Language & Exploration Spain

Overview

Our Language & Exploration Spain program offers the excitement of learning a language while discovering the richness of an ancient culture and exploring the beauty of a remarkable country.

Language & Exploration Spain is based in Barcelona. By offering daily native-speaker language instruction, we place learning at the heart of our program. We then complement instruction time with language practice through Spanish conversations, games and activities organized by Overland’s leaders. Afternoon explorations of the city take us off the beaten path to colorful neighborhoods, parks and museums—we’ll stroll the famous Las Ramblas, admire Gaudí’s architecture and see paintings by Picasso.

On the weekends, we’ll travel as a group to the Pyrenees for hiking and the Costa Brava for swimming. Our four week program will also travel to Madrid for additional cultural exploration. On these trips, we’ll get away from the crowds and search for the real Spain—all while using our steadily improving Spanish.

At program’s end, we’ll look back on new friendships, lifelong memories and improved Spanish language skills with a deeper appreciation of the beauty and variety of the Spanish people, culture and landscape.

“Jenn got a silver medal in the National Spanish Exam this year and the highest score in her grade. She credits the extra Spanish instruction she had last summer—thank you Overland!” Kari Fabian, Medina, Minnesota

Highlights

• Receive daily native-speaker language instruction
• Develop new skills & confidence in the Spanish language
• Live in exciting Barcelona & explore art, architecture & cuisine
• Travel outside of Barcelona to see the Spanish countryside & coast

Grade

L&E Spain: Three Weeks

For students completing grades 7-9 in June 2012

L&E Spain: Four Weeks

For students completing grades 8-12 in June 2012

Multiple sections are grouped by grades

Call us (413-458-9672) to check on current availability

Start and End Location

Starts and ends in Barcelona, Spain

Accommodations

During our time in Barcelona, we will live in modern, city-center apartments. These apartments are carefully selected for their safe and central locations, and are privately rented for our Overland groups.  Apartments are fully equipped with private kitchen, bathroom and laundry facilities.  Each Overland group will have 2 apartments - one for the male leader and male students and one for the female leader and female students.   

In our weekend travel, we will stay in youth hostels and/or hotels.  Students will be sharing a room with 2-3 other students from their group.

In all accommodations, boys and girls stay in separate rooms. Students will have their own bed, but will likely share a room with 2-3 other students in their group. Room groups will switch throughout the trip.

Dates and Fees

L&E Spain: Three Weeks

Sunday, June 24 to Friday, July 13
Sunday, July 15 to Friday, August 3

$5895 (airfare not included)

L&E Spain: Four Weeks

Sunday, June 24 to Saturday, July 21

$6895 (airfare not included)

Itinerary

Program Start

L&E Spain programs start at the Barcelona International Airport where Overland leaders will be on-hand to meet arriving students. Once everyone has arrived, we’ll train to downtown Barcelona, where we'll settle into our group accommodations, explore our new surroundings and get to know one another before we begin our classes.

Language Classes

On L&E Spain programs, we’ll spend four hours in class every weekday at one of Europe’s leading language schools, Babylon Idiomas. On the first day of class, each student will take a placement test with a written and an oral portion to assess language ability.  Based on the results, students are placed in two smaller classes according to ability. Classes last four hours, divided into two periods with a twenty minute break in between. Each day, we’ll spend one lesson working on our conversation skills and the other lesson improving our grammar and vocabulary, and there may be some light school work outside of class a few days a week. Our time spent in the classroom with native-speaker instructors will vastly improve our language abilities and give us the the language skills we'll need to experience Spain and communicate outside the classroom. On the last day of class, all students will receive a certificate marking the progress they have made over the course of the program. Our goal is to give each of our students the skills and confidence to approach language learning with relaxed enthusiasm.

Daily Exploration

After classes are over for the day, we'll enjoy a picnic lunch together before setting out for their daily cultural activity. These daily activities involve outdoor and cultural exploration together as a group and are a perfect way to put our classroom language skills to the test. Our day-to-day itinerary is not fixed; daily destinations within the city will depend on the group's interests, what we are learning in class, or the weather on a particular day. We might visit La Sagrada Familia, explore La Rambla or swim at Playa Sitges. At the end of our busy day, we'll return to our group accommodations to cook dinner together.

Supervision

As with all Overland programs, supervision on Language & Exploration programs is 24 hours a day.  All activities from class to cultural exploration to food shopping and cooking are done as a group.  Students are not permitted to leave the apartments without a leader, or explore any of the group locations on their own.

Weekend Travel

On L&E Spain, we'll live in lively Barcelona for our three or four weeks and visit other exciting parts of Spain settings on the weekends. On our three-week program, we'll travel on our weekends to the Pyrenees to walk ancient mountain trails and to visit the beaches of the Costa Brava at Cadaques. On our four-week program, we'll visit the Pyrenees, the Costa Brava, and we'll spend a weekend in Madrid, Spain's leading city. By program's end, we'll feel at home in Barcelona and also have visited some of the most beautiful areas of Spain.

Program End

At program's end, we’ll enjoy a final dinner out to celebrate all that we have learned and accomplished during our time together in Spain!

“JB had a wonderful experience with Overland (once again!). He returned home more mature and confident—and speaking Spanish!” Linda Askew, Magnolia, Texas

Trip Details

PARENTS & STUDENTS PLEASE NOTE

Unlike most Overland programs, L&E Spain spends a good deal of time in cities. As with every Overland program, our high expectations and basic rules apply at all times. There are no late night activities and drinking alcohol is strictly forbidden.

LANGUAGE INSTRUCTION HOURS

L&E Spain: Three Weeks

50 hours of native-speaker instruction
30 additional hours of structured language immersion

L&E Spain: Four Weeks

70 hours of native-speaker instruction
40 additional hours of structured language immersion

LANGUAGE REQUIREMENT

Overland offers two L&E Spain programs, each requires one year of Spanish.

We prefer that students enrolling in Language & Exploration Spain programs have at least one year of Spanish. However, there are several instances in which we can grant exceptions to this requirement. If your son or daughter has had comparable language practice in Spanish outside of formal class instruction, or if they have a background in another foreign language, for example Latin or French, that may be sufficient for this type of program. Since Overland groups are split into smaller language classes upon arrival, we can accommodate varying levels of language skills. The most important factors for success on this program are the student’s enthusiasm for learning the language and his/her dedication to practicing throughout the program. Please give our office a call to discuss your student’s suitability for our programs.

All of Overland's Language & Exploration programs require dedication to mastering a language and understanding a new culture. Although there is no language pledge, students will be expected to speak only Spanish while in class and during approximately two hours a day of structured language immersion outside of class. Students will be encouraged to speak Spanish amongst themselves outside of the classroom as much as possible.

“Very well organized—a good balance between physical, cultural and academic activities.” Jane Stabler, Keene, New Hampshire

Photos

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Before You Go

• Enrollment Forms
• Prepare & Pack
• Travel Information
• Mail Stops
• Helpful Reminders

Apply Now

HOW TO APPLY

You have two choices. You can apply online with a credit card by clicking the link below.

Apply Online

Or you can download the 2012 Overland Application as a PDF (you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader).

Then mail your completed one-page application and $795 deposit check to:

Overland
P.O. Box 31
Williamstown, MA 01267

For overnight mail via UPS or FedEx, please use our street address:

Overland
63 Spring Street
Williamstown, MA 01267

Applications are reviewed in the order in which they arrive at our office and we cannot hold spots over the phone.

Learn about our admissions process.