Resources
Practical advice on planning, choosing, and making the most of summer programs, drawn from our own experience navigating the process.
Planning your summer
Practical guidance on structuring the summer and timing of decisions.
- Everyone Is Applying to the Same Summer Programs. What Else Is Out There?
- Teen Summer Programs: Frequently Asked Questions
- Research vs. Pre-College vs. Enrichment Programs: What's the Difference?
- Summer Program vs. Internship: Which Makes More Sense?
- Do Summer Programs Help With College Admissions?
- What Comes After a Great Summer Program?
- When Should You Start Applying for Summer Programs?
- You Know the University Where They Had a Great Summer. But Which Program Was It?
- What Should a 9th Grader Do Over the Summer?
- What Should a 10th Grader Do Over the Summer?
- What Should an 11th Grader Do Over the Summer?
Choosing a Program
How to evaluate and compare different options.
- How Much Do Teen Summer Travel Programs Cost? We Analyzed Summer 2027 Prices
- What We Didn’t Expect to Find While Researching Thousands of Teen Summer Programs
- How to Find the Right Summer Program Without Searching Hundreds of Websites
- Teen Travel Programs for Summer 2027: How to Find a Trip Your Teen Will Actually Love
- How to Tell if a Summer Program Is a Good Fit for Your Student
- Online or In Person? Choosing the Right Summer Program Format
- Are Expensive Pre-College Programs Worth It?
- What Does "Selective" Actually Mean for a Summer Program?
- How to Evaluate an AI Summer Program
- How Much Do High-School Summer Programs Cost?
What We've Learned
Lessons we've learned from navigating summer programs firsthand.
- Summer Camp Phone Policies: What Parents Should Know Before Their Teen Goes Away
- What Does It Really Mean When Your Teen “Lives on Campus”?
- What Does the "College Experience" at a Pre-College Program Really Look Like?
- What Makes a Great Summer Program? What Students Remember
- Fitting Programs Into Family Calendars & Budgets
- Supporting Student Independence Without Over-Managing
- When Summer Plans Don't Go as Planned: The Value of an Unexpected Detour
- I Didn’t Get Into My Top-Choice Summer Program. What Now?
- Your Teen's Summer Program Was Canceled. Now What?
- When a Summer Program Changes the Question
Explore Global & Adventure Teen Programs
International programs outside the US — browse live results by destination or interest.
Published September 25, 2026
Teen Travel Programs for Summer 2027: How to Find a Trip Your Teen Will Actually LoveRead the guide →Where do you want to go?
Explore US Teen Programs
Programs across the United States — browse live results by destination or interest.
Where do you want to go?
Popular ways to explore
Start with one of these ready-made searches, then adjust the filters to fit your student.
High schoolers
- Tech & AI summer programs for high schoolers
- Science & STEM summer programs for high schoolers
- Pre-college summer programs for high schoolers
- Marine Science summer programs for high schoolers
- Writing & Humanities summer programs for high schoolers
- Traditional summer camps for high schoolers
- Wilderness & Adventure summer programs for high schoolers
- Global & Language summer programs for high schoolers
- Leadership & Gifted summer programs for high schoolers
- Business & Entrepreneurship summer programs for high schoolers
- International Relations & Diplomacy summer programs for high schoolers
- Math summer programs for high schoolers
- Pre-Med & Life Sciences summer programs for high schoolers
- Arts summer programs for high schoolers
Middle schoolers
- Tech & AI summer programs for middle schoolers
- Science & STEM summer programs for middle schoolers
- Pre-college summer programs for middle schoolers
- Marine Science summer programs for middle schoolers
- Writing & Humanities summer programs for middle schoolers
- Traditional summer camps for middle schoolers
- Wilderness & Adventure summer programs for middle schoolers
- Global & Language summer programs for middle schoolers
- Leadership & Gifted summer programs for middle schoolers
- Business & Entrepreneurship summer programs for middle schoolers
- International Relations & Diplomacy summer programs for middle schoolers
- Math summer programs for middle schoolers
- Pre-Med & Life Sciences summer programs for middle schoolers
- Arts summer programs for middle schoolers
Also from Explore Summer: See what we learned from analyzing our 2026 catalog in Summer Programs by the Numbers.