Our History

In 1964, a middle school social studies teacher from Chicago discovered the incredible experience of traveling to Washington, D.C., with his students. He was so encouraged by the powerful effects travel had on his students, he left teaching in 1967 to create Lakeland Tours – an educational student travel organization. Through his vision, the organization became the leader in student travel.

In the late 1990s, Lakeland Tours brought together the best travel programs from across the United States. Lakeland Tours, American Student Travel, Educational Field Studies, Heritage Festivals, Bowl Games of America, and Wider Horizons joined together to become WorldStrides. In 2008, WorldStrides merged with Field Studies Center to enhance its educational offerings in New York City and began coordinating university travel with its acquisition of Accent Travel Group. The merger of TravelMBA in 2009 with Accent Travel Group further enhanced the number of university clients we serve. Most recently, New Century Tours joined the WorldStrides family, bringing 20 years of experience traveling to historic East Coast destinations. In 2011, WorldStrides acquired Casterbridge Tours, enhancing international operations, desinations, and service. Today, WorldStrides is the leading provider of educational student travel, coordinating trips for educators from around the country and the world.

In August of 2011, WorldStrides announced new names for its education, performing, and university divisions: WorldStrides DiscoverNow!; WorldStrides Heritage Performance; and WorldStrides Capstone.

WorldStrides is the first organization of its kind to be recognized as an accredited travel study school by multiple regional accrediting bodies across the country, making us the largest K-12 school in the United States. To date, we have inspired more than four million students by taking them beyond classroom walls.