Collectively, ActionQuest, Lifeworks, Sea|mester and Arc are one of the oldest and largest organizations offering these types of adventures for teens. We have been around over thirty years and, during this time, we have had thousands of students join us. We have a great reputation - in fact, 7 out of 10 students join us because they know someone, or have talked with someone who has done one of our programs. Each year, over 500 teens join us from all over the globe. During the remainder of the year, we operate Sea|mester, our academic, college-level study abroad program for college students and high school graduates.

Safety is paramount and comes first in everything that we do. Our programs are adventurous, so there is an element of risk in some of the activities that we do. However, when you are aware of the risk, you can better control it and, in many cases, use it in your favor as many learn best when they are slightly outside of their comfort zone. Risk management is a key part of operating our programs and we are constantly reviewing and fine tuning our programs. For more information on safety and training, please view our safety page.

Group size varies from 8 to 26 depending upon the location. Arc accepts students ages 14 to 19, and the average age is around 16 or 17. We find that while working towards common goals, all of our students grow together as a strong team regardless of any difference in age.

Arc Academic Expeditions is not a traditional teen summer camp and is far from a teen tour. We are a hands-on academic adventure program, and our trips have always been grounded in experiential education.

A lot of this has to do with you as a person... your academic interests, what activities you like and your goals. We offer a range of programs, each vary in geographic location, academics, adventure activities and service projects. Some are more scientific based and some more arts based.

Broadly, over a quarter of our students return each year, and our record for a single student returning to date is 5 summers (and counting!). Arc, ActionQuest and Lifeworks offers programs that not only span the globe but also range in focus. Counting Sea|mester we offer over twenty unique programs, so there are always plenty of new experiences to choose from!

While we guard our parents' privacy, 95% of them volunteer to act as references for new, interested parents. Arc is the academic adventure program arm of ActionQuest and Lifeworks, which annually attract over 500 students worldwide. Upon request, we will gladly put you in touch with a past participant. Please contact us to request references, and also read through the Testimonials page of our website for comments written about our programs by past students and their parents.

Depends on who's cooking! For those programs run aboard vessels, our home cooking menu consists of wholesome dry foods, which we supplement with fresh vegetables and fruit. In other programs it could be food prepared at local restaurants, hotels, home stays, or sometimes we may even be cooking by the campfire! Contact us and we'll send you a copy of the menu if you like.

The weather varies according to the destination you choose, so check the FAQs specific to the program that interests you for more detailed information.

You'll find pretty much everything that you need in your closet at home. We will send a packing list of general items to bring and information on minor spending money needed for stamps, souvenirs, etc.

In many of the program locations, cell phones will either not work or calls are very expensive indeed. More importantly, a lot is learned through total immersion in the program and group activities. Personal phone calls can be disruptive to this process and, for this reason, we ask that cell phones are brought for use during travel days but not used or carried during the program.

No. For both health and safety reasons, any use, possession or association with tobacco products may be cause for immediate dismissal from the program, without refund.

At Arc, we prefer to call these "agreements" rather than rules. Our agreements provide a framework for living in community and are something that we all live up to. We agree to be respectful of others, their property and beliefs and, in the case of our staff, their responsibility. We agree to hold our level of language to a high standard. We also agree to abide by our smoking, drinking and substances policy. Arc is strictly a no smoking or drinking program, and any use or association with any tobacco product, alcoholic beverage or controlled substance, including misuse of prescription medication, may result in immediate dismissal from the program, without refund. Please read the previous FAQ on tobacco usage for further information.

As our students fly from all points of the compass, the tuition does not include the cost of air travel. We work directly with a travel coordinator to assist parents in obtaining low cost flights to our program locations. Please click here for further information on travel.