Thanks for the checking out the blog for this Global Leadership Adventures program!
Here are a few things to know and expect:
- Blog posts are written by onsite program staff and/or students and sent to our Headquarters team who will post the blog on this page.
- We typically receive 2-3 blog updates per week from each program, so please don’t be alarmed if you don’t see a blog post every day – that’s totally normal.
- Blog updates received late in the evening or overnight will be posted the following day.
- Blog updates received on weekends may not be posted until Monday.
- Due to many factors such as internet accessibility, program staff aren’t always able to send photos, so some blog posts may contain text only.
Thank you for your patience and understanding, and we hope you enjoy following along on these unforgettable adventures.
For frequently asked questions about the blogs, please visit our Program Blog FAQ page.
-The Global Leadership Adventures HQ Team
Click here to jump down to the most recent post!
BLOG POST FOR JULY 10
Hello, GLA EU Internship 2026!
The countdown is almost over and we can’t wait to meet each and every one of you!
Tomorrow we’ll be waiting for you at the Frankfurt airport, proudly wearing our blue GLA “Be the Change” shirts and holding a GLA sign. As soon as you exit the terminal, keep an eye out for us. We promise we’ll be just as excited to see you as you are to finally arrive!
Over the next 21 days, you’ll have the chance to explore incredible places, learn from amazing people, challenge yourself, and create memories that will last a lifetime. We hope you’ll step outside your comfort zone, make lifelong friends, take way too many photos, laugh often, and embrace every opportunity that comes your way.
This adventure is about so much more than traveling, it’s about growing as leaders, discovering new perspectives, and making a positive impact together. We are honored to be part of your journey and can’t wait to share this experience with you.
Safe travels, and we’ll see you very soon in Frankfurt!
With excitement,
Your Leadership Team
BLOG POST FOR JULY 11
What an awesome first day! Everyone arrived safely, and even better, all of the luggage made it too! 🎉
After checking into the hotel, we headed to the food court for lunch, and it was a hit with the group. In the evening, we kicked off the first part of orientation and spent time playing some fun get-to-know-you games. It didn’t take long for everyone to start learning names and making connections.
For dinner, we tried a local Turkish restaurant, and it earned another round of great reviews from the students. Back at the hotel, everyone relaxed with card games while mentors completed evening health checks.
We’re off to a great start and can’t wait to see what tomorrow in Frankfurt has in store!
BLOG POST FOR JULY 12
After a full day of traveling yesterday, the hotel lobby was filled by smells of breakfast: Nutella waffles, sausages, an assortment of cheeses, and pretzels.
To start the day’s activities, we broke out into icebreaker games; “racer”, where the winner of the game was decided through a chicken imitation; and “speed-friending”, in which we debated and conferred on philosophical questions one-on-one with our peers.
Soon after, we sat down for orientation, in which we received an in-depth timeline breakdown of our trip, an introduction to our internship project, and were given the German word of the day, “bitte,” meaning please.
Our city exploration began utilizing the city’s tram system and led us into Frankfurt’s “Old Town,” where we shopped for souvenirs and had a traditional German lunch at Romer Bebbel.
To walk off the delicious cuisine, we ventured on a guided tour, which included the one bridge where the birth of German democracy and banking was explained, and visited Frankfurt Cathedral, where we learned of the Roman beginnings of the city and its medieval history.
After the tour, we admired the city landscape from the 56th floor of Frankfurt’s tallest observation deck, and explored the modern section of the city where we had the most delicious burgers at Jamey’s Burgers.
BLOG POST FOR JULY 13
Today we went to the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, where we learned about how stocks and trading in Germany work. In addition to learning about general ideas in finance, we then looked down onto the trading floor. On the floor, we saw people looking at stock information on their computers. After that, we ate lunch at a Japanese place where most of us got noodles. Next, we took the train back to the Frankfurt Airport, where we saw some of the rarest still-active commercial airliners in the world. We saw Lufthansa 747-400s and A340-600s, which they are going to retire in October. We also saw an Emirates A380-800, which is the world’s largest passenger plane.
-Blog and Photos by Aidan
BLOG POST FOR JULY 14
Today our group started of the morning by heading to the Geld Museum der Deutschen Bundesbank. At the museum our first stop was a presentation on the financial system of Germany as well as the EU. Being the financial capital of Europe, Frankfurt has a rich history of banking and finance as we learned in the presentation. After the presentation we explored the museum and got and in depth look at the history of money.
After the presentation our group got lunch and explored Zeil Street. I found Zeil Street comparable to Rodeo Drive due to its high end stores and exotic cars. Following our time on Zeil we headed across the Main river and had a picnic in one of Frankfurts many scenic parks. We played several games and worked in mentor groups. After our visit to the park we had some delicious pizza and headed back to our hotel to watch France vs Spain. All around it was an incredible day of learning and fun with hopefully more to come.
– Barrett
BLOG POST FOR JULY 15
Today we woke up in Frankfurt, and after eating breakfast, went on a bus to Heidelberg. We arrived at the hotel but our rooms weren’t ready yet, so we headed out to lunch. We ate at a traditional German restaurant before heading to a castle and getting a tour. We then split into groups, explored the city, and had dinner. After dinner we took a rail car to the top of a nearby mountain and watched the sunset.
– Max
BLOG POST FOR JULY 15
After a week of learning and settling into Europe, GLA took a relaxing trip kayaking through the Neckar River. On the river were beautiful views of the surrounding mountains and city. The most notable view was that of the castle, where GLA taught two lessons on students’ strengths and cultural humility. Students were then free to immerse themselves exploring Heidelberg’s shops and restaurants before meeting back up for the ride back to their hotel. Heidelberg’s beauty shone today as students relaxed after their studies of international business in Frankfurt.
Lucas
