About Us
OUR VISION
Kauffman Travel is committed to being the travel company you depend on to provide the highest quality, customer-focused travel experiences that enrich and inspire the lives of students and teachers alike.
With over 30 years of experience, Kauffman Travel Services takes the stress out of student travel so you can focus on having an unforgettable experience.
Kauffman Travel Services grew from the simple principal of putting people first and developing a relationship so that it feels like you are helping lifelong friends fulfill their travel goals. I value providing an authentic educational experience, offering the director and parents peace-of-mind travel, keeping the curriculum objectives and budget goals in the forefront, and personally providing a customer focused tour director to bring the mobile classroom to life! Eric will be there to support each group before they travel, while they are on their tour and when they return home. I want to be the travel company that truly helps facilitate your vision for your students, your program, and your community!
Relationships
I value you not just as a client, but as a valued friend. I will work closely with you to craft the perfect blend of learning, fun and adventure for you and your students.
Service
I am with you from start to finish. My dedication to personal attention and unique details ensures a quality travel-learning experience for you and your students.
Expertise
My vast industry knowledge, years of experience, and problem-solving solutions are highly valued, focused on a valuable customer service process.
Trust
I realize that exceptional customer experience is built on communication and an understanding that an enriching student experience is the top priority of everyone involved.
Safety
My primary goal is to provide a safe travel experience. I offer travelers one of the most extensive liability insurance plans in the travel industry, as well as access to office personnel 24/7.
Security
Travel security is imperative. By working with only the most trustworthy and reputable vendors, travelers can feel secure in any location. In addition, I can provide nighttime security upon request.
Our Promise to You...
OUR FOUNDER
Eric Kauffman
As an educator Eric Kauffman has been involved in the student travel industry for well over 30 years. Eric as a choral director often sought ways to get his students into a real-world learning environments while involving the kids in the educational opportunities that happen outside of their local community.
A graduate of Columbus South High School, Eric received his Bachelor’s degree in Vocal Music Education from Bowling Green State University, and continued his educational journey at BG by obtaining a Master’s degree in Choral Conducting Performance.
Eric was formerly the Vocal Music Director at Upper Arlington High School, where he has recruited over 300+ students each year to share their talents with the six choral ensembles that comprise the vocal music program. Before joining UA in 2001, Eric spent two years nurturing the choral music program at Gotha Middle School in the inner city of Orlando, Florida, and spent two years passionately growing the vocal music program at Hastings Middle School in UA.
Ardently studying the conducting methods of his mentor, Richard D. Mathey, Eric has shared his love of music with the greater Columbus community by serving as the Director of the Singing Buckeyes Barbershop Chorus, the Otterbein College Men’s Glee Club, and Chancel Choir at Worthington United Methodist Church.
Eric has also appeared as a guest clinician with several Honor Choirs, including the Fairfield County Junior High Honors Chorus (2006, 2014), the OMEA District III High School Honors Chorus, and the OMEA District I Junior High Honors Chorus. Eric maintains professional memberships and is an active participant with the Ohio Music Education Association, The American Choral Directors Association, and the Ohio Choral Directors Association, where he has served in many board positions.
Among his many accomplishments, Eric was honored as a community-elected recipient of the Upper Arlington Civic Association’s Golden Apple Award, a prestigious award presented for outstanding excellence in education. In 2013, Eric was honored with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra Secondary Music Educator of The Year Award.
As a performer, Eric’s college barbershop quartet, “The Real Deal”, earned top-billing in 1994 as the Collegiate Quartet Champions at the Barbershop International Quartet Convention. As Champions, “The Real Deal” performed at Churchill Downs for the Kentucky Derby from 1995 through 2009.