Anastasia Mayhew

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Anastasia is from Ormond Beach, Florida, and a University of Colorado at Boulder graduate. Her passions include her dog (Tony), playing outside, and adventure! She has been volunteering and traveling all over the world for the past six years, and loves showing teens the world with TFT!

What is your favorite travel memory?

One of my favorite travel memories is white water rafting through the Thai jungle through herds of water buffalo and large lizards. We spent the night camping out with locals and cooking authentic Thai food for dinner over the fire, sleeping on bamboo slats, surrounded with croaking frogs and fireflies.

How have you changed/grown since working for your current company?

Travel for Teens has provided me with the opportunity to work and travel in environments that are diverse, sustainable and responsible, which has taught me how to be a more educated traveler and staff member. TFT staff and experiences have introduced me to so many amazing communities and opportunities, and how to seek those out in a way that is sustainable for the opportunities and communities themselves!

What is the best story you've heard from a return student?

Some of my favorite stories from our travelers is that they made lifelong friends on our trips, that they still spend time and keep in touch with. Some of our travelers have even invited us to their weddings, with other travelers from the trips as their wedding party! Its such a cool feeling to bring people together like that, fostering friendships that could last a lifetime!

If you could go on any program that your company offers, which one would you choose and why?

ALL of TFT's programs are amazing, but at this moment, I'm most excited for our Peru, Ecuador & the Galapagos trip. It takes our travelers to some truly magical and authentic places, including an UNESCO world heritage site! Its also filled with adventure and adrenaline, crossing suspended bridges and trying out Tarzan swings!

What makes your company unique? When were you especially proud of your team?

Travel for Teens places so much importance on authentic travel and authentic people, which I think makes TFT as a whole very unique, something I'm very proud to be a part of. We really are fostering opportunities for teens to become travelers, not tourists, and our staff truly leads by example with making that happen and relaying importance.

What do you believe to be the biggest factor in being a successful company?

The biggest factor for success, I think, is constantly growing. Not (only) in size, but in our ideas and concepts. TFT is constantly transforming to be better, with more authentic experiences and trained/experienced staff, which is something that creates great experiences for our travelers and clients.