Education travel can be as formal as a degree program or degree credits offered by a world renowned foreign university, or as informal as a seminar on Greek history conducted among the historical ruins of ancient Athens. It is offered to everyone from high school students to retirees, and it can be an informative and mind expanding vacation or a way to earn valuable college credits while enjoying an unparalleled educational experience. This experience can last for as little as a week or two or as much as a semester or year, and include linguistic and cultural immersion in both formal classes and informal settings.
Educationally oriented tour operators offer various education travel packages, and some of these include accredited seminars for professional continuing education that are offered by qualified lecturers in exotic resorts and other attractive locales. Other education travel is offered by universities, both to current students who wish to obtain university credits in recognized programs abroad for a summer, a semester or a year, and to alumni and others who are interested in intellectually stimulating alternatives to standard leisure tours.
Archaeology, nature tourism, eco-tourism, service and volunteer programs, and historically oriented tours with qualified lecturers are popular forms of education travel, especially for shorter periods of time and for travellers who are not actually students. These educational travel programs are welcomed by older travellers, as well as by tourists who are returning to a favorite location in order to see it from a different perspective that was not available to them on previous visits.