How to Organize a Private Trip with GEEO

For educators who dream of exploring the world alongside friends, family, colleagues, or their university communities, GEEO makes it possible to turn that idea into reality. Through our Private Trips program, we run journeys built around shared curiosity and connection. Whether you’re a teacher hoping to inspire your students, a professor leading a study abroad cohort, or simply someone who loves to learn through travel, GEEO’s team helps transform inspiration into an unforgettable group experience.

Our private trips combine the flexibility of our expansive program list with the ease of GEEO’s trusted support. We handle the logistics, from coordination with our travel partners to processing payments and bookings, so you can focus on what matters most: gathering your group and getting ready to travel.

Every private trip includes the same personal attention and benefits GEEO travelers know and love. It’s a seamless, affordable way to explore the world together, supported every step of the way by a team that understands what educators need.

That’s exactly what Amy Heckel, an 8th-grade science and anthropology teacher from Verona, New Jersey, decided to do.

Discovering GEEO: A Journey with Purpose

In 2015, Amy signed up for her first GEEO program, an educator trip in the Peruvian Amazon. “I was able to travel with other educators on a riverboat up the Amazon, learning about the flora and fauna as well as the culture of the local Cocama people,” she says.

It was her first solo trip, but it didn’t feel that way for long. “I quickly made friends with the other GEEO travelers in the group, who were also traveling solo. We bonded over our shared love of travel, and I am still in touch with some of them to this day. I realized very quickly that there was no need to be nervous about solo travel, especially when traveling with GEEO.”

Amy describes that first experience as “eye-opening in every way.” She vividly remembers moments that changed her perspective: meeting a local shaman, learning about her spiritual practices, and fishing for piranhas (and having her onboard chef cook them up for lunch). “We went canoeing in dugout canoes with locals in a creek near their village, and ate one of the best meals I’ve ever had, prepared by a local family. It was truly immersive.”

For Amy, that immersion was the essence of what makes GEEO special. “You’re not just seeing a place, you’re learning about it through the people who live there. It’s travel with a purpose.”

Inspiring Others to Join the Journey

After returning home from her travels, Amy didn’t just keep her adventures to herself, she shared them. “Both during and after my trips, I post updates to my personal and teacher Instagrams,” she says. “I also lead international tours for my former students who are in high school and post pictures to social media about them as well.”

As more teachers reached out, Amy realized just how many of them shared that same passion for exploration, but felt held back by the logistics. “Even when people have the desire to travel, the time and effort it takes to plan a trip can be daunting. But when it’s already organized and all you have to do is enroll, it suddenly feels possible.”

That realization inspired Amy to work with GEEO to organize a private tour to Africa in 2022, an idea that grew out of casual conversations in the teacher’s lounge. “I found that many of my colleagues were interested in going on safari. They’re mindsets went from, ‘maybe one day I’ll travel’ into ‘You already planned a trip and all I have to do is enroll?’” she explains. “GEEO made it happen by putting together a private trip just for us.”

How to Organize a Private Trip with GEEO

When Amy decided to organize her own private trip, she reached out to GEEO to start planning. “Jesse (GEEO’s Executive Director) spoke with G Adventures to price out the tours as well as look at the potential departure dates. He then advised me on which tours he would recommend based on his past experience with offering those or similar tours.”

Amy trusted the process and it paid off. “I know that it would appeal to a wide variety of travelers, which it did. I had a full tour.”

Getting adults to commit, however, can be its own challenge. “People say they want to travel, but when it comes time to enroll, they don’t,” Amy admits. “I’ve found that when planning trips, it’s important for me to have at least three other people who are 100% in—that I’m confident will enroll. That way, our tour will run, even if we’re combined with a G Adventures group.”

To get others on board, Amy keeps the trip top of mind for her community. “Both on social media and in person, I just talk about the trip 24/7,” she says. “I share the awesome activities that we’ll be doing, how GEEO makes the trip doable financially, and I also share the great resources GEEO has to help travelers prepare and even earn graduate credit.”

Marketing her trips has become part of the fun. “I make sure I select a high-interest destination as well as a departure date that works for people,” Amy explains. “To publicize the trip, I also utilized Canva to make flyers. I handed these out to my colleagues, sent some to teachers at other schools in the district, and posted them on social media and at the library. I would also carry them around with me and hand them out to people I met who I thought might be interested.”

Through a mix of organization, enthusiasm, and creativity, Amy has built a thriving community of travelers around her. For her, it all comes back to the same goal: “My goal with organizing international tours is to give the travelers, both student or adult, the opportunity to learn about themselves and the world through immersive travel experiences.”

The Results and Amy’s Next Adventure

Amy’s trip to Africa was more than just a vacation, it was a shared experience that deepened friendships and opened doors. “Some of my colleagues and friends didn’t have anyone to travel with and were intimidated by the idea of going solo,” Amy says. “When they joined my tours, they already knew me, which gave them peace of mind to make the commitment. Once they’re on the trip, they end up forming so many new friendships with other travelers.”

For her next trip with GEEO, it’s off to Iceland. “For the most recent tour I organized…I was blown away by the interest! I have a full tour with a waitlist! There are so many people coming who have told me that it’s been their dream to go to Iceland but either the price was too high or planning a trip their was too intimidating for them or they didn’t know anyone else who wanted to go and didn’t want to travel alone.”

Her story is a reminder of what happens when curiosity meets community. One teacher’s adventure can inspire dozens of others to see the world.

Want to Organize a Private GEEO Trip Like Amy?

Amy’s journey shows how one educator’s love of travel can spark a movement of learning, friendship, and discovery. Whether you’re hoping to plan a trip with your family, department, alumni network, or close circle of colleagues, GEEO makes it easy to build your own adventure. 

From destination selection to itinerary design, our team manages the details, so you can focus on gathering your travelers and getting excited for takeoff. Every trip includes educator-friendly pricing, expert guides, and the same educational focus that defines all GEEO programs. On top of that, as you recruit more people to your departure, you’ll receive referral credit, so your cost will go down.

If you’re ready to start planning your own private trip, reach out to our team at travel@geeo.org to learn more. Together, we’ll help you create a journey your community will never forget.