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Travel Program

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Vassar Travel Programs

As we are planning our future trips, we always appreciate hearing from alums regarding destinations and trip themes you’d like to explore and faculty members with whom you’d like to travel. Please feel free to contact Susan Quade, Senior Associate Director for Special Events and Programs and the Vassar Travel Program at suquade@vassar.edu.

Upcoming 2024 trips at a glance:

Cuba: Art, Culture & History
May 5–11, 2024

The Galapagos Islands
July 6–13, 2024

Egypt and the Nile
September 21–October 4, 2024

Flavors of Tuscany
September 26–October 4, 2024

Discovering South Korea: A Journey through its Food, Culture, and Globalization
October 9–21, 2024

Postponed Until 2025:

Paris in the Jazz Age, featuring the African American Experience
Date TBD

Namibia: Endless Horizons & Open Skies
June 18-July 2, 2025

Upcoming Trips

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Cuba: Art, Culture & History

May 5–11, 2024

Faculty Host: Leslie Offutt, Associate Professor emerita of History

Get a rare glimpse inside Cuba, exploring the country’s art, architecture, music, and cuisine. Along with Associate Professor emerita of History Leslie Offutt, you’ll stay in boutique accommodations in Havana; take in the ornate architecture of the UNESCO World Heritage site that is Old Havana; venture to the countryside to the lush tobacco fields and mogotes of Vinales Valley; and stop in Ernest Hemingway’s private world at his historic home, La Vigia.

Highlights will include:

  • Meet former Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs to speak about Cuban politics
  • Delve into the life of Ernest Hemmingway
  • Engage with Cuba’s leading artistic creators at their studios
  • Attend a private rehearsal of Cuba’s contemporary dance company

For more information and to register, please contact Arrangements Abroad at (212) 514-8921 or (800) 221-1944.

Tour participants aboard a small motorized raft admiring the scenery and local wildlife.

The Galapagos Islands

July 6–13, 2024

Faculty Host: Jill Schneiderman, Professor of Earth Science

Nestled in the Pacific Ocean—at the confluence of three ocean currents—the Galapagos Islands are a haven for explorers, nature enthusiasts, and those seeking a profound connection with the natural world. Join this transformative expedition voyage through these enchanting islands to celebrate life’s diversity and to witness firsthand the stunning display of nature’s endless wonders.

Highlights will include:

  • Observe up close the endemic species such as giant tortoises, land iguanas, and Darwin’s finches
  • Snorkel with sea lions and tropical fish or observe them through a glass bottom boat
  • Visit the lush highlands of Santa Cruz Island
See the full Galapagos itinerary and reserve your place.
A very large stone pyramid is on a hill above a stone sphinx and stone walls of varying heights, on a sunny day.

Egypt and the Nile

September 21–October 4, 2024

Faculty Host: April M. Beisaw, Professor of Anthropology

The incomparable Nile. Magnificent ancient monuments. Endless golden sands. This and more is Egypt—a cradle of civilization essential to our human story and the developments in government, religion, and agriculture. With its long past and welcoming people, Egypt beckons travelers to explore ruins of the past and wonders of today.

Highlights will include:

  • Traverse the Nile Valley to visit the Great Sphinx, the Temple of Horus and the tombs of El Kab
  • Expert Egyptologists as your guides
  • Four-night cruise on a private 14-guest sailing vessel

For more information and to register, please contact Orbridge Destination Specialists at (866) 639-0079.

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Flavors of Tuscany

September 26–October 4, 2024

Faculty Host: Miriam Rossi, Professor emerita of Chemistry

Embrace the bewitching enchantment, bucolic ambiance, and charismatic culture of Tuscany. Meander through its colorful cities, cypress-studded hilltop towns, classic cucinas, and idyllic vineyards during this small-group journey. Explore the Italian countryside that provides endless inspiration for artists, chefs, and vintners alike.

Highlights will include:

  • Explore the Etruscan ruins and center in Volterra
  • Tour an organic farm and learn about the owners’ dedication to the slow food movement
  • Stroll Siena—a UNESCO World Heritage Site

For more information and to register, please contact Orbridge Destination Specialists at (866) 639-0079.

