Adventure Archeology Cultural Expeditions Peace Corps

Next Step Travel with Peace Corps Volunteers

Can you imagine exploring India with Peace Corps volunteers who served in the country? Would you like to discover Iran with fellow Americans who have spent two years of their lives living amongst local communities? You can.

Next Step Travel, a program of the National Peace Corps Association, provides respectful, local immersion in countries abroad designed by those who know the country intimately: former Peace Corps Volunteers. The program is open to everybody: returned Peace Corps volunteers, their families, friends, and anyone willing to join our community for one of these great adventures. These 360-degree “anti-tour” itineraries combine unparalleled local access, cultural immersion, and a view of the country and culture through a Peace Corps lens.

The chance to travel with former volunteers and to get a close-up view with a Peace Corps perspective is a unique feature of Next Step Travel. In-country staff make it a point to seek out local craftspeople, small businesses and cooperatives, many with a Peace Corps connection. Each trip is with a small group and most are all-inclusive, freeing you fully to experience every minute of your trip – and enjoy the company of your travel companions.

Each trip itinerary contains components that a Peace Corps volunteer would love, from visiting an urban garden in La Havana to driving an ancient caravan route across the High Atlas Mountains in Morocco. Of course, you will not miss the requisite free time to explore markets and the culture of remote towns.

The experiences of returned Peace Corps volunteers, as one of our travelers said, provide you with a “life changing arsenal of wisdom.” Another one outlined: “What I like best about this experience is that it’s a safe way to travel that takes unfair advantage of no one. It benefits everyone involved and the chosen adventures can be found nowhere else.”

 The first trip of 2017 will leave for India February 16. There are more traveling opportunities coming soon: Cuba (April 2017), Morocco (May 2017 and October 2017) and Iran (Fall 2017).

National Peace Corps Association (NPCA) is the nonprofit alumni network at the center of a vibrant community of 220,000 people who share the Peace Corps experience. NPCA champions lifelong commitment to Peace Corps ideals by connecting, engaging and promoting individuals and affiliate groups as they continue to make a difference in communities in the U.S. and abroad. NPCA is also dedicated to advocating for, contributing to, and supporting the betterment of the Peace Corps. (NPCA is separate from the Peace Corps, a federal agency.)

Learn more about NPCA and Next Step Travel at www.peacecorpsconnect.org or call 202-293-7728, extension 12.