FAQs

What is the horseback riding like?

We get to ride horses through the beautiful rolling hills near Cotopaxi volcano. The hacienda where we stay provides these magnificent animals. The horses are all well taken care of, and get to enjoy their evenings in the pasture after a big ride. You can request a faster or a slower horse depending on your level of experience.

Where do we sleep?

We sleep in a variety of accommodations on Immersion Ecuador, including haciendas, a home stay, hostels and camping in tents.

What's a typical day like during the formal language studies/home stay portion of the trip?

Your 6-8 days of language instruction will be busy, sometimes challenging, but always fun! From interactive language classes and cultural workshops to eating meals and spending time with your home stay family, you will find yourself immersed in the culture and language of your host country. Each day, you will travel with your home stay roommate to the language institute. You will spend your mornings in language class with a small group of 3-4 students at your language level. After lunch with your home stay family or at the hacienda, you will reunite with your group for an afternoon language workshop: cooking class, salsa lessons, a local museum visit, a hike, or a market scavenger hunt to name a few. After leaving your formal language studies each day, you'll be expected to be at home with your family unless there is an organized group activity. On some evenings, your group might meet for a movie, a play, a soccer game or just to grab a cup of coffee. After group activities at night, the AT staff will accompany you home. Students are allowed to participate in activities with their host family that may happen outside of the home with permission from their AT staff.

How do we get around the country?

We cover a lot of ground in Ecuador and use several modes of transportation including buses, hiking, walking and taxis. You will also travel by plane during the program from Tosagua to Quito at the end of our trip.

What will the academics be like?

Because this program is accredited by Lesley University as a college level course, you can expect to participate in academic activities such as lectures, workshops and service work. This program requires daily participation, the completion of short essays, a reflective journal with assigned topics, a final paper and a service project. The academic work is designed to include both experiential and traditional learning, so while you will spend some mornings in a classroom participating in an interactive lecture and discussion, you will also spend time with hands-on experiences such as a cooking class. Students should be prepared to fully participate in the academics, regardless of whether or not they want the school credit. All academic assignments are Academic Treks course requirements.

Is there a Spanish pre-requisite for Immersion Ecuador?

Yes! The more advanced level of your Spanish classes requires that you come with at least two years of high school Spanish or the equivalent.

What community service do we do on this program?

We will work with the Ali Shungu Foundation near Otavalo in the northern part of Ecuador. You will work on a variety of projects and may find yourself doing anything from building water purification systems to playing with local school children. The work may be hard, but you will have plenty of time to relax and enjoy the beautiful countryside and experience the kind nature of the local people.

What do we eat?

Throughout the trip, we eat traditional Latin fare consisting mainly of rice, potatoes, some meat, pasta, vegetables and fresh fruits.

Can I call home from this program?

It is relatively easy to email and make calls home from Ecuador. Please read your Travel Packet for the most up to date communication information regarding recommended calling cards to use with public phones. It is also very easy to call from local “cabinas” where you can make calls and be billed later for a reasonable fee.

Can I earn credit for school or college?

Our academic programs offer high school students the chance to earn high school and/or college credit as well as community service credit, while also participating in a hands-on adventure. After the course, you will receive a transcript, as well as a letter detailing the course curriculum for your high school administrator. Most schools accept the credit after reviewing this course packet. Each academic institution has its own requirements, however, so we can't guarantee your school will accept the credit. We recommend asking for approval from your school administrator prior to program. You can also earn college credit for some courses through Lesley University for an additional fee. To learn more about the school credit options, call us at 888-833-1907.

How do I get high school or college credit for this program?

In the fall after program, Broadreach will provide you with a transcript, as well as a letter detailing the course curriculum for your high school administrator. Most schools accept the credit after reviewing this course packet. Each academic institution has its own requirements, however, so we can't guarantee your school will accept the credit. We recommend asking for approval from your school administrator prior to program. You can also earn college credit for this course through Lesley University for an additional fee. To learn more about the school credit options, call us at 888-833-1907.

What's a typical day like during the formal language studies/home stay portion of the trip?