Two people wearing long gowns with gold collars, cuffs and trim and pink or red skirts stand looking at a cell phone and smiling on a wide path between two rows of tall red wooden pillars with a red wall behind them.

Discovering South Korea: A Journey through its Food, Culture, and Globalization

October 9–21, 2024

Faculty Hosts: Seungsook Moon, Professor of Sociology, and Rev. Ben Caldwell, Business Advisor for the Mid-Hudson Small Business Development Center

Experience cities throughout South Korea, a country of dramatic and dynamic transformation. By historically playing the role of cultural bridge between the Eurasian continent and the Pacific Ocean, Korea cultivated complex layers of beliefs and rituals stemming from a number of religions. Custom-designed for Seungsook Moon, Professor of Sociology, this tour will highlight food as an essential medium to explore Korea’s incredible resilience and cultural dynamism, interweaving visits to iconic and cultural sites of traditional and contemporary Korea with its culinary globalization.

Highlights will include:

  • Once-in-a-lifetime exploration of South Korea
  • Tour the cities of Seoul, Andong, Gyeongju and Busan
  • Visit Jeju Island to learn about the culture of the “haenyeo”—the women divers who harvest from the ocean for up to seven hours a day without the use of oxygen masks and whose knowledge of the sea is passed down from generation to generation
See the full South Korea itinerary and reserve your place.
The Eiffel Tower, a tall open metalwork structure with sloping sides narrowing to a spire on top, with platforms on several levels, standing at the end of a large green field. Photo Credit Susan Brkich ’86.

Paris in the Jazz Age, featuring the African American Experience

Postponed until 2025, dates to come

Hosts: Mia Mask, Ph.D., Professor of Film on the Mary Riepma Ross ’32 Vassar Chair, and Mark Wittman, MBA Managing Director, Investment Banking

Take a trip back in time to trace the journey of Black Americans in France, gain insight into why they moved to Paris, and how they forever influenced French culture. This seven-night small-group program, hosted by Professor Mia Mask, features divine cuisine with an extensive meal plan—including wine with dinner, incredible art, an exploration of Montmartre, and a cruise along the Seine River.

Highlights will include:

  • Learn how African American expatriates influenced Paris
  • Enjoy an evening at a jazz club
  • Sample French treats during a gastronomic walking tour

Photo credit: Susan Brkich ’86

A baby elephant and an adult elephant browse in tall wheat-colored grass next to a body of water at sunset.

Endless Horizons & Open Skies

June 18-July 2, 2025

Faculty Host: Abby Baird ’91, Professor of Psychological Science on the Arnhold Family Chair

Venture to the South African country of Namibia, renowned for its captivating vistas, sculpted red canyons, some of the most spectacular sand dunes, and the home of the world’s oldest desert. Along the way, you’ll marvel at these geological wonders and admire the remarkable wildlife that call this vast and varied landscape home—leopards, giraffes, rhinos, zebras, antelopes, and desert elephants. You’ll also learn about the country’s extraordinary conservation programs.

Highlights will include:

  • Evening game drive and rhino tracking
  • Take a bush flight deep into the Namib desert
  • Visit the AfriCat Foundation to experience the work they are doing to protect leopards and cheetahs and reintroducing them into the wild

For more information, please contact Immersion Journeys at (917) 686-2620.

Travel Insurance

The Vassar Travel Program offers quality travel insurance through Meyer and Associates.

Upon receipt of your tour registration, Vassar will send insurance information to you directly. Please note that the purchase of insurance is time sensitive to the date that your trip deposit payment is received. Insurance information will be sent to you both by email and postal mail.

Of course, the choice of whether to purchase insurance is yours, but the Vassar Travel Program wants to make sure each Vassar traveler is offered quality insurance. We believe it is very important to protect your travel investment. Meyer and Associates offers a wide range of insurance options. We strongly urge travelers to purchase the package that offers trip cancellation coverage at the minimum.

For detailed information and to purchase travel insurance, contact Meyer and Associates or call (800) 635-7801.

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