Top Talk Travel is a privately run Spanish-American company set up to provide language immersion programs for American and Spanish middle school and high school students. Co-founders Alice Jones (BA University of Michigan, BA UNED) and Marian Matabuena (Universidad del Pais Vasco at Sarriko, Spain) teamed up in 2013 to deliver safe, quality language programs for our clients in Spain and the US.
Our company is based in Castro-Urdiales (Spain), just 15 minutes outside Bilbao, home of the famous Guggenheim museum and 45 minutes from Gernika, which depicts Picasso’s famous painting of the same name. We have been working with US host families since 2013, and we can provide families with plenty of families who know us and have dealt with us personally.
Alice, a Mclean Virginia native, is the owner of Top Talk English Academy, an English language academy that specializes in teaching English to young children and teens in the town of Castro-Urdiales. The school has been in operations since 2014 and has approximately 330 students and a small staff of teachers and administrative personnel.
Top Talk has organized successful language immersion visits to the northern Virginia area from 2014-2019.
We can provide you with referrals from past host families.
Testimonials
“Thank you Alice for providing a fantastic cultural exchange for our son this summer. Placing him with such a wonderful family gave him exposure to Spain in a way that tourists don’t experience, and really allowed him to work on his Spanish skills. Looking forward to next year…..”
Kerstin, McLean, Virginia.
“Thank you Alice. Your students are always delightful.”
Jennifer, Chicago
For students from Spain
Top Talk organizes English immersion group trips to northern Virginia and separate individual trips to locations throughout the US to places such as: Chicago, Michigan, Utah and North Carolina for Spanish teens.
For American families interested in hosting Spanish teens in Virginia
The dates for hosting in northern Virginia are typically from the end of June through July. Students arrive at Washington DC Dulles Airport.
The students can participate in day camps or simply spend time with the host family and take part in their typical day-to-day activities. Top Talk pays a stipend to families for hosting.
For American families living outside Virginia interested in hosting
We have been sending carefully selected students to various locations around the US for years. Most stays are for 4 weeks and take place during July. Students´ parents sign a waiver and students have full health and travel insurance. The students´ natural families purchase plane tickets to airports that are conveniently located for families, who are expected to pick up the students from the airport. The main responsibility of host families is to include the student in normal family life and practice English with them. Many students go sightseeing or shopping with their host families and some practice sports or enjoy the great outdoors. We offer a stipend to accepted host families.
For students and adults from the U.S.
American teens wishing to improve their Spanish can join our language immersion group trip to northern Spain every summer. There, they will be hosted by trusted families whom Alice knows personally.
Individual total immersion for Adults in Spain
We welcome all those adults wishing to improve their Spanish to take part in a language immersion program in northern Spain. We can find a trusted host family to suit your needs.