Trustworthy. Experienced. Qualified.
Sending students away for a semester in Europe is an exciting but nerve-wracking time. Time zones are different, country codes are different, cultures are diverse and unfamiliar and emergencies can happen.
That's why WSA is fortunate to benefit from the over 20 years of travel experience that Andy Steves brings to the table. His background of traveling through Europe, working 
in Europe and studying abroad gives WSA the crucial expertise and important connections in every single WSA destination. For a number of years, Andy has uploaded his blogs on his dad's site at RickSteves.com, and worked as a tour guide for his company, Europe Through the Back Door.
WSA helps parents sit back, relax and enjoy the vicarious ride through photo albums, blog entries, tour video recaps and tweets for all WSA adventures on WSAEurope.com. Just as importantly, parents gain the peace of mind knowing their students are traveling with organized, responsible and knowledgeable staff from an insured and licensed tour company.
Check out our FAQ for parents here.
Safety and Risk Management: Our Top Priority
Safety Protocol
- Local and Responsible Tour Guides: For our tour guide vetting process, please see FAQ section.
- Three WSA Contacts On Call 24/7: Tour Guide, Local Contact Back-Up, Andy Steves
- Key Local Address and Contact Information for Students: US Consulate, English speaking Hospital, Hostel
- U.S. State Department: WSA registers each trip with the State Department, closely monitors its Travel Advisory web site at http://travel.state.gov, and suggests students review its study abroad site at http://studentsabroad.state.gov/
Corporate Risk Management
- Fully licensed Limited Liability Company Headquartered in Edmonds, WA, USA
- Insured by Berkely and Zurich
- Corporate Advisory Board: Includes veterans in the travel industry such as European travel guru and PBS show host Rick Steves and Chris Arrott, Founder of Adventure Travel Company.
- Experienced Staff: The WSA Team includes professionals who combined have decades of travel experience in Europe and have navigated successfully numerous challenging travel experiences.
Andy Steves' WSA Gift Cards
Enhance your student's semester abroad with a WSA Gift Card. Cards come in increments of trip prices:
- Celebration Weekends: €299
- Standard Weekends: €199
- Ski Trips: €169
Guarantee peace of mind, quality and unique cultural experiences for your students with a WSA gift card! Learn more by following the link and to purchase, simply get in touch with us here.
We're excited to continue opening young minds to the world around them:
"I think education abroad is necessary and important. It broadens horizons, teaches cultural tolerance, and opens young minds to a big world filled with infinite possibilities. Working to enhance and improve all aspects of study abroad opporunities for future generations of students is a worthy cause."
- Lauren Gerbach (from the handbook of Forum for Education Abroad, Denver 2012)