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 2024 tours are below. Please join us, and explore the world through BC!
Inquire: 2024 Tours
For more information and to register, please call Thalassa Journeys toll-free at 866-633-3611.
For more information and to register, please call Orbridge, LLC, toll-free at 866-639-0079.
For more information and to register, please call Odysseys Unlimited toll-free at 888-370-6765.
For a mailed printed brochure please email continuinged@bc.edu.
2024 Tours
Greece Through the Ages
May 18-30, 2024
Last Chance - Join Us!
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13 days from $6,990 per person
Join us for a journey that will explore the long legacy of Greece during the springtime when wildflowers carpet the countryside! We will begin in Athens, where democracy and so many other ideas and concepts of the Western tradition had their origins. We will tour its celebrated monuments and witness its vibrant contemporary culture.
From here, we’ll travel to several of the Greek islands, starting in Naxos, the largest of the Cycladic islands, then on to Delos and Paros. From Naxos we will sail across the Aegean Sea to crescent-shaped Santorini, perhaps the most spectacular island in the Mediterranean. We will continue on to Crete, home of the Minoans who created the first civilization of Europe. Tour group size is limited to 28 alumni and friends of Boston College.
Athens • Agora • National Archaeological Museum • Acropolis and Museum • Parthenon • Argolis • Mycenae • Nafplion • Epidaurus • Lake Vouliagmeni • Naxos • Chora, Chalki, and other Naxos towns • cruise to Delos • sail to Paros • sail to Santorini • Akrotiri • Museum of Prehistoric Thera • Oia • sail to Crete • Heraklion • Gortyn • Museum of Cretan Ethnology • Rethymno • Palace of Knossos • Archaeological Museum
| Day | Itinerary | Hotel |
|---|---|---|
1 | Depart the U.S. for Athens | |
2-4 | Athens, Peloponnese | Hotel Athens Capital |
5-7 | Naxos, Delos, Paros | Naxos Resort Beach Hotel |
8-9 | Santorini | Hotel Volcano View |
| 10-12 | Crete | Hotel Megaron |
| 13 | Depart Crete for the U.S. |
Your BC Faculty Host
Gail Hoffman
Gail Hoffman is Professor of Classical Studies at Boston College, where she teaches courses such as Art and Myth in Ancient Greece, The Culture of Athenian Democracy, and Art and Archaeology of Homer and Troy. She has an AB in Archeology from Yale University and an MA and PhD in Classical Archaeology from The University of Michigan. Her research focuses on the archaeological evidence for interrelationships between Early Iron Age Greece (especially Crete) and the Near East.
Discover Southeast Alaska
August 2-9, 2024
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8 days from $5,395 per person
Explore some of nature’s more secluded landscapes as we discover the remote inner reaches of Alaska’s Inside Passage, aboard the 76-guest Chichagof Dream. Enjoy the agility and flexibility of small-ship travel, up-close encounters with wildlife, stunning scenery, cultural experiences, and the guidance of expert naturalists and your BC Faculty Host!
Capture the sight of whales breaching next to your boat, bears fishing along the shoreline, and eagles looking down from their nests - all part of nature’s amazing show. This program also offers an optional pre-tour to Denali National Park, where visitors can explore the vast and stunningly beautiful wilderness that is home to Denali, the highest mountain in North America.
Sitka, Alaska • Tlingit dance presentation • Alaska Raptor Center • Sitka National Historical Park • Multiple kayak and skiff excursions • Multiple wildlife viewing opportunities • Dynamic glaciers and guided walks with a National Park Ranger • Hidden Falls Hatchery • Petersburg tour and hike • Glacier viewing • Disembark
| Day | Itinerary |
|---|---|
| 1 | Arrive in Sitka, Alaska - Embarkation |
| 2 | Icy Strait / Chichagof Island |
| 3 | Glacier Bay National Park |
| 4 | Eastern Baranof Island / Lake Eva |
| 5 | Hidden Falls |
| 6 | Petersburg / Frederick Sound |
| 7 | Tracy Arm Fjord |
| 8 | Auke Bay / Juneau - Disembarkation |
Your BC Faculty Host
Tara Pisani Gareau
Tara Pisani Gareau is the Director of Boston College’s Environmental Studies Program and a Professor of the Practice in the Earth and Environmental Sciences Department. She is an agroecologist whose research includes conservation biological control, wild bee pollination services, and the interactions between climate and agriculture. Her research is focused on redesigning agricultural systems to be sustainably productive, while conserving biodiversity and preserving our wild ecosystems. Tara teaches courses in agroecology, ecology, sustainable agriculture, climate change, and senior environmental seminars.
Provincial French Countryside
August 26 - September 9, 2024
Waitlist Only
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15 days from $6,197
Join us for an exclusive journey through provincial France! We’ll traverse the country from south to north, taking in breathtaking scenery and visiting unspoiled villages. Begin in Toulouse and see the longest city walls in Europe at medieval Carcassonne. In the Dordogne region, tour the famous Lascaux Caves and take a leisurely river cruise. Visit the beautiful Château de Chenonceau in the Loire Valley.
In Normandy, tour the Gothic abbey at Mont-St-Michel and discover medieval Bayeux. Spend a day exploring the famous D-Day Landing Beaches and the American Cemetery overlooking Omaha Beach. Then walk in Monet’s glorious gardens in Giverny before concluding our journey in Paris, where an optional extension is available for those who wish to further enjoy the “City of Light”. Tour group size is limited to 24 alumni and friends of Boston College.
Toulouse • Carcassonne • Albi • Sarlat-la-Canéda • International Center for Cave Art at Lascaux IV • Dordogne River cruise • Rocamadour • Le Dorat • Saumur • Maison du Vin • Château de Chenonceau • Mont-St-Michel • Bayeux’s Tapestry Museum • Caen’s Memorial Museum • Arromanches • Pointe du Hoc / Utah Beach / Ste-Mère-Église / Omaha Beach / American Cemetery • Giverny and Monet’s gardens • Paris
| Day | Itinerary | Hotel |
|---|---|---|
1 | Depart U.S. for Toulouse, France | |
2–3 | Toulouse | Crowne Plaza Toulouse |
4–6 | Sarlat-en-Périgord (Dordogne) | Grand Hôtel de Sarlat |
| 7–9 | Saumur (Loire Valley) | Hôtel Anne d’Anjou |
| 10–12 | Crépon (Normandy) | Manoir de Mathan |
| 13-14 | Paris | Hôtel Château de Frontenac |
| 15 | Depart Paris for U.S. |
Your BC Faculty Host
Anne Bernard Kearney
Anne Bernard Kearney studied at the Beaux-Arts de Paris. With her husband, she moved to Ireland in 1980, then to Boston in 1999, where they have lived since, both teaching at Boston College. Anne has taught in French and in English in BC’s department of Romance Languages and Literatures since 2002. In addition to teaching, Anne has practiced as an architect, an artist, and a translator. She has published five books, and translations into French of Irish and American poets.
Northern Italy: From the Alps to the Adriatic
September 30–October 14, 2023: Experience the romantic Lake District, spending three nights on Lake Maggiore and cruising to beautiful Isola Bella.
Oberammergau Passion Play & Cruising the Danube River
June 5-15, 2022: 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.
Enchanting Ireland: A Tour of the Emerald Isle
September 29–October 11, 2019: 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.
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.