There is probably no more challenging decision-making process for a parent than trying to help (or stay clear of) a teenager in the midst of making summer plans! Camp counselor? Real job? Au pair on Nantucket? How about world travel? How about Israel?

"Teen tour" conveys an image of senseless meanderings -- bus and train loads of sleeping kids ready to endure the obligatory museum/ruin/museum itinerary in order to win a few hours free time for food, shopping, and fun. Although these types of trips continue to exist, providing as they do free travel and expenses for school teachers and administrators who often plan, staff (and own) them, they are no longer the only items in the teen travel marketplace. Today there are many wonderful offerings available across the world providing meaningful, well-designed experiences for teens in a variety of special interest areas that challenge the mind, body, and creative imaginations of their participants.

ATTENTION: The U.S. State Department frequently issues travel warnings concerning Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza. For updated travel advisories, please visit http://travel.state.gov.

Israel for Teens

Let me give some examples from the market I know best: Israel.

Nesiya (212 951 7128) introduces Israel to its 10th- 12th grade participants through the eyes of Israeli artists: dancers, singers, sculptors, graphic artists, musicians, etc. Students go right from arrival at Ben Gurion Airport to the most remote Israeli desert where artists and teens spend time hiking, exploring, creating, experiencing -- ultimately gaining a first-hand understanding of both ancient nomadic Israelites and the contemporary realities of the Middle East. The exploration continues for a total of six weeks and includes visits to the Negev, Galili, Jerusalem, Judean Desert and Tel Aviv.

The B'nai B'rith Youth Organization (202/857-6633) offers a summer Israel iscovery program that celebrates history both on and off the beaten path. An extension is available for those interested in staying longer on a special Army Base and on a kibbutz.

KIVUNIM: New Directions (917/930-3092) runs a travel program which utilizes academic study to encourage students to experience Jewish life and spirituality. As a gap year program that post high school students can take before they start college, each participant can receive up to 28 college credits. New Directions focuses on hiking, cultural institutions and meeting key personalities throughout Israel in order for teens to interpret the past of the Jewish tradition and better understand the future of their people in a peaceful and tolerant society. The application process is similar to that of college and financial aid is available on first come, first served basis.

The Bronfman Youth Fellowship (518/475-7212) selects 26 outstanding high school (entering) seniors (age 16-18) for an intensive intellectual and spiritual 6-week encounter with the Land, People, and State of Israel. They create a community of diverse, yet similarly capable young people, then focus on the encounter between the participant and the program's highly committed, charismatic, and gifted staff. And all selected receive a full fellowship for the entire cost of the trip!

These are just a few of the hundreds of diversified "Teen Israel" programs providing multifaceted experiences in nature, culture, religion, and personal growth that are second to none.

How to Choose a Tour

Good teen programs can offer the chance to be with friends for an intimate and intense period of time or, conversely, the opportunity to go off on one's own, often trying on new "masques," new personae for the first time.

Choosing a teen trip then can be a complicated process. What should a parent be looking for?

First are the basics. Examine the reputation of the program you are considering. Who is the staff? Can you meet them? What is their experience? Who sponsors this trip? What is the insurance coverage? All of these (and more) are perfectly legitimate questions for parents and kids to ask. The answers should determine your choices.

Remember though, teen travel staff are (and should be) hard-working, responsible college and graduate students. Their days will be very long and very hard with many sleepless nights. You will not likely meet many actual counselors who are older than 30. (If parents had used age as the criteria to judge me, at age 24, conducting my first teen travel program, that trip would never have gone.) Some of the best trips are new. New ideas, new itineraries, new approaches all enter the market each year. Gaining access to basic information is often the greatest challenge for parents seeking to help their children and themselves make an intelligent choice from good alternatives.

This need led to my involvement in the creation of Israel Experience, an interactive web site providing basic information on over 250 Israel Experience Programs emanating from the U.S. and Canada each year (for high school and college students as well.) The web site's "Photo Album" also provides reports with photos from teens on various summer trips.

Israel Experience's use of the World Wide Web is likely to be replicated by increasing numbers of teen travel programs from around the world. This exciting use of technology provides an expanding arena for accurate information, helpful testimonials, and personal assistance in making the choice for one of the most wonderful summers of a lifetime.

Peter A. Geffen has served as the Director of the Teen Israel Program of The CRB Foundation since 1992. He is the Founder of the Abraham Joshua Heschel School in NYC and designed teen travel programs to Europe, the (former) Soviet Union, North Africa, Turkey, Iran, Egypt, Jordan, and Israel for over 20 years.