About This Episode
Season 7. Episode 18.
What if stepping away from the traditional college timeline could actually help students grow stronger, more independent, and more prepared for the future?
In this episode of Education Insight, we sit down with Aaron Slosberg, Director of Programming and Co-Owner of Where There Be Dragons, an organization that creates immersive gap year and student travel experiences around the world. Aaron shares what a gap year truly means beyond simply “taking time off,” and how intentional travel can transform the way young people see themselves and the world around them.
We explore the day-to-day realities of immersive travel experiences, including living with host families, navigating unfamiliar cultures, disconnecting from constant technology, and learning responsibility in completely new environments. Aaron also addresses common concerns from parents about academic momentum, safety, affordability, and whether gap year opportunities are only accessible to privileged students.
Throughout the conversation, we discuss how students develop confidence, humility, resilience, and cross-cultural understanding through these experiences — lessons that often stay with them for years in their relationships, careers, and personal growth.
Join us for a thoughtful conversation about why more students are choosing gap years, how global experiences can shape lifelong learning, and what it truly means to become a respectful and engaged citizen of the world.
Featured Guests
Aaron Slosberg
Director of Programming, Where There Be Dragons
Biography
Aaron’s love of learning has brought him to over 30 countries around the globe as a student, teacher, and traveler. Before coming to Dragons, Aaron worked as the Program Coordinator for UCLA Outdoor Adventures, where he managed the university’s group wilderness excursions and outdoor leadership training program. He completed his master’s degree in History at UCLA with a focus on U.S. economic influences in Latin America and Southeast Asia. While at UCLA, Aaron was awarded a Foreign Language and Areas Studies fellowship to support his study of Indonesian language and history. After graduate school, Aaron helped develop Dragons first programming in Indonesia in 2010.
Aaron has spent over 1000 days in the field as a Dragons Instructor and Trainer in Guatemala, Bolivia, Peru, and Indonesia. As Director of Programming, he wears a variety of hats, including overseeing Dragons’ curriculum, program logistics, staff training, and community sustainability practices for international programs. Aaron has led trainings on risk management, leadership development & facilitation, and cross-cultural communication at schools and conferences around the country. His current passion is to find ways to integrate Positive Psychology research into experiential education and facilitation. Aaron speaks Indonesian, Spanish, and passable English. He is a Wilderness First Responder, avid surfer, and believer in travel’s potential to transform us into a more just, compassionate, and awake global community.
Aaron is co-owner of Where There Be Dragons with Reed Harwood.
