TRAVEL FOR TEENS - Key Persons
Aaron is from Costa Rica and has worked as an adventure tour guide for the past five years. He loves showing people everything his incredible country has to offer! Aaron is a school teacher and when he isn't working in the classroom he is off exploring, hiking, and camping. He is excited to share Costa Rica with all of his TFT travelers this summer!
Allison Vila, a native of Paris, France, graduated with a degree in Spanish and French, with a teaching certificate from West Chester University. Allison has traveled extensively between Europe, Central America, Asia and Africa. A dual citizen of the USA and France, she brings her passion for travel and language to every one of the trips she leads for TFT.
Job Titles:
- Trip Director & Recruitment Specialist
Amanda is a born and raised Delawarean and began her travel journey at a young age with her family. She has traveled to over 20 countries and looks forward to crossing many more off her list. She attended the University of Delaware where she majored in Economics and minored in Art History. One of her favorite things about traveling is experiencing the unique culture and history of each city, but this doesn't take away from her love for outdoor adventures! She enjoys working with students and kids, which can be reflected in her long history working at a sleepaway camp, to her current job as the Program Administrator working with students training in tech. Amanda is looking forward to a great summer sharing fun-packed memories with the TFT students!
Amy is a Spanish Teacher from NJ who travels every chance she gets. Her passion for travel began during her study abroad in Mexico. After college, Amy went back to Mexico to teach English and spent three summers in Madrid working on her Masters's. Since then she has spent summers in different parts of Latin America, Europe, and Southeast Asia. She feels most comfortable in Guatemala where she visits at least once a year to help build houses. Amy loves the beach, hiking, and new adventures!
Angie lives for exploring and diving into adventures in every corner of the world. She has lived in 14 countries across four continents teaching, playing field hockey, and traveling. She graduated from Towson University with a degree in Elementary Education and Deaf Studies before earning her Masters's in Teaching English as a Second Language. She has spent the year following college, teaching English in Buenos Aires, Argentina before becoming a teacher and coach in Baltimore City. She has a passion for authentic cultural immersion, meaningful connections, and a thirst for adrenaline. You can find her hiking peaks at sunrise, hunting down live music, or competing in any sports competition imaginable.
Annelise was born and raised in colorful Colorado, and she is currently studying Business Marketing. Recently, she took a gap year and spent three months exploring Fiji, New Zealand, and Australia where she caught the travel bug. She loves being outdoors and you can find her by the lake, trail running, or hiking in the summer, and like any true Coloradan, she spends her weekends on the slopes as a ski instructor in the winter. She can't wait to continue to explore the world and experience new cultures!
Athena is a San Diego, CA native with a degree in Nutrition from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. She is passionate about health and environmental sustainability and enjoys hiking, yoga, climbing, surfing, scuba diving, and of course, all things travel. Athena has traveled to 13 countries including Spain, where she studied abroad, and Thailand, where she lived for a year, working as a high school English teacher. Recently she has enjoyed travel by camper van throughout California, Utah, and Arizona and is so excited to lead some amazing USA trips this summer!
Bri graduated from Elon University with a degree in History and Education. She first traveled with TFT as a camper and has been an avid traveler ever since. While traveling, Bri enjoys using her PADI certification, hiking, and eating as much food as possible. She has worked with TFT in Thailand, Fiji, Australia, and New Zealand and is always excited for new summer adventures with us!
Caleb Gragg is from Aspen Colorado and In his free time enjoys all things outdoors; rafting, hiking, mountain biking, snowboarding, and snowmobiling during the winter. He started guiding 7 years ago, leading zip lining, white water rafting, snowmobiling, and ATV'ing tours, and hasn't stopped since. He is passionate about showing students incredible places around the world and teaching them how to dive into a culture. He can't wait to hop on the plane and start this adventure!
Chad was born and raised in Pennsylvania. He holds both a Master of Arts in Education degree and a Master of Science in Education degree. He has over twenty-five years of experience in education and is currently a gifted support teacher in the suburbs of Philadelphia. Chad looks forward to joining the TFT team this summer to venture to new destinations and explore the culture, forge new friendships, and share experiences with his TFT colleagues and teens.
For the last few years, Courtney has been working as a wilderness therapy instructor, spending her time living in the Idaho desert with kids going through therapeutic treatment. She loves camping, backpacking, and traveling around in her van. She has her BA in Environmental Education and a minor in French. She has lived in France as an au pair and traveled to Montreal to further study the French language. This fall, Courtney plans to go to graduate school to get her masters in somatic and adventure-based counseling. She is excited to share new experiences with young people and create lasting memories.
Daniella is a former TFT traveler that is thrilled to be joining the team! She began traveling at a young age with her family and got to explore all over Europe as a teen. Prior to university, she took a gap year living in Norway with a program for global understanding and cultural immersion that further solidified her goal to try to be a true global citizen. She currently studies International Relations at the University of St Andrews in Scotland (while trying to fit in as many weekend trips as possible). She loves new experiences and is super excited to get to explore with the TFT travelers this summer!
Emily grew up in Morro Bay, California loving all things outdoors: camping, hiking, walking on the beach, yoga, and surf trips with her family to Mexico and Central America. She graduated with her BA in Child Development and was a preschool teacher for five years. Some of her favorite travel memories include living in Fiji with a missionary family, backpacking through Vietnam and Thailand, working hospitality and camping in Australia, teaching English and getting scuba certified in Indonesia and working last summer's TFT service and adventure trips to Fiji, Costs Rica, and Hawaii. Many of her travel and service trips have taught her the importance of experiencing new cultures and seeing how other people live around the world. She is excited to share this passion with teens because travel has so positively impacted her own outlook on life!
