight home from San Diego. Please check the operator's arrival and departure time windows with us before buying anything non-refundable. Staff meet your child at the airport and take them to the group at no extra cost, and teens flying in from overseas can arrive the night before the official start with the extra hotel night included. From Europe, most routes connect through a large US airport, where your child goes through immigration before the onward flight. On the last day the leaders help with check-in and stay at the airport until flights in the set window have left; flights back to Europe are usually overnight, so your child lands home the next day.
What exactly is included in the price?
Accommodation, breakfast and dinner every day, all the activities in the itinerary, airport transfers for flights within the set time windows, tips and local taxes. Not included: flights to and from the trip, lunches and snacks, spending money, laundry (a laundromat stop about once a week — the operator supplies the detergent and shows first-timers how it works), the operator's application fee, and travel insurance — optional, but we strongly recommend it.
Is there a discount for enrolling early?
Yes — at the moment the operator takes US$300 off the tuition for early enrolment, so the 14-day trip costs US$6,599 instead of US$6,899. It's a limited-time offer and the operator can end it at any point, so ask us whether it still applies before you decide. The price shown on this page is the full tuition.
How do the three California trips differ?
All three share the same California stretch — San Francisco, Lake Tahoe, Santa Barbara, five days in Los Angeles and San Diego. California Dreaming (14 days) is just that, ending in San Diego. California & the Canyons (21 days) adds Las Vegas, Zion, Bryce, the Grand Canyon and Sedona, ending near Phoenix. The Californian Extravaganza (28 days) adds a week in the Rockies before California — Boulder, Yellowstone and Park City — as well as the canyons at the end.
Does my child need to know how to waterski or surf?
No — both come with lessons from professional instructors and are aimed at beginners. On Lake Tahoe, teens who would rather not ski can go tubing instead.
Is there a departure just for younger teens?
Yes — one date on this trip is reserved for teens finishing grades 7 and 8 (roughly ages 12–14), so younger travellers are with children their own age. The other dates are for older teens; see "Which departure is right for my child?" above.
Does my child need a visa or an ESTA?
Families arrange travel documents themselves. Teens with a passport from a Visa Waiver country — Czechia and most of the EU included — need an approved ESTA (the online US travel authorisation) before they board, so apply well ahead. Teens from other countries need a B-2 visitor visa, not a student visa. If a teen living outside North America is refused a visa before 1 June, the operator offers a move to another program, a roll-over to the following summer, or a refund minus US$450.
Who else will be in the group?
Mostly American teens — on most programs around 85% of participants come from the US, and the operator tries to limit how many teens from any one other country join each group. For an international teen that means a genuinely English-speaking group, which is a big part of the appeal.
How good does my child's English need to be?
At least a confident beginner level — the operator recommends A2 or above, since everything on the trip happens in English. Your child can ask for an English-speaking roommate, and one-to-one English conversation time with a staff member can be arranged daily or a few times a week.
Can my child come on their own?
Yes, and many do. The first days are built around icebreakers and getting-to-know-you activities, roommates are assigned and rotated, and the staff actively help everyone settle into the group.
Are phones allowed?
Yes. Teens can bring their phone, so you can call or message them directly. The operator also runs a communication centre that's staffed every day of the summer, with someone on call around the clock for emergencies.