Hemisphere Educational Travel, a nationally recognized family-owned and operated educational travel company, is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2020. Since 1970, Hemisphere has provided customized student tours and youth educational travel services.
In the 1960s, Jack Golen was a geography teacher in Chicago, Illinois, looking to make a lasting impression on his students. He traveled with a class to the nation’s capital, where the group spent three days touring Washington, D.C. It became one of the most memorable experiences for Golen and his students.
It was then that Golen recognized that not only were students excited and having the time of their lives, but the tour had provided an educational enhancement to the curriculum implemented in his classroom. One year later, he chose to retire from teaching in order to pursue his dream of offering the same experiences and feelings to more student and youth groups throughout the country.
Hemisphere Educational Travel was born.
“I’m very proud of what Hemisphere has become,” said Golen, adding that though many things have changed over the years, Hemisphere has always focused on client relations and creating memorable experiences for students. “My company has impacted hundreds of thousands of lives over the past 50 years and the future is bright. I have no doubt that Jennifer and Brad will continue to grow Hemisphere well beyond my lifetime.”
Today, Hemisphere continues the tradition of being family-owned and operated, along with being a trusted and well-respected leader in educational travel. Each year, thousands of students tour the world with Hemisphere and experience the strong bond between travel and education through tour programs.
“Technology continues to enhance tours and provides our young travelers many unique and different experiences. The integration of interactive exhibits, virtual reality and augmented reality is something that continues to surface at many of the sites and attractions that we offer,” said Brad Rosenbaum, General Manager. “The future will provide us with an ever-changing landscape of monuments, memorials, museums and attractions.”
Though Rosenbaum says he can’t predict what history will bring in the next 10 years, he knows the Hemisphere team will continue to visit destinations and attractions to familiarize students with whatever the future holds.
“Whether our clients’ purpose of touring is educational, cultural, performance related, or just plain old fun, we will seek out new experiences so they can continue to provide their students an opportunity of a lifetime outside of the classroom,” said Rosenbaum.
To celebrate, Hemisphere will share a “50 Ways to Spark Student Travel” series throughout 2020, which will inspire and share ways educators have used travel to change the lives of students nationwide.
Written by Hemisphere Educational Travel