Frequently Asked Questions
Who is eligible for an internship?
Anyone with the desire to learn about the world! Students from all types of backgrounds have participated in a Global Treks Adventure Academy Program. Even if you are a recent graduate looking to travel, gain experience, and expand your resume you are welcome to apply to any of the Adventure Internship Programs.
What type of students are an ideal match for Global Treks and Adventures?
Global Treks Internship Teams consist of individuals eager to get outside the classroom and apply their skills to the real world. Our interns are independently motivated, collaborate well in a team environment, have strong time-management skills, and are willing to ask questions to promote learning. While specific majors are not necessarily more qualified than others, a number of our past students come from the following academic backgrounds:
- Environmental Studies (focus areas: wildlife, natural resources, water quality, geology, geoscience)
- Anthropology, Cultural or Women's Studies
- GIS
- History
- English and Creative Writing
- Graphic Design
- Videography or Film Studies
All areas of study are welcome to apply for a Global Treks Adventure Internship Program! Our team works with each accepted applicant to develop a project that is interest-based and applicable to his/her area of study. If desired, the work completed will be submitted as part of a larger group publication! To learn more about specific projects completed in the past, visit our Past Trips page on our website.
Who are the guides?
Global Treks guides are college instructors and professional scientists that have led expedition groups around the world for over 10 years. We combine our professional guides with local regional experts that have either lived or worked within each region. All instructors are also certified in wilderness medicine and are wilderness first responders.
How do I get the college credit? Is college credit required to participate in the research project?
We work with your home university and submit all the required paperwork for your credit. Credits are earned either as an independent study or as internship credits, depending on your transcript analysis. Students wishing to do so may earn up to 6 credits, although 3 credits is a more typical research plan! While some students choose to apply course credit to their Global Treks project, it is not a requirement for participation. Students choosing to apply credits do so to fulfill a required internship or gain needed credits toward graduation.
What is the time commitment?
Students commit to roughly 8-10 hours per week of work from any location. Then, all action research is completed in the field for 5 - 10 days depending on the trip selected.
Can I get financial aid? How?
Yes! Students include their internship or independent study credits on their normal semester schedule. Outside grants, scholarships or financial support packages may be pursued and applied to the program. Or, students may choose to apply their normal financial aid accordingly.
How much will this cost me in total?
The cost outlined on the website is trip-specific and includes all food, lodging, activities, research equipment, and transportation needed on-trip. Airfare and the home university's specific tuition requirements are not included.
How does the publication process work?
Global Treks and Adventures creates Visitor Guides and Regional Field Guides to different remote areas around the world. Interns working with our research team each complete an individualized research project, working closely with the leadership team from start to finish. In the end, our editors and publishing team will help provide the formatting guides to produce a professional publication. As with any research project with a university, interns are each named as contributing authors in the book, yet the rights to publication remain property of Global Treks and Adventures.
Is this a vacation?
If you define vacation as an opportunity to take the tourist out of tourism, visit and participate with people from a different culture, ask questions, conduct interviews, collect data, collaborate with an academic leadership team and fellow students, compose a cited research narrative with local photography, edit and format your research to appear in a Global Treks publication, and walk away a better global citizen in the end, then YES, a Global Treks Research Expedition is the best vacation a person can take.
Why travel with Global Treks and Adventures?
We are a company built by experiential educators and professional scientists dedicated to creating affordable immersion-based learning experiences for students. Our adventure internships are completed both from at-home and in the field on-location to create a balance of the intern's time over the summer or break. Interns are able to work or take classes, yet still participate in one of our adventure internship programs. We dedicate ourselves to conducting around the clock research to ensure the highest level of risk management practices are in place so students can focus and enjoy the learning experience, and parents can be confident their child is with professional experienced guides and instructors.