Language Immersion Programs FAQs

Xperitas is a nonprofit educational organization dedicated to promoting global citizenship through authentic immersion experiences. Founded in 1972 by world language teachers and enriched by decades of shared experience of Intercultural Student Experiences and Global Citizens Network, Xperitas offers programs that embody true cultural immersion, inspire personal connections with diverse individuals and communities worldwide and provide transformational experiences for our participants.

• Customized Experiences: Each program is tailored specifically for your group and goals.
• Immersive Learning: Language and culture come alive through authentic community engagement and our Family Stay Experience®.
• Strategic, Centralized Itineraries: More learning, less transit. We design walkable, focused experiences to maximize every day.
• Small, Intentional Groups: Designed for deeper engagement and meaningful cultural exchanges.
• Expert Support from Start to Finish: Dedicated Program Management from conception to return, with one consistent contact and 24/7 support while abroad.

• Published Programs: Any elementary, middle, or high school student traveling with their language, science, history, or art teacher.
• Custom programs: The organizing teacher/group leader determines eligibility for their group. If the custom program includes an Xperitas family stay, language ability is required. Please discuss this with the Xperitas program manager for your program.
• Published Language Programs with a Family Stay Experience®: World language students in middle school or high school and their world language teachers.
• Spring Programs: Students must be in second semester of Level 2 at the time of travel.
• Summer, Fall and Winter Programs: Students must have completed at least Level 2 at the time of travel.

Teachers are almost exclusively the leaders on Xperitas programs in order to ensure that the educational goals of the program are met. The leader or co-leader must be at least 22 years old. For a language program, the leader or co-leader must also be highly proficient or fluent in the language of the destination country to effectively uphold the language immersion requirement.

Xperitas’ high expectations for the behavior of the students on our programs help us maintain the integrity and educational quality of our programs. Xperitas expects students and teachers to conduct themselves in a manner appropriate to being a good ambassador. Students and teachers who cannot follow the Code of Conduct should not travel with Xperitas.

As a nonprofit organization, Xperitas’ foremost goal is to achieve our mission rather than to generate a profit. Any surplus revenue produced is reinvested into programs that support the mission rather than distributed among shareholders or owners. Nonprofits are granted tax-exempt status by the IRS, which means Xperitas must also adhere to laws governing nonprofit organizations on matters such as transparency and accountability.

There are numerous benefits of traveling abroad! Among them are:

• Increased level of language proficiency.
• More job opportunities. Employers consider fluency in several languages to be a highly desirable skill.
• Cultural immersion can lead to a greater appreciation of one’s own culture and a broader world perspective, as well as improved self-esteem and confidence after partaking in an immersion experience.
• The development of global competency and critical thinking skills. The Xperitas experience is only the first step on a lifelong journey to develop these skills, which are in high demand across many industries.
• The Xperitas program fosters a personal connection to the larger world that may open many doors in the future. Once on the path to international learning, students often discover new options and new possibilities for their lives. Additionally, parents consistently tell us the Xperitas program helped their child develop independent thinking and living skills, which helped prepare them to go away for college.
• Make new friends and gain exposure to new outlooks on life by living with the local culture.

Our programs are designed to provide a language and cultural immersion experience. To this end, the group leaders and guides carry out daily activities in the target language, and the volunteer host families are expected to speak to Xperitas participants in their native language. Thus, a minimum level of language skills is required for the participant to fully partake in these activities and interactions.

Xperitas does combine school groups on our published itineraries to meet minimum group size requirements. Consult the itinerary or your Xperitas program manager for more information.

Group leaders work with Xperitas to determine the consequences for discipline issues while abroad. The decision to send a student home is made by the group leaders (teachers) and supported by Xperitas. A student who breaks the Code of Conduct may be returned to the U.S. at the parents’ expense. By signing the program application, parents/guardians agree to bear the cost of all expenses related to a student’s return to the U.S. and acknowledge that they forfeit all monies paid. View the Code of Conduct here.

Yes! Participants on Xperitas Immersion programs are eligible for a variety of discounts, including:

Early bird: Participants who register by June 15 for spring and summer travel in the following year are eligible for a $200 credit, which will be deducted from the program price at the time of final billing.
Family member: Any fully paying participant who has an immediate* family member also registered as a fully paying participant on an Xperitas Language Immersion Program is eligible for a credit of $100 per family member. Leaders are ineligible, as are participants who have a modified price (i.e., land- or air-only).

*Living in the same household, e.g. siblings, parents

Find more discounts here.

Xperitas will notify participants of their final payment approximately three weeks before it is due. For all other payments, please refer to this schedule or the schedule available on your Xperitas portal. A payment reminder will be sent to you via email a week before a scheduled payment is due.

Most Xperitas students will not be charged fees beyond the established program price. Xperitas only charges fees for: returned checks ($40), re-enrollment of cancelled participants ($40), late or missing payments ($40) and late registration ($40). See Xperitas’ payment deadlines and fees.

Voluntary cancellations must be submitted in writing (an email to cancel@xperitas.org is acceptable) by the participant or participant’s parent/guardian directly to Xperitas, clearly indicating the participant’s name, travel group or school (if applicable) and destination country. Xperitas cannot accept voluntary cancellations made by phone.

Xperitas provides various resources to increase access and help families meet the financial commitment of our programs. Many Xperitas students earn a portion of the money themselves. In schools where the travel program is established on a regular basis, students can plan ahead and save over a two- or three-year period.

Xperitas also awards more than $60,000 in financial aid each year to students who qualify. Check out our Financial Aid page for more information. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, and we encourage participants to apply for financial aid as soon as possible following enrollment.

In addition, Xperitas promotes its mission by supporting students in ways such as the Alumni Scholarship and other awards. Learn more here.

No. While Xperitas travel programs are educational, the program fee pays for actual travel arrangements and is not tax deductible.

Xperitas will email participants and leaders a final bill at least three weeks before the final payment is due. Several elements go into the final price of the program, including the number of participants, departure city, final program itinerary, included meals and activities, etc.

Please see our cancellation schedule, refund policy, and information regarding cancellations due to unforeseeable world events.

Xperitas reserves the right to cancel a participant for lack of payment, for failure to abide by the standards set by the teacher and/or school, or if the student/parent does not disclose a significant medical condition that may affect travel experience for the student or group. In each case, the standard cancellation fees will be assessed.