For students currently in grades 9–12
Baja & the Gulf of California
Belize
Canadian Arctic
Chile
Iceland
Namibia
You may also like
Columbia Climate School Collaboration
Harvard Chan C-CHANGE Youth Summit
Australia & Fiji
Australia, New Zealand, & Fiji
Croatia & Slovenia
Iceland
Italy & Greece
Japan
Kilimanjaro
Norway
Patagonia: Skiing
Switzerland, France, & Holland
Switzerland, Italy, France, & Holland
France
China
Ecuador & the Galápagos
Spain
Valencia & the Pyrenees
Costa Rica
Ecuador & the Galápagos
Hawai'i
Morocco
Nepal
Peru
Tanzania
Thailand
Vietnam
Barcelona
Tokyo
Tuscany
You may also like
For students currently in grades 6–8
France & Holland
Iceland
Ireland
Italy & Greece
France
Spain
Costa Rica
Ecuador & the Galápagos
Hawai'i
Columbia Climate School Collaboration
Harvard Chan C-CHANGE Youth Summit
*These programs are typically for students in grades 9–12, however motivated rising 9th graders will be considered
Special programs & collaborations
Custom Programs

Looking to create a custom program or collaboration?

Travel programs with the Smithsonian Institution for grades 8–12

Challenge yourself academically at the world's most prestigious universities

Non-profit organization offering student travel scholarships

High school youth summit focused on public health, climate change, and equity

columbia-climate-school-icon

Campus-based climate change program for grades 9–12

Full Language Immersion

Language Programs

Active Immersion in

Language & Culture

Putney Student Travel offers summer language immersion programs abroad for middle school and high school students in Spain, France, Ecuador, and China. Our programs emphasize having fun while speaking French or Spanish in real-life situations. Seven decades of experience have taught us that active immersion in local cultures, rather than sitting in a classroom, is what best promotes progress toward foreign language fluency.

Each trip gives students the opportunity to tap into Putney’s broad network of friends and contacts abroad—from farmers to bakers, journalists to hoteliers—as you improve your language skills in practical and dynamic ways. Enhanced foreign language fluency leads to lifelong enrichment and provides the key to increased understanding between cultures.

Hands-On Learning
A Hands-On Approach to Learning French, Spanish, & Mandarin

Our approach to language learning abroad is active and systematic. We encourage students to abandon their inhibitions and their fear of making mistakes. Our trip leaders are fluent in the target language and well traveled in the program destination, and encourage cultural immersion through fun and dynamic exercises they design to help you develop confidence. Low student-to-leader ratios allow for individualized attention and a supportive, non-competitive group atmosphere. Carefully planned summer travel itineraries take students to famous sights, as well as off-the-beaten path areas with better opportunities for authentic immersion in local life and culture.

Authentic Experiences
Summer Language Immersion Through Authentic Interaction

An immersive language program provides opportunities for middle and high school students to interact with native speakers in more authentic ways than classroom language instruction alone. Throughout your trip, active participation in real-world scenarios helps unlock your potential while allowing you to have fun speaking in the target language. Through homestays or daystays, students become immersed in the local culture and make significant strides toward fluency.

Examples of Immersive Experiences on Putney’s Summer Language Programs

  • Learn to make corn tortillas with your homestay family in Ecuador
  • Develop Spanish skills while joining locals to lay bricks for a community kitchen
  • Practice speaking French as you discuss masterpieces at the Louvre
  • Enjoy everyday French family life and culture with your host brothers or sisters
  • Practice your Mandarin in the famous teahouses of Chengdu
  • Play soccer on the beach of Spain’s northern coast with new Spanish friends
  • Practice new Spanish vocabulary while shopping at a local market
Language Pledge

Participants traveling on our high school and middle school Language programs abroad sign a pledge to speak entirely in the target language throughout the program. This includes interactions with your group leaders, within the group, with homestay or daystay families, and with the local people you encounter during the summer. This commitment, combined with an adventurous spirit, is the principal tool for making progress in a foreign language.

Two years of Spanish, French, or Mandarin language study are required for high school language immersion programs, and one year for middle school language programs.

Our Leaders
Our Summer Language Program Leaders

Our trip leaders bring with them a wealth of knowledge and experience to help you enjoy the most success on your Putney Language program this summer. We choose leaders fluent in the language of the destination country, and many hold additional degrees that have prepared them for leadership roles abroad, including Global Multicultural Studies, International Education Policy and Management, International Relations, Communications, Teaching French as a Foreign Language (TFFL), and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). When they’re not traveling on a Putney Language program, many of our leaders work full-time in related fields, including as advisors to foreign exchange students, and as French or Spanish instructors in middle- or high school language programs. All have extensive experience in international travel and living. Click here to meet our leaders.

group-surf-lesson

Lasting Benefits

You’ll return home with a heightened awareness of the culture in your destination country, and improved proficiency in speaking the language.

students-speaking-french-language-program

Language Pledge

Sign a pledge to speak in the target language throughout your experience. This commitment, combined with an adventurous spirit, is the principal tool for making progress and improving fluency in a foreign language.

student-group-tuileries-garden_thumbnail

Authentic Immersion

Through homestays or daystays, students become immersed in the local culture and make significant strides toward fluency.

“In terms of comprehension, Neely has arrived at the point where she understands the language without the need to first translate in her head. She has also gained a greater sense of independence and self-confidence.”

— Lisa Y., New York, NY

Summer 2025

Middle School Language Programs

Learn More
Learn More
Summer 2025

High School Language Programs

Learn More
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Baja & the Gulf of California
Belize
Canadian Arctic
Chile
Iceland
Namibia
Australia & Fiji
Australia, New Zealand, & Fiji
Croatia & Slovenia
Iceland
Italy & Greece
Japan
Kilimanjaro
Norway
Patagonia: Skiing
Switzerland, France, & Holland
Switzerland, Italy, France, & Holland
France
China
Ecuador & the Galápagos
Spain
Valencia & the Pyrenees
You may also like
Costa Rica
Ecuador & the Galápagos
Hawai'i
Morocco
Nepal
Peru
Tanzania
Thailand
Vietnam
Barcelona
Tokyo
Tuscany
You may also like
Ireland
Iceland
France & Holland
Italy & Greece
France
Spain
Costa Rica
Ecuador & the Galápagos
Hawai'i
Eligible for 8th grade*​
Columbia Climate School Collaboration
Harvard Chan C-CHANGE Youth Summit
*These programs are typically for students in grades 9–12, however motivated rising 9th graders will be considered

Start Your Journey

Join to hear about new programs and upcoming events, and start your path to the summer of a lifetime.