Global Journeys

Where inquiry meets the world

Meaningful learning

At Avenues, we believe some of the most meaningful learning happens not just in classrooms, but in the places where history comes alive, cultures flourish, scientific discovery unfolds, and communities shape everyday life.

Global Journeys are built on a simple idea: students don't travel to collect experiences—they travel to pursue understanding.

As Avenues' signature place-based learning program for students in grades 6–12, Global Journeys extends learning beyond the classroom and into the world. Each journey is designed as an extension of the curriculum, inviting students to investigate compelling questions through direct engagement with the people, places, and ideas they have been studying. Through rigorous academic inquiry, authentic cultural exchange, and meaningful reflection, students return not only with new knowledge, but with greater confidence, deeper independence, and perspectives that continue to shape how they think, learn, and lead.

Every journey begins with a question

Every Global Journey is built around an essential question, compelling theme, or field of study. Rather than traveling simply to see a place, students travel to investigate it—to explore how history, culture, science, language, art, and the environment can only be fully understood by engaging directly with the people and communities who know them best.

This place-based approach transforms each destination into an essential part of the curriculum. Students connect classroom learning with lived experience, working alongside local experts, organizations, and communities, examining complex questions from multiple perspectives, and developing new understanding through inquiry, collaboration, and reflection.

Each Global Journey is designed by Avenues faculty in collaboration with trusted partner organizations and local experts. Together, they create experiences that combine rigorous academic inquiry with authentic cultural engagement, helping students connect what they experience in the world with what they are learning in the classroom.

Learning that lasts

Global Journeys are intentionally designed to be as intellectually rigorous as they are personally transformative.

Along the way, students learn to ask better questions, navigate unfamiliar environments with confidence, collaborate across cultures, and connect ideas across disciplines. They broaden their understanding of the world and of themselves while developing the curiosity, empathy, adaptability, and global perspective that define an Avenues education.

Long after they return home, the learning continues. Students carry forward not only what they discovered about the places they visited, but also a deeper understanding of how they can contribute to an increasingly interconnected world.

See where our students go

Journey Recaps

Take a look inside recent Global Journeys, in our students' own footsteps and words.

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exploring preservation

The National Parks

Students investigate how national parks protect biodiversity and preserve natural resources through immersive fieldwork in Grand Teton, Yellowstone, and Glacier. Working alongside leading conservation organizations, they explore ecology, geology, wildlife, water systems, and the interconnected forces shaping some of America’s most iconic landscapes.

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language and culture

Peru

Students explore Peru’s layered cultural identity through its Incan and colonial history, diverse communities, and rapidly changing environmental and economic landscape. Through immersive experiences, Spanish-language learning, and connection with local people, they gain a deeper understanding of conservation, development, and the relationship between culture, place, and community.

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Nature, culture, and community

Discover Hawai'i

Students journey across Hawai‘i, exploring the islands’ ecosystems, history and living culture through hands-on learning and community connection. From traditional navigation and Hawaiian knowledge systems to conservation, astronomy and sustainability, students deepen their understanding of what it means to care for a place and the people who call it home.

Global Journeys Fast Facts

Global Journeys | Travel Abroad | Avenues New York - Key Facts

Destinations visited by Avenues students in 2025–26

60%

Of 2025–26 graduating seniors participated in at least one Global Journeys program

250+

Students that participated in Global Journeys during the 2025–26 academic year

Global Journeys programs are designed to:

Recent Global Journeys have explored topics such as biodiversity and conservation in Costa Rica, the rise and fall of civilizations in Spain, ethical tourism in Thailand, storytelling and cultural identity in Japan, historical memory in Central Europe, the mathematics of cryptography in England, and the relationship between happiness, leadership, and well-being in Bhutan. While destinations and themes evolve from year to year, every journey is grounded in the same commitment to deep learning through place.