A Shared Commitment

With 30+ years of experience in student travel and international education, our leadership team brings the passion, expertise, and global connections needed to create unique, life-enriching programs for teen travelers.

Steve Hart

Co-founder

Steve, born in Germany to a Spanish mother and English father, spent his childhood in countries across Europe, the Middle East, and Latin America. He studied Spanish and Portuguese at Bristol University in England and began leading student groups through Spain and Portugal during school breaks. After graduation, Steve continued leading groups while pursuing his own travel adventures, including biking across the U.S. and hiking the Inca Trail.

With over 30 years in educational travel, Steve fulfilled his dream of founding Hart Travel Partners and The Global Citizen Program, focusing on academic content and cultural enrichment through personalized travel experiences.

Get in touch with Steve at SteveHart@HartTravelPartners.com

Jeff Rahilly

Co-founder

Jeff grew up in a small town in Massachusetts and took his first international trip as a teen, which shaped his future. He graduated from Providence College with a degree in Psychology and a minor in Education. After studying abroad in London, Jeff decided to pursue an international career focused on travel, cultural exchange, and positively impacting youth.

With over 25 years of experience in student travel and international exchange, Jeff has visited 45+ countries across six continents. He is passionate about collaborating with educators to introduce these life-changing travel programs to schools nationwide, enriching students’ lives through global experiences.

Get in touch with Jeff at Jeff@TheGlobalCitizenProgram.com

 

Eva Luther

Vice President of Operations

Eva’s passion for travel began early, spending summers in Germany with her grandmother and later studying abroad in Strasbourg, France. She holds a bachelor’s degree in International Hospitality and Tourism Management from Schiller International University.

With over 25 years of experience in educational travel, hospitality, and the airline industry, Eva oversees all logistics—from flights and accommodations to local transport and meals—ensuring every detail is handled for a seamless and enriching travel experience.

 

Tamsin Trail

Director of School Relations

Tamsin grew up in an English family in America, spending summers in England, Scotland, and France, where her passion for travel began. She has lived in Salamanca, Florence, London, and Paris, and holds a BA in History of Art and Architecture from Middlebury College.

With 12 years of experience in the travel industry, Tamsin has dedicated her career to supporting and training educators in leading successful student travel programs. She has worked closely with teachers to ensure they have the resources, guidance, and confidence to create impactful and enriching experiences for their students.

Roger Hart

Global Affairs Advisor

Born in London, Roger studied modern languages at the University of Birmingham before joining the British Diplomatic Service. He has served as British Ambassador to Peru, Angola, and São Tomé & Príncipe, as well as Consul General in Mexico City and Rio de Janeiro. In 1997, he was honored by HM The Queen for his services to British diplomacy.

Roger and his wife, Angeles, share a passion for travel. Throughout their diplomatic career, they worked in ten countries and have visited over 80, enriching their lives with global experiences.

 

Jay Borkland

Academic and Environmental Advisor

Jay is a marine and environmental scientist with over 30 years of experience in industry, teaching, and research. As a principal and part owner of a national environmental and engineering firm, he has led major government and private projects, including Boston’s Central Artery, the Love Canal Superfund site, and a USGS study of the Gulf of Maine. Notably, Jay was part of a team awarded a $125 million grant for Nassau County, Long Island, in President Obama’s Rebuild by Design competition. He is currently involved in offshore wind research with Tufts University.

Local Pride and Expertise

Our Program Directors will be with you 24/7 and share their passion, expertise and culture, all while taking care of all the logistics, so that our Teacher-Leaders can focus their attention and time on their students.

 
Michael Travel Director

Michal - France

Michal is a natural born traveler. He made his first solo trip at the age of 18 traveling from Warsaw to Sicily and back. This experience changed his life forever; it was then that he decided to spend his life abroad. Originally from Poland he is living in Paris on the crossroad of 5 different cultures: Spanish, French, Polish, English and American.

He has more than 10 years of experience guiding travelers from different countries and more than 20 years of experience working with students in different international educational institutions.

 
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Raffaella - Italy

For over 20 years, Raffaella has been leading travel programs for student groups, choirs, orchestras and even professional rock bands. Originally from Cesena in Northeast Italy, Raffaella now frequently travels between Italy and her adopted home in London.

Following her degree in English language and literature from the University of Bologna and a masters in marketing management for the travel and tourism business, she began her career in tour managing and operations. This has given her the opportunity to travel extensively across Europe and the United States while working with a large variety of clients and educational travel groups.

 
Jasemina Travel Director

Jasmina - Slovenia

Jasmina, a Travel Director from Slovenia, was destined to be a traveler. Her father was a tour guide and she grew up listening to the stories of his travel adventures. She also frequently visited her family in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Jasmina started working as a guide in 1996, while still a student, focusing on history and journalism. Both her career as a journalist and as a travel director have given her opportunities to travel the world extensively but Slovenia, the Balkans, Central and Eastern Europe are still the destinations she holds most dear. She currently lives in Ljubljana, Slovenia

 
richard travel director

Richard - U.K.

Richard has two decades of experience in tourism and quite frequently works with institutional travel organizations, such as museums and church organizations, and students from the UK, Ireland, the United States and Canada.  As a result, he spends much of his time traveling all over Europe. He brings this cosmopolitan and pan-European experience to bear on his work with HTP, constantly making connections to other cities and countries in the course of his travel programs.

Originally from England, Richard Bowen has lived in Rome for over 20 years. He holds a bachelor's degree in humanities from Middlesex University, and a master's degree in medieval and twentieth-century history from University College London.

 

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