BC Beyond Educational Travel is pleased to facilitate lifelong learning opportunities through travel. We work with tour operators who expedite the travel arrangements and make available educational tours across the U.S. and around the world to Boston College alumni, parents, and friends. The program aims to connect alumni with Boston College, to showcase its faculty, and to embrace and expand the global reach of Boston College, in alignment with its Jesuit mission to learn continuously and to serve others.
Details of our upcoming and inaugural tours are below. Please join us, and explore the world through BC!
Inquire
For more information and to register, please call Odysseys Unlimited toll-free at 888-370-6765.
Northern Italy
September 30 - October 14, 2023
15 days from $5,774
total price from New York
This leisurely 15-day exploration of Italy’s varied northern regions offers your small group a refreshing perspective on a well-known land. Experience the romantic Lake District, spending three nights on Lake Maggiore and cruising to beautiful Isola Bella. Sample Barolo, the “king of wines,” at a winery. Staying in an Italian Riviera resort town, enjoy a spectacular Cinque Terre excursion.
Journey to Tuscany for three nights in wondrous Florence, stopping in atmospheric Lucca. After discovering Siena and storied Verona, explore Bolzano, gateway to the magnificent Dolomites. The journey ends in treasured Venice. Savor more time here with a 3-day/2-night post-tour extension.
Tour group size is limited to 24 alumni and friends of Boston College.
Stresa resort on lovely Lake Maggiore • Isola Bella and Palazza Borromeo • Lakeside town of Orta San Giulio • Italian Riviera resort towns of Santa Margherita and Portofino • Cinque Terre villages of Vernazza and Portovenere • Medieval Lucca • Florence, crown jewel of Tuscany • Walled city of Siena • Verona, setting of Shakespeare plays • Bolzano, gateway to the Dolomites in the Italian Alps • Wondrous Venice!
Day | Itinerary | Hotel |
---|---|---|
1 | Depart U.S. for Milan | |
2-4 | Stresa |
La Palma Hotel |
5-7 |
Santa Margherita |
Hotel Metropole |
8-10 |
Radda-in-Chianti |
Palazzo Leopoldo |
11-12 |
Bolzano |
Hotel Scala Stiegl |
13-14 |
Venice |
Palazza Veneziano |
15 |
Depart Venice for U.S. |
Your BC Faculty Host
Laurie Shepard is Associate Professor of Italian, and taught medieval and renaissance Italian literature in the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures at Boston College from 1986 to 2022. She received her PhD in Comparative Medieval Romance Literature and Philology from Boston College in 1985. A Fulbright Fellowship recipient, she studied at Rome’s Philological Institute, and taught for two semesters at Venice International University.
Oberammergau Passion Play & Cruising the Danube River
June 5-15, 2022
11 days from $4,295 per person
Nestled in the storybook landscapes of the Bavarian Alps, more than 2000 residents of the quaint hamlet of Oberammergau stage one of the world’s greatest dramatic performances, the extraordinary Passion Play, founded on unique local history and a legacy that encompasses nearly four centuries.
Join us in June 2022 for a once‐in‐a‐lifetime opportunity to experience the 42nd production of this time‐honored tradition, the Oberammergau Passion Play, founded on unique local history and a legacy that encompasses nearly four centuries. Spend two nights in the Oberammergau region, coupled with a delightful Danube River cruise aboard the exclusively chartered, deluxe Amadeus Silver III through Hungary, Austria, Germany and Slovakia.
Tour group size is limited to 24 alumni and friends of Boston College.
Day | Itinerary |
---|---|
1–2 |
U.S. / Budapest, Hungary |
3 |
Budapest |
4 |
Bratislava, Slovakia |
5 | Vienna, Austria |
6 | Melk, Austria |
7 | Passau, Germany / Salzburg, Austria / Oberammergau, Germany |
8 | Oberammergau Passion Play |
9 | Oberammergau / Neuschwanstein Castle / Munich, Germany |
10 | Munich |
11 | Munich / Return to the U.S. |
Enchanting Ireland: A Tour of the Emerald Isle
September 29–October 11, 2019
13 days from $4,972 total price
from Boston, New York
It’s a beautiful, magical land, where the gentle green landscape dazzles and the people delight; where warmth and hospitality are national traits and poets are national heroes. From Dublin to Galway, Killarney to Kilkenny, this full yet well-paced tour showcases Ireland’s many charms – both old and new – to our small band of travelers.

Dublin touring, including Trinity College and St. Patrick’s Cathedral • Magnificent natural scenery of counties Galway and Kerry: Cliffs of Moher, the Burren, Connemara • Irish sheepdog demonstration • Beautiful Kylemore Abbey • Dramatic Aran Islands • Ring of Kerry scenic drive • Historic Muckross House • Visit to Blarney Castle • Rock of Cashel • Kilkenny Castle • Outstanding small group accommodations that enhance the Irish experience
Day | Itinerary | Hotel |
---|---|---|
1 |
Depart U.S. for Dublin | |
2–3 |
Dublin | The Shelbourne Dublin |
4–6 |
Galway | The Twelve Hotel |
7–9 | Killarney | Killarney Royal |
10–11 | Killarney | Pembroke Hotel |
12 | Dublin | Finnstown Castle Hotel |
13 | Depart Dublin for U.S. |
Your BC Faculty Host
Professor Rob Savage '79, PhD '94, has written four critically acclaimed books. A History Professor at BC, he teaches courses in Irish, British, and European History, and served as a director of the Irish Studies Program from 1995 to 2010.
Disclaimer: Boston College is pleased to facilitate educational travel opportunities for its alumni and friends, and works with tour operators to make available interesting and enriching travel opportunities for Boston College travelers. Please note that Boston College does not conduct the tours, make travel arrangements, or act as an agent for guests interested in tours. The Tour Operators are responsible for all travel arrangements, payments, and bookings. Boston College is pleased to act as a liaison with tour operators should you have any questions or concerns that may arise before, during, or after your tour. Boston College encourages you to familiarize yourself thoroughly with the tour operator’s cancellation and refund policies, and also to investigate available services such as trip cancellation insurance. Boston College is not responsible for changes to trips or travel arrangements or for losses or expenses resulting from travel.