Your days spent in language instruction will be busy, sometimes challenging, but always fun! From interactive language classes and cultural workshops to eating meals and spending time with your home stay family, you will find yourself immersed in the culture and language of your host country. Each day, you will travel with your home stay roommate to the language institute, where you will spend your mornings in language class with a group of students at your language level. After class, your entire group will reunite for lunch followed by an excursion or an afternoon language workshop: cooking class, a local museum visit, a hike, or a market scavenger hunt to name a few. After leaving your formal language studies each day, you'll be expected to be at home with your family unless there is an organized group activity. On some evenings, your group might meet for a movie, a play, a soccer game or just to hang out and eat an ice cream. After group activities at night, the Academic Treks staff will accompany you home. Students are allowed to participate in activities with their host family that may happen outside of the home with staff permission.

What can I expect from my home stay experience?

Your home stay is an integral part of your experience…we hope the most illuminating and rewarding experience of your trip! A home stay provides ideal opportunities for true cultural immersion and will be one of the more memorable, cultural experiences you will ever have. You will live with a local family for 5-8 days along with 1-2 other students from your group. Sometimes your home stay may seem challenging due to cultural and language differences. Just be patient and flexible, and keep your sense of adventure. You’ll eat meals with your family (without the rest of your group) and you may be served food you are not used to. Your sleeping arrangements might be different than what you’re accustomed to. But with an open mind, we promise your home stay will be a highlight of your trip! The relationships you form with your home stay family and the language skills you acquire from living with locals are irreplaceable.

Can I call home?

Of course! Depending on the itinerary of the program, most participants have the opportunity to call home about once a week. Most families also follow our trip journal updates which are short group updates written by teens or staff.

Do most participants come with friends? What if I don't know anyone?

Actually, most participants come alone, so there is no need to be concerned! It's normal to be apprehensive about not knowing anyone, but within a day of starting your program you'll be laughing and sharing exciting adventures with new friends.

I'm nervous about traveling alone! Is travel day difficult?

Travel day is generally easy and problem-free. After years of practice we have discovered ways to make this day run smoothly for everyone. The questions and answers in this section should put to rest most of your concerns about traveling to your Broadreach program.

What if I've never done this kind of thing before?

No worries. Many of our participants are 'first-timers' who have never been scuba diving or slept in the wilderness for more than a weekend. All we ask is that you come with an open mind, a desire to try new things and be ready to have lots of fun.

What is the male/female ratio?

Our ideal ratio for every program is 50/50 and we try to come close to just that. Some courses tend to attract more males than females, or vice versa, but typically the balance is close to even and not a concern. In our experience, the gender ratio plays a small role in the success of each program.

Do I need trip, travel or medical insurance ?

All participants on Broadreach programs are required medical insurance including coverage for international medical care. Since many personal medical policies do not cover international medical care and evacuations or have exclusions for certain sports, we have partnered with Trip Mate to offer a choice of travel insurance plans for our participants.
The minimum required policy includes coverage for medical care, emergency evacuation, lost or damaged luggage, travel delay, etc.
Most families also take advantage of our recommended tuition protection coverage , which offers 75% tuition refund FOR ANY REASON up to 72 hours before your trip departure and 100% tuition refund if you cancel for a covered reason.

Do you have any family discounts?

We do. We will give a 5% discount on the second (and any subsequent) enrollment in one summer. This offer is available to an individual student, or siblings. This 5% discount will be applied to the program of lesser cost, and cannot be combined with any other discounts.

Does your staff have emergency medical training?

At least one of the two lead instructors on each trip has completed training in either Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) or Wilderness First Responder (WFR) courses. They are trained in managing emergency situations and field care and can handle most minor medical problems. In the unlikely event that your instructors can't handle your problem with their First Aid kit, they will take you to a local doctor for medical attention. We do our best to work with local medical personnel that we know and trust. However, it's important to understand that medical care can sometimes be delayed or inaccessible from our program locations. Note that the modernity of medical facilities and the number of medical services they provide will vary by country and location.

Can you give me the names of other families in my area that have done Broadreach?

Absolutely. Just call the office and we can put you in touch with past participants who have done the trips that interest you. Broadreachers past and present are part of a strong community that’s always there for one another. No need to be shy either, people will be glad to hear from you.

Where does everyone come from?

Broadreachers are a diverse group comprised of teenagers from across the country and all over the world. Very few participants know each other before the program begins, but everyone walks away with life-long friends at the end of the trip.

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Please feel free to call the Broadreach office if you have any questions or would like to discuss our adventures. We’d love to talk to you! You can also email us at questions@gobroadreach.com

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