Chapperone is helping make experiential learning possible by removing one of the biggest barriers educators face: the overwhelming logistics of organizing student travel. Founded in 2020 by educator Alexandra “Ali” Iberraken, Chapperone is a student travel management platform designed to make trips easier for teachers, safer for students, and more transparent for families.
Ali created the company after years of leading student trips and seeing firsthand how transformative they could be. Travel gave students the chance to build confidence, curiosity, independence, and a deeper understanding of the world around them. But behind every meaningful trip was an enormous amount of invisible labor. Teachers were often left managing permission slips, parent communication, medical details, safety planning, itineraries, and last-minute logistics on top of their full-time jobs.
Chapperone brings those moving parts into one place. Through its platform, educators can collect forms, track student information, share itineraries, send reminders, and keep families informed before and during a trip. What began as a tool for schools has also proven valuable for student travel organizations, nonprofits, camps, and youth programs that need a simple, reliable way to manage group travel.
The Chapperone Origin Story
Chapperone began with a trip that made a lasting impression on Ali Iberraken. After 14 years as a physics teacher, she had seen how powerful learning beyond the classroom could be. But one experience in particular brought the challenge into sharp focus: leading nearly one hundred sophomores from Brooklyn to Spain.
For the students, the trip was eye-opening. It offered new perspectives, deeper cultural understanding, and memories that would stay with them for years. For the teachers organizing it, it was also a logistical marathon. Months of preparation went into managing forms, communicating with families, tracking student needs, and making sure every part of the experience ran safely and smoothly.
That contrast stayed with Ali. She knew experiential learning could have a profound impact on students, yet she also saw how often the administrative burden discouraged educators from organizing trips at all.
She launched the first version of Chapperone in March 2020 as a mobile app focused on communication and logistics while groups were traveling. As teachers began using it, they asked for support with everything that happened before departure as well. In response, the company expanded into a more comprehensive platform that supports the full lifecycle of a trip, from registration and permission forms to real-time updates while students are on the road.
How Chapperone Is Making A Positive Impact
Chapperone helps expand access to experiential learning by making school trips and youth travel easier to organize. When educators have better tools to manage logistics, more students can participate in experiences that build confidence, connection, and real-world understanding.
The company is also working to make these opportunities more equitable. Through flexible pricing and its Experiential Learning Fund, Chapperone helps schools and organizations with limited budgets access the platform and continue offering travel experiences that might otherwise be out of reach.
That commitment extends to the partners Chapperone supports. The platform has worked with organizations such as Teens of Color Abroad, Color the Outdoors, and the Institute for Common Power, helping mission-driven groups create smoother, safer travel experiences for the young people they serve. Ali also shared that the platform is proving useful well beyond the high school context she originally designed it for, with interest coming from elementary schools, universities, summer camps, sports teams, and other youth-focused groups.
Chapperone also contributes to a broader culture of experiential education through webinars, workshops, and training sessions that help educators design and lead trips with greater confidence. By positioning itself not only as a logistics platform but also as a resource for educators, the company is helping strengthen the ecosystem around experiential learning.
Why the UnTours Foundation Invested in Chapperone
We invested in Chapperone because it addresses an important but often overlooked part of inclusive travel: the infrastructure that makes educational travel possible in the first place.
For many students, travel can be one of the most formative parts of their education. It builds independence, empathy, global awareness, and confidence. Yet too often these opportunities depend on whether a teacher has the time, support, and administrative capacity to organize a trip. The logistical burden can discourage educators from offering experiences they know would be transformative for their students. Chapperone helps remove those barriers, making it easier for schools and youth organizations to offer meaningful travel experiences.
This investment was made possible through our partnership with Expedia Group, whose support has helped the UnTours Foundation expand access to travel and strengthen more inclusive pathways into the travel economy. Chapperone reflects that shared vision. By simplifying the planning and coordination of student travel, the platform enables more educators to say yes to experiential learning and helps more students experience the world beyond their classroom.
At its core, Chapperone is helping more young people access experiences that expand their horizons and deepen their understanding of the world. That is a future we are proud to support.
How You Can Support Chapperone
You can support Chapperone by encouraging schools, youth organizations, and travel programs to invest in the systems that make experiential learning easier to deliver. Educators can explore the platform to simplify trip planning, improve communication with families, and create more opportunities for students to learn beyond the classroom. Every well-supported trip helps open the world a little wider for the young people taking part.
