Schools & Universities
Experiential educational adventures in Cambodia for high schools & universities
We specialise in development education, and facilitating learning journeys for student groups especially interested in development work. Our trips explore concepts of global citizenship and encourage travellers to be positive change-makers of the future.
At Ayana Journeys, we offer our own learning journeys, as well as facilitate study trips for like-minded travel partners as a Cambodian ground-operator.
Our learning journeys allow students to experience Cambodia through new experiences, educational activities, adventure, and of course fun! We aim to give students greater understanding of and interest in Cambodian history and Khmer culture and traditions, as well as love for this beautiful country and its people. We also aim to give you a chance to learn more about various development issues in Cambodia, and the variety of ways in which those are being addressed.
Proudly recognised for our commitment to responsible educational travel
“Culturally immersive learning journeys, connecting young travellers to inspiring initiatives and locations.”
Why us?
Local experts
Our team is based in Cambodia, and is made up of locals and expats with thorough local knowledge. We have been running educational adventures for many years, and have a deep connection to the country. To our knowledge, we are the only Cambodian registered educational travel specialist.
Collaboration
Rather than reinventing the wheel, we work in partnership with impact organisations, social enterprises, and grassroots community based tourism projects around Cambodia. In doing so we can highlight incredible work that is already happening to address development issues, and support rural communities keen to share their stories.
Positive impact
Your trip costs include donations to organisations we visit and meet, funding valuable initiatives. We carefully select NGO partners that are aligned with our values, and have an ongoing dialogue with them to ensure our trips benefit their cause in some way. Check out our year-on-year impact here.
Responsible tourism
We feel very strongly that our adventures should be mutually beneficial for both our students, and the people and places that host them. We prioritise working with local, family-fun businesses and suppliers, ensuring that the financial impact of our tours stays within the local economy.
Facilitators
Education is at the core of all our experiences. Our study trips have carefully crafted curriculums and learning objectives based on your group’s interests and goals. Experienced facilitators deliver eye-opening educational experiences through a range of engaging and interactive activities, while remaining flexible to students’ needs.
Child protection
We are the first Cambodia-only tour company to be certified as a ChildSafe Business, demonstrating our commitment to child protection both with regards to our young participants, and protecting vulnerable Cambodian children from exploitation. Many of our team are now official community ‘agents’ advocating child rights.
Risk management
We are committed to providing challenging experiences whilst minimising any risks to the health, safety, and security of our participants. Being based in Cambodia allows us to carry out thorough and frequent risk assessments, ensure staff receive appropriate first aid and risk management training, and have comprehensive ‘plan Bs’ in place at all times. Activity-specific risk assessments and our emergency response procedures can be provided on request.
Destinations
Cambodia wide
We work all over the country – from the buzzing capital, to the sleepy seaside, and from the heart of the countryside, to the most hidden corners of the Kingdom. Trips usually start and/or finish in Siem Reap and/or Phnom Penh, and where possible we encourage groups to get out of the hustle and bustle, and take you off the beaten track.
Why Cambodia?
Many Ayana alumni have noted that “there’s just something about Cambodia”, and we couldn’t agree more!
As a so-called ‘developing’ country with a turbulent recent history, Cambodia naturally lends itself to dynamic explorations of concepts including colonialism, peace and reconciliation, community and international development, and global citizenship. But as much is this is a place rich in opportunities to learn about complex, challenging issues, it is equally a place filled with beautiful landscapes, delicious food, a vibrant, ancient culture, and a fascinating spiritual story. We create programs that bring Cambodia alive for our students, allowing them to explore its many sides to develop a well-rounded picture of this magical place.
We work all over the country, from the buzzing capital to the sleepy coast, and from the heart of the countryside to the most hidden corners of the Kingdom. Trips usually start and/or finish in Siem Reap and/or Phnom Penh, and where possible we encourage all groups to get out of the hustle and bustle and spend some time off the beaten track. Approximately 80% of Cambodia’s population live in rural communities, so even a few nights in a countryside homestay can really deepen students’ understanding of the country and its people.
Itineraries
No two Ayana experiences are the same
Instead of following a ‘one size fits all’ philosophy, we take the time to custom design a bespoke itinerary for every group that we work with. For schools and universities looking for an introduction to Cambodia, we are happy to craft experiences that incorporate your specific needs and interests with key themes of enquiry.
We also have extensive expertise in building educational adventures with specific academic or learning goals in mind, with themes to date including social innovation and entrepreneurship, global health policy, humanitarian engineering, education and youth empowerment, and more. Cambodia offers diverse and rich learning opportunities, so please get in touch if you have curriculum criteria you need to meet!
Budgets
As every trip is different we have no fixed prices. We will work hard to meet your groups’ budget, but ask you to remember that there’s no such thing as a free lunch! We pay our staff, partners and hosts fairly, as well as being a committed law-abiding tax payer! We usually prepare a budget on an in-country all-inclusive basis, and can spread chaperones or teachers costs across paying students. Typically speaking prices range between USD $120 – $200 per person per day.
Key information
Ages
We work with students from as young as 12 years old, through to university students (and even life-long learners!).
Group size
We run trips for groups as small as 6 participants, right through to 40+. Our preferred maximum group size is 20 participants (including accompanying faculty), as we find the learning impact of a trip is at risk of being comprimised beyond this number. For groups above 20 participants, we may recommend splitting into two smaller groups and rotating some daily activities.
Trip length
We run trips from a minimum of 5 days, right through to 4+ weeks. We recommend longer trips wherever possible, as these allow for deeper learning experiences and a greater opportunity to connect with ‘off the beaten track’ locations.
Staff / student ratio
We generally staff our trips at a ratio of 1 facilitator to every 8 – 10 students. This may vary depending on the specific needs of a school or group, and the number of accompanying adults / faculty members. Our trips generally have a minimum of 2 facilitators (1 male, 1 female).
Themes & topics
Every learning journey is carefully handcrafted to your group’s needs and learning goals. Whilst most trips have an underlying thread, every adventure is unique and designed especially for you.
- Personal development
- Global citizenship
- Culture & cultural differences
- Ancient & modern Cambodian history
- Foreign aid & development
- Sustainability
- Social entrepreneurship
- Responsible tourism
- Service & responsible giving
- Education & development
- Natural & heritage conservation
- Global health
- Humanitarian engineering
…plus more
Our clients
We work with a variety of prestigious schools and universities on bespoke curriculum-based travel programs, including:
- Australia
- Australian Catholic University
- Monash University
- USA
- Penn State University
- North Florida University
- Lakeside School, Seattle
- Canada
- Capilano University
- St Michaels University School
- Southridge School, Surrey
- Crescent School, Toronto
- Asia
- University of Tokyo
- Canadian International School of Phnom Penh
- The Harbour School, Hong Kong
- Europe
- Riverside International School in Prague
Our partners
We also collaborate with a range of like-minded tour partners to facilitate custom-built study tours, and the following regularly send numerous reputable schools from around the world to travel with us:
- PEPY Tours
- Peace Works Travel
- IPSL
- Walking Tree Travel
- JUMP! Foundation
- Peninsula Outdoor School
- Wilderness Adventures
- Stratosphere International
“Collaborating with Ayana Journeys is an absolute dream and, frankly should be the model for edutourism across the globe. If you are planning to be in South East Asia with students or teachers, be sure to contact Ayana. Having worked with them on four different trips, I can honestly say that I wouldn’t want to go back to Cambodia without them”
– Liz Titone, Arts Educator and Coordinator of Global and Community Engagement, The Packer Collegiate Institute, USA
