Ariventures Abroad was founded by Ariana McAuley in response to her own academic travel experiences. Though she found the experience personally transformational, there was an undercurrent of disconnect – she often saw that people had a stereotype of Americans, and particularly Black Americans, as ill-informed and disinterested in the world beyond their borders. Not only did this taint her own travel experience, but she worried that it might discourage other first-time global travelers from making it a repeat experience. Ariventures Abroad was created to address that issue.