This post was written on July 4.

This trip is already awesome! Our enthusiastic group of young adventurers seamlessly navigated the Newark International Airport, watched the latest critically acclaimed movies, slogged through jet-lag, and picked up our final group leader and European travel expert Tim Laughlin as the group pushed on en route to our final destination: beautiful Leysin, Switzerland. After nearly a day in commute, at around 12 noon the group finally arrived at the picturesque town that is nestled in the foothills of the Alps at the west end of Lake Léman. We settled at the poshly addorned Hotel Le Grand Chalet, then broke for lunch, where we enjoyed delicious chicken and lardon salads, fresh pesto pastas, and ribeye steaks. Eager to solidify our group identity, the tired yet spirited group made a brisk dash up to a local look-out over the beautiful lake and played name games, ice-breakers, and shared their greatest hopes, fears, and expectations for our upcoming journey. We wrapped up the day in perfect 4th of July fashion with some tasty offerings at the hotel before the group, whooped and knackered from our long Atlantic journey, broke ranks for some much deserved rest and relaxation. Next up on the agenda is our trip’s inaugural hike up Leysin’s La Berneuse, a vibrant green mountain overlooking town, followed by another afternoon of team building at the local ropes course. Morale is high and our group couldn’t be more happy to continue our journey of cultural exploration and solidify our commitments as we undertake our first full week of in-country adventure.

Happy 4th of July all the way from Switzerland and be sure to stay tuned for more updates coming soon!
– Alicia, Tim, & Jonathan