Jay Bloxsom, Founder & CEOEducational travel is evolving, and for today’s students, meaningful real-world experiences matter more than ever. As a leading educational travel company, NationsClassroom provides student tours and school trips, believes learning is better when experienced, and makes the process simple and rewarding for educators.
After being named a Top 10 Educational Travel Company by Education Insider in 2025, NationsClassroom was recognized as Educational Tour Company of the Year for 2026, reflecting its commitment to consistent, high-quality outcomes for educators and students alike.
NationsClassroom designs and delivers student tours, class trips, and school travel experiences for middle and high school students across the United States and beyond.
“Unique is a great description of what we strive to be,” says Founder and CEO Jay Bloxsom. "Our greatest competitive advantages are that we are debt-free and domestically and family owned. This foundation allows us to grow intentionally, focus like a laser on understanding the expectations of a very specific customer, and be obsessed with being the best-in-the-world at exceeding those expectations. Our family-owned and debt-free foundation provides schools peace of mind to travel confidently with NationsClassroom. They know we will be their one true partner now and in the future."
A Model Built on Purpose and Discipline
At the core of NationsClassroom’s approach is what Bloxsom describes as smart growth.
“We want to grow and inspire students through meaningful travel but not at the expense of excellence,” he explains. “If we grow too fast, we overburden our team and the quality drops.”
That discipline has enabled the company to consistently deliver an educator satisfaction score of 9.75 out of 10 and retain more than 95% of its ideal customers.
Rather than trying to serve everyone, NationsClassroom focuses on a clearly defined customer: educators who value excellence, want curriculum-aligned experiences, and are looking for a true partner.
“Teachers are pulled in so many directions,” Bloxsom says. “Our role is to take as much off their plate as possible so they can focus on their students while we handle the logistics, communication, and execution.”
What NationsClassroom Provides
• Curriculum-aligned educational tours
• Fully managed student travel programs
• School trips designed for ease and impact
• High-quality tour guides and on-trip experiences
• End-to-end support for educators and families
Where the Experience is Won or Lost
For NationsClassroom, the quality of a trip is ultimately determined on the ground, most notably by its tour guides.
“Great tour guides make a trip. Bad ones break it,” Bloxsom says.
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NationsClassroom focuses on a defined customer: educators who value excellence, want curriculum-aligned experiences, and seek a true educational travel partner.
The company has defined excellence across five key areas:
• Serving the educator first
• Relating to students and making the experience engaging
• Delivering vast destination knowledge
• Operating proactively through challenges
• Maintaining a warm, welcoming presence
“When our guides meet that standard, they almost always receive a 10 out of 10.”
Culture as the Foundation
As NationsClassroom grew, a clear pattern emerged:
“To exceed educator expectations, we first had to become a great place to work.”
The company’s culture is built around its PACK values:
• Positivity
• Accountability
• Creativity
• Knowledge
Combined with a collaborative mindset, these values create an environment where employees take ownership, build relationships, and continuously improve.
“Our team members average over 20 years of experience,” Bloxsom notes. “But more importantly, they care. They’re committed to delivering a great experience every time.”
That internal consistency translates directly to the customer experience and is reflected in the company’s high satisfaction scores and long-term partnerships.
Addressing the Real Challenges Educators Face
According to Bloxsom, educators today face two primary challenges: time and money.
“We work hard to maintain strong vendor relationships so we can deliver high-quality experiences at reasonable prices,” Bloxsom explains. “We also provide meaningful financial aid assistance to help ensure more students have access to the life-changing benefits of global travel."
A Model Built on Alignment
At its core, NationsClassroom operates on a simple but powerful sequence:
• Be a great place to work
• Exceed educator expectations
• Inspire students through meaningful travel
“That’s really our story,” Bloxsom says. “When you get those three things right, everything else follows.”
Q&A with Jay Bloxsom, Founder & CEO
Q1 In an industry with hundreds of companies, what makes NationsClassroom unique?
Our greatest competitive advantage is that we are debt-free and domestically and family owned. This foundation allows us to grow intentionally and to focus like a laser on understanding the expectations of a very specific customer and to be obsessed to be the best-in-the-world at exceeding those expectations without being beholden to the influence of outside investors. Being debt-free gives schools peace-of-mind to travel confidently with NationsClassroom as they know we will be their partner now and in the future.
Q2 What is an ideal customer for NationsClassroom?
Our ideal customer is looking for one true partner to deliver excellence on all of their tours, domestic and international. Like us they value safety and risk management. They believe in custom itineraries that are mission and curriculum aligned, brought to life by the worlds' best tour guides, and delivered as a first class service experience.
Q3 What separates your tour guides from others'?
Great tour guides make a trip. Bad ones break it. Ours serve the educator, engage students, bring destinations to life, operate proactively, and deliver with energy and care.
Q4 Can you share a case study?
Problem:
Many new partners come to us after experiencing “custom” trips that weren’t truly aligned with their curriculum, and that combined with reactive service left teachers managing too much on their own.
Solution:
We take a different approach by starting with the educator’s goals and curriculum to design a truly aligned experience. We take full ownership of planning, communication, and execution with a proactive service mindset.
Outcome:
The result is a more meaningful experience for students, significantly less burden on educators, improved participation, and long-term partnerships built on trust and consistency.
Q5 How do you see the future of educational travel evolving?
Educational travel is becoming an extension of the classroom. Students need meaningful, real- world experiences more than ever, and educators need partners who can deliver those experiences consistently and without adding complexity.
At NationsClassroom, our role is to continue raising the standard, connecting travel more directly to learning, and delivering experiences that truly matter.
The future isn’t about more trips. It’s about better ones.
NationsClassroom has built its model on a clear and disciplined philosophy: take care of the team, exceed educator expectations, and create experiences that inspire students. In a category often defined by logistics and scale, the company’s focus on purpose, service, and consistency sets it apart and is helping redefine what excellence looks like.