Job Titles:
- Program Consultant and Social Media Manager
Emily is a proud Philadelphian! She traveled with TFT in high school and was so inspired by her experience that she wanted to join the team. She studied English and Public Policy at the University of Delaware which included a term in Budapest. She continues to add destinations from around the globe to her list and is working towards becoming a pilot!
Emily is a Los Angeles native who holds an undergraduate degree in Business Administration and Deaf Studies, and a masters degree in Special Education. She is a high school teacher for Deaf students, teaching multiple subjects in American Sign Language. After traveling to Thailand on a volunteer trip the travel bug bit her hard. She has since traveled across Southeast Asia, Europe, and Latin America, falling in love with the world every step of the way. Her passions are getting lost in new cities and good books, hiking, yoga, and spicy food. Emily is thrilled to be adventuring with TFT again this summer!
Job Titles:
- Manager of Educational Tours and Custom Trips
A native of Seattle, Washington and resident of Athens, Greece for over six years, traveling is an everyday part of Emma's life. Outside of leading trips in the summer, Emma manages programs in Europe, Asia, and the USA for TFT, holds a Master's Degree in Southeastern European Studies from the University of Athens, and still finds time for some urban walking, hiking, taking photos, baking sweet treats, swimming, and coffee dates.
Eva was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia. As a child she started participating with her mom on mother/daughter international trips and her love for travel, learning, and experiencing new cultures was created. She studied Spanish education in college and then moved to Costa Rica where she taught and provided students with scholarship opportunities for 11 years. She also took Costa Rican students on international trips. She now teaches Spanish in a school in Georgia. Some of her favorite things are her dogs, getting out in nature, and planning new trips. She is excited to help others to see their joy for travel along with making new friends and lasting memories.
Flavia is native of New Jersey who went on to live in New York, Paris, and Lima between her travels to over 25 countries. Her love for travel began at a young age and continued to flourish over the years - her favorite travel memory has to be a tie between her two-month solo backpacking trip through Columbia & Panama and recreating her grandmother's travel photo in front of the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt.
Garrett is from Taos, New Mexico, and is an avid skier, outdoor enthusiast, and world adventurer! After graduating with his bachelor's degree in Business Administration from the University of Redlands, he spent 2+ years living in Shanghai, China working as a youth soccer coach, camp director, and English teacher. Since then, he has been managing seasonal lodges within Glacier National park, the Grand Tetons, and Taos Ski Valley. He is very excited to share his travel expertise and experience abroad with Travel for Teens for his second summer with the team!
Originally from North Carolina, Graham Renfro has been traveling since he was 14 years old. On that first trip, Graham fell in love with France and began guiding trips throughout Europe and Africa with Travel For Teens in 2009. Currently, Graham works in Charlotte, North Carolina practicing Real Estate Law and whenever possible, travels back to France.
Greg grew up always playing outside and being active in the small state of Delaware. He spent his summers going to camp or swimming at the pool and after working a summer at YMCA Camp Tockwogh as a water skiing instructor, he spent some time backpacking in Europe. He has also spent time in Canada and across the United States. Greg enjoys the leadership opportunities given to counselors and the chance to share incredible cultural experiences with kids who want to learn and experience exciting things.
Hannah grew up in Philadelphia and received her degree in Communications from West Chester University. She now works in autistic support during the school year, helping children in their day-to-day life. She enjoys traveling, crocheting, hiking, being outside, and taking naps in her hammock. Hannah is excited to lead trips for TFT and explore new places.
Job Titles:
- Program Consultant and Trip Director
Job Titles:
- Operations and Customer Service Manager
Job Titles:
- Latin America Program Manager
Job Titles:
- Operations Coordinator
- Senior Counselor
Job Titles:
- European Program Coordinator
Ned has a degree in Philosophy from Union College, speaks French and Greek, and holds the world record for leading the most TFT trips! Ned was bitten by the travel bug during his college term abroad in Athens. A passionate photographer and avid scuba diver, he leads our Sales and Marketing Team and loves directing programs during the summer. Ned is also the proud father of Cooper, Kiera, and T.J.
Job Titles:
- North America Programs Manager
Job Titles:
- Founder
- Occupational Therapist
- President
Pat is an Occupational Therapist whose career path has embraced a number of businesses. She has cumulatively spent years in Europe, especially in Paris, much of which has been with teens. She knows the city like a native and continually searches for unique and authentic additions to our trips. She and her husband, Frank, an astrophysicist and D-Day expert, have traveled extensively with teenagers throughout Europe. Pat is also a passionate animal rescuer and serves on the board of a large no-kill rescue.
Job Titles:
- Operations Coordinator
- Senior Counselor
Job Titles:
- Director of User Experience
Job Titles:
- Operations Coordinator & Trip Director
Job Titles:
- Director of Sales and Marketing
- Vice President
Tori spent several years living in Italy working with college study abroad students and leading tours around Europe before joining the TFT family. Tori has led almost every TFT trip at one point and helps design many of our itineraries. She handles much of our client contact, business development, and creative marketing. She enjoys hiking, camping, rock climbing, scuba diving, and all outdoor adventures. She loves sharing her passion for exploring and traveling with our young travelers!
Job Titles:
- European Programs Manager