Travel isn’t just about collecting new experiences. Done well, travel can break down barriers, spark understanding, and create lasting connections. That’s why we prioritize traveling with humility, treading lightly, and leaving a positive reciprocal impact wherever we go. We don’t just talk about responsible travel, we help you live it.
As a Certified B Corp, we meet the highest verified standards of social and environmental responsibility. From our program design to our business practices, every choice supports meaningful impact for both people and the planet.
By directly & fairly compensating our community partners, prioritizing locally-owned businesses, avoiding middlemen, and hiring local instructors, your tuition directly benefits our partner communities.
The desire to do good is a great motivator. Our learning-first approach to service helps ensure the product of that intention is genuinely positive for the people & places it impacts.
Respectful exchange enables mutual learning. We take seriously the perspectives, histories, and lived experiences of the communities we engage with, and cultivate the ability to question our own assumptions and beliefs.
Travel carries complex and inherent imbalances of privilege and power. We nurture critical self-reflection and awareness of these themes and the way they impact our work, and act to improve them.
We have direct relationships with our partner communities, and remain engaged even in the off-season. Hosts invite us into their homes not as transactional clients, but as partners in cross-cultural education.
Small groups and spacious itineraries allow us to connect more deeply with each community that hosts us, making space for feedback, reciprocity, and nuance.
We work to cultivate awe, reverence, and right action for our planet.
We challenge ourselves to confront systems of power and privilege and our roles within.
We strive to build community relationships that are reciprocal and sustainable.
We strive to access, hear, and share marginalized voices and perspectives.
Responsible travel is a tool for breaking down barriers and enhancing understanding between people and communities around the world.
And yet, the work of international education carries inherent imbalances with regard to issues of race, class, gender, privilege and power. We nurture a community of critical self-reflection and awareness of these themes and the way they impact our approach to global engagement.
We ask the questions and let students explore their own answers.
Our global speaker series brings the voices of instructors from around the world into classrooms to introduce diverse perspectives, experience and expertise on critical global issues. Sessions run approximately 60 min and engage students in bold conversations, new ideas and meaningful reflection.
Our goal is to provide full or partial financial assistance to 50% of our participants. To further increase access, we created The Dragons Fund, a 501c3 program supporting need based scholarships, allowing us to work with engaged and curious youth, regardless of their financial position.
Incredible community partners are crucial to the magic of Dragons. To support their work, we created the Community Grant Fund. The fund ensures that as much money as possible goes straight to the communities that support our programs